12 Thoughts from Sunday's Week 9 Games
The Chiefs defense seemed to have an answer for everything the Dolphins threw their way. The Dolphins, on the other hand, don’t seem to have an answer for any team that isn’t already in draft-planning season. It’s a cheap talking point, but it will continue to be there until they prove otherwise. Miami needs to show they can win an ugly game against a good team that punches them in the mouth and keeps them from operating at their peak. There’s a lot of football left and plenty of opportunity for Miami to change the narrative.
The Ravens might be the best all around team in the NFL. They can win in numerous ways, and while Lamar Jackson has been much of the focus, it’s the defense that’s spearheading their success. They just held a good Seahawks offense to just 3 points, 151 yards, and 1-for-12 on 3rd down. They also sacked Geno Smith 4 times and forced 2 turnovers.
The Bengals won their 4th game in a row and look primed to make another run. For those who still view the NFL as a 1-on-1 game between quarterbacks, Burrow is now a combined 5-1 vs. Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes.
C.J. Stroud threw for an NFL-rookie-record 470 yards and 5 touchdowns. Not to mention, he led the Texans on a game-winning touchdown drive in the final minute that took just 40 seconds and covered 75 yards. Things are clicking for him in ways we haven’t seen in a rookie quarterback before.
Bryce Young, on the other hand, is not having as fun of a rookie season. He fired 3 interceptions on Sunday, including 2 pick-6’s to Kenny Moore that were the difference in the game. I figured there would be some growing pains in year 1, but this has been more than anyone expected for the top pick in last year’s draft.
You couldn’t have asked for a more dramatic game between the Eagles and Cowboys. Dallas had a chance to pull out the win with the ball on the Eagles’ 6-yard line, trailing by 5, and just 27 seconds left. Somehow, their final play would be snapped from the 27-yard line. The Cowboys had chances, but they just didn’t play clean enough to get the win.
What more can you say about Josh Dobbs? He started the week as an Arizona Cardinal and ended it by leading the Vikings to a come-from-behind last-minute win on Sunday. Dobbs was brilliant and finished with 3 total touchdowns in his Minnesota debut. He was so new to the Vikings’ playbook that apparently head coach Kevin O’Connell was mapping out the routes of various plays in his headset until the coach-to-QB communication was cut off. I can’t say enough about how impressive it is that Dobbs performed like he did in those circumstances
It wasn’t pretty, but the Packers got a win for the first time in 6 weeks. They ran the ball 38 times for 184 yards, which is the ticket to future success for this team. Play with balance and let Jordan Love be a complement until he and his receivers can get on the same page.
The Browns held the Cardinals to 58 total yards on 48 plays. That’s not a typo. 58 yards on 48 plays…There’s not much more to say about this game.
The Patriots lost 20-17 to the Commanders to fall to 2-7. They just aren’t a very good football team on either side of the ball right now. It doesn’t help that Mac Jones is the least physically talented starting quarterback in the NFL. While that doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t be an effective quarterback, it leaves little margin for error. With his level of talent, he needs to be an extremely precise passer to have success. He needs to make good decisions. He needs another skillset like great anticipation or processing to make up for his lack of physical ability. He hasn’t shown any of those traits consistently.
What a disappointment the Giants have been this season. Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse, they turned catastrophic on Sunday against the Raiders as Daniel Jones tore his ACL. The Raiders, on the other hand, looked rejuvenated with former Giant Antonio Pierce at the helm.
There’s been some offensive turmoil in New Orleans this season. While things weren’t entirely clicking on Sunday, the Saints pulled out their second straight win and now sit at the top of the NFC South with a 5-4 record. They’ve got a defense that can lead them to the playoffs. If that offense can start gelling around Derek Carr, New Orleans could be a sleeper in the NFC.