This week's lineup didn't look sharp on paper but we got some great battles in week nine! As we go into the second half of the season, a couple of teams stood up as legit, while a few others are officially done-done. Some big changes ahead in some coaching rooms and front offices. Let's dive into the game action and see where these shake ups are likely to fall.
Eagles 29- Texans 17
Well! Admittedly didn't see this game going the way it did. Both teams exchanged touchdowns to start the game and right before the break to go into halftime tied 14-14. The Eagles were moving the ball at will but the Texans were matching them. Houston even forced a fumble from Hurts on a sack to prevent an inevitable score. Everything was lining up down in H-Town.
Then Davis Mills threw his first interception. On their second drive of the third quarter with the game still knotted up, Mills was looking for Chris Moore deep when Chauncy Gardner-Johnson picked him near midfield and ran the ball back to the 17. Two plays later, AJ Brown was celebrating in the end zone.
The game felt over at that point, until Houston answered with a field goal! Unfortunately, the Eagles marched once again to a pay dirt-- travelling 75 yards on ten plays to put them up by eight. An ensuing punt and pick by Mills essentially ended the Texans' upset bid. Credit to them for hanging around for the whole game with a vastly more talented team.
Credit to Philadelphia as well for keeping their cool among the adversity and securing the dub. They'll be hoping to leave some of that winning juju down in Houston to help the Phillies come back in games six and seven.
Chargers 20- Falcons 17
Fun one to kick off the one o'clock docket for us. Down in the ATL, the Falcons jumped up to a 10-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Then LA turned it on, churning out two Austin Ekeler touchdowns to take a 14-10 lead into the break.
Cordarelle Patterson scored his second touchdown of the game in the third to put Atlanta back ahead 17-14. Cameron Dicker the kicker tied it up at 17 and then all hell broke loose. The Chargers were driving down the field for a game winning score when Ekeler fumbled at the twenty yard line. Ta'Quon Graham of the Falcons recovered the ball and was returning it when he fumbled the ball himself, with LA ultimately coming out with possession. Three plays later, Dicker came back out again and split the uprights for the 20-17 victory.
Really tough loss for Atlanta at home against a game opponent. As banged up as they are, they showed their grit hanging with a superior opponent. It's safe to wonder what this team's ceiling would be with more adequate quarterback play. Perhaps Desmond Ridder will get his audition here by year's end.
Dolphins 35- Bears 32
The Justin Fields train just keeps on rolling, with the sophomore signal caller totaling 301 yards and four touchdowns without a turnover. It was an incredibly encouraging performance on the back of some equally solid showings. Cole Kmet caught two more touchdowns and Darnell Mooney matched his season high for catches, snagging seven of his eight targets to pace the passing game as Chase Claypool got his feet wet in the new offense.
Without Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith however, this Bears' defense had no teeth. Tua made big throw after big throw, marching the team down the field at will. New addition Jeff Wilson was a spark in the running game that they've been missing all year. Tyreek Hill continued his torrid play at wideout as well, adding 143 more yards to his totals, maintaining his pace to set the record for most receiving yards in a season ever. He's looked as unstoppable as his numbers suggest.
This was a huge win for Miami, as they now find themselves essentially in a three way tie for the lead in the AFC East. The West was supposed to be the conference's strongest group, but so far that title undeniably belongs to the East.
Bengals 42- Panthers 21
Hopefully you didn't follow our fantasy advice and bench Joe Mixon in this game. My goodness, what a day.
The Bengals RB1 went for 153 and four scores on the ground at a 7.0 YPC clip, adding four catches for 58 yards and a touchdown by air before sitting out the fourth quarter. Carolina did literally nothing to stop him. They barely needed Joe Burrow out there, with the QB just topping 200 yards in a clean showing before he was also benched for Brandon Allen. Another statement win at home over an inferior NFC South opponent.
PJ Walker's ride as a starter in this league should be over. He looked okay versus Tampa and competent in Atlanta, but those two performances are sandwiched by two games that he combined for a stat line of 13/26 for 69 yards and two interceptions. Fun story, lovable guy; time to pick the clipboard back up.
Baker Mayfield replaced Walker in a relief effort with the Panthers in a 28-0 hole. He was effective overall, passing for 155 yards and leading three touchdown drives, albeit mainly against backups with the game well in hand. D'Onta Foreman also busted in a big spot for himself, only managing 23 yards on seven totes. It simply wasn't a game script he could succeed in.
Huge get-right win for Cincy after last week's debacle on Monday night. Stay tuned to see who gets the starting nod under center in Carolina next week.
Lions 15- Packers 9
This seems to be the end of the line for you Aaron. The Packers were held to nine points by the worst defense in the league. Unlike many of their other recent losses, this one fell squarely on the shoulders of their quarterback, who threw three red zone picks.
He looked anxious, flustered and rushed, forcing far too many throws. Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon were unable to provide any help on the ground either. It was an awful showing, no two ways about it. How much longer can Green Bay sit through shit like this and not do anything? Obviously they tried (and failed) to add some reinforcements at the trade deadline, but when do the people in house start being held accountable for the poor play during this five game losing streak? Dallas, Tennessee and Philly next too...this team is done.
Outside of Tua gashing them last week, Detroit's defense looks as serviceable as they have all season these last three weeks. This was a nice cherry on top for them, digging deep multiple times against a division rival and keeping the Lions in this game.
Jared Goff was very average, as was the rushing game. D'Andre Swift seems to still be on a pitch count of sorts, possibly due to Jamaal Williams' steady performance buying him that luxury. They leaned on the D, who answered the call and secured the dub up in the Motor City.
Patriots 26- Colts 3
As of 10:20 AM Monday, Frank Reich is still employed. Anyone want to bet on just how much longer that'll last? Indianapolis looked unmotivated, unorganized and just plain bad up in Foxborough. Is that on Indy's coaching staff? Or perhaps Belichick's uncanny ability to tame inexperienced quarterbacks?
The answer is probably a good bit of both. The issues we've been seeing are far from exclusive to this game. There's no consistency from game to game, the offense is vanilla and the defense is mediocre and getting worn down. Jim Irsay has to be fuming with what he's seen through these first nine weeks; changes are very clearly on the horizon, on all levels of this organization.
Mac Jones was fine for New England, moving the ball when he had to and handing it off to Rhamondre Stevenson the rest of the time. He didn't have a lot to do though with the defense obliterating the Colts the way they did. Not often you'll see a team manage just 11 first downs and win by 23 points. Sorry if you watched this whole game.
Jets 20- Bills 17
Upset of the day! The Jets came into this one as thirteen point dogs in some places, which looked to be in play early as Buffalo jumped to a 14-3 lead. Then Gang Green started putting it together.
Michael Carter and James Robinson found pay dirt on each side of halftime to put New York in the lead for the first time 17-14. After exchanging punts with eight minutes left, Zach Wilson led them on a clock consuming 13 play, 86-yard drive that culminated in a 28-yard field goal by Legatron.
Josh Allen had four plays and 90 seconds to get the Bills into field goal range. A holding penalty and strip sack proved to be too much for the MVP candidate to overcome however, as Buffalo quickly turned the ball over on downs and conceded defeat to their divisional foes.
Are Allen's four turnovers in the last two games a cause for concern or a side effect of an aggressive, high powered offense? They definitely were inopportune this most recent Sunday, directly giving the Jets a touchdown while taking away at least a field goal opportunity from his own team. They've got to get right quick with a 7-1 Minnesota team on deck.
Vikings 20- Commanders 17
Speaking of Minnesota...what a gritty win they pulled off in FedEx Field. After going down ten with about 14 minutes left, Kirk Cousins led the squad on three consecutive scoring drives, including one for the game winning field goal. A display of clutch vengeance for the former DC QB.
The comeback was aided by an inexcusable Taylor Heinicke interception with eight minutes left, which set up Minnesota for the tying touchdown two plays later on a Dalvin Cook reception. Heinicke followed up the turnover with a three and out, setting the stage for Cousins to win it. 15 plays and six minutes later, Greg Joseph did just that on a 28 yard field goal, sending the Vikings to 7-1.
Some days worth highlighting: Justin Jefferson popped for 7/115/1 and nearly secured another touchdown late. TJ Hockenson fit in much more quickly then expected, taking nine receptions for 70 yards. Curtis Samuel had a circus catch for a touchdown in triple coverage, thanks in part to some bad positioning by the referee. The Commanders can't run the ball either, with Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson combining for just 80 yards on 24 carries, good for 3.3 yards a tote.
Jaguars 27- Raiders 20
Fresh off of a 24-0 shut out in New Orleans, I said that Josh McDaniels had to go. The Raiders didn't listen, following up that performance with a seven point loss in Jacksonville. Fire McDaniels.
At a glance, a close loss on the road isn't that bad. Factor in that Vegas led 17-0 early and 20-7 just before halftime and the loss starts to look worse. Then consider that this team had a 10-7 record overall last season before adding Chandler Jones and Davante Adams to their playoff roster and this loss looks horrific. They're 2-6 overall.
Josh Jacobs failed to get going on the ground again after one of his best statistical months ever. Adams popped in the first half but faded, like the rest of the offense, in the second. I've felt this way before but games like this are really affirming my beliefs that...Derek Carr ain't it. Period. Solid QB, better than many, but overpaid and underperforms. Definitely would consider selling high this offseason, assuming the rest of the league isn't with me in that boat.
Credit to Trevor Lawrence and Doug Pederson for holding steady in this one after everything Las Vegas threw at them. They could've easily packed it in for the day but they battled back and got a season saving win. With the rest of their division losing, they find themselves only two games back of Tennessee.
Travis Etienne has been rumbling on the ground, which the Jags hope will continue as they work to build some momentum and continue their push for an unlikely playoff berth. Christian Kirk and Zay Jones have been a solid tandem in the passing game too, which will need to continue if Jacksonville is going to stay competent on offense.
Seahawks 31- Cardinals 21
The first place, 6-3 Seattle Seahawks. As unlikely as it was in the preseason, we're starting to get comfortable typing such a statement. They've been as consistent as any team in the league in all three facets of the game, which is how you stay winning close games like they have.
Geno Smith did throw a rare pick on Sunday, but that was the extent of his mistakes on a day that saw him only fail to complete eight passes. He took whatever the defense gave him and made the most of it, with six pass catchers snagging 3 or more receptions. That's ball distribution. Kenneth Walker continued his impressive rookie season with 109 more rushing yards and two touchdowns. Poor Rashaad Penny isn't going to have a job to come back to.
It seemed like it was all or nothing for the Cardinals on their drives, with much more of the nothing. They manufactured just two touchdowns and four three and outs. With Kyler, it seems like if you can contain the big plays then it's only a matter of time until he makes a mistake or sputter. He hasn't been good this year.
The defense failed late in this one however. After their pick six off Geno, they allowed Seattle to score touchdowns on their next three possessions, putting themselves out of reach from their anemic offense. The Seahawks covered 241 yards on those drives, just dominating Arizona. It was a masterful performance by Smith, Walker and Pete Carroll. How much longer can Kliff Kingsbury get away with this?
Buccaneers 16- Rams 13
Didn't have high expectations and boy...this game certainly delivered on them. Eight punts and thirteen points in the first half. Just no flow on offense, which wasn't really a credit to either defense in this case.
Cooper Kupp was great, as to be expected, posting a monster 8/127/1 line. The remaining Rams pass catchers combined for a paltry 5/38 line. Matthew Stafford was terrible again, they averaged 2.8 yards per carry on the ground and the O-line allowed eight QB hits. LA's offense is broken, and there isn't a turnaround in sight.
The Bucs are only marginally less broken after squeaking out this win. Tom Brady was inaccurate and continues to have miscommunications regularly. It's astounding these things haven't been ironed out at this point. Scotty Miller was his go to target in this one, catching 7/8 targets to pace the offense. His only drop was a rough though. They couldn't run the ball either, with Leonard Fournette and Rachaad White both ineffectively splitting carries.
Tampa jumps into first place of the NFC South remarkably at 4-5.
Chiefs 20- Titans 17
The Chiefs had 499 yards of offense, twenty more first downs then Tennessee and led in time of possession by fifteen minutes. Yet they could only scrap together 17 points before overtime, needing a late Mahomes rushing touchdown and a two-point conversion to get there. Mike Vrabel gets his team up to play Kansas City, even while allowing some of their key guys to have big days.
KC's quarterback threw the ball 68 times in this one, twelve short of the number of total passing yards Malik Willis put up. He mainly looked toward Travis Kelce and Juju, who each grabbed ten balls for 106 and 88 yards, respectively. They were extremely one sided though, with their three running backs only rushing twelve times for fourteen yards.
Tennessee was the polar opposite, riding Derrick Henry again for two scores and 115 yards. He's unstoppable once he gets going. Willis was effective rushing but just isn't getting it done in the passing game. The dual-threat QB will keep defenses from keying on Henry too aggressively, but his limitations as a passer are holding this scrappy team back. Luckily for them, they've basically locked the division up already. Just have to win the games they're supposed to while the rest of the AFC South implodes.
Ravens 27- Saints 13
Baltimore's defense looked excellent down in the City of Easy Living, holding the Saints to 243 total yards of offense in Roquan Smith's debut. 41 of those yards came on their final offensive play, when Chuck Clark failed to push Juwan Johnson out of bounds, allowing him to run for a score. Cost me a fantasy matchup but that's neither here nor there... Kyle Hamilton and Justin Houston's performances also deserve some shine, with Houston being the first Raven ever to record multiple sacks in three straight games.
Lamar Jackson was without his top two weapons in the passing game, and predictably missed a few throws, but he made big plays when it mattered and topped 100 career passing touchdowns. Kenyan Drake looked explosive on the ground, making the Saints front seven pay each time he toted the rock. Not a flashy offense but they got it done.
Andy Dalton looked uncomfortable in the pocket all night and couldn't really dial much up downfield as a result. He helped Chris Olave to a decent fantasy day, but missed a wide open Marquez Callaway in the end zone and failed to get Alvin Kamara going in the passing game. I still think he's better then Winston overall, but in a game like this when they're trailing handily, Jameis probably gives them the better chance to come back. Wouldn't have happened against that Ravens D yesterday though.
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@Choppinglines
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