You might as well dub NFL Week 9 “separation week” due to the way many top teams dismantled the league’s more underdeveloped squads. Though, there were certainly some surprise results, too.
Blowouts were commonplace in the early games Sunday. The Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams both put up 51 points in their huge wins.
Later on, there was also a stunner in Seattle for the second straight week, but this one didn’t favor the home team.
These were the biggest winners and losers from the action.
Winner: Saints marching towards playoffs
Six straight. That’s how many games the Saints have won since dropping their first two games this season. And the way they’re winning is what’s so impressive, quite aside from the streak. Ever since Adrian Peterson was shipped off to Arizona, rookie Alvin Kamara has become an integral part of the offense. He and Mark Ingram combine to form one of the league’s most potent thunder-lighting duos, and Drew Brees isn’t having to throw the ball a million times per game.
Defense(!) and special teams have also become a strength for New Orleans. The Saints went up big early on Tampa Bay Sunday, thanks to a blocked punt touchdown (watch here). From there, the defense absolutely owned an increasingly incompetent Buccaneers offense (more on that later) and the team cruised to a 30-10 win at home.
Kamara was a beast in this one, taking advantage of Tampa Bay’s spotty defense. He finished with 152 total yards and two touchdowns to lead the charge.
Loser: A.J. Green abandoned his teammates for personal feud
On the road playing against one of the tougher defenses in the NFL, the Cincinnati Bengals were going to have to work through frustrations Sunday. One player who was particularly frustrated in the first half was receiver A.J. Green, who had the tall task of taking on Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Late in the second quarter, having caught just one pass for six yards on just two targets, Green let his frustration boil over.
Ramsey had been talking trash to Green throughout the game, in addition to shutting him down. Then after a play, Ramsey shoved Green to the ground. And that’s when Green lost his marbles. He attacked Ramsey, putting him in a chokehold, dragging him down and repeatedly hitting him (watch).
Both players were ejected, though it’s unclear why Ramsey got tossed as he didn’t retaliate or throw any punches of his own. At the time, the game was still well within reach, with Cincinnati down by just six points, 13-7. Jacksonville went on to win by the score of 23-7.
Winner: Fly Eagles Fly
The Philadelphia Eagles have lost just one game all year, and that occurred all the way back in Week 2 against a then red-hot Kansas City Chiefs team (by seven points). Since that loss, the Eagles have won seven straight games, many of the wins coming in blowout fashion.
That’s what happened once again Sunday as the Eagles hosted the reeling Denver Broncos, who benched Trevor Siemian ahead of this matchup. Without getting into a ton of detail (more on that later), Brock Osweiler wasn’t exactly the spark Denver needed.
Instead, Philly’s offense exploded, and its defense was stifling until garbage time. Carson Wentz is a legitimate MVP candidate. He had another four touchdown passes in this game, bumping his seasonal total up to 23. Newly acquired running back Jay Ajayi broke off a brilliant 46-yard touchdown run (watch) and finished with 77 yards on just eight carries.
Everything is clicking for this team right now, which is the clear-cut top franchise in the NFC.
Loser: Big Blue collapse continues
We get it. The New York Giants have been devastated by injuries this year, particularly on offense. But my goodness, the team-wide meltdown has been brutal. The defense, which was the big strength of this team last year, should be ashamed of what happened Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
Look no further than the third-and-33 the Los Angeles Rams converted into a 52-yard touchdown. Or the fact that Jared Goff had 311 yards passing, even though he completed just 14 attempts. Or the fact that Sammy Watkins didn’t have a defender within five yards of him when he hauled in his 67-yard touchdown.
The Giants were as inept Sunday as any team we’ve seen in a long time. And now they might even be willing to see what rookie Davis Webb can do the rest of the way, rather than trot Eli Manning out there every week to get annihilated.
Winner: Jacksonville continues to impress
Sacksonville is a real thing, folks. While the Jacksonville Jaguars didn’t rack up the sacks (just two) Sunday at home against the Cincinnati Bengals, they did continue to assert themselves as a dominant force on the defensive side of the ball. The Bengals recorded a total of 148 yards, gained just eight first downs and possessed the ball under one-third of the game.
As a nice complement to that, the Jags relied on the running game (sans Leonard Fournette), engineering a balanced offense (40 runs, 38 passes) that gained 26 first downs, 407 yards and scored 23 points.
Now at 5-3 and tied with the Tennessee Titans atop the AFC South, Jacksonville continues to look like a playoff contender that could make some serious noise.
Loser: Brock Osweiler is who we thought he was
The Denver Broncos felt compelled to bench Trevor Siemian for his poor play in recent games. But we cannot say we agreed with the move considering the man behind him on the depth chart.
Brock Osweiler and his $16 million contract this year was traded to Cleveland this offseason because he was so awful in Houston the Texans were happy to be rid of the burden. Then Cleveland quickly realized he was awful and got rid of him, which hilariously landed Osweiler right back where he started in Denver.
In his first real action this year, Osweiler reminded everyone why he’s not considered starting material anymore. It started early, with an interception thrown right into the gut of Eagles defender Patrick Robinson. The turnover prompted a very strong reaction from folks on social media, but he wasn’t done yet.
Osweiler finished the game with two interceptions and one fumble, which was recovered by Denver. He did throw a garbage time touchdown, but nobody’s fooled. It’s probably going to be Paxton Lynch time in Denver soon. Given his play the past two years we don’t necessarily see that as a good thing for the Broncos, either.
Winner: Adrian Peterson drags Cardinals into the win column
The Arizona Cardinals gutted out a huge road win against the San Francisco 49ers, 20-10. Drew Stanton was serviceable replacing Carson Palmer but did about as well as you’d expect, completing just half his passes.
Instead of a pass-happy approach with questionable talent under center, head coach Bruce Arians relied on his old workhorse running back. Adrian Peterson set a career high with 37 rushing attempts and piled up 159 yards for the Cardinals on the ground.
It was Peterson’s second 100-plus yard performance in three games since being traded from New Orleans to Arizona. If he can stay healthy, it seems like he’s going to continue being the main cog that drives that offense.
Loser: Joe Flacco continues to hurt his offense
Forget for a moment that the Baltimore Ravens did almost manage to come back and win Sunday on the road against Tennessee. Instead, let’s look at the key issue that has consistently plagued this offense.
Joe Flacco continues to turn the ball over. He threw two interceptions in Week 9, giving him 10 for the season. It was also the fourth time this year he’s thrown multiple interceptions in a game. So this is a huge issue that has a lot to do with his team’s losing record. In a three-point game, Flacco’s two turnovers, which turned into seven points for Tennessee, were the big difference.
Winner: Matt Forte turned back the clock on Thursday night
The New York Jets beat the Buffalo Bills Thursday night, in large part because Matt Forte had a throwback game. The veteran back totaled nearly 100 yards and scored twice in a performance that hearkened back to his days with the Chicago Bears a few years back.
He led a rushing attack that finished with 194 yards and three touchdowns against a Buffalo defense that features one of the best run-stopping units in the league. Josh McCown passed for just 140 yards and a touchdown, yet the Jets put up 34 points and romped against one of the hotter teams in the AFC heading into Week 9.
New York, at 4-5, is still very much (surprisingly) alive in the AFC playoff race heading into the final eight weeks of the season.
Loser: Falcons’ offense still struggling to fly
We can’t put too much criticism on Matt Ryan, despite an awful interception. He almost led a comeback win for Atlanta Sunday on the road against the Carolina Panthers. He finished with 313 yards, two touchdowns and that interception. But it should have been three touchdowns. Julio Jones inexplicably dropped a pass right in his hands on a fourth down play in the fourth quarter. There were no defenders within 10 yards of him due to busted coverage, but he just could not bring in the pass (watch here).
Additionally, there has been a level of incompetency that has plagued this offense in general all season. It starts with offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who hasn’t been able to get the running game going like Atlanta had last year. And as a result of his inept playcalling, he is engineering an offense that averages just over 21 points per game. Even worse, the scoring output drops to 16.6 points per game since Week 4.
The Falcons aren’t out of the playoff race yet. At 4-4 there is still time to work out the kinks offensively and make a run. But given the recent downtrend it’s not looking great.
Winner: Jacoby Brissett has field day against depleted Texans
Houston is missing some of its best defenders, so we’re not going to jump up and down about Jacoby Brissett’s big game. It’s not as if he went into Seattle and put up huge numbers against the Legion of Boom.
However, the Indianapolis Colts won just their third game all season Sunday on the road against the Texans. It was also their first road win of the season. And it had a lot to do with the play of Brissett, who completed 20-of-30 attempts for 308 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Brissett’s going to be playing out the remainder of the season for Indy if he can stay healthy. Andrew Luck has been shut down (thank goodness) after some of the worst injury management this scribe has ever witnessed from a modern team with its franchise passer.
It’s going to be fascinating to see Brissett continue to develop as he masters Indianapolis’ offense. He could be one of the most intriguing trade pieces next offseason as teams look for quarterbacks.
Loser: Why doth thou abandon the running game, Kyle Shanahan?
While Bruce Arians was smartly relying on his running game Sunday, Kyle Shanahan abandoned his. Rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard attempted an eyebrow-raising 51 passes. He completed just 24 of them, throwing nary a touchdown and giving up an interception.
Meanwhile, Carlos Hyde ran the ball just 12 times, and running backs in total ran it 14 times for 47 yards.
It’s hard to understand how in the world that happens. You have a rookie quarterback who has struggled lately and a very good running back who isn’t exactly stinking up the joint. And on top of that, the game was never one-sided until the end.
It’s a head-scratcher, to be sure.
Winner: Rams continue to pile up the points
The Los Angeles Rams entered Week 9 with the league’s No. 2-ranked scoring offense. Only Houston had more points per game, though that show is over now that Deshaun Watson is done for the year. Adding to their already impressive offensive resume, the Rams dropped 51 points on the hapless New York Giants at MetLife Sunday.
Jared Goff spread the wealth around. He only completed 14 passes but got eight players involved in the passing game and threw four touchdowns. Todd Gurley and Malcolm Brown toted the rock 31 times between them, gaining 116 yards and two touchdowns.
In total, Los Angeles gained 473 yards and 20 first downs. And the best part is the Rams didn’t turn the ball over once. Now at 6-2 on the season it’s becoming abundantly clear this team is going to be a force late in the season and into January.
Loser: LeSean McCoy gets shut down in loss
Coming into Thursday’s matchup against the Jets, LeSean McCoy was on some kind of roll. He had averaged 123 total yards per game and had scored three times in his last four games. We figured he’d have a huge game against New York, which has been awful at defending the run this season.
That most certainly was not the case. McCoy gained just 25 yards on 12 carries and didn’t catch a single pass. That second part is even more stunning than his rough outing on the ground. In every other game this year, Shady had caught at least three passes.
Without their top weapon making anything happen on offense, the Bills were stymied for most of the game.
Winner: Dak Prescott and the ‘Boys are on a roll
Since starting out their season 2-3, the Dallas Cowboys have figured some things out. They won their third game in a row Sunday, at home against the Kansas City Chiefs. It was a complete game that featured excellence on both sides of the ball and concluded with an 11-point victory over one of the powerhouses in the league right now.
Dak Prescott totaled 276 yards and three touchdowns, and he didn’t turn the ball over. He connected with Terrance Williams nine times for 141 yards, Dez Bryant six times for 73 yards and made Cole Beasley his red-zone scoring machine, throwing two touchdowns to the slot specialist. Ezekiel Elliott put in a workmanlike performance, rushing for 93 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.
The Cowboys also came up huge defensively, forcing the first interception on Alex Smith all year long and holding the Chiefs to just 17 points.
Now just two games behind the Eagles in the loss column and right there in the thick of it for the NFC wild card race, Dallas is looking like the team that earned the top seed last year.
Loser: Blair Walsh had an awful case of the yips
The Seattle Seahawks lost by three points to the Washington Redskins at home Sunday. That, in and of itself, is pretty shocking.
Now consider this. Kicker Blair Walsh (who gifted Seattle with a playoff win a couple years back) missed three field goals under 50 yards, all in the first half. These were kicks most kickers could drill with their eyes closed. They should have lifted the home team to another win. Instead of heading into halftime up 11-7, Seattle was down 7-2.
In a game that came down to the wire, those missed kicks loom large. And come playoff seeding time, they could loom even larger. Instead of keeping pace with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West, the Seahawks are a game back at 5-3.
Winner: Christian McCaffrey rising
We knew it was only a matter of time before this rookie out of Stanford became the featured back for the Carolina Panthers. Sunday marked a dark day for veteran Jonathan Stewart. He lost two fumbles and gained just 21 yards on 11 carries before ultimately taking a back seat to Christian McCaffrey.
The rookie touched the ball 20 times (15 runs, five receptions) for 94 yards and a touchdown. He’s been racking up catches all year long and already holds the franchise record for most receptions by a running back in a single season. But to see him garner the bulk of the carries shows he’s beginning his evolution as the do-it-all back we know he will become.
The Panthers are one-half game behind the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South and tied in the win column. We expect them to continue staying competitive in this division, and for McCaffrey to continue being a big part of the offense going forward.
Loser: Texans fans shouldn’t be booing Tom Savage
Houston Texans fans should be ashamed of themselves for booing Tom Savage Sunday. It happened early and it happened often in the first half.
It’s not Savage’s fault he’s clearly backup material. It’s not his fault Deshaun Watson is injured. We all knew Savage was an average (at best) passer even coming into the 2017 season. The only reason he was the starter in Week 1 — didn’t even last that first game — was because Bill O’Brien wasn’t convinced Watson was ready for the big stage.
We get it. Fans are frustrated. They went from having an MVP candidate quarterback to Savage. That’s not fun. But the Texans needed their fans’ support Sunday in a tough game that they had to win. Instead, they had to fight against their own crowd when the going got tough.
And in the end, Savage almost brought Houston back to win.
Winner: Captain Kirk, Josh Doctson come through in the clutch
The Seahawks took a 14-10 lead with 94 seconds to go when Russell Wilson connected with Doug Baldwin on a 30-yard touchdown.
Based on how things were going in the second half in Seattle, this one looked to be over. Kirk Cousins and Co. had gone punt, punt, punt, punt their last four drives, managing just 10 yards of offense (thanks to an embarrassing play) following the field goal that gave them a 10-2 lead early in the third quarter.
The crowd was as riled up as always, and Seattle’s defense had been on Cousins like a Grizzly at a salmon run before its winter snooze. Then, Cousins found some magic. He moved the ball 69 yards in the span of two plays, culminating with a miraculous grab by second-year receiver Josh Doctson that was stopped at the one-foot line. One play later, Rob Kelley punched in the game-winning touchdown.
It was the second weekend in a row that an NFL game ended in dramatic fashion, and social media was abuzz with excitement. Only this time around, Seattle was on the losing end. Kudos to Cousins, Doctson and Co. for coming through in the clutch under such adverse circumstances.
Loser: Bucs falling apart at the seams
After watching Tampa Bay score just three points last weekend in a 17-3 loss to Carolina, we highlighted the Bucs as a loser and noted the team was “broken.”
Another week did nothing to deter that belief.
Houston toyed with the Buccaneers Sunday. In all three phases of the game, Tampa Bay was embarrassed. The Bucs managed 200 yards of offense. Jameis Winston re-injured his shoulder before sparking a fight that ultimately ended with Mike Evans taking the most ridiculous cheap shot on Marshon Lattimore (watch) — a cheap shot that will likely get Evans suspended.
The defense was a sieve. And at this point the Bucs are consistently one of the least disciplined team on that side of the ball in the NFL.
In every facet, this is a team that is lost. Which is really sad, because given the talent on both sides of the ball Tampa Bay was expected by many to take a giant leap forward in 2017.
Winner: Vintage Beast Mode fuels Raiders win on SNF
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Marshawn Lynch look like the guy we all remember from his glory days in Seattle. Beast Mode made a brief appearance against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1. But quite honestly, he was nowhere to be found in recent weeks, quite aside from his actual departure via one game suspension.
While he didn’t tote the rock 20-plus times, Lynch finally broke out with a big game for the Raiders to help them win for just the second time in seven weeks. Lynch finished with 57 yards on 14 carries and ran in two scores. It was a vintage performance that was desperately needed.
Jared Cook also deserves a special mention. The tight end has long been known as a guy with stone hands, but he was the key weapon for Derek Carr in the passing game, catching eight balls for 126 yards.
Oakland, now 4-5, is still alive in the AFC playoff picture, at least for a while longer.
Loser: Andy Reid forgets he has Kareem Hunt
Kareem Hunt. You know him. We all know him by know. He’s the rookie out of Toledo that went into Week 9 leading the league in rushing.
Somehow Andy Reid forgot he existed. Or almost, anyway. Hunt finished Sunday’s huge game in Dallas with just nine carries. Nine. And he did fine when he got his chances, going 4.1 yards per carry.
In total, Hunt touched the ball 13 times, including his four catches. He turned those touches into 61 yards. That’s fine production. He just needed more opportunities. The Chiefs cannot forget about their most dangerous weapon in future games.