We’re essentially at the halfway point of the NFL season, and the playoff races are heating up and starting to take shape. I’d like to think I’ve figured out which teams are good and which teams are bad. Of course, I thought that a month ago, too, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t go back and check.
Here’s my biggest takeaway from each game on the Week 9 Sunday slate.
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Bengals 34, Falcons 17
Takeaway: Bengals have their flaws, but this is a championship-caliber team.
Cincinnati made a habit of getting off to slow starts and had to rally from 13-point deficits in each of the past two weeks, including needing overtime to beat the lowly Titans. After allowing the Falcons to score a touchdown on their first drive, the Bengals dominated in Spain. It was another come-from-behind victory, but this one wasn’t a sweat.
Cincinnati answered with four straight scoring drives to take a 24-10 lead into halftime. Atlanta never got closer than a 7-point deficit in the second half, and when they did cut it to one score, Cincinnati immediately answered with another touchdown. If the Bengals defense can keep playing like it did on Sunday, there’s little that can be done to stop Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
Giants 19, Eagles 11
Takeaway: A win is a win.
We shouldn’t pretend the New York Giants are a great football team, but they are 5-2-1 on the year and comfortably in first place in the NFC East. Hiring Super Bowl-winning coach John Harbaugh after Baltimore fired him already looks like a home run for New York. The Giants have dealt with a ton of injuries, including to starting quarterback Jaxson Dart, but they’ve managed to keep the season on track.
Broncos 26, Panthers 21
Takeaway: Sean Payton owes NFL referees a fruit basket or something.
The Denver Broncos have won two games this season thanks in large part to controversial calls that benefitted them. On Sunday, officials flagged the Panthers 13 times for 119 yards, including several third-down penalties that kept Denver drives alive. That’s not to say they were all bad calls, but it definitely seemed like the Broncos got the better side of the yellow markers.
Officials also allowed Payton to challenge an incompletion after Carolina had already run another play, saying he had thrown the flag before the snap. The review gave Denver the ball on Devon Key’s interception. Despite all that, they still almost blew a 12-point lead with less than 6 minutes remaining, but got a huge strip-sack from Nik Bonitto to seal the win.
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Rams 20, Commanders 13
Takeaway: Don’t look now, but the “superteam” is finally over .500.
Perhaps no team in the NFL has been hurt by injuries more than the Rams, but for the first time this season, they have more wins than losses. It wasn’t pretty, as most of their games haven’t been, but Los Angeles managed to hang on to win their third straight game after a 2-4 start. Sean McVay has brought the Rams back from slow starts before, and they are starting to get healthy, with Myles Garrett returning on Sunday. They still don’t look like the team that everyone thought was definitely going to win the Super Bowl, but they probably aren’t a team that opponents are going to want to face in January.
Chiefs 35, Jets 12
Takeaway: Kansas City did what it was supposed to do.
When a team as good as the Chiefs hosts a team as bad as the Jets, they’re supposed to run them out of the building. And that’s exactly what Kansas City did. The Chiefs outscored the Jets 21-0 in the second half and cruised to a victory. They also survived an injury scare involving Patrick Mahomes’ right arm. Mahomes was shaken up but returned for Kansas City’s next possession. His health is worth monitoring because an injury to Mahomes is about the only thing that could derail Kansas City’s hopes for a fourth Super Bowl title in eight seasons.
Lions 19, Dolphins 9
Takeaway: The Lions won a game they should have won, so good for them.
Detroit didn’t exactly put on an offensive clinic, but it didn’t need to against the Dolphins. Jake Bates kicked four field goals, Jahmyr Gibbs scored the game’s only touchdown and the Lions defense kept Miami out of the end zone. The Lions have now won four straight and sit at 6-2, which matters a lot more than this one win. Beating the 1-7 Dolphins isn’t going to convince anyone of anything they didn’t already think about Detroit, but losing to them certainly would have.
Cowboys 27, Colts 23
Takeaway: Neither of these teams is very good.
The Cowboys and Colts turned in one of the most entertaining games of Week 9. Indianapolis kicked a go-ahead 50-yard field goal with 1:37 left, only for Dallas to respond with a game-winning touchdown less than 30 seconds later. But don’t mistake exciting and entertaining for… good. The Colts have basically punted on the season, and the Cowboys still needed a late touchdown to beat them. The game featured 23 penalties and four turnovers combined, with Dallas racking up an unconscionable 153 penalty yards. Miraculously, the Cowboys are still very much alive in the NFC East, but they aren’t a very good team.
Saints 23, Browns 22 (OT)
Takeaway: Shedeur Sanders did enough to create a QB controversy in Cleveland.
For much of Sunday’s game, Sanders looked a lot like Deshaun Watson (with regard to his play, not the … other stuff). His 297 yards and two touchdowns look better than his actual performance, and his receivers deserve plenty of credit for that. But his 30-yard strike to Jerry Jeudy while taking a huge hit from Chase Young helped set up the game-tying field goal and was probably the best throw by a Browns quarterback this season.
SHEDEUR SANDERS MAKES CASE TO REPLACE DESHAUN WATSON AFTER BROWNS’ OVERTIME LOSS TO SAINTS
Sanders then helped put Cleveland in position to win in overtime before a failed two-point attempt ended it. Watson hasn’t exactly done enough to cement his status as the starter. If the Browns are going to get uneven quarterback play no matter who starts, why not let the 24-year-old develop through it?
Texans 44, Chargers 22
Takeaway: Someone is going to have to get fired.
The obvious choice is offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, but the Chargers’ problems run deeper than just McDaniel (although he certainly isn’t helping). Los Angeles went 12 full quarters (the equivalent of three NFL games) without scoring an offensive touchdown before finally breaking through. By then, they already trailed 38-9 in the fourth quarter.
That’s the real problem: Los Angeles isn’t even competitive at this point. This was their third straight loss by at least 15 points, and five of their eight losses have been by double digits. Disaster and dumpster fire don’t even fully encapsulate the mess that the Chargers are right now. The bigger question is whether the Chargers use what’s likely to be a top-five pick in the NFL Draft on a quarterback to replace Justin Herbert.
49ers 38, Raiders 17
Takeaway: Brock Purdy should be the NFL MVP favorite.
Purdy isn’t the most talented or flashiest player in the league, but what he’s doing this season can’t be overstated. The 49ers have been decimated at the wide receiver position, with Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel currently out, Brandon Aiyuk off doing who knows what, and Ricky Pearsall and Christian Kirk on IR. Purdy has completed 69% of his passes and is on pace to throw for over 4,000 yards this season. Jordan Watkins, who entered Sunday with eight career catches, led the team with 86 receiving yards and a touchdown. It almost doesn’t matter who suits up at receiver for San Francisco; if he’s wearing a 49ers jersey, Purdy is going to find a way to get him the ball and put points on the board.
Seahawks 17, Cardinals 3
Takeaway: There’s not a lot to take away from this game.
The Cardinals stink, but we already knew that. The Seahawks are probably good, but we still don’t really know. Drew Lock started in place of Sam Darnold, so we didn’t learn much about Seattle’s offense. And shutting down a Gardner Minshew-led Arizona offense doesn’t tell us much about a defense that allowed 34 points to the Bears one week after holding the Chiefs to three. Seattle has been up and down following its Super Bowl championship, but this game ultimately didn’t answer any real questions. Those are going to be answered on Nov. 29, when the Seahawks travel to San Francisco to face the NFC West-leading 49ers.
Packers 45, Patriots 27
Takeaway: I’m trying not to overreact, but my goodness, the Packers look incredible.
This isn’t the same Patriots team that reached the Super Bowl last season, and it certainly isn’t the same Drake Maye who finished second in NFL MVP voting. That being said, New England isn’t that bad. Yet Green Bay made New England’s defense look like it was playing with nine players. And the Packers defense forced four turnovers, including three interceptions of Maye.
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Since Atlanta embarrassed Green Bay in Week 3, the Packers are 5-1, and their only loss came in a game they really should have won at Detroit. They have some big games coming up against the Vikings and Rams, and we’re going to find out if this team is really the Super Bowl contender it has looked like over the past six games.
Bears 27, Buccaneers 24
Takeaway: NFL fans got the full Caleb Williams experience on Sunday Night Football.
Williams is probably the most physically gifted quarterback in the NFL right now and arguably the most talented thrower of the football in the world. But questions about his decision-making remain. For the first 21 minutes of Sunday Night Football, Williams looked like the best quarterback in the NFL. He was making throws that no one else in the league could make, firing pass after pass off platform and hitting his receivers in stride.
But the problem with guys like Williams, who are capable of making every throw, is that they start to think they WILL make every throw. He started forcing the ball, throwing interceptions on consecutive passes in the second quarter. He threw a third pick on the team’s final drive of the first half and added another in the third quarter.
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Williams completed 11 of his first 16 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns. His next 16 attempts produced just seven completions, 73 yards and four interceptions. Fortunately for Williams and the Bears, Tampa Bay managed just three points off his four interceptions, and Baker Mayfield threw two picks of his own, including a pick-six.
The tools are all there, but if the Bears are going to be true Super Bowl contenders, Williams has to clean up the mistakes. Quickly.
