NFL Week 9 what we learned: From Lamar Jackson’s MVP run, Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams’ first win to Dak Prescott and Cowboys’ clueless outing
NFL Week 9, spanning 15 games from October 31 to November 4, left more questions than answers.
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Lamar Jackson is gunning to win his third MVP (Image via NFL on CBS/X)
15 games outlined NFL Week 9 as 30 teams went into battle with only one goal, to win. In those battles, the likes of Lamar Jackson continued to show he is at the forefront of the MVP battle.
At the same time, other elite quarterbacks, such as Aaron Rodgers and Joe Burrow, won games. But the highest-paid of them all, Dak Prescott, had more misery piling up.
The week saw Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs continue their unbeaten run. Whereas other teams, such as the New Orleans Saints, sunk to the bottom of the league. Their loss, however, was good for the Carolina Panthers, as second-year quarterback Bryce Young won his first game of the season.
His game-winning drive was not the only surprise of this week. The Los Angeles Rams continued to show what they can be when healthy. Health was not a major concern for Tua Tagovailoa, but another loss has seemingly blown away the chances of his team making the playoffs.
But they could still have a shot as other than the top few, all teams in the NFL this season have struggled to put together a string of victories. NFL Week 9 showed that teams who want to win need to make significant changes, or else they will lose out on the possibility of building something worthwhile.
Lamar Jackson, a lock-in for another MVP
The Baltimore Ravens are definitely building something worthwhile. They have Lamar Jackson manning the most important position on their roster and have surrounded him with arguably one of the best offenses in the league.
The combination of that helped the Ravens thump the Denver Broncos. The efficient way he threw three touchdowns saw him rack up a perfect passer rating. That is enough to keep him at the head of the MVP race after NFL Week 9.
Another candidate whose name keeps cropping up alongside Jackson’s is that of Jared Goff. The Detroit Lions are winning football games in a manner that is making a mockery out of the other teams. They have the perfect symphony of offense, defense, and special teams who all contribute to these wins.
Patrick Mahomes keeps the Chiefs’ boat in the lead
Another team whose individual departments are slowly coming together is the Kansas City Chiefs. Their defense has no doubt been the star so far. But Patrick Mahomes did not play to his former MVP self so far. But against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he kept his team chugging along to an unbeaten win number eight.
He might not be in the MVP conversation yet. But if the team can keep winning without having him to do much, a three-peat is possible. On the other hand, his perennial rival Josh Allen is playing lights out this season. He has led his Buffalo Bills team to a 7-2 record despite not having elite stars to bank upon.
The defense has surprised many, but it is the efficiency with which the young offense operates that has the rest of the league worried. One could also point to the Philadelphia Eagles, who have shown remarkable consistency in the past few weeks.
But their star this week was none other than Saquon Barkley. With every game, he is consistently showing the footballing world that the New York Giants were wrong to let him walk. The Eagles, though, are happy that they have another dynamic to their offense.
Dynamics not working for Dolphins, Texans and Bears
With Tua Tagovailoa back, the Miami Dolphins should be much better than in the situation they are in. Yes, they went up against a stud Bills team, but even then, their two close losses since the return of their QB is a concerning situation.
Either the team is not maximizing what they can achieve on the field, or there is something fundamentally wrong with this team. Either way, they need to figure it out fast. Another team who needs to figure it out is the Houston Texans.
Last season’s heroics certainly have raised expectations for this season. But their loss to the New York Jets brought up some alarming questions. Will they be able to manage with two of their top wideouts injured? If not, they could undo everything they built this season up to be.
Lastly, the Chicago Bears seem to have some concerning issues in the locker room. Last week they lost due to a Hail Mary. But that play became detrimental for the team due to one player. This week, that said player did not show his professional side when being benched.
With reports of locker room tension and coaches making unwanted decisions, the Bears are throwing away what could have been a great season. They have time to fix things, and thankfully, the injury to Caleb Williams was not major.
Dak Prescott leaves NFL Week 9 with injury
The most significant injury of this week was when Dak Prescott sat out the rest of their loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Prior to leaving the game, he had managed to keep his Dallas Cowboys close to their opponents. Maybe a few more fourth-quarter heroics from him could have helped them win.
Instead, his injury meant Cooper Rush took over and America’s team lost their third straight game. Now standing with a 3-5 losing record, the outlook is anything but grim. Unless Rush gets a rush and leads them to win, the season is only about to go from bad to worse.
There are seven teams at the bottom of the standings. If the Cowboys keep losing games, they could line themselves up to pick high in the 2025 Draft. But more embarrassingly be named among the worst teams in the league.
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Joseph Varghese
(2268 Articles Published)