NFL Week Nine Thoughts

New York Jets def. Detroit Lions

I'd be a little disappointed if I were a Jets' fan.  Yes, Sanchez led some nice drives at the end of he game, but he and the offense struggled in the game as well.  They also shouldn't forget that Detroit's kicker went down and that it probably gave them the game, I wouldn't be too happy with that win if I were Rex Ryan.

Baltimore Ravens def. Miami Dolphins

My upset choices this week were basically Miami and Cleveland, and I thought Miami had the better chance of the two.  This game played out exactly as I expected, the only thing that surprises me is how wrong I was about the other game.

Cleveland Browns def. New England Patriots

What happened here?  If you were to tell me the Browns would beat the Patriots I might say there's an outside chance, but a whomping like this?  What it really came down to was defense, Brady had an amazing game, but the Pats had only 68 rushing yards.  Cleveland tore it up on the ground, and Colt McCoy had a solid game.  I think Cleveland just provided a road map of how to beat the Pats.

San Diego Chargers def. Houston Texans

The rest of the team is finally allowing Phillip Rivers to win the game instead of losing it for him.  That defense is still shaky, and I still don't expect San Diego to make a run, but they're at least getting back on track.  The Texans are in big trouble with their division starting to take shape.

Chicago Bears def. Buffalo Bills

I'd like to have seen a bigger margin of victory, but the Bills are better than their record.  I like the commitment to the run, but the lack of production is still there and I doubt we'll be able to stick to it with better teams.  What I would have liked to seen more of is running to set up the pass, the Bills decided to commit extra men to the box early on and too often we ran right into a blitz, when the line is stacked we need to be able to check out of a run and victimize opponents through the air.

Minnesota Vikings def. Arizona Cardinals

This game surprised me a lot.  AP was held to around 80 yards rushing, and Favre ended up being the one who saved the day for the Vikings.  I thought it would be the other way around.

Atlanta Falcons def. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

You can talk about the Bucs' failure to execute on fourth down late in the game, but Atlanta has a solid defense.  The problem was a young Bucs' defense simply being outmatched against Matt Ryan and company.

New Orleans Saints def. Carolina Panthers

Is anyone really surprised?

New York Giants def. Seattle Seahawks


Is anyone really surprised?

Philadelphia Eagles def. Indianapolis Colts

Losing receivers left and right is not helping Peyton at all, and I was a bit surprised at how much success the Eagles had against an Indy defense that was just starting to hit its stride.  The Philly D showed up big as well, and proved that Peyton Manning is human after all.

Oakland Raiders def. Kansas City Chiefs

What really surprised me is how well the Raiders were able to move the ball against KC.  Darren McFadden is finally starting to prove his worth, and he's becoming key to this team's success.

Green Bay Packers def. Dallas Cowboys

What a way for Wade Phillips to go out, that was just embarrassing.  The Cowboys, with all their problems and with Tony Romo out, could still be winning a lot of these games.  The problem: discipline.  They simply have to play smart, disciplined football, and accomplishing that could be key to whether or not Jason Garrett stays on past this season.

Pittsburgh Steelers def. Cincinnati Bengals

I'm surprised at the push the Bengals made late, I think something is definitely different about this Steelers' defense right now.  Still, I didn't expect them to pull of any upset.