Studs and Duds from A Statement Week 9 of Football

After nine weeks of football, we are at the midway point of the regular season. Nine games is a large sample size to make definitive conclusions about the direction of a team. For instance, we can definitively say that the Detroit Lions are the class of the NFC with a 7-1 record. To illustrate their dominance on offense, quarterback Jared Goff has completed 28 touchdown passes in their current 6-game win streak compared to just 24 incompletions. Elsewhere, the two New York franchises dwell in the cellar of their respective conference, but the teams in Los Angeles are on the rise. The Los Angeles Rams are 4-4 after an impressive win on the road in Seattle, while the Chargers are 5-3 after beating the Browns, and both are in the thick of the playoff race. In this article, we will discuss those who excelled and fell flat on their face in week 9.

Studs

1. Running Backs matter in playoff race-in the off-season, teams were afraid of committing top dollars to the running back position. The top free agents available were Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Aaron Jones. The teams that signed those three running backs have a combined record of 24-7. In week 9, Henry tallied 23 carries, 106 yards, and two touchdowns, while Barkley had 27 carries, 159 yards, and one touchdown in victories over the Broncos and Jaguars. Henry brings tremendous physicality to the dominant offense, while Barkley brings agility and power, highlighted by his reverse hurdle over a defender. The duo leads the NFL with 1,052 and 925 rush yards, and teams regret paying the money to obtain their services. Even Jones has tallied 565 yards and combined 82 total yards in a 21-13 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

2. Lamar Jackson’s perfect afternoon- Lamar is the reigning MVP, but the most important trophy is lifting the Lombardi in February. However, until then, Jackson can only keep winning football games and dominating his opponent. Jackson accomplished that feat on Sunday with a near-perfect afternoon by completing 16 of 19 passes, 280 yards, and three touchdowns. The presence of Derrick Henry in the backfield has allowed Jackson to perform the play-action fake and dissect the defense from the pocket. Jackson recorded only three rushes on Sunday, and Zay Flowers has emerged as the top target with tremendous speed. Jackson may not be interested in winning another MVP, but he is the top candidate for the league’s biggest individual award.

3. Tyler Bass redemption-2024 has been a rough year for the Buffalo Bills place kicker. In January, Bass missed a potential game-tying field goal in the crushing divisional-round loss to Kansas City. The miss has haunted the kicker and carried over into the season with three missed and two extra points to start the season. On Sunday, Bass missed another extra point, and there was doubt that the kicker is reliable under pressure. Yet, the Bills were on the 43-yard line, and Head Coach Sean McDermott took the risk of calling in Bass to attempt a 61-yard kick. Bass hit a no-doubter as the home crowd erupted and gave him a standing ovation as he left the field. The field goal marked a personal and franchise record for the Bills. If he had missed, it would give the Dolphins a short field and time on the clock to get into field gold range. In the locker room, Bass received a well-deserved game ball for his clutch moment.

Duds

1. Dak and the Cowboys are done- the Dallas Cowboys entered the game desperate to end a-game skid in Atlanta. Unfortunately, Kirk Cousins and the Falcons would not be handing them a cheap win. Cousins pushed Atlanta into a 14-10 halftime lead. However, the Cowboys had a quick three and out while the Falcons capitalized by scoring on just five plays to extend their lead to 11 points. After stopping the Falcons on their next, Dallas defense caved in by allowing another seven plays and 66 yards touchdown drive. The night got much worse for America’s team when Dak Prescott was forced to leave the game with a hamstring injury. The injuries to Prescott, Micah Parsons, and DeMarcus Lawrence, plus upcoming matchups of Eagles, Texans, and Commanders, put the Cowboys outside the playoff contention.

2. Derek Carr slumps and faces an uncertain future- it feels like five years ago, but the New Orleans Saints were flying high at 2-0 after a 44-19 win over Dallas on the road. Quarterback Derek Carr was touted as an early MVP candidate. However, that was the last time the team would win, and now the Big Easy franchise is on a 7-game losing streak. The week 9 loss was the worst of the bunch because it was to the Carolina Panthers, a team they beat in week 1 by 37 points. Then things got worse for Carr when his former Saints teammate, Michael Thomas, blamed Derek for the injury to Chris Olave. Carr is on the hot seat because it appears that he is overpaid based on his productivity. Carr’s contract will be a $51 million hit next season after the front office restructured his contract and $60 million in dead cap if they moved on from him. It means that the Saints will have to keep Carr at least for another year, and things could get ugly.

3. Nick Sirianni defies logic but hangs on to win- the Philadelphia Eagles Coach has recently come under fire for his confrontation with the fans after a win. Sirianni does not call plays on offense and defense, which means that he has the responsibility to manage the game. The Philadelphia Eagles led 22-0 and won the game narrowly 28-23. The Eagles made mistakes, but the game was close because Sirianni made poor decisions. The Eagles were 0 of 2 on fourth down and 0 of 3 on two-point conversions. The team is doing well, but Sirianni must regain his composure to make the big decisions in the game.