The Sunday Review: Week 9

We have reached the half-way point! And this one… was a chaos Sunday for the ages. As the early witching hour reached its climax, we had a multitude of one-possession games, all of which seemed to have actual implications on what exactly the playoff picture will look like come Week 18. It was a crazy afternoon, and we start by examining the craziest division in football right now, the AFC East.

AFC East - Best Division In Football!?

I saw someone on Twitter yesterday say that the AFC East is fast becoming the SEC West… and it’s hard to disagree, when the Patriots can destroy the Colts, the Dolphins can win a shootout against the Bears, AND the Jets can upset the Bills to leave all four teams in this division with a winning record through 9 weeks. Where has this come from!? For so long, the Dolphins, Bills & Jets were nothing more than Tom Brady and Bill Belichick’s personal punching bags; a casual 5-6 guaranteed wins en route to a Top 2 AFC seed, a bye, and a playoff run to the Super Bowl. Now? It’s the Patriots who find themselves most clearly in need of a rebuild, and yet still the genius that is Belichick is finding ways to churn out enough wins to keep this subpar edition of the Patriots in playoff contention. 

Sure, the Pats win over the Colts was firmly built on the back of New England’s smothering, stifling and suffocating defense making Sam Ehlinger look every bit the rookie QB he basically is, but this Patriots locker room appears to have rallied after a rocky start to the year. I still believe this Patriots offense is too shallow to make a push, but if Rhamondre Stevenson keeps making 1 handed grabs, and Matthew Judon continues to be unblockable, then New England aren’t going to go quietly into the night.

In the Windy City, Tua Tagovailoa continued to show the rest of the NFL that he is the real deal. It was a back and forth shoot-out style game between the Dolphins and the surprisingly scrappy Bears, in which Miami’s defense didn’t cover itself in glory, but made the eventual stop needed to seal the victory. Tua? Oh, just became the 1st QB in Dolphins history to throw for 300yds and 3TDs in back to back games. Dan Marino? Never did it. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle continue to torture every single set of DBs they face with Tua throwing them the ball, combining for 12 catches, 228 yards and 2TDs on Sunday. The Dolphins’ trade deadline addition of Jeff Wilson Jr. already looks astute, and we’ll see a lot more of Bradley Chubb as he gets used to the playbook. The Dolphins have now won 3 straight since Tua’s return, and will host the rested Cleveland Browns next week before their Bye. Nick Chubb will be licking his lips at facing the Dolphins’ rush defense after Fields’ showing today. 

And then there’s the Bills & the Jets. The SuperBowl frontrunners were stunned by the upstart Gang Green, with Sauce Gardner continuing his impressive defensive rookie of the year campaign, by picking off MVP Front-Runner Josh Allen, as Robert Saleh’s team had by far their most impressive win of the season. It was attritional, with very few explosive plays as the game went on, after an electrifying start from Stefon Diggs. The Jets hung around, and used big plays for their tandem of James Robinson and Michael Carter to stay within touch, and ultimately steal this game. Everyone thought that Breece Hall’s ACL tear was the end of the season for the Jets, but clearly that locker room has other ideas. Garrett Wilson is starting to look like a stud, and Zach Wilson’s performance was mature enough to not lose New York this game. Right now, that’s all they need. For Buffalo, this feels like an aberration rather than a sign of overall weakness. Allen, after the game, said he “played like shit…” which is about as honest as a leader can be. The Bills will look to brush this one off in a BIG matchup against the (fraudulent) 7-1 Vikings next week. What IS now for sure, is that the AFC East is no longer a stroll in the park, for anybody. Could 3 (or even 4?!) Teams from this division make it into the postseason?! It’s no longer a ridiculous notion, nor is it an impossibility.

Lions Pour More Misery Onto Rodgers & The Pack

NBC

How the mighty have fallen… We spoke a few weeks ago here about how it was panic stations for two of the game’s great QBs, as both Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. and Aaron Charles Rodgers were looking to be just as old as they sound when you type out their full names. We’ll talk about Tom a little later on (he’s still got some issues in Tampa…), but right now we NEED to talk about Aaron. The Packers are… broken. They have been struck by one of the worst cases of the injury bug I’ve ever seen, with NINE injuries suffered in Detroit. Romeo Doubs made a great catch to start the day… and got injured in the process. Aaron Jones left in the 2nd half with an injury that meant he exited the stadium in a walking boot, and Rashan Gary may even be done for the season after his leg got hurt too. It was an absolute horror show for the Pack, from start to finish. Aaron Rodgers’ performance in the RedZone was legitimately unbelievable, in that I honestly couldn’t fathom that what I was seeing was real. Do you think the Packers Front Office regret not paying Davante Adams what he wanted this past summer yet? Woah. It’s insane that this team was on the cusp of a deep playoff run last season, and is now 3-6 and looking like they’re gonna struggle to finish above .500 this year. Rodgers came back for this!? Noted football Scholar Lil’ Wayne took to Twitter to voice his displeasure, declaring the season dead for Green Bay, and suggesting AR12 should have been traded in the off-season. Tellingly, there weren’t too many loud dissenting voices rebuking his suggestion. Where next for Green Bay? Only a Dallas Cowboys team, fresh off a bye, at Lambeau next week. We’ll have to wait and see how many of Green Bay’s offensive skill players are even available.

But – before we close this chapter – let me give credit where it’s due to the Detroit Football Lions. A fantastic showing from them, including #2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson’s first career INT. I’ve long been a fairly vocal cheerleader for Dan Campbell, Brad Holmes, and the entire Lions organisation. They’re FUN. Are they always the best? No. Do they sometimes make DUMB decisions and mistakes. YES. But… and remember this is very important… are they FUN AND DO THEY KEEP ME ENTERTAINED?! … Yes, they do. I’m really happy Detroit ended their losing streak, and hope they can keep their momentum rolling in a winnable game against the Bears next week!

Mahomes Delivers In The Clutch

The Sunday Nightcap was a battle at Arrowhead, as the Titans hung tough with the Chiefs, but ultimately just fell short of the big upset. As two touchdown underdogs – due to Ryan Tannehill’s continued absence – you couldn’t have been surprised if this ended up a rather one-sided blowout, but it was apparent from fairly early on that wasn’t going to be the case. 

Derrick Henry continued to show why he is THE premier feature Running Back in the league. Nick Chubb? Sure, I hear you, but – for me – King Henry is the most dominant physical athlete I’ve ever watched in the NFL. Just unstoppable. But – tonight – we have to pay homage to the Titans defense, regardless of the eventual outcome. They weren’t really challenged by the Texans last week, but still held them to just 10pts. This week? Against arguably the league’s most potent, creative and expansive offense? Another impressive performance, at one point holding Patrick Mahomes scoreless for 6 straight drives, which is almost unheard of. It’s a tough start to life in the League for Malik Willis, who has passed for just 135yds across two starts replacing the injured Ryan Tannehill. Sure, his Receiving corps is paper thin, but it hasn’t looked pretty so far for the Liberty product. He’s got time, but he clearly still needs another year or two behind Ryan Tannehill to learn this scheme before he’s ready to take over. 

Ultimately, on a night where Patrick Mahomes was forced to throw more passes than he ever has before in his career, the Chiefs showed why they’re still that little bit ahead of pretty much everyone in the AFC. When Andy Reid needed a play, he called the right one, and Mahomes usually executed. Mahomes’ rushing TD and 2pt conversion (the somewhat rare Octopus!) showed his elusiveness and grit, as he was the only Chiefs player able to get any traction whatsoever in the ground game. Kelce, Smith-Schuster, and Mecole Hardman all had over 75 receiving yards, but it was TE Noah Gray who had the big play, with a circus catch, juggling the ball into his arms, to set up Harrison Butker’s eventual game-winning Field Goal. The Chiefs move to 6-2, and sit atop the AFC alongside Buffalo. It just feels like we’re headed for Mahomes vs Allen in the Playoffs again, doesn’t it?

Thursday Night Throwback

The Philadelphia Eagles provided the lone bright spot on what was a fairly crushing weekend for Philadelphia sports fans. As the Union and the Phillies lost in MLS Cup & the World Series respectively, Jalen Hurts’ men continued their perfect start to the 2022 NFL season, with a comprehensive, if slightly more challenging than expected victory over the reeling Houston Texans. 

The Texans were down their two best receivers with Nico Collins injured, and Brandin Cooks throwing a “you didn’t trade me” strop, meaning Davis Mills was throwing to 3rd and 4th stringers. Thankfully for Houston, rookie RB Dameon Pierce is a stud, who carried their offense and kept them in the game until about midway through the second half. For Philly, there will be many sterner tests ahead, but a win is a win. Nick Sirianni is presiding over something special right now. I still wish they’d feature Devonta Smith a bit more, but AJ Brown is justifying his huge contract, whilst Hurts’ maturity and poise has people seriously discussing if this team can go 17-0. I don’t think they will but, when you look at their schedule, it’s certainly not ridiculous to say they may be 15-2 and the NFC’s 1 seed. 

Quick Hits

NBC
  • We glossed over the Bears a bit earlier due to focussing on the AFC East, but WOW… it looks like Justin Fields has indeed arrived. Fields broke the NFL’s single-game QB rushing record with 178yds against the Dolphins. The fact that Fields broke Michael Vick’s record before Lamar Jackson did says A). The Bears game plan was to heavily lean on Fields’ rushing ability, and B). This kid is special. The Bears have most definitely become “frisky,” as opposed to “bad” as I expected them to be. They’re a couple years away, but Chicago are definitely building in the right direction, and are LOADED with Draft Picks.
  • The Vikings are the most nonsensical 7-1 team I’ve ever seen. I have no idea how Washington managed to throw this game away, especially with a personal foul on a Field Goal attempt allowing Minnesota to bleed the clock out. Crazy. Kirk Cousins with his shirt off, chains on, dancing on the plane home? I hate the internet sometimes. The Bills are going to annihilate the Vikings next week. Stefon Diggs revenge game.
  • A good day to be called Joe and play for Cincinnati, as Burrow (once) and Mixon (FIVE TIMES) rushed for all their scores. The Panthers positivity with PJ Walker quickly dissipated, and Baker Mayfield played pretty much the entire second half. This was the biggest whomping of the day, and showed Cincy still have life in that offense without Ja’Marr Chase. 
  • In a season where almost nothing has gone according to plan, or “how it was supposed to go,” I’m elated that my belief that the Raiders would very much flatter to deceive in their first year under Josh McDaniels has been proven accurate. Two weeks in row, the Raiders have had BAD losses, and they now sit firmly bottom of the AFC West at 2-6. Last week was a horrorshow, being shut out by the inconsistent Saints… but this!? Squandering a THIRD 17pt lead of the season, to Trevor Lawrence and the “we’re still building and learning” Jacksonville Jaguars was seriously poor. There’s so much talent on this roster, it really doesn’t make much sense, but the Raiders have shown nothing to suggest they might find a rhythm and make a late season push for an AFC wildcard spot. Hot Seat: Derek Carr… 
  • The Chargers and Falcons played out a quite ridiculous game that was wonderfully encapsulated in the play where Austin Ekeler fumbled the ball attempting to get LA into game-winning Field Goal range, before it was recovered by a Falcons defender, who the HIMSELF fumbled it back to the Chargers, who didn’t fumble it again, and were able to kick the FG to win it a few plays later. Chaos. The Chargers getting this win down most of their Wide Receivers was big for them, and they stay very much in the hunt. 
  • Quite simply, I owe Pete Carroll, Geno Smith & The Seattle Seahawks organisation a massive apology. This was not how the season was supposed to go, without Russell Wilson, and with a QB who nobody really believed in. Seattle have won 4 straight and condemned the Arizona Cardinals to a miserable “Hard Knocks: In-Season” debut week. I don’t know what more I can say about Arizona, who have everything they need to be a force in the NFC, and yet can’t seem to get out of their own way. It’s crazy, but this division is now Seattle’s to lose.
  • Tom Brady shook off the divorce drama and did what he does best: ripping the heart out of opposition teams late in the 4th quarter. The Rams continue to struggle, falling to just 3-5, and their memories of the SuperBowl feel like a lifetime ago now. The Bucs jumped back atop the NFC South, and you feel like the winner of this division might even end up being the rarely seen below .500 playoff team. But, once you’re in the dance… don’t bet against Brady making another run. It would be both excruciatingly painful and VERY on brand for Brady to use all this as motivation to win another championship, and go out on his high horse…

MNF Prediction: (Season Record: 5-4)

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

After the Bengals decided to not show up last week, my record hasn’t taken a hit, and we’re now just 1 game above the dreaded .500 mark… 

So we head to the SuperDome in New Orleans, as the Baltimore Ravens come to town to face the Saints. New Orleans are coming off their biggest win of the season – the comprehensive shut out rout of the Raiders – but now know they will be without star WR Michael Thomas for the rest of the year. This means it’ll be on rookie Chris Olave to step up, as he has done throughout the year so far, and I’d expect the trickery with Taysom Hill to increase as well. But – obviously – this offense will continue to revolve around Alvin Kamara, who himself has found form in recent weeks with Andy Dalton under centre.

Baltimore are struggling with their own injuries too, as it appears Mark Andrews & Gus Edwards will both miss this one. Kenyan Drake would presumably be the lead back, and impressive rookie Isaiah Likely will step into the very important receiving Tight End role, made even more pivotal following the Ravens’ own loss of WR Rashod Bateman for the season. These are two teams who pride themselves on staunch defense, but often find ways to have explosive offensive production too. When it comes down to it, it really boils down to who do I trust the most? Andy Dalton, the veteran who has had a very rollercoaster-y start to the season, or Lamar Jackson, the perennial MVP candidate and former award-winner. I have to side with Lamar, despite the absence of Andrews. Devin Duvernay has come into his own as number 1 receiver, and I just think the Ravens will have too much over the course of 60 minutes. Baltimore Ravens to win.

Week 10 Preview

Week 10 is a special week as, for the first time ever, a regular season NFL game will be played in Germany! Munich is the host city for the 6-3 (yeah, actually) Seattle Seahawks against the 4-5 (yeah, actually) Tampa Bay Buccaneers in what could quietly be a very fun game. But before that, we also have an NFC South TNF matchup, as the Panthers and the Falcons clash in a Thursday night matchup that is sure to have some chaotic energy throughout. Then, on Sunday, the Vikings – Bills matchup is without doubt the headline act, but keep your eyes peeled on Dolphins – Browns & Cowboys – Packers too… before an actually intriguing Sunday Night matchup, as the 49ers host the Chargers. Week 10 closes with the Eagles attempting to get to 9-0 against not Carson Wentz and the Washington Commanders. As always, thanks for taking the time to read this article. I’m @CallumJDSquires on Twitter & Instagram. Come say hey. Hope you all have a great week. Cheers.

Callum Squires

NFL/CFB ANALYST

CALLUM IS FROM LONDON, BUT PLAYED COLLEGE SOCCER AT TRINITY UNIVERSITY IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS. CALLUM IS A LONG-SUFFERING DOLPHINS FAN WHO BELIEVES THE TUA HYPE. NOW BACK STATESIDE, HIT HIM UP ON TWITTER @CALLUMJDSQUIRES!

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