Ten Things We Learned On The NFL’s Ninth Sunday

Added on Nov 08, 2010 by Scott in

NFL

I had a sneaking suspicion yesterday would be an exciting football Sunday and it didn’t disappoint. Seven games were decided by six points or less, three of which went to overtime. The Browns and Raiders pulled off home upsets, while the Bears and Jets won squeakers on the road. Brett Favre engineered another miracle comeback and Michael Vick became the first Eagles quarterback to defeat Peyton Manning’s Colts. There was much to be learned on this ninth Sunday of the NFL season. Ten things to be exact.

10. The Bucs aren’t quite ready for primetime – Tampa Bay has played three teams with winning records and lost all three by a combined score of 96-40. LeGarrette Blount looked like an undrafted free agent against Atlanta’s fast and stingy defense and Josh Freeman tossed two costly interceptions. Upcoming opponents include Carolina and San Francisco, so all is not gloomy for the Raheem Morris’s charges.

9. Ray Rice is still alive - The 2009 Ray Rice made an appearance in Baltimore’s victory over the Phins. He didn’t score, but 22 carries for 83 yards and seven receptions for 97 yards is more like the dual threat machine we saw a season ago. For the Ravens to remain an AFC contender they will need RR to deliver more performances like this one.

8. The Bears cannot run the ball - Matt Forte and Chester Taylor combined to rush for 62 yards on 24 carries against the Bills 32nd ranked run defense. Can you say deplorable? Can you say awful? Can you say the Bears are the luckiest 5-3 team ever? I knew you could.

7. Carolina is the league’s worst team - The Panthers used three quarterbacks, lost two running backs to injury, and were led in receiving by David Gettis with 22 yards. John Fox cannot be long for this season. The Cats are going nowhere, slow. Stay tuned for a major rebuilding project beginning next March.

6. The Browns defense is legit - It’s time to start giving Browns defensive coordinator Rob Ryan some credit. He frightened and confused Drew Brees a couple weeks ago and did the same to golden boy Tom Brady on Sunday. Without the threat of Randy Moss, the Pats attack is easy to defend. Ryan is working magic without much talent. Don’t sleep on this bunch.

5. Philip Rivers is the MVP - Without Antonio Gates, Vincent Jackson, Malcolm Floyd and Legedu Naanee, young man Rivers still threw for 295 yards and four touchdowns. He’s on pace to eclipse 5000 yards and is single-handedly steering the offense to points and wins. If the Chargers can slip into the postseason, Rivers should be an automatic to seize the 2010 MVP award.

4. The old man ain’t dead yet - The Vikes played like garbage for three quarters before #4 did his thing. Brett Favre is very hateable, but he’s still fun to watch when he’s in a groove. Hard to believe the gray beard had never thrown for 446 yards before yesterday. I guess the ankle and elbow are feeling okay.

3. Big Blue is big bad – Geesh. The Giants punished and humiliated the Seahawks for four quarters. It was beyond brutal. Eli Manning finally didn’t throw a pick and the defense perpetually harassed first-time starter Charlie Whitehurst. The Giants are known for second half collapses, but through eight games they appear to be the NFC’s most dominant team.

2. The Black Hole is once again scary - Da Raiders are back! The silver and black have won three straight for the first time since 2002. Darren McFadden has been money and Sebastian Janikowski is nailing big kicks every week. As long as head coach Tom Cable doesn’t screw it up, a playoff run is possible.

1. Wade Phillips should still be fired – Ultimately, it made little difference in the outcome versus Green Bay, but Wade Phillips wasting all his first half timeouts prior to the two minute mark cost his team seven points after a blown call allowed a fumble return for a touchdown. Gotta have a timeout to make a coach’s challenge, Wade. Avoidable mental lapses continue to plague the 1-7 Cowboys.