What We Learned From Week 9

Added on Nov 06, 2012 by Scott in

NFL

There were points o’ plenty this past Sunday and Monday in the NFL. The Bears rolled up 51 on the woeful Titans and the Bucs racked 42 versus the Raiders. Even the normally boring Seahawks managed to score 30 points for the first time in 2012. Offenses appear to moving slightly ahead of defenses, although that could change once the snow starts to fly. What did we learn from Week 9? Let’s take a look.

Delaying the inevitable – Norv Turner saved his job for one more week by disposing of the hapless Chiefs. Don’t be fooled, because the Chargers are going nowhere. Turner will likely survive the rest of the season, but it’s obvious major changes are on the horizon barring an unforeseen Super Bowl run.

Road rage – Joe Flacco and the Ravens came close to tanking another road game on Sunday. Fortunately, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron put the ball in Ray Rice’s hands in the fourth quarter after ignoring him for two quarters. Ravens fans better brace themselves for another disappointing conclusion come January.

Houston, we have no problems – The Texans didn’t look particularly spry after their bye week. Only 21 points against the Bills at home? At least their defense proved to be stifling once again. So they played a poor game and still won by 12. That’s the sign of a legit contender.

Lucky man – We didn’t really need further evidence that rookie Andrew Luck is the real deal, but his record-setting 433 yards against a pretty good Dolphins defense is worthy of high praise. This Colts team has no business being 5-3 and yet here they are angling for a Wildcard berth.

Don’t poke the Bears – Chicago is beginning to look like the team to beat in the NFC. No offense to Atlanta, but the Bears defense is scoring more than some team’s offenses. That said, the offensive line and Jay Cutler’s tendency to spaz out are still concerns.

Back to Earth – Three straight losses and suddenly the glow around Robert Griffin III is dimming. It’s not all his fault considering the injuries and glaring lack of skilled players surrounding him, but the rookie wunderkind is finding tougher sledding as of late. How he adjusts will be an interesting storyline to follow.

Cowboy down – As bad as the ‘Boys have been they still have time to turn it around. The second half schedule is void of dominating opponents. But does it even matter? Dallas seems to be going through the motions. And the Sean Payton rumors are getting louder.

Angry birds – The Cardinals and Eagles have dropped a combined nine in a row. Each team is rife with problems, but having the two worst offensive lines in football is the main culprit. It’s amazing that Michael Vick has yet to miss a snap, because he’s being pummeled on a weekly basis.