A Crazy Week 9 in the NFL

Wow, what was that? Denver beats Dallas like a drum, Buffalo scores six points against Jacksonville and loses, Tennessee, without Derrick Henry, goes to LA and pushes the Rams around like they own them. Who could have predicted all three of those things to happen. It just shows that emotion means so much in the NFL and if a team isn’t ready, no matter how good they are and regardless of the opponent, they can lose. All teams have talented players and can beat anybody else no matter the records. Let’s summarize where we are at in the divisions.

• NFC LEAST: Combined Record 14-20
• Dallas 6-2: Just when I thought the Cowboys were special, they threw in a terrible performance against Denver. They have to guard against boredom that comes from playing in a horrible division. Still a lock to win the division.
• New York Giants 3-6: Maybe the 2nd best team in this division
• Philadelphia 3-6: Playing hard every week.
• Washington 2-6: Not much to say about them.

• NFC NORTH: Combined Record 13-21
• Green Bay: 7-2 Tough loss without Aaron Rodgers in KC. Will be interesting to see how they respond to his shenanigans.
• Minnesota: 3-5 They play everyone close but can’t beat them
• Chicago: 3-6 Justin Fields played well against the Steelers.
• Detroit: 0-8 Their only goal is to win a game somewhere, somehow.

• NFC SOUTH: Combined Record 19-14
• Tampa Bay 6-2: They are the odds-on favorite to win this division at this point, especially after the Saints’ loss last Sunday
• New Orleans 5-3: They are too inconsistent to be considered a division winner.
• Atlanta 4-4: They can be a spoiler down the stretch as they are a dangerous out.
• Carolina 4-5: Too many offensive problems for the Panthers.

• NFC WEST: Combined Record 21-13
• Arizona 8-1: The Cardinals got a character building win without Kyler Murray at San Francisco. They now are 3-0 in the division.
• Los Angeles 7-2: Hard to explain the Rams coming up empty against the Titans.
• San Francisco 3-5: The 49ers lost a game against Arizona that they had to have.
• Seattle 3-5: Seahawks come off the bye week and head for Green Bay.

• AFC EAST: Combined Record 14-20
• Buffalo 5-3: The Bills lost at Jacksonville and scored only 6 points. Are they bored or do they have serious problems on offense?
• New England 5-4: Don’t look now, but look who is one of the hottest teams in the AFC. They have won three straight and are improving.
• New York Jets 2-6: Just trying to get better.
• Miami Dolphins 2-7: Trying to salvage something out of a miserable season.

• AFC NORTH: Combined Record 21-13
• Baltimore: 6-2 The Ravens seldom dominate anyone, but they find ways to win, which is the sign of a division winner.
• Pittsburgh: 5-3 They have won 4 in a row, but were fortunate Monday night.
• Cleveland: 5-4 After a season-saving win in Cincinnati, they head for a monster game in New England.
• Cincinnati: 5-4 The Bengals are on a 2-game skid after a win in Baltimore.

• AFC SOUTH: Combined Record 14-21
• Tennessee 7-2: They were very impressive with the way they manhandled the Rams. Playing as well as anyone in the AFC.
• Indianapolis 4-5: The Colts are a resilient bunch and are the best 4-5 team in football.
• Jacksonville 2-6: They pulled off a major upset over Buffalo to get their 2nd win.
• Houston 1-8: They are so bad I almost feel sorry for them.

• AFC WEST: Combined Record 20-14
• Los Angeles 5-3: The Chargers eked out a win over a weak team which is better to losing to one.
• Las Vegas 5-3: The Raiders did just the opposite of the Chargers losing to a weak team instead of winning.
• Kansas City 5-4: They took advantage (barely), of a missing Aaron Rodgers and beat the Packers. It’s a win and that’s all that matters.
• Denver 5-4: In another shocker, they went to Dallas and dominated the front-running Cowboys. Suddenly, they are back in the hunt.