Week 9 in the NFL saw Justin Fields set records, the Bills fall to the Jets, the Packers fall on their face against the Lions, and Tom Brady do what Tom Brady does best.
That was just the start of a wild Sunday around the league.
With the season more than halfway gone, the playoff picture still is muddied. But we’re getting a clearer picture of who is for real (Seahawks) and who is fraudulent (Rams, Packers).
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Here’s where each team stands after Sunday’s Week 9 action:
32. Houston Texans (1-6-1): I hope Bryce Young likes Houston.
31. Carolina Panthers (2-7): P.J. Walker was ineffective so the Panthers went back to Baker Mayfield at quarterback. There are no good options for a team staring at another rebuild.
30. Pittsburgh Steelers (2-6): At least we didn’t have to watch the Steelers on Sunday. That’s a win for all of us.
San Francisco 49ers
29. Indianapolis Colts (3-5-1): The Colts averaged 2.8 yards per play Sunday vs. the Patriots. It’s a good thing they fired offensive coordinator Marcus Brady during the week or things could have been really bad. It’s time to clean house in Indy.
28. Detroit Lions (2-6): Detroit’s defense hadn’t stopped anyone all season … until Sunday when the Lions held Aaron Rodgers to nine points. That probably says more about the state of the Packers, though.
27. Las Vegas Raiders (2-6): The Raiders have now lost three games in which they have led by at least 17 points. That’s how you get to be 2-6, folks.
26. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-6): Hey, the Jags finally won a one-possession game. Miracles never cease.
25. Cleveland Browns (3-5): The AFC might be just bad enough to let the Browns hang around until Deshaun Watson is allowed to return. If only the world were just.
24. Denver Broncos (3-6): Did Russell Wilson spend his bye week doing high knees in his backyard?
23. Arizona Cardinals (3-6): Kliff Kingsbury, Alabama analyst, has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?
22. Washington Commanders (4-5): Taylor Heinicke’s magic finally ran out Sunday. Can he recapture it?
21. Chicago Bears (3-6): Justin Fields is THAT DUDE. That’s all that matters for the 2022 Bears.
20. New Orleans Saints (3-6): The Saints don’t have a lot going on and their future outlook is dire. Window missed.
19. Atlanta Falcons (4-5): Are the Falcons good? Not really. Do they play wildly entertaining games? Absolutely.
18. Green Bay Packers (3-6): My god, the Packers are in hell.
17. New England Patriots (5-4): Mac Jones is regressing, and the Patriots need to figure out a way for that to stop. Now.
16. Los Angeles Rams (3-5): That was an award-winning meltdown from the Rams in Tampa. Complete dumpster-level effort.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-5): Tom Brady can still do the thing, man. The Bucs’ issues don’t start with No. 12.
14. Tennessee Titans (5-3): Mike Vrabel is a witch.
13. New York Jets (6-3): The Jets’ upset over the Bills has everyone in NYC feeling good, which can only mean something terrible is about to happen next week.
12. Los Angeles Chargers (5-3): Joe Lombardi should be brought up on criminal charges for what he does with the Chargers’ offense.
11. Miami Dolphins (6-3): The Dolphins turned the three first-round picks they got in the Trey Lance trade into Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill, and Bradley Chubb. Yeah, that’ll work.
10. Cincinnati Bengals (5-4): With the Chiefs and Bills looming, we’ll soon find out how good the 2022 Bengals are (without Ja’Marr Chase).
9. New York Giants (6-2): Given the state of the NFC, the Giants probably can go 3-6 the rest of the way and still make the playoffs.
8. San Francisco 49ers (4-4): The 49ers have all the talent in the world, but have struggled to put bad teams away. Does Jekyll or Hyde show up in the second half of the season in the Bay?
7. Seattle Seahawks (5-3): The Seahawks could win Coach of the Year, Defensive Rookie of the Year (Tariq Woolen), Offensive Rookie of the Year (Kenneth Walker), and Comeback Player of the Year awards (Geno Smith). Quite the season brewing in the Pacific Northwest.
6. Minnesota Vikings (7-1): The Vikings have won six in a row, but their upcoming stretch will tell us if they are for real or not.
5. Baltimore Ravens (6-2): It should be no surprise that Roquan Smith looked reinvigorated in his Ravens debut. He’s going to be good in Baltimore. Bears fans will have to deal with that.
4. Dallas Cowboys (6-2): If the Cowboys’ offense can bottle what it did against the Bears, then they’ll be tough to beat come January.
3. Buffalo Bills (6-2): Josh Allen is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but some 2019 stuff is leaking back into his game that should concern a team with title aspirations.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (6-2): Sixty-three rushing yards, 68 attempts, and 43 completions. Quite the night of career-highs for Patrick Mahomes.
1. Philadelphia Eagles (8-0): The Eagles played with their food a bit against the Texans, and then put Houston away. The winning train rolls on.