Everything you know about an NFL team can be thrown out of the window every weekend. An undrafted free agent like Mike White can lead a horrible Jets team that got pummeled by the Patriots the week before to a surprise victory over the AFC leading Cincinnati Bengals. This year has been crazier than most, and week 9 had some shocking results. Each team on this list is a legit contender for the Super Bowl and spoiler, they all lose.
Falcons vs. Saints
A New Orleans Saints team coming off a massive win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should have had all the momentum. Yet, Trevor Siemian was starting at QB for this team. You can’t really be confident when he is starting. The Saints had leaned on their defense to limit the Bucs to 27 points, and even though they held the Falcons to the same amount of points there wasn’t enough offensive production. Leading 24-6 deep into the fourth, credit had to go out to both the offense and the defense. Matt Ryan was clicking, and the defense was able to stop pretty much anything the hampered Saints wanted to do. After the 9:40 minute mark in the fourth quarter, this game started to get really interesting. Siemian seemed to find some superhero mode, and it looked like another classic Atlanta blow up in the second half. With a minute left in the game, New Orleans had taken the lead and Atlanta had only scored once in the entire quarter. If not for an amazing 64 yard catch by Cordarrelle Patterson, the Saints might be 6-2. For the Falcons, this should have been an easy win against an injured Saints team. Going forward, there seems to be no plan, and without star receiver Calvin Ridley they may continue to flounder in mediocracy. For the Saints this game was what many expected when Jameis Winston was injured against the Bucs, losing against a Falcons team that no one would consider good. Also on a totally unrelated note, Russell Gage needs to work on his hurdling, even if he had quite an impressive game.
Jaguars vs. Bills
The battle of Josh Allen’s. For one it was an all time great game, and for the other it was a horrifically bad night. It wasn’t the championship Bills who had the better game. Their QB, Josh Allen, had 2 interceptions and 264 yards. Not something we expect from one of the best quarterbacks in the league. The Jaguars were led by defensive end Josh Allen who had 1 pick, 1 fumble recovery, and a sack. For what a great win it was for the Jags, this loss is squarely on the shoulders of the Bills offense. The Jags were as bad as ever, scoring only 9 points, and yet the Bills weren’t able to capitalize. The run game was inconsistent, and any momentum they had was ruined by either a sack, turnover, or penalty. They just couldn’t put together a complete drive. For a championship contender like the Bills, the thought of this happening again in the postseason is worrying. The one upside is that the Bills staff can diagnose the problem, and hopefully there won’t be a dud like this in the playoffs. For the Jaguars, this should be a massive confidence boost for the entire organization. It isn’t going to change the rest of the season though, and the Jags would be luck to win another game.
Broncos vs. Cowboys
With the return of Dak Prescott, the Cowboys were looking to go back to their dynamic offense. Instead, the Boys got completely shut out for 3 and a half quarters. They didn’t score until the 5 minute mark of the 4th quarter. Like the Bills, Bengals, and Raiders these were uncharacteristic losses for some top teams. Most of Dak’s stats were based off the last minute touchdowns, and the Broncos were in control for the entire game. Teddy Bridgewater was effective, but it was the dual running attack of Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams that killed the Cowboys. This was a problem for the Cowboys last year, and even though the defense has improved there are still glaring holes on that side of the ball. While the defense is an issue, the offense couldn’t get going at all. Neither Amari Cooper or CeeDee Lamb had over 40 yards and neither of them had more than 2 catches. For the Cowboys, this game was horrible. They need to bounce back next year, and if they could get their momentum back this might look like a smidge on their record. For the Broncos this win showcased their superbly strong defense. They can compete with any team on any given day, but they shouldn’t be looking to be competitive in a division with the Chiefs, Raiders, and Chargers.
Top Image: Phelan M Ebenhack/AP