So there's a lot going on through the first nine weeks of the season. Since there was a lot of action to try and follow over the weekend, here's some of the best and worst from week nine.
Best:
Ben Roethlisberger, Quarterback Pittsburgh Steelers
You wanna talk about a guy who's really starting to heat up, look no further than Big Ben over in the steel city. His 12 TD passes over a two-game span are a league record. He not only slung those six touchdown passes, for the second week in a row, he was able to do that and go 25 of 37 for 340 yards (4th most in league this week). He was able to do all of this against a very tough Baltimore Ravens defense.
Worst:
New York Jets Offense
You could also throw the Jets defense in this as well, as they were lit up by the Chiefs just as badly as the offense. But that's another argument for another time. The Jets offense basically went nowhere fast. The Jets outgained the Chiefs(364-309), held the ball longer (31:35-28:25) and ran more plays (69-56). But what did it get them? A whole lot of nothing, just 10 points. Vick got the start and lead the Jets nowhere except to an eight straight loss. Percy Harvin had a solid game with 11 catches for 129 yards but it was all for nothing.
Best:
Marshawn Lynch, Running Back Seattle Seahawks
Looks like we got a glimps of the Beast Mode of old from Lynch on Sunday in the Seahawks 30-24 win over the Oakland Raiders. Lynch was the Seahawks' leading rusher with 67 yards rushing and was the team's top receiver, with 76 yards catching passes. That can go along with his two scores. Whether he's gearing up for a playoff surge, ratcheting up his value if Seattle decides to cut him loose after the season or both, Lynch definitely looks like a player with plenty left to prove.
Worst:
Oakland Raiders
Coming off the loss to Seattle on Sunday, Oakland has hit the halfway mark to the NFL's second 0-16 season (Detroit Lions in 2008 being the other). The only team currently on the remainder of Oakland's schedule that sits below .500 is the Rams (3-5), who will host the Raiders in four weeks. The way things are going in Oakland, they will not only match the Lions for the worst team in league history, they are also making a stronger case for making it hard to keep the team in Oakland. If this keeps up with the Raiders, don't be surprised if they're the one pegged to move to Los Angeles, if that ever happens.
Best:
Arizona Cardinals Defense
This has been quite the surprise out of the NFC West. It's not a surprise that the Cardinals are good, they sit at 7-1 right now. Arizona finished 10-6 a season ago, just missing the playoffs. What is a surprise is they are the top spot in the NFC West, considering, on paper, how loaded that division is. One of the big reasons the Cards are 7-1 has been their run defense. Arizona hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher all season, and now you can include Cowboys RB DeMarco Murray to that list. Murray managed just 79 yards on the ground after topping the century mark eight consecutive times, a record to start a season. Yes Arizona is for real.
Worst:
Dallas Cowboys Depth (and luck)
Jerry Jones and Co. look remiss for not finding a way to keep former backup QB Kyle Orton, who's 3-1 for the Bills this season, rather than relying on Weeden, whose record as a starter dipped to 5-16 after Sunday's loss. Not having Romo showed how vulnerable the Cowboys can be. Dallas seems to have fallen back to earth over the past two games, losing to both the Redskins and Cardinals. This two game losing skid puts them a game behind, in the loss colume at least, behind the Eagles for the East lead. Dallas needs to try and find a way to right the ship to stay in the race.
Best:
Jeremy Maclin, Wide Receiver, Philadelphia Eagles
There were a few question marks about him, coming off the knee injury and all last year. Well after the last two weeks, it looks like he's back. This week, he had 6 catches for 158 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the Eagles win over Houston. Including his totals from week eight, Maclin has 18 catches for 343 yards and four scores. Maclin has answered all the questions about his knee and ability to be a No. 1 receiver in Chip Kelly's offense. Now the meter is running.
Worst:
Jay Gruden, Head Coach Washington Redskins
The coach provided ammo to critics who contended the Redskins should stick with hot QB Colt McCoy rather than start rusty Robert Griffin III before a bye week. RG3 was OK (251 pass yards) considering he hadn't played in nearly two months. But his recovering ankle didn't help him evade five sacks, and 10 of his 28 passes fell incomplete, including an ugly one-hopper to open Pierre Garcon on fourth-and-6 as Washington was driving for a potential game-tying field goal in the fourth quarter. In the previous two games, McCoy had connected on 36 of 42 throws (85.7%).
Best:
Jeremy Hill, Running Back Cincinnati Bengals
Without the rookie running back's 154 rushing yards and pair of TDs — he was the featured back in place of injured Giovani Bernard — the Bengals probably don't overcome a game Jacksonville team on a day when QB Andy Dalton struggled.
Worst:
Philip Rivers, Quarterback San Diego Chargers
Rivers had been playing lights out almost the entire season. He had been making a strong case for MVP. Three weeks ago, he was riding high, posting a passer rating above 120 in a record five consecutive starts (all San Diego wins). Since? Rivers and the Bolts have been in the gutter, going 0-3 after a 37-0 debacle in Miami where he committed four turnovers (3 INTs, fumble) and was sacked three times. Rivers has been picked off six times in the ongoing losing streak, and the Chargers (5-4) are now outside the AFC playoff field.
That's just some of the great action that took place in week nine of the NFL!
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