NFL Payoff: Week 9 Dimes

Dude…

Week 9 is over as the season is now over half over. The competition for playoff spots continues to heat up. The AFC is wide open and the NFC almost feels the same way. This season has been wide open. Rookie QBs throwing for 5 touchdowns, all pro Qbs slipping, and multiple injuries cause for new stars to rise. Who had the best week? Don’t worry the Dudes got you with the week 9 NFL takeaways!!

Titans vs. Steelers (How6rd)

Titans: There’s a lot of work to do, but the QB of the future is here- Ladies and gentlemen the time is now, Tannehill is headed to the bench where he belongs and the Will Levis era is HERE! Unfortunately, they lost a close one in a tough road environment on primetime in Pittsburgh and there is a lot of work that needs to be done with this defensive unit after making Kenny Pickett look like the first-round QB that everyone thought he’d be (he isn’t) along with a huge need of receivers around DeAndre Hopkins. That comes with a new era for teams and that is definitely the direction the Titans are taking now especially as Will Levis has been announced as the starter for the rest of the season after typing this. Leivs shined once again in his second game making some of the best throws I’ve seen a Titan make under pressure with the terrible offensive line that Mike Vrabel has around him. On paper, it was unfortunate as a win would’ve had the Titans still in the playoff chase and amongst the other teams in the AFC wild-card chase, but what is really important is that they have an answer for their future gunslinger after a lot of rumors about drafting ANOTHER quarterback was the trend for Tennessee. The goal the rest of this season is to get more reps out of your QB and hope the talented vets on the roster want to stay just a little longer and with that there’s much to look forward to, although it’s questionable if Mike Vrabel is the coach for the future which I may get into after the next week of games.

Steelers: A huge win to keep up with the AFC North: After the Steelers' 10-point loss to the Jaguars in what seemed like a 50-point loss the week before, the Steelers really needed a home win on primetime to not fall behind the race for the AFC North division as it’s looking like one of the strongest in the NFL with Joe Burrow’s revival. Pittsburgh got off to a hot start for once scoring in their opening drive of the game for the first time all season and set the tone for the Titans to put the rookie QB to the test early on. Then things went mostly quiet for the next two quarters and it looked scary for the black and yellow squad as Derrick Henry scored forcing their offense to do more work. The good news is that, unlike the Falcons, the Steelers were prepared for the rookie QB to make some big plays on them and they didn’t fall once Will Levis started working as they made things difficult for the Titans to run any plays and even forced them to make a lot of unnecessary play calls getting them completely thrown out of the game. Pickett finally had a solid drive in the fourth quarter as the clock was nearing the end of the game under five minutes and the second-year QB threw the ball to an open Diontae Johnson for the first touchdown reception of his in nearly two seasons. The good news for the Steelers is that they got a much-needed win and stay tied for second place with the Browns and Bengals, but the bad news is that Matt Canada looks to be staying around a little longer after looking competent against a lackluster Titans defense.

Dolphins vs. Chiefs (PC)

Dolphins takeaway: No, we can’t beat good teams- The Miami Dolphins were projected to be the best team in the AFC. Now, it seems like they’ll struggle to win a playoff game. The game in Frankfurt started off extremely rocky thanks to some early touchdown tosses from Mahomes, and Tua threw an out route to Tyreek Hill. He then proceeded to fumble the ball and the Chiefs defense made an insane play to score off that fumble. Tua and the offense looked like they were going to make the comeback, however, they failed to do so. The Dolphins at the beginning of the year looked like they were going to run through everyone. Now, with a team that struggles to beat good teams, it’s going to be hard for the Dolphins to gain any traction toward making a run in the playoffs.

Chiefs takeaway: A complete team- Yes, if I wasn’t a Chiefs fan, I would be upset that this team is good again too. However, the Chiefs look like a complete team compared to most of the league. The Chiefs played phenomenally in Germany against the Dolphins. Patrick Mahomes threw for 2 touchdowns. The run game, although not extremely successful, opened up the passing game for Mahomes. The defense came up huge with a fumble recovery by Mike Edwards. As Edwards was about to be tossed the turf, Edwards lateralled the ball to Bryan Cook. He then ran for 59 yards for a touchdown. The Chiefs only have one concern, they let off the gas pedal. The Dolphins climbed their way back after being down by 21. The Chiefs need to keep the pedal to the metal and finish games. It may have worked this week, but it won’t be against great teams. Overall, the Chiefs just proved they are the team, yet again, to beat in the AFC.

Vikings vs. Falcons (How6rd)

Vikings: Brand new QB, no problem: The Vikings season was looking severely grim after losing Kirk Cousins for the year, who was having another impressive season, and recently made a trade to acquire the Cardinals’ quarterback just a week prior in Josh Dobbs. While many were questioning if he’d see the field at all he ended up their top guy going into the game in a matter of a few days. After being down early in the game the Vikings needed something from their offense, and surprisingly enough Dobbs was the guy to answer the call. Being both the leading rusher on the team and getting three total TDs, the 28-year-old journeyman had a day to remember after a brutal beatdown at the hands of the Ravens a week earlier. Dobbs even threw a game-winning touchdown with 22 seconds left after impressively driving his team down the field 75 yards in less than a minute and 46 seconds of game time. Now with three straight wins, they sit comfortably in second place in the NFC North and what seemed like the end of the road could be the game that gives Minnesota a big opportunity for a shot at making the playoffs.

Falcons: The Arthur Smith project isn’t going to take you far: Now watching the Titans for as long as I have I’ll admit I’ve stuck up for this hire and evidently miss the man being the offensive coordinator on the team, but with how he’s avoided putting the ball into his first rounders’ hands for this long into his tenure is a HUGE problem. Kyle Pitts is clearly not getting plays designed for him to do something and Bijan Robinson is getting the damn ball less than Tyler Allgier, and both of those players have done nearly anything wrong. Following that issue, this past Sunday they got worked by a QB who had been on the team for no more than half the week and just a week prior getting smoked by a QB making his NFL debut. We’ve seen the defense when it’s at its best this year, but the scheme is very inconsistent, and blowing yet ANOTHER lead down the stretch makes it look like the same old Falcons the entire country is used to. If he can’t trust his young talent more and have his better players like Bijan out on the field then this experiment with Arthur Smith is reaching a brutal end to what looked like a solid start.

Cardinals vs. Browns (PC)

Browns takeaway: Impressive, but you played the Cardinals- If a non-quarterback is going to win the MVP, it should be Myles Garrett. This Browns defense absolutely manhandled the Cardinals. The team combined for 7 sacks and just put Clayton Tune through a blender. They also recovered one fumble thanks to the MVP himself. The biggest question is the offense. Deshaun Watson is coming off a shoulder injury. He looked impressive enough with 2 touchdown tosses. The mystical Amari Cooper decided to show up (it’s weird every time I start him in fantasy, he disappears) who had 139 yards and a touchdown. The Brown's offense is like a light switch, it’s either on or off, and there is no in-between. If the Browns offense can learn to always keep the lights on, this team will be scary come playoff time.

Cardinals takeaway: We already knew you were bad, now you’re proving it- With Joshua Dobbs at the helm, the Cardinals looked decent. After trading him away, the Cardinals are the dumpster fire team we all thought they were going to be. Clayton Tune doesn’t even look like an NFL QB. He threw 2 really bad interceptions and coughed up the football once as well. The Cardinals have no offensive line, they have no defense, and they don’t have a QB to help them out. This team is all around the worst team in the league besides maybe the Panthers and the Bears. However, that’s not saying much at all.

Rams vs. Packers(PC)

Rams takeaway: They need Stafford- A loss to this Packers team is bad. Brett Rypien, who started in the late scratch from Matthew Stafford put up abysmally bad numbers. He threw for 130 yards and had 2 interceptions with a QB rating of 24.7. That’s not just bad, it’s an abomination. It’s not like the Rams don’t have any weapons. Puka Nucua started the year off extremely hot for a rookie and they now have Cooper Kupp back and fully healthy. It’s not the defense because a man named Aaron Donald still exists. So yes they struggled, but not this badly. Stafford has proven how important of an asset he is to the machine known as the LA Rams.

Packer's takeaway: I can still feel the LOVE- I knew Jordan Love was going to struggle. Especially trying to live up to Aaron Rodgers' replacement in Green Bay. He has struggled this year. However, this week it seemed like he got back on track. He threw for 228 yards and 2 touchdowns in the victory. The other Aaron, Aaron Jones, finally seemed back to his old self with 73 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Love is going to have his ups and downs. He has shown the potential to be a good to great starter in the NFL. The cheese heads probably won’t see their team in the playoffs this year, however, it doesn’t look as gloomy in Green Bay as it did 2 weeks ago.

Commanders vs. Patriots (How6rd)

Commanders: It’s clear Sam Howell isn’t bad, but his mistakes are terrible- Commanders young QB in Sam Howell has shown that he can have a good game given how historically garbage his offensive line has been this season. The main problem with Howell’s performances is that a majority of his good play gets wiped away with one of the worst picks you can possibly imagine, as in a 1st and goal situation Howell got the ball snapped to him and threw a pick directly into the hands of a Patriots safety nowhere near his intended receiver. He redeemed himself by getting a touchdown pass on the team’s first drive in the second half and another impressive drive right afterward that resulted in a field goal ultimately icing the game over a terrible Patriots offense. Sam Howell may not be the long-term answer this team needs at QB, but it’s safe to say he can do good in tough environments and have enough solid performances to keep Washington afloat until they can get a better team for the future assuming they miss the playoffs this season.

Patriots: One-quarter wonder- Now by no means am I saying the defense did everything they could do in this game because at the start of both the first and second half, they were getting worked, but the Patriots came up with huge stops a couple of times in this game including ending the first half getting a pick to set them up getting the ball to start the 3rd quarter. Meanwhile, the Patriot's offense seemed to really show up for anything in the 2nd quarter as they were driving the ball down with ease and Mac even looked somewhat impressive on his own drive ending in a touchdown pass. What followed up with that was missed opportunity after missed opportunity to blow this game open and it made for a loss that might've lost the rest of the fanbase that hadn’t stopped watching this team already. It’s clear that there are many flaws with this team’s offense and Bill Belichick can’t save this team as he’d seem to do in years past from even being competent in the AFC East. At this point, it’s time to start the countdown for the end of the season and look at mock drafts to see what QB everybody thinks you’re going to replace Mac Jones with at this point.

Bears vs. Saints (How6rd)

Bears: A little thrill is always fun in a terrible season- The Bears punted a total of two times in this game and both occurred in the second half, the contradicting stat to that is that they only finished the game with 17 points. While the story of Tyson Bagent is inspiring and something that tells anybody to never give up on their dreams, he’s still a QB who might not even get a backup spot on at least 75% of NFL rosters as he was a true roller coaster in this one getting two first-half TD passes along with four total turnovers (three interceptions) and giving the Saints opportunity after opportunity to really blow it open. With how the defense performed this was the game Bagent really needed to show the Chicago faithful something as it was never out of reach for the Bears almost all game, but time and time again he made huge mistakes on crucial drives and really bogged the team down with how much they relied on him. That blowout win against the Raiders seems like it was forever ago now as it’s only looking to be downhill until Fields is back (at the very earliest).

Saints: What a gift of a schedule- I believe the Saints this year have a really good shot at making the playoffs even after a rough start to the year. No it’s not because this team is good and no it’s definitely not from something they did in this game, but from this game and going forward their schedule might be the easiest in the NFL by far for them. The NFC South is a dumpster fire this year once again and now having a record at 5-4 on top of the division they face the Lions and a Josh Dobbs-led Vikings team with a bunch of teams with losing records around that. The fact that they couldn’t blow out this Bears team given how many turnovers their defense committed is comical, and Taysom Hill was the star of the damn game with a receiving touchdown, passing touchdown, and being their leading rusher. I’m not saying they should have a losing record right now either as they’ve been the favorites in most of their games this season. I will say though that if they play like they did in this one against other teams on their schedule missing opportunity after opportunity, then their worst enemy for a shot at the playoffs is themselves.

Seahawks vs. Ravens(PC)

Seahawks takeaway: We can only win against bad teams- The Seahawks after last week give me worse Dolphins vibes. This team is loaded with talent on the offensive and defensive sides of the football. Guys like Kenneth Walker II, Tyler Lockett, and DK Metcalf are oozing with talent. On the defensive side of the ball, Devon Witherspoon is my pick for Defensive Rookie of the Year. However, Geno Smith turned into Browns Baker and only threw for 157 yards and an interception. The defense looked like a strainer trying to stop from water leaking out as they gave up almost 300 yards and 3 touchdowns on the ground. Playing descent to ok teams, the Seahawks seem to do just fine. It’s when they face someone elite that they struggle. This isn’t good, especially if you have Super Bowl aspirations.

Ravens takeaway: Still my Super Bowl Favorites- After dismantling the Lions a few weeks ago, the Ravens continue to dominate other opponents with their run game. Lamar is usually the one who runs all over defenses. However, this week it was a slew of backs annihilating the Seahawks defense. Keaton Mitchell ran for 138 yards and a touchdown. Gus Edwards had 2 rushing touchdowns of his own. Along with Lamar Jackson having 60 yards on the ground by himself. The rushing game of Baltimore has been a juggernaut and a massive problem for every defense. The only defense I think can keep up is maybe divisional rival Cleveland Browns and the Kansas City Chiefs. This offense is electric, the defense is an immovable force, and they have all the tools to come back with the Lombardi Trophy

Bucs vs. Texans(PC)

Bucs takeaway: You played well, just not well enough- If we could boycott the NFC South for receiving a home-field advantage game, I would. The Baker show in Tampa has been decent. He’s had some really big games, and then games that reminded us all of Browns Baker Mayfield. In this game, we got another nonchalant performance. Nothing special, and definitely not special enough to come out with the victory. Baker threw for 2 touchdowns and Rachaad White had 2 rushing touchdowns of his own. However, the defense allowed 5 touchdowns in the air. They even lost when the Texans didn’t even have a KICKER FOR EXTRA POINTS!! Like, unbelievable. Here is my formal submission to not allow any NFC South team to make the playoffs, as they are just a mid team with a mid QB in a mid division.

Texans takeaway: CJ IS HIM- Wow.Wow.WOW! CJ Stroud put on an absolute show!! He set a rookie QB record with 470 yards and 5 touchdowns. CJ put the whole city of Houston on his back and outperformed all other rookie QBs by a long shot. He’s looking like the real #1 overall pick. CJ threw the ball to everyone. Noah Brown had 153 yards and a touchdown. Dalton Schultz had 130 yards and a touchdown. Tank Dell had 114 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was wheeling and dealing. With 46 seconds left, Stroud drove the Texans 75 yards, completing the comeback with an absolute dime to Tank Dell to win the game. CJ Stroud is the future in Houston, and it’s looking like they could sneak into the playoffs.

Colts vs. Panthers (How6rd)

Colts: This defense can keep this team alive- As in years past the Colts had a game where their offense was less than up to par with a winning performance yet their defense did more than enough to seal the victory. On paper the running game was supposed to be huge for the Jonathan Taylor and Zack Moss duo, but instead they combined for 73 yards on 25 total carries and weren’t getting a big game from Gardner Minshew with that. With one offensive touchdown on a pass from Minshew to Jonathan Taylor it was the defense that had to step in and they outdid what was expected. Highlighted by the two huge pick-sixes from Kenny Moore II, the defense helped with more touchdowns than the offense and completely put this game out of reach backed by Deforrest Buckner getting to Bryce Young on what seemed like every time he dropped back. The Colts break what was a three-game losing streak in this one and a game against the Patriots over in Frankfurt gives them a huge opportunity to cover some ground in a competitive AFC conference before the bye week.

Panthers: Put a pause on your Bryce Young panic and slander: It’s remarkable how many people have already made their projections on how Bryce Young’s career will turn out and how much of a bust he is while he’s had an impressive rookie season with the dumpster fire he has around him. Yes CJ Stroud is by far the most NFL-ready QB from this draft and already sending shockwaves through the national media after his record-breaking performance on Sunday, and even Anthony Richardson looked somewhat very impressive early before his season-ending injury. What those two somewhat have in common that Bryce Young doesn’t is that there is nothing the Panthers built around him offensively this year as his receivers, running backs, and especially his offensive line have completely let him down this year. It seems like every week a pass rusher has a remarkable game against the Panthers and I’d be lying if I said that Bryce Young didn’t make a couple of huge errors in this one after throwing three picks, but that’s what rookie QBs do under the pressure he’s gone through this year. The Panthers are terrible offensively right now and they clearly have to do a better job in building around Young this offseason as they traded away the only solid NFL starter from their offense a season ago in DJ Moore, but all I can say for now is that Bryce Young had a good game-winning drive just a week ago and it’s going to take some time unlike it has with Stroud before he catches his rhythm in the NFL.

Giants vs. Raiders K Stelt

Giants Takeaways: The Beanstalk has fallen: Nothing is more infuriating to a fanbase than a team that fails to meet expectations. The Giants have found a way to be the perfect example of not meeting those expectations. It hurts the soul of fans, especially when you’ve been going through this patch for the majority of the decade. The season is over for this team and they may be in the worst possible shape among all of the NFL teams.

Raiders takeaways: Macanudo season: Was it a surprise that when the firing of Josh Daniel occurred, the Raiders began to play with more swagger? At this point not really. Players coaches are fantastic for teams and can boost the morale of a team more than analytics and play calling, sometimes. Playoffs aren't out of the picture for this team. I hope for the best for this franchise moving forward and what their next steps are.

Cowboys vs. Eagles K Stelt

Cowboys takeaways: Finish the game? What's that? Don’t be surprised that Dak played a good game and found a way to not capitalize at the end. It doesn’t help that they got at least 4 opportunities to take the lead either. Dak has found a way to be this type of player in his career and it doesn’t help the Cowboy's chances of winning a championship at all. They will still make the playoffs but unless Dak can finally finish a game, this team will be choking again in the divisional round.

Eagles Takeaways: You should not be happy: I understand that beating the Cowboys (which you dread so much) is good and all, but this game should not have been yours for the taking. In fact, your offense gave the ball to the Boys too many times in the later part of the game. You are not the most dominant team in the NFL, but at this point, I really don’t know who it is.

Bills vs. Bengals K Stelt

Bills takeaways: Tough situation: No part of me thinks this team is overrated at all. I think we as normal fans know Josh Allen is not as elite as we thought he was, but he still is a QB a lot of teams want. A hurt defense and a questionable offense are part of the struggles here. They fell into the part of the season where the Bengals showed up and it showed on the field. It will take a decent-sized turnaround for this team to make the Super Bowl. As of right now, the questions on the field have to be answered here in the next few weeks to determine what this team will do in the playoffs.

Bengals takeaways: Groundhog Day: Didn’t I mention that this team would figure it out by this time of the season? At this point, it’s basically clockwork. It took some adversity but now it looks like people are on board for this team looking like a Super bowl favorite, again. Joe looks healthy and his offense is rolling. This is how they get you, though. “No flaws in a team” is what they’ll say, but we can not forget the fact this O line is still trash and the defense is very thin. Do not be fooled.

Chargers vs. Jets K Stelt

Chargers takeaways: Defense pays off, literally: A game like this doesn’t really help us as fans determine how elite this defense can be. But the Charger's defense held the team to below 10, so the job well done. Offensively they went against a good Jets defense so I won't give them too much crap for what they put out. This team still has a lot of questions and we won’t know for sure how it will go down until the last three weeks.

Jets Takeaways: Do not bring back Rogers: Although it would be really cool to see Rogers back in the lineup this season, there is no way on this great earth you can put a fragile Rogers behind that line. As bad as Zach Wilson is, he gets 0 help from the big uglies up front. It's quite possibly the cornerstone of most teams right now in this league. That needs to be figured out first before you put your prized possession at the driver's wheel.