Week 9 of the NFL certainly had its commentary victories because the halfway point arrived. The Detroit Lions are the NFC North bracket and the Baltimore Ravens made sure this past generation’s loss is not repeated as both teams earned convincing wins.
The Washington Commanders continue to monitor the NFC East, a year in which the Philadelphia Eagles are also saving their lives. The Dallas Cowboys are falling to the side and the Fresh Orleans Saints face a new low as they fall to the Carolina Panthers.
Once the Sunday afternoon game show closes, what overreactions will remain or what is actually true? Some revelations are about to emerge in the NFL release.
The Lions are the most effective team in the NFL
Overreaction or truth: TRUE
The Chiefs are the last undefeated team, but the Lions are also the best team in the league. Their 24-14 victory over the Packers wasn’t as close as the rankings indicated, as Detroit showed it could win outside, convincingly inside the hail let alone. Detroit has won six straight games and is the only team since 1940 with more touchdowns (28) than incompletions (24) in a six-game span within a season.
Jared Goff is on a fantastic streak, having completed 82.8% of his passes with 13 touchdowns and just one interception with a passer rating of 140.1 (the highest possible passer rating over a six-game span in NFL history). Regardless of who the Lions play, they are defeating their opponent in all 3 stages of the sport.
Sunday’s win over the Packers used to be a commentary. The Lions can win anywhere, even outdoors in a dome stadium, by a resounding margin.
The Packers are the cockiest team in the NFL
Overreaction or truth: TRUE
There is a lot of expectation about Jordan Love and the Packers, but they laid an egg in Lambeau Garden with the elements of their partial. Love had his seventh straight game with an interception, the longest streak by a Packers quarterback since Brett Favre in 2006, and was held scoreless in the second straight game.
Green Bay has excellent wins over Houston (6-3) and Arizona (5-4), but was blown out by Philadelphia (6-2), Minnesota (5-2) and Detroit (7-1). The Packers were outscored in those games 89-72 and allowed 29.7 points per contest.
The Packers are a great team, but they want to beat elite teams if they want to be considered elite. They haven’t completed that clearance, and their quarterback helps keep turning the ball over. A method for bulky video games that are no longer profitable.
Overreaction or truth: overreaction
The Cowboys’ season would likely have already been over at this rate, long before Dak Prescott’s hamstring trauma knocked him out in the second half of Dallas’ loss in Atlanta. The Cowboys are on a three-game losing streak and have been outscored 104-54 down the stretch, as the 104 points are the most problems allowed in a three-game losing streak since 2010.
In fact, Dallas ran the ball well (137 yards on 6.1 yards per lift) and contained the run (held Atlanta to 100 yards), but still couldn’t stop the Falcons from scoring four touchdowns in their first eight possessions. The Cowboys scored better twice in their first 8 possessions, and one of them was a touchdown.
It doesn’t matter if Prescott is injured or not, the Cowboys are inconsistent offensively and defensively. If Prescott can’t return faster than expected, it won’t matter.
The Broncos will not be part of the playoff team in 2024
Overreaction or truth: overreaction
The Broncos were defeated by the Ravens on Sunday, but is it fair to count Denver out of an upcoming 31-point loss to one of the AFC’s best teams? Denver remains 5-4 through nine games, although the schedule will be much tougher in the second half.
Two more games against Kansas Town don’t help, nor does enjoying the next generation of Atlanta Kansas Town. The Broncos can still control their narrative, as they play the Colts (home), Chargers (road) and Bengals (road) for three consecutive weeks in December, the three teams they are competing with for a playoff spot.
Denver was overwhelmed by development in the second half on Sunday, but the Broncos aren’t the AFC’s elite either. That three-game stretch in December will inform the story if Denver is a playoff team or not.
Lamar Jackson is the MVP of the first part of the season
Overreaction or truth: TRUE
Lamar Jackson had another strong performance in the 31-point win over Denver, completing 16 of nineteen passes for 280 yards with three touchdowns for a passer rating of 158.3. Accumulation in mind Jackson only had four yards of speed in this performance, making the feat even more notable.
The league’s most efficient passer through nine weeks is Jackson, who leads the league with a passer rating of 120.7. The only quarterbacks with a higher passer rating through nine games in NFL history are Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning (minimum 200 attempts).
Jackson is the first quarterback in NFL history with 20-plus touchdown passes and 500-plus yards rushing in the first 10 games of a season (the Ravens have played nine games). He has 2,379 passing yards with 20 touchdowns and only two interceptions and could become the first player to reach 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
There are some decent MVP candidates, however, Jackson disagrees. 1 at the medium level.
Saquon Barkley will lead the NFL in yards from scrimmage
Overreaction or truth: TRUE
This one goes back to the cordon between Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, who were arguably the two best independent agent signings this offseason. Barkley had 1,999 yards from scrimmage on Sunday (159 rushing, 40 receiving) to give him 1,071 for the season.
Barkley is rated for 1,965 yards rushing and a pair of ,275 yards from scrimmage, either of which the NFL could handle. Henry currently leads the league in rushing yards (1,052) and yards from scrimmage (1,145), but has played in nine games to Barkley’s eight (the Eagles were already on their bye).
Defenses have focused on Barkley, but a lot opens up with AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith at wide receiver in the Eagles’ offense. Barkley is a little banged up, but he’s physically fit for a 17-game stretch behind the Eagles’ offensive design.
There’s a good chance Barkley will lead the NFL in yards from scrimmage and yards from scrimmage in 2024. His production hasn’t slowed down either.
The Cardinals are the best team in the NFC West
Overreaction or truth: overreaction
The 49ers were in their bye season, so the Cardinals took center stage with a resounding victory over the Bears. Are the NFC West leaders the best team in the section?
Arizona struggled for 213 yards in Sunday’s win over Chicago and had six sacks with 12 quarterback hits against a Bears offensive design that struggles to provide protection for Caleb Williams. The Cardinals will have pegged the Bears at the right age, but that shouldn’t keep them from their fight for the section crown.
Arizona beat San Francisco this time, but the Cardinals have to be patient. Two games against the Seahawks can be tough, especially when you don’t know which Seattle team will show up. The closest are the Rams and the 49ers to close the season.
The Cardinals should be in the thick of the race, but this comes down to what San Francisco does in the second half. Arizona is certainly a warning because of the name of the section.
