Midseason has come upon us. That's right everybody. We are officially one half of the way through the NFL regular season. The 9th week of the year was quite an entertaining one, and today, we are here to break it down for you in a slightly different format called the good, bad and the ugly.
The Good
Matt Moore and the Patrick Mahomes-less Chiefs
When Patrick Mahomes went down with a dislocated kneecap a few weeks ago, it was not looking good for Chiefs fans. They had a tough schedule coming up(vs. Packers, vs. Vikings), and without their MVP quarterback, it looked like they would slip to 5-4 and take a severe step back in the race for a first round bye in the AFC. Instead, journeyman backup QB Matt Moore played extremely well over the past two and a half weeks, throwing for nearly 700 yards with a passer rating of 100.9. He has even looked Mahomes-esque on some plays, including this beautiful throw to Tyreek Hill in yesterday's game against the Vikings.
The Ravens, who's Lamar Jackson project can be called a success
When the Baltimore Ravens drafted Lamar Jackson out of Louisville two years ago with the last pick of the first round, they essentially committed themselves to remodeling their entire offense around the dynamic dual-threat QB. After Jackson took over the reins in week 11 of last season, he has gone 12-3, culminating in last night's superb performance against the juggernaut Patriots. Jackson absolutely shredded the Patriots D, dubbed the Boogeymen for the way they torture quarterbacks. He is on pace to break Michael Vick's record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a season, and can be considered as an MVP favorite for the 6-2 Ravens.
The Raiders, who are a game out of the 6th seed in the AFC
The Oakland Raiders, the clowns of the year last season, have matched their win total from 2018 already. Sitting at 4-4, they have surprised everybody by playing good football despite having no real superstars on their team. Josh Jacobs has showed out in his rookie year, and Darren Waller is emerging as one of the premier tight ends in the game. Aside from a Week 13 showdown against the Chiefs, Oakland has a relatively easy schedule, so do not be surprised if they are contending for a playoff spot come Christmas.
The Bad
Adam Vinateri and the Colts kicking debacle
Adam Vinateri is arguably the greatest kicker of all time. He has single handedly won a team two Super Bowls, and seemingly never slipped up his play despite playing for over 20 years. That is, until this season. He has missed ten kicks already, and is one of the biggest reasons why the 5-3 Colts aren't 7-1. He missed a game winning kick a couple weeks ago, and did it again against this week to cost Indianapolis the game. While holder Rigoberto Sanchez did have the laces facing Vinateri, it looked as if though Vinateri kicked some dirt before the ball, causing it to go wide left. The Colts still are in control of their playoff destiny, but more accurate kicking could have put them in first round bye contention.
The Patriots Offensive Line
The Patriots suffered their first loss of the season yesterday, and a huge reason as to why that happened is because of their poor offensive line play. The unit has been plagued by injuries, as David Andrews(out for the season), Isiah Wynn(out until week 12), and Shaq Mason(missed a couple games) have all been hurt at some point or another. Additionally, fullback James Develin is on IR due to a neck injury. This has led to some terrible protection for Tom Brady and the running backs corps in general. A dummy would probably be a better replacement for left tackle Marshall Newhouse, as dummies can't get holding penalties. While Wynn's expected return in week 12 will surely help the line, the Pats have a very difficult schedule up head and need to figure things out before that.
The Ugly
The Cleveland Browns
The Browns were supposed to be a Super Bowl contender this year. Back in August, I wrote that their coach would win Coach of the Year en route to Clevelands first playoff berth since their return to the league in 2002. That coach is getting calls to be fired as we speak. At 2-6, the Browns are quite the disappointment. They have bad chemistry issues, the offensive line is horrible, and the coaching is objectively worse. Star receiver Odell Beckham was overheard saying on the sidelines "I can't get the ball to save my life", and that is not a false statement. Baker Mayfield, dubbed by some as a dark horse candidate, leads the league in interceptions. Cleveland is as good as eliminated from the playoffs, and hopefully can at least muster a 7-9 or 8-8 effort for their fans.
The Chicago Bears "Offense"
When the Bears traded up to select quarterback Mitch Trubisky with the second pick of the 2017 draft, some questioned the decision, as Trubisky only had one year of experience as quarterback for the NC State Wolfpack. Those who questioned were one hundred percent correct. This season, Trubisky has been abysmal, and that is a compliment. Chicago, who is sitting at 3-5 and the bottom of the NFC North, has had struggles on offense the whole year long. This culminated with yesterday's performance, where Chicago had a grand total of zero first downs in the first half(on the bright side, this is more than the amount of yards they gained, which was a whopping -2). The Bears have a crossroads up ahead, and might need to move on from Trubisky as soon as right now. Their defense does not have the same might as it did under Vic Fangio, and cannot carry the lackluster offense. Chicago is quite the mess.
The Jets
Yes, the Jets are so horrifically ugly that they deserve their very own tier of misery. This team is just plain awful. They signed marquee free agents in the offseason such as Le'Veon Bell and CJ Mosley, but still fail to play competent football. They slipped to 1-7 this week, after losing to the Dolphins(WHO ARE TRYING TO LOSE!!!). Sam Darnold has thrown nine interceptions in the last three games, and is third in the league in interceptions despite missing nearly half the year with mononucleosis. Why this team hired Adam Gase, who is possibly the worst coach the Jets have had ever, is beyond me. The Jets very well might go
3-13 or 2-14 when some had them making the playoffs. Cue up the Ghostbusters music!
Some other takes on the happenings of Week 9:
Russell Wilson should be the MVP Favorite, and the Seahawks are a legitimate Super Bowl contenderChristian McCaffery is from some other planet, and is putting up insane numbers that warrant MVP discussionThe Dolphins won a game!Hopefully former Patriots backup Jacoby Brissett heals so that former Patriots backup Brian Hoyer does not have to play. If he gets hurt too, Ryan Mallett is available!
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