32 issues we found; funds, Rams lose

The 32 issues we found from Week 9 of the 2022 NFL season:

1. The 272-sport common season will formally hit its midpoint Monday evening time, when the Baltimore Ravens and New Orleans Saints full sport No. 136. And what a fundamental half. Already, seventy nine video games – a report at this level of a season – have been decided by one rating (eight or fewer factors). The 104 video games which have been inside a rating inside the fourth quarter additionally characterize a report at this stage of a advertising campaign.

2. After dropping a variety of squeakers Sunday, the Buffalo funds might actually rue the previous week when the 2022 season is all said and carried out. Their lovely 20-17 loss to the mannequin prolonged island Jets was clearly damaging – each of the funds’ defeats to AFC East rivals, and their division lead now all of the means down to a half-sport over the Jets and Miami Dolphins (the selection membership to beat Buffalo).

2a. however the larger concern might rework Buffalo’s conservative method on the commerce deadline as teams simply like the Dolphins (Bradley Chubb) and San Francisco 49ers (Christian McCaffrey) aggressively moved to improve their super Bowl outlooks. Per reviews, the funds made inquiries about CMC and the Saints’ Alvin Kamara however wound up instead with scatback Nyheim Hines and S Dean Marlowe, a duo that had a negligible impression in direction of the Jets.

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three. Sunday was additionally miserable for Buffalo QB Josh Allen, who was picked off twice and sacked 5 occasions in what was, by far, his worst sport of the season – and the one one when he did not throw a TD move. Given how tight the MVP race projected entering into Week 9, it is the variety of efficiency that would price him the hardware down the road.

4. Kansas metropolis Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes absolutely minimize into Allen’s apparent MVP lead in Sunday evening time’s additional time win over the Tennessee Titans – Mahomes passing for 446 yards and dashing for sixty three. No participant inside the super Bowl period (since 1966) had ever handed for 4 hundred and rushed for 60 inside the identical sport.

5. however probably a lot extra worrisome for Allen, he admitted to experiencing “slight ache” in his throwing elbow after getting banged round on Buffalo’s closing drive. If “slight” progresses to one factor extra critical, the tenor of your whole 2022 season might change massively.

6. On the flip side, a little bit of a stretch to say Jets QB Zach Wilson (18 of 25, 154 yards, TD, fumble) outplayed Allen, however he no decrease than averted the killer errors that price Gang inexperienced so dearly in its Week eight loss to New England.

7. The Jets’ 6-three start is their most interesting since 2010, the final time they reached the playoffs. No group presently owns an prolonged postseason drought.

eight.Tom Brady might have salvaged the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ season and dealt a lethal blow to the defending super Bowl champion la Rams. TB12, who turned the fundamental man to move for larger than a hundred,000 profession yards (common season and postseason mixed) in league historic previous Sunday, threw for fifty 4 of them and the Bucs’ solely TD over the course of 35 seconds on his group’s closing possession. His 1-yard move to rookie TE Cade Otton swung the extreme lead to Tampa Bay’s favor.

9. The Bucs, who reclaimed first place inside the NFC South, conclude their three-sport “house” stand subsequent week in direction of the Seattle Seahawks … in Munich.

10. in the meantime, the Rams’ fourth-quarter collapse dropped LA to three-5. inside the franchise’s earlier eighty five seasons, the Rams have by no means overcome such a poor start to obtain the playoffs. they’d forged a postseason rebound as quickly as after a 4-4 start.

10a. they might additionally be carried out in by what might presumably be a fracturing locker room. All-professional CB Jalen Ramsey expressed his frustration with the offense, particularly after the protection turned the Bucs away on their penultimate drive. “We gotta have some canines who’re gonna be like, ‘We’re gonna shut this (expletive) out,’ ” Ramsey said.

eleven. The Seahawks elevated their lead inside the NFC West to 1½ video games over the idle 49ers and 2½ forward of the Rams courtesy of a 31-21 win in direction of the Cardinals in Arizona.

12. a large motive is RB Kenneth Walker III (109 dashing yards, 2 TDs), who’s acquired a terrific shot at Offensive Rookie of the 12 months honors. He tied Curt Warner’s 39-12 months-previous franchise mark for rookies by working for a rating in 5 straight video games.

thirteen. The Dolphins barely escaped the Bears in Chicago 35-32, thanks largely to WR Tyreek Hill’s large day (7 catches for 143 yards and a TD). His 1,104 yards are basically the most by any participant by means of 9 video games by means of the super Bowl period. Hill’s on tempo for a report 2,085 yards and will flip into the fundamental ever receiver to surpass 2,000.

14. Miami RB Jeff Wilson Jr. had a nice debut collectively with his new group. Wilson, who’d beforehand performed 4 seasons for head coach Mike McDaniel in San Francisco, accomplished with seventy two yards from scrimmage and what proved to be the sport-clinching TD after being traded Tuesday.

14a. Chubb, who was acquired from the Denver Broncos on Tuesday and signed a 5-12 months, $119 million extension two days later, made one deal with in his Miami premiere.

15. New Bears WR Chase Claypool had 17 whole yards in his first sport as a outcome of the commerce deadline.

sixteen. The Bears’ 252 group dashing yards marked the fourth straight sport that they’d churned out no decrease than 225. solely the 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers had beforehand managed that inside the super Bowl period. Pittsburgh was 4-zero in its stretch … however Chicago is simply 1-three.

17. however the true story for Chicago on Sunday – and this season – is the continued ascent of second-12 months QB Justin Fields. He threw three TD passes in direction of Miami, ran for one … and rushed for 178 yards – an everyday-season report by a quarterback inside the super Bowl period.

17a. solely Colin Kaepernick, who piled up 181 yards on the underside in his playoff debut in direction of the inexperienced Bay Packers in 2013, has had an even larger dashing day by a QB inside the earlier fifty six seasons.

18. talking of the Pack, their season might have reached the function of no return after an ugly 15-9 loss to the Detroit Lions. inexperienced Bay is three-6 after its fifth straight loss and has by no means recovered from such a poor report by means of 9 video games to obtain the playoffs.

19. The Packers had twice reached postseason after starting 4-5, collectively with in 2016 with QB Aaron Rodgers underneath coronary heart.

19a. And as a lot blame as Rodgers has deflected this season, he has to eat this one after throwing a quantity of crimson-zone INTs in a sport for the fundamental time in his profession.

20. earlier to Sunday, the Lions’ league-worst protection hadn’t given up fewer than 24 factors in a sport this season.

21. Cincinnati Bengals RB Joe Mixon scored a franchise report 5 TDs in Sunday’s forty two-21 blowout of the Carolina Panthers. He added 211 whole yards for good measure.

21a. The Bengals started the day with the league’s thirtieth-ranked run sport (Mixon rushed for 153 in direction of Carolina). Cincinnati concluded it with a 5-4 report – matching the start to the 2021 season, when the group wound up in super Bowl fifty six.

22. Who had Matt Judon inside the Defensive participant of the 12 months pool? the mannequin new England Patriots move rusher is inside the thick of the combo, his three-sack outing Sunday giving him a league-main 11½.

22a. The Pats’ 9 sacks have been two off the group report for a sport however larger than enough to bury the Indianapolis Colts 26-three.

23. The Patriots’ win moved them to 5-4, which means all 4 teams inside the AFC East – a division New England owned for twenty years – are above .500.

24. Week 9 dawned with Commanders followers harboring hope their group will in all likelihood be underneath new possession inside the not-too-distant future. It ended with former Washington QB Kirk Cousins main a comeback from a ten-level fourth-quarter deficit in his first sport at FedExField since becoming a member of the Minnesota Vikings.

24a. Yep, he and the Vikes – they’ve simply about locked up the NFC North – preferred it.

25. New Minnesota TE T.J. Hockenson had 70 yards courtesy of a season-most interesting 9 receptions.

26. Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams inside the fundamental half Sunday: 9 catches, for 146 yards and two TDs.

26a. Adams inside the second half: one catch, zero yards.

27. Raiders lose (to Jacksonville) as quickly as extra, coughing up a 17-zero first-half lead.

28. New la Chargers okay Cameron Dicker drilled a pair of fourth-quarter subject targets, collectively with a 37-yarder on the gun, to current the Bolts a 20-17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

28a. however you may argue OLB Khalil Mack’s steal from Falcons rookie WR Drake London contained in the 5-yard line was finally the sport-worthwhile play.

29. The loss, mixed with the win by the Bucs – they beat the Falcons 4 weeks in the past – knocked Atlanta out of first place inside the NFC South.

30. again to Dicker – he is the group’s thirteenth kicker as a outcome of the Chargers relocated to LA in 2017.

30a. Dicker, an undrafted rookie from Texas, additionally booted a sport-worthwhile FG for the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5.