NFL Week 9 Reflections

Oh, how I love the NFL!

Every season, there is at least one week that so captures the embodiment of the National Football League that it's just breathtaking.

Week 9 was stuffed with huge plays, massive hits, unexpected blowouts, overtime drama, key injuries, and crystal pure aggression while being sprinkled with irony, old-style smashmouth football, and history. Then, it was garnished with a memorable battle that revealed a shocking revelation.

If you had a ticket to the San Diego-Minnesota game and weren't able to go, Ebay is waiting on you. As fans poured into the stadium, I wonder if any of them knew what they were about to witness. Rookie RB Adrian Peterson has played 8 games in his green NFL career and now holds the single-game rushing record of 296 yards...253 of which came in the second half! This performance of the ages overshadowed the longest play in NFL history that can only be tied. Antonio Cromartie caught a missed field goal about 3" from the back goal line and proceeded to run the table 109 yards for a TD. Where was L.T.?

It appears that Detroit is for real after they dismembered Denver 44-7. I'm still holding out to see if the real Millen Lions show up, but the catalyst of their team's success is their defense that leads the league with 24 takeaways while scoring three times. All that does is give the offense more shorter fields to operate on and find the end zone. They continued that dominance against the Broncos by scoring on an interception and fumble recovery while also taking out QB Jay Cutler whose leg got caught in the middle of a mangled collision of bodies.

Buffalo is starting to simmer after winning its last three games since that meltdown vs. Dallas much in part to another rookie RB lighting it up this year in Marshawn Lynch. The Bills took care of business by trouncing Cincy 33-21 thanks to Lynch's 56-yard explosion to the end zone and throwing a 8-yard TD pass. Do you realize that if Denver had not gotten off that field goal in the final seconds in Game 1 and Dallas hadn't pulled off that miracle in Game 4, that Buffalo would be 6-2? This will be an interesting team to watch in the second half of the season.

A third straight victory by the Titans after their 20-7 whipping of Carolina has them at 6-2 only one game behind Indy. Their defense is red-hot ranked 2nd in the league in total defense and takeaway behind Detroit. QB Vince Young is looking like a watered-down Michael Vick but is finding ways to win...again...much in part to the Tennessee defense giving him many opportunities with shorter fields.

Brett Favre accomplished yet another feat by leading the Pack over the Chiefs who became Favre's 31st victim in his illustrious NFL career. He became the third QB in NFL history to beat 31 teams. The other two are Peyton Manning and Tom Brady who did it the week before in Week 8. Chiefs RB Larry Johnson's surging season just might have been halted for awhile after a high ankle sprain occurred late in the game. Rumors are also out that it is broken.

Overtime wins by Washington and Cleveland kept their seasons on an upbeat note as they look for ways to stay in their respective wild-card chases. The Redskins are probably the worst 5-3 team in the league as their offense still makes you hold your breath when Campbell goes back to pass or hands off the ball to the NFL's most overrated RB. Cleveland has the league's worst defense but thier offense is clicking. This isn't going to take you very far so their defense has got to button up if they want to nail down a chance to play in January.

The Saints are not just marching in, but rather steam-rolling through their opponents as they won their fourth straight by manhandling the Jags 41-24 at home. New Orleans is looking like the team that led them to the NFC Championship last year and that is terrible news to Carolina and Tampa who were looking to volley the division lead when the season began. With the Panthers lackluster play and Tampa's inconsistency, this Saints team could streak past them and dominate this division. Maurice Jones-Drew released a linebacker-type hit on Jason Craft after Craft's game-ending interception that just made you hurt watching it.

A return trip to Philly for the second time since becoming a Dallas Cowboy was memorable for Terrell Owens after catching 10 passes for 174 yards and a 45-yard TD that put the game away. Dallas shredded Philly and destroyed all doubt that they can no longer win at The Linc. The highlight of the game was a league-fining hit on TE Jason Witten which removed his helmet but kept him upright. Witten continued to rumble 53 yards with no helmet and blood coming from his nose to set up a Dallas field goal. That play was priceless, will be on many highlight films to come, and turned over a new leaf for Dallas as their toughness reputation went up a few notches.

"Super Bowl 41.5" saw the Indianapolis Colts dominating the Patriots most of the game only to let it slip from their fingers in the last few minutes and allow New England to win their ninth straight. This Pats victory was jaw-dropping not only because it was their ninth straight victory but it revealed that New England is human. They set a franchise record in penalty yards with 146, and they only scored 24 points after scoring at least 34 in their first eight games.

The next time someone offers you a ticket to an NFL game, take it. You never know what's going to happen.

GAMES TO KEEP AN EYE ON IN WEEK 10
MINNESOTA AT GREEN BAY, JACKSONVILLE AT TENNESSEE, DENVER AT KC, CLEVELAND AT PITTSBURGH, DALLAS AT NY GIANTS, INDIANAPOLIS AT SAN DIEGO