Week 9 Takeaways for the 2024 NFL Season
Executives must now make their calls: are their teams good? The Browns fell back to earth, as did Denver. Arizona and the Rams look completely resurgent. Las Vegas lost and fired several assistant coaches, and the Saints fired their HC. Any team looking to improve or subtract has just a few days left to meaningfully do so with the trade deadline coming at 4 PM today. Keep an eye on my trade grades page to track all the moves that are made. In the meantime, I’ll try and help some of these team leaders with their evaluations by sharing what I learned from this slate of NFL games in my week 9 takeaways for the 2024 NFL season!
TNF: Jets Heat Up in Second Half to Stifle Mistake-Prone Texans
To start with the obvious: this was an ugly first half of football. Nobody did much at the beginning unless the other team helped. Houston’s second drive was extended by a roughing the punter penalty on 4th and 21, but QB CJ Stroud lost a red zone fumble on a strip sack by DE Micheal Clemons (2 sacks total). A few drives later, the Jets made an even bigger blunder. WR Malachi Corley took an end-around for an 18-yard TD. Except…he didn’t. Clearly not learning from Kyle Pitts last week, Corley dropped the ball before reaching the end zone. Upon review, the play was ruled a touchback. Why do players continue to do this???
New York got away with another potential blunder when a fumble 6 by TE Tyler Conklin was overturned, as he did not complete the catch. For Houston, the only thing that went right offensively was RB Joe Mixon. He ran 24 times for 106 yards and the first half’s lone TD, looking fresher than I’ve seen in years. Just before the half, the Jets took Stroud down with a leg sweep that went uncalled, so the sack stood. K Kaimi Fairbairn missed the subsequent 56-yard FG. Stroud left injured following the sack, but he returned quickly. Still, he struggled, finishing 11/30 for 191 yards. He did add 59 yards rushing (mostly running for his life).
Stroud having trouble against the Jets isn’t new; his worst game as a rookie came against New York last season. This time though, it wasn’t all on him. While WR Tank Dell (6/126) excelled, the offense really missed injured receivers Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins (who should be back soon). Worse still, the offensive line was a sieve yet again, and Stroud was sacked 8 times. The Jets’ relentless defensive line deserves credit, but Houston had woeful blocking. One last offensive blunder came later. Fairbairn kicked a 43-yard FG, but the snapper was roughed. Three plays and 3 yards later, Fairbairn missed from 27 yards out.
Conversely, New York fixed their offensive woes in the second half. WR Garrett Wilson (6/90/2) was a superstar. He caught one TD in the third quarter, but he grabbed another in the 4th that could be a catch of the year contender. It was a twisting one-handed grab that has to be seen to be believed, but I have no idea how that counts as a catch; the refs ruled that his shin was in bounds, but his knee landed out during the continuous action. Still, he totally deserved the catch. WR Davante Adams (7/91/1), who left for a bit due to a concussion evaluation, sealed the deal with a 37-yard deep TD, his 69th overall from Aaron Rodgers.
Speaking of the mercurial QB, Rodgers finished the first half with just 32 yards but ended the night with 211 yards and 3 TDs on 22/32 passing (with no turnovers). The Jets scored TDs on all 3 of their second-half possessions in 21-13 win that temporarily saves their season. You can easily envision this version of the team going on a run, but they have to show us that they can repeat this type of performance. Houston has a critical issue that we’ve harped on for weeks: the Texans cannot pass protect. Winning the AFC South should still be a relatively simple task, but they aren’t winning games in January if they can’t keep Stroud upright.
Titans, Rams, Chiefs Prevail in OT Games After Facing Adversity
For the first time in ages, we had three OT games in one week. The Titans, Rams, and Chiefs all came away with wins after providing fans with free football. Let’s go through each of their games. Tennessee admittedly did not face the toughest opponent in the New England Patriots. These two teams are fighting more for the #1 pick than winning records at this point, and the game kind of reflected that. Mason Rudolph (20/33, 240 yards, 2 TDs, INT) got another start for the Titans with Will Levis out and was mostly competent, and RB Tony Pollard (28/128; 26 receiving yards) was the team’s best player by far.
Chances are though, if you watched this game, you’re either a fan of one of the teams or wanted to see how Patriots rookie QB Drake Maye would play. It was a mixed bag, but we saw a lot of positives. He had 95 of the team’s 110 rushing yards and threw for 206 yards and a TD on 29/41 passing, but he fumbled twice (1 lost) and threw 2 INTs. His TD was awesome though. On the final play of regulation, he ran around for over 10 seconds before heaving a prayer to RB Rhamondre Stevenson. Somehow, he completed the pass and tied the game at 17 with 0:00 remaining on the clock.
In OT, Tennessee got the ball first and ran it down the field with Pollard. They stalled out in the red zone and kicked a field goal to go up 20-17, but Maye threw his second INT to end the game. Truthfully, that’s about as good as things could’ve gone for the Patriots. They lost and helped their draft pick while giving Maye more experience. He definitely has traits you can’t teach, but clearly there’s a long way to go. Unfortunately for the Titans, evaluating Rudolph is basically pointless. They need Levis back on the field to judge him, but I can do that now: when Levis returns, more losses will follow.
The LA Rams played in a more meaningful contest against the Seahawks. With the NFC West all jumbled up, a divisional win will be key by week 18. This one was weird. Neither team did anything in the first quarter, but Seattle heated up in the second frame. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba had the best day of his young career with 7 catches for 180 yards and 2 TDs, and helped the Seahawks stake a 13-3 halftime lead. That wasn’t the notable part of the first half though. On a Matthew Stafford INT intended for WR Puka Nacua, Nacua argued with LB Tyrel Dodson and punched him, earning himself a quick ejection.
You’d think that would be the end of LA given that they were already down 10. It was not. Fellow WR Cooper Kupp (11/104) looked like his pre-injury self, and Stafford (25/44, 298 yards, 2 TDs, INT) willed his team back into the game. RB Kyren Williams (95 scrimmage yards) saw his TD streak end, but he provided good balance. However, I’d be doing a disservice to the defense if I ignored their contributions. Seattle’s defense earned 5 sacks, but LA notched 7, including 3 from Florida State rookies Braden Fiske and Jared Verse. The latter was disruptive all game long and made a name for himself in this game.
One rookie outshined them both. S Kamren Kinchens picked Seahawks QB Geno Smith (21/34, 363 yards, 3 TDs, 3 INTs) twice in the red zone and took one back for a 103-yard TD. It was the longest play of the season, and it saved the Rams, giving them a 20-13 lead. Smith responded well and tied the game to force OT, but when they won the coin toss, they made it to 3rd and 1 at the Rams 16 before getting stuffed twice. Stafford calmly led a game-winning TD drive, hitting WR Demarcus Robinson (6/94/2) for a beautiful score. The Rams are back in this race, and Seattle, who led the division on Saturday, is last today at 4-5.
Finally, Monday Night Football brought us an exciting matchup. It wasn’t supposed to be this good. Tampa went into Arrowhead Stadium without injured WRs Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan. KC made some mistakes that let the Bucs hang around though. On the Chiefs’ first drive. Patrick Mahomes threw a dime for a TD to Xavier Worthy, but he couldn’t a single foot down inbounds. Worthy was truly useless, as he had 0 catches and -10 yards rushing. TE Travis Kelce also lost a first-half fumble, but I won’t give him a hard time because he caught 14 passes for 100 yards, acting as a fantastic security blanket.
The star Chief was WR DeAndre Hopkins. After getting his feet wet last week, he excelled this time around, catching a 35-yard bomb in triple coverage and racking up 86 yards and 2 TDs on 8 catches. This offense is so much better with him in it. Tampa took advantage of KC’s early miscues and built a 17-10 lead, but Mahomes easily tied the game up. However, on his TD pass, he came up lame on his ankle and needed help getting off the field. I’m told that his ankle is sprained and that nothing worse took place. Mahomes didn’t miss a play and led another TD drive on the subsequent possession.
The Bucs got one last chance to tie the game again, and QB Baker Mayfield (23/31, 200 yards, 2 TDs; 20 rushing yards) was incredible. With nobody but TE Cade Otton (8/77/1) at his disposal, he led a 71-yard drive and threw a TD to WR Ryan Miller of all people. Commentator Troy Aikman wanted TB to go for 2, but I hate that strategy. In hindsight though, that might’ve been a good idea if they knew they’d lose the coin toss in OT. KC took the ball and immediately marched down the field, where RB Kareem Hunt (27/106/1) scored a walk-off TD to keep the Chiefs undefeated with a 30-24 win.
Hunt really took over on the final two drives, earning tough yards against a tired defense in the rain. It also helped that Mahomes (34/44, 291 yards, 3 TDs) had his cleanest game of 2024, and KC went 12/18 on 3rd down. This is still the NFL’s team to beat. I hate that the new OT rule where both teams are guaranteed the ball is just for playoffs; fairness matters during the regular season, too. Tampa Bay really deserved a chance to score, as did we as fans. They’re now 4-5, and that makes things tough with all of their injuries. This is a good team, but it might become too late for them to get healthy and prove it.
Saints Fire Their Head Coach; Cowboys Will Fire Theirs by Season’s End
Two teams are watching their seasons slip away despite high expectations. First, we have the puzzling Saints. New Orleans started the season 2-0 and looked like the best team in football. Then, they lost 6 straight. However, that came with the caveat that QB Derek Carr missed most of those contests with an oblique injury. He returned for an easy week 9 game against Carolina. Instead of a return to form, the Saints lost yet again. Carr (18/31, 236 yards, TD) was fine, and RB Alvin Kamara (205 scrimmage yards) was amazing. New Orleans just lulled themselves to sleep and watched the win get away.
The worst moment was when Carr threw to WR Chris Olave, who took a big shot to the helmet. Olave left on a stretcher with his second concussion of the year. He thought about wearing a guardian cap but apparently chose not to do so. At this point, if players won’t protect themselves, the league needs to seriously consider mandating this safety equipment. Thankfully, Olave left the hospital a few hours later. Fans, apparently including free agent WR and former Saint Michael Thomas, are blasting Carr for throwing a bit high, which they blame for the injury. That’s nonsense, but this is where the Saints are right now.
Such is life when you fall to 0-7 by ceding a go-ahead drive to the 1-7 Panthers. New Orleans had no weapons left to respond when down 23-22, and so they fell. As a result, HC Dennis Allen was fired shortly after the game ended (you can see my grade for that move here!). This was definitely the final straw for ownership, and I can’t say I blame them. A 7-game losing streak is painful to watch, and this team’s core is moving beyond its prime. Maybe the Saints should blow things up and finally pay all of those cap charges that they’ve been kicking down the road for years and finally start building a sustainable roster.
The expectations in Dallas were no secret. Despite doing absolutely nothing during free agency, owner/GM Jerry Jones wanted playoff victories. Now 3-5 following this week’s loss to Atlanta, the Cowboys will be lucky to reach the postseason. Injuries have destroyed the defense (as did the loss of DC Dan Quinn to Washington), but allowing Kirk Cousins to go 19/24 for 222 yards and 3 TDs is simply unacceptable. So too is an offense led by the highest-paid player in NFL history. QB Dak Prescott (18/24, 133 yards, TD) is supposed to be covering some warts, but he isn’t. This time, he even left with a hamstring injury and will miss time.
It was interesting to see backup Cooper Rush (13/25, 115 yards, TD) have nearly the same production as Prescott and make things close in the 4th quarter. Dallas came up short 27-21, but the fact that Rush even compared to Prescott tells you that this offense isn’t clicking. HC Mike McCarthy, already coaching on an expiring contract, appears to be out of answers. He benched RB Ezekiel Elliott for missing team meetings, and punishing your own players is a sign of a coach who has lost the locker room. The Cowboys seem closer to rebuilding than contending, and that will start with a new coach by this offseason at the latest.
Colts Bench QB Anthony Richardson but Still Struggle on Offense
After last week’s odd performance by QB Anthony Richardson, Colts coach Shane Steichen decided to bench him. He insisted that Richardson removing himself from the game against Houston had no impact on the decision, but it clearly influenced what other players thought of the QB. Some Colts players endorsed benching Richardson for Joe Flacco, a veteran with a more steady hand and maturity. I don’t like how it played out, but Richardson needed to sit and learn. I’ve been asking the team to let him watch and develop given how raw he is. Now he finally has that chance, and it gives him the best hope in the long run.
As far as what happened to the team in the present, Flacco (16/27, 179 yards, INT) didn’t help Indy produce more points against Minnesota. He didn’t play badly, but he couldn’t lift his team past the Vikings. One major issue was the absence of LT Bernhard Raimann, who missed the game with a concussion. Minnesota sacked Flacco 3 times and held RB Jonathan Taylor to 48 yards on 13 carries (3.7 YPC). Taylor had a poor game overall, as he also dropped a handoff that led to a turnover, which somehow got charged to Flacco. The defense had no answers for WR Justin Jefferson (7/137; 22-yard pass), but then again, who does?
This game was winnable because the Vikings were not at their best. QB Sam Darnold (28/34, 290 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs) made some big plays, such as throwing in the red zone instead of handing the ball off to ice the 21-13 win, but threw 2 INTs and lost a fumble that CB Kenny Moore returned for a TD (though the officials missed a helmet hit that would’ve erased the fumble). Previously perfect K Will Reichard missed his first 2 kicks (53- and 31-yard FGs) while possibly dealing with an injury. TE TJ Hockenson (3/27) returned from injury but didn’t do much. The offensive line, now possessing LT Cam Robinson, ceded 4 sacks.
None of that brought the Colts particularly close to winning. A 14-point 3rd quarter for the Vikings gave them a lead they would not relinquish. I didn’t like Indianapolis’ play calling either; they ran too many deep throws and too few checkdowns. The question for Stichen now is: does he go back to Richardson? I’d implore him to stay the course. This wasn’t close to Flacco’s finest outing, but if the goal is really to develop Richardson properly, then let him sit and keep learning for at least a little while longer. Flacco is still the Colts’ best chance to win now despite a one-week hiccup. Richardson is only viable as a long-term play.
Roundup of Oddities Observed Across the NFL This Week
Sometimes, a few games aren’t quite interesting enough to devote a whole takeaway to, but they may still have some curious occurrences. Therefore, I thought I’d round some of them up here. In Buffalo, K Tyler Bass was primed to be the goat after a missed PAT, but he ended up a hero with a game ball instead after a 61-yard game-winning FG to beat the Dolphins. Giants QB Daniels Jones was responsible for a TD at home for the first time in 672 days, but he still came up short against Washington. Jacksonville stuffed TWO brotherly shove plays on 2-point conversion attempts but lost to Philly regardless.
Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix was overmatched against the Ravens, but he did catch a TD on a pass from WR Courtland Sutton. The play was the “Philly Special”, but Nix made a better catch than Nick Foles needed to! Speaking of Philly, Eagles RB Saquon Barkley made the most ridiculous hurdle move I’ve ever seen. He started the play with a spin move and then leapt over a defender in reverse. I don’t understand how this is humanly possible, but he proved it to us in real time. Back in the realm of QBs, the Bengals’ Joe Burrow threw 5 TDs for the second time this year, but he only won with this week’s edition.
Over in Green Bay, the NFL proved that they love the Packers once again. QB Jordan Love threw an incomplete pass to WR Bo Melton, but Lions S Brian Branch incurred a 15-yard penalty for blowing Melton up with a helmet-to-helmet hit while defenseless. I agreed with the personal foul, but then they announced Branch’s ejection! Throwing Detroit’s best secondary player out of the game seemed designed to help Green Bay. It was the wrong call, as opined by commentator Tom Brady. Luckily, Detroit remained unaffected. Fellow S Kerby Joseph tallied a pick six and the Lions steamrolled the Packers 24-14. A weird weekend indeed.