I’m making an executive decision on this blog. From here on how, unless something extraordinary happens, I will not be covering a game that features a team from the NFC East. That entire division should be banned from the postseason, and aren’t worth my time to cover.
Anyways, Week 9 of the regular season saw some interesting matchups, such as the Panthers nearly defeating the defending Super Bowl champions, and some not so great matchups, including an offensive show of ineptitude between the Chicago Bears and Tennessee Titans.
This week, I’ll be taking a look at the Carolina Panthers vs. Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins vs. Arizona Cardinals, and New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Carolina Panthers 31, Kansas City Chiefs 33
This game was a lot closer than I think anybody realized. Despite their lack of talent on the roster, the Panthers get the most out of what they do have. Head coach Matt Rhule gets this team ready to play every week.
The Chiefs still maintain their dominance over the league, with their sole loss coming at the hands of the Las Vegas Raiders a few weeks ago. Nonetheless, quarterback (QB) Patrick Mahomes is putting up MVP numbers again this year thanks in part to his utterly stacked group of receivers .
For the Panthers, QB Teddy Bridgewater had another solid outing, going 36 for 49 for 310 yards to go along with two passing touchdowns.
Superstar running back (RB) Christian McCaffrey made his long anticpated return against this week and didn’t disappoint. McCaffrey managed 69 yards on 18 carries and a rushing touchdown. Bridgewater was the team’s second-best rusher, recording 19 yards and a touchdown on two carries.
Wide receiver (WR) Curtis Samuel recorded the most yards amongst Carolina’s receivers, putting up 105 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions. McCaffrey followed closely with 82 yards on 10 receptions.
Defensively, safety Sam Franklin had a solid game was well, recording seven total tackles and a sack.
For the Chiefs, Mahomes once again proved why he should be MVP. When all was said and done, Mahomes went 30 for 45 for 372 yards and four touchdowns. Interestingly, Mahomes has only one interception on the year so far.
The RB duo of Clyde-Edwards Helaire and newly acquired Le’Veon Bell were held nearly off the board all together. The two RBs combined only produced 22 yards across 13 carries.
Mahomes’ weapons showed up big-time to help fuel the Chiefs’ offense. Tight end (TE) Travis Kelce compiled 159 yards on 10 receptions. WR Tyreek Hill had a two-touchdown night complimented by nine receptions for 113 yards. Edwards-Helaire and WR Demarcus Robinson both had a touchdown apiece as well.
Safety Daniel Sorenson led the Kansas City defense with 10 total tackles while defensive end (DE) Frank Clark registered a sack.
This game showed that the Chiefs are sticking to their air raid offense and that RBs won’t be afforded many touches, as Edwards-Helaire and Bell were practically non-existent in the Chiefs’ offense. The Chiefs can beat anyone through the air, that’s for sure.
The Panthers were excited to have McCaffrey back, but were they too eager to give him such a heavy workload? McCaffrey has been ruled out for the Panthers’ next game with a shoulder injury. He put up big numbers against Kansas City, but at what cost?
Miami Dolphins 34, Arizona Cardinals 31
The Dolphins and Cardinals squared off in a surprising interconference heavyweight match. Neither are considered Super Bowl contenders, but Miami and Arizona are vying for a first place finish in the AFC East and NFC West, respectively.
The Dolphins once again rolled with rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa, who went 20 for 28 and threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns. The run game was quiet for Miami, as RB Salvon Ahmed led all Dolphin rushers with 38 yards across seven carries.
Tagovailoa’s best weapon was WR DeVante Parker, who recorded 64 yards on six receptions. WRs Preston Williams and Mack Hollins also contributed a touchdown apiece.
LB Jerome Baker had a solid outing, recording seven solo tackles. DE Emmanuel Ogbah registered a sack.
Cardinals’ QB Kyler Murray continued his outstanding sophomore campaign by going 21 for 26 for 283 yards and three touchdowns. Murray also led the run game with 106 yards over 11 carries and a rushing touchdown.
Murray’s most productive target was WR Christian Kirk, who had 123 yards and averaged 24.6 yards every reception he had. For the defense, LB De’Vondre Campbell had six solo tackles and a sack to lead the defense.
This Dolphins team looks to be a potential dark horse to make the postseason this year. Similar to the Panthers, the coaching staff is excellent about getting the most out of a talent-deficient roster.
Miami has now played the entire NFC West now, which, considering how it is arguably the toughest division in football at the moment, is very impressive on the part of the Dolphins to emerge 3-1 against that division this year, with their sole loss coming at the hands of Seattle Seahawks.
The Cardinals have now dropped a second straight matchup and still trail the Seahawks in the division race. Star WR Deandre Hopkins was held in check throughout the game, being held to only 30 yards on three receptions. Murray is a beast though, that can’t be denied. The Cardinals, like the Dolphins, are a year or two off from contending for potential supremacy in their respective divisions.
New Orleans Saints 38, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3
Considering the might of these two teams and their Week 1 matchup, this was a very surprising dud of a game. The Buccaneers couldn’t get anything going on offense or defense, and the Saints came very close to shutting out a very talented Tampa Bay offense.
QB Drew Brees of the Saints had a dominant game, going 26 for 32 for 222 yards and four touchdowns. Gadget QB Taysom Hill went two for two, recording 48 yards.
The aforementioned Hill also led the run game for the Saints, recording 54 yards on seven carries. Star RB Alvin Kamara was held to only 40 yards rushing, but made up for it with a rushing touchdown.
None of New Orleans’ receivers really stood out. The usually reliable WR Michael Thomas, who has missed the vast majority of this season, led the Saints’ receivers with a mere 51 yards on five receptions.
However, the Saints’ defense found a switch somewhere and never turned off the intensity. Safety Michael Jenkins had five solo tackles and a pick to lead the defense. Fellow safety Marcus Williams and defensive tackle (DT) David Onyemata both recorded an interception apiece.
New Orleans’ defensive line suffocated Bucs’ QB Tom Brady. DE Trey Hendrickson recorded back-to-back sacks on Brady while DT Malcom Brown added another sack.
Brady had a rough night going 22 for 28 for 289 yards. By the game’s end, Brady had thrown three interceptions and no touchdowns.
Tampa Bay’s run defense was completely shut down, with RB Ronald Jones II only gaining nine yards on three carries. The usually reliable WR Mike Evans led the receivers with 64 yards on 4 receptions. The infamous WR Antonio Brown also made his way back to the NFL for the first time in nearly two years, but only managed 31 yards on three catches.
On defense, LB Devin White had 14 total tackles while LB Shaquil Barrett registered a sack on Brees.
At this point, the NFC South is up for grabs and my original prediction of the NFC is now unclear. I originally pegged the Buccaneers to represent the NFC in this year’s Super Bowl, and while it’s still a bit early, it appears the Saints might take that honor instead.
This game really illustrates how unpredictable, and frankly vulnerable, the NFC is. The AFC is controlled by the Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers, with the Baltimore Ravens being the only real challenger to those two.
The NFC is a different story. The NFC South is now controlled by the Saints, who look like the most complete team in the conference right now. Tampa Bay isn’t too far behind them, but the NFC South is the Saints’ to lose. The other potential NFC contenders, the Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, are offense-heavy teams with defenses that are nowhere near championship caliber. We’re not even going to discuss the clown show known as the NFC East.
Around the League:
AFC East
#1 Buffalo Bills (7-2)*
#2 Miami Dolphins (5-3)*
#3 New England Patriots (3-5)
#4 New York Jets (0-9)
AFC West
#1 Kansas City Chiefs (8-1)*
#2 Las Vegas Raiders (5-3)*
#3 Denver Broncos (3-5)
#4 Los Angeles Chargers (2-6)
AFC North
#1 Pittsburgh Steelers (8-0)*
#2 Baltimore Ravens (6-2)*
#3 Cleveland Browns (5-3)
#4 Cincinnati Bengals (2-5-1)
AFC South
#1 Tennessee Titans (6-2)*
#2 Indianapolis Colts (5-3)
#3 Houston Texans (2-6)
#4 Jacksonville Jaguars (1-7)
NFC East
#1 Philadelphia Eagles (3-4-1)*
#2 Washington Football Team (2-6)
#3 Dallas Cowboys (2-7)
#4 New York Giants (2-7)
NFC West
#1 Seattle Seahawks (6-2)*
#2 Arizona Cardinals (5-3)*
#3 Los Angeles Rams (5-3)*
#4 San Francisco 49ers (4-5)
NFC North
#1 Green Bay Packers (6-2)*
#2 Chicago Bears (5-4)
#3 Minnesota Vikings (3-5)
#4 Detroit Lions (3-5)
NFC South
#1 New Orleans Saints (6-2)*
#2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3)*
#3 Atlanta Falcons (3-6)
#4 Carolina Panthers (3-6)
(*) indicates playoff spot
