NFL Week Nine Observations

NFL Week Nine: Good, bad & ugly

NFL Week Nine: Good, bad & ugly
Christian McCaffrey official Twitter account

Christian McCaffrey

This week, 8 of 14 games were decided by one score or less. To clarify, I'm talking about a touchdown and two-point conversion or less. We even saw a couple top dogs take it on the chin, as well as toothless dog show some bite. Here are my observations:

The Good

-Panthers' running back Christian McCaffrey is a bad man! McCaffrey on pace to break the yards from scrimmage record and has 13 touchdowns. Sure Kyle Allen is playing as good as one could expect in the year of the backup quarterback, but McCaffrey is the straw that stirs the drink in Carolina. I have him as a 1a or 1b in the MVP race after his 27 touch 166 yard three touchdown performance in a 30-20 win over the Titans.

-Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson broke the Patriots' 21 game win streak over rookie or second year quarterbacks in a 37-20 win. Jackson went 17/23 for 163 yards and a touchdown. He also ran 16 times for 61 yards and two more touchdowns. Better yet, he didn't turn the ball over and was only sacked once. So much for "he can't play quarterback" or "he should convert to wide receiver" talk.

-Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is the other half of McCaffrey's 1a or 1b in the MVP race. Wilson threw for 378 yards and five touchdowns in a 40-34 overtime win over the Bucs. On the season, he has 22 touchdowns and only one interception. He's doing this without the help of a star running back or receiver. Not poopoo-ing his teammates, but none of those guys have been named to an All Pro team previously except Tyler Lockett.

The Bad

-The Dolphins were able to beat the Jets 26-18. This is a bad thing several reasons. One: the Dolphins were supposed to be "Tanking for Tua" so a win hurts their chances of landing the first overall pick. Second: the Jets have enough talent to be a more competitive team, but are coached by the same guy the Dolphins fired last season. Third: Sam Darnold threw a ridiculous red zone interception. No wonder the Patriots make the playoffs every year.

-Bucs' quarterback Jameis Winston replicated his 2015 Rose Bowl fumble return for a touchdown in thier loss to the Seahawks. If you don't know what I'm talking about, Google it. But Jameis, again, evaded pressure and fumbled the ball backwards only for the opposition to return it for a touchdown. This, amongst other reasons, are why he most likely won't or shouldn't be back with the Bucs next season.

-The Browns are the biggest dumpster fire in the NFL right now. After losing 24-19 to the Broncos, they're now 2-6 on the season and have no hope of making the playoffs after some picked them to win the AFC North. They were a sexy Super Bowl pick. Now, they're more talked about for what Baker Mayfield says in press conferences, or what Odell Beckham Jr and Jarvis Landry's pregame gear is about.

The Ugly

-Former Browns safety Jermaine Whitehead became former Browns safety when he decided to go Twitter thug on some reporters following their loss to the Broncos. He tweeted some profane language, racist remarks and even threw in a death threat as well as a standing invitation to fight. Players are given a cool off period after games before media obligations. Someone should take their phones as well because he reportedly did this while still in uniform!

-Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett sprained his MCL in his left knee. While they're optimistic he will be able to play against the Dolphins Sunday, they're not sure. If Brissett misses the game or isn't fully healthy against the Texans in a couple weeks, it could cost them the AFC South division title. All of this comes on the heels of him taking over for Andrew Luck after his abrupt retirement.

-The Bears are 3-5 and look like they're going nowhere fast. Despite having one of the better defenses in the league, their quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is dumpster juice. The 49ers hoodwinked them into trading up for what is the worst of the three quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2017 draft. They took him over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. Yikes!

I remember watching Rocky IV over and over as a kid. We had it on VHS and I'm pretty sure I wore it out. The scene when Rocky finally cuts Drago and Duke tells him he's not a machine, he's a man is iconic. Well the Ravens did that to the Patriots, and to a lesser extent, the Chargers did that to the Packers. Meanwhile, there are teams barely treading water (Lions, Jags, and Eagles), and others sinking fast (Browns, Bears, and Titans). We're over the hump of the midpoint and the light at the end of the regular season tunnel is now visible. It's still a ways off, but we can see what's ahead. Some of these teams are hoping not to get tripped up along the way. Others are hoping to just make it to the end in one piece.

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Are the Astros hitting their stride at the perfect time? Composite Getty Image.

The Houston Astros passed their first test of the second half with flying colors by going to Seattle and taking two of three from the Mariners.

The Astros starting pitching managed to outduel Seattle's, only allowing eight runs in the series. Hunter Brown continues to look like a top of the rotation starter, and Framber Valdez has allowed 3 earned runs or fewer in six consecutive starts.

On the offensive side of the ball, Yainer Diaz and Yordan Alvarez are keeping the lights on as the team awaits the return of slugger Kyle Tucker.

In the meantime, the 'Stros have an important series with the Athletic's looming, followed by an epic clash with the Dodgers. It will be in the club's best interest to take care of business against the lowly A's, because wins could be tough to come by against LA.

Both the Mariners and Rangers have the White Sox on their schedule this week, so this appears to be a three horse race in the AL West as the trade deadline arrives next Tuesday and beyond.

Outside of pitching, first base continues to be the area where Houston could stand to upgrade. Both Jon Singleton and Mauricio Dubon have fallen back to Earth a bit. And The Athletic's Chander Rome reported that Yainer Diaz was taking ground balls at first base recently.

That's an interesting nugget considering the struggles of Singleton and Dubon. Plus, Victor Caratini is back with the team after being activated off the injury list.

Will Joe Espada give Diaz some starts at first base with Caratini back in the fold? Only time will tell. Having a hitter like Diaz playing catcher certainly gives the Astros an edge over many teams.

But at the same time, it's hard to find teams with worse options at first base than what Houston is running out there on a daily basis.

Be sure to watch the video above as we react to the series win over Seattle, look ahead to the upcoming matchups with the A's and Dodgers, and much more!

Plus, we examine how the Astros offense can take another step forward!

*Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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