NFL 2023 Week 9 Recap

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action has come to an end. The week that was brought us some crazy storylines. Such storylines like, a shutout in Cleveland, a heartbreaker in Houston, a fun game in Frankfurt and a battle for the NFC East in Philadelphia. All those games and more in this week's recap post!

NFL Week 9 Freaky Stat

The Browns 27-0 shutout was Cleveland's first shutout since 2007 when the Browns went 10-6 that year. Arizona Cardinals 1-8 start is only their 3rd 1-8 start since 1978. Seattle's 37-3 loss to Baltimore is only the 2nd worst defeat in the Pete Carroll era. Washington's 20-17 win against New England was their first win in New England since 1996. 

NFL Week 9 Recap

Tennessee 16, Pittsburgh 20: TW: Titans; CV: Titans

Pittsburgh's defense clamp down on Will Levis and the Titans offense. Will Levis hit 22 of 39 passes for 262 yards with an interception that was caught by Steeler Kwon Alexander. Tennessee's lone touchdown would come form a Derrick Henry run that came from the left for a 2-yard score. Henry would finish with 75 yards rushing on 17 carries. Nick Folk would do the rest as he hit three field goals. Tennesee's offense would put up some numbers as they finished with 340 total yards. It didn't help their cause that they went 3 for 13 on 3rd down but did outpace the Steelers on time of possession by a 31:09 to 28:51 margin. Kenny Pickett hit 19 of 30 passes for 160 yards with a touchdown pass to Diontae Johnson. The Johnson touchdown was his first since Week 17 of the 2021 season. Pittsburgh's running game would get their numbers as a collective they got 166 rushing yards. Jaylen Warren was the yardage leader with 88 yards. Najee Harris would do the grunt work with 16 carries for 69 yards with a touchdown run. The Steelers defense would get the interception, limit the Titans offense to just three 3rd down conversions, all the while sacking Will Levis four times for 27 yards. The Steelers offense would put up 326 total yards. For the Titans, they drop to 3-5 on the season with fading hopes of making the playoffs. For the Steelers, they keep pace in the highly competitive AFC North with a 5-3 record. 

Next week:
Tennessee: @ Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh: vs Green Bay

TW: 0-1; CV: 0-1

Miami 14, Kansas City 21: TW: Dolphins; CV: Dolphins

Frankfurt was rocking as the top-two teams in the AFC waged war. Tua Tagovailoa was alright in the game with 21 of 34 passes completed for 193 yards with a touchdown pass to Cedric Wilson Jr. Raheem Mostert was the leading rusher for Miami with 85 yards with a touchdown run. Both touchdowns would be scored in the fourth quarter. There were miscues that the Dolphins had in this game that turned in the Chiefs favor, the Dolphins went 3 for 12 on 3rd down, had a fumble on a questionable play that resulted in a fumble-six. They would also fumble two other times but held onto the ball a bit more. Miami would get to 292 total yards of offense. There was a lot of questionable no holding calls while the Dolphins were on defense. Patrick Mahomes hit 20 of 30 passes for 185 yards with two touchdown passes to Rashee Rice and Jerrick McKinnon. The workhorse for the Chiefs was Isiah Pacheco with 16 carries for 66 yards. Patrick Mahomes would get some yardage as he rushed for 24 yards on six carries. The Chiefs defense would get a fumble-six from a Tyreek Hill catch from a pass that looked more like a forward pass. Nevertheless the fumble was caught by Mike Edwards who lateraled it to Bryan Cook. Kansas City's offense would do enough to win but were outgained as they finished with 267 total yards. For the Dolphins, they drop to 6-3 and lose for the 2nd time in the last three games. For the Chiefs, they maintain the top spot in the AFC with a 7-2 record. 

Next week: 

Miami: Bye

Kansas City: Bye

TW: 0-2; CV: 0-2

Chicago 17, New Orleans 24: TW: Saints; CV: Saints

Three Tyson Bagent interceptions doom the Bears in the Big Easy. Tyson Bagent would do a bit more than needed as he hit 18 of 30 passes for 220 yards with two touchdowns but tossed three interceptions to Saints players. Cole Kmet was the receiver of those two touchdown passes. D'Onta Foreman rushed for 83 yards on 20 carries while Tyson Bagent rushed for 70 yards. Darnell Mooney would catch five balls for 82 yards. Chicago would do fairly well on offense with 20 first downs while converting 6 of 12 attempts on 3rd down. Discipline was an issue for the Bears as they were flagged eight times for 71 yards. The Bears would get some good offense finishing with a total of 368 total yards. The Saints quarterbacks would do all of the scoring in this game. Derek Carr hit 25 of 34 passes for 211 yards with two touchdown passes. Taysom Hill would hit a touchdown pass on a 3-yard play. Hill was also the leading rusher for the Saints with 52 yards. New Orleans would convert half of their 3rd down tries while limiting the penalties. Overall, the Saints would get 301 total yards of offense in the game. Chris Olave would catch a pass while Juwan Johnson and Taysom Hill would also catch passes that resulted in six points. For the Bears, they drop to 2-7 on the season and look no worse for the wear as they sit in the basement of the NFC North. For the Saints, they get to 5-4 with a shot to get back into the NFC South division race. 

Next week: 

Chicago: vs Carolina (Thursday Night)
New Orleans: @ Minnesota

TW: 1-2; CV: 1-2

Arizona 0, Cleveland 27: TW: Browns; CV: Browns

Both sides of the ball KO the Cardinals in the Dawg Pound. Clayton Tune would get the start for the Cardinals. He would hit 11 of 20 passes for 58 yards while tossing two interceptions to Denzel Ward and Sione Takitaki. Tune was also the leading rusher for the Cardinals with 28 yards. It was an ugly performance on offense for Arizona as the Cardinals got just 58 total yards of offense. They would convert only once on 3rd down on 12 tries. DeShaun Watson would make his return since the game against the Colts. He hit 19 of 30 passes for 219 yards with two touchdown passes to Amari Cooper and David Njoku. Jerome Ford rushed for 44 yards on 20 carries. Kareem Hunt rushed for 38 yards with a touchdown run. Amari Cooper would have a stellar day as he caught five passes for 139 yards. For the Cardinals, they drop to 1-8 as they fight for the #1 overall pick in next spring's draft. For the Browns, they move up to 5-3 to keep pace with Pittsburgh in the AFC North standings. 

Next week: 

Arizona: vs Atlanta
Cleveland: @ Baltimore

TW: 2-2; CV: 2-2

LA Rams 3, Green Bay 20: TW: Rams; CV: Rams

Jordan Love and Aaron Jones stifle the Rams in Lambeau. Brett Rypien would get the start for the Rams. He hit 13 of 28 passes for 130 yards with an interception to Anthony Johnson Jr. Royce Freeman rushed for 32 yards on 12 carries. Cooper Cupp was held to two catches for 48 yards and Puka Nacua was held to three catches for 32 yards. Overall the Rams offense was held to 187 yards total yards and went 5 for 14 on 3rd down while going 0 for 2 on 4th down. Jordan Love would play a better game as he hit 20 of 26 passes for 228 yards with a touchdown pass to Luke Musgrave in the 4th quarter. Love would get some help from his running game as Aaron Jones rushed for 73 yards with a touchdown run. Emanuel Wilson rushed for 43 yards on four carries, including a 31-yard run. Green Bay's offense would succeed by putting up 391 total yards in the game. There was a few miscues as the Packers gave up two fumbles, allowed four sacks while racking up eight flags for 57 yards. A win is a win I suppose. For the Rams, their season continues in disarray as they drop to 3-6 and lose their 3rd straight game. For the Packers, they end their four-game losing streak and get to a 3-5 mark. 

Next week: 

LA Rams: Bye
Green Bay: @ Pittsburgh

TW: 2-3; CV: 2-3

Minnesota 31, Atlanta 28: TW: Vikings; CV: Falcons

A decimated Vikings team finds a way to win in Atlanta. Jaren Hall would get the start for the Vikings but his playtime was cut short due to concussion. Before the injury the quarterback hit 5 of 6 passes for 78 yards. Joshua Dobbs would come in and provided the Vikings with some needed offense. He hit 20 of 30 passes for 158 yards with two touchdowns. Alexander Mattison and Brandon Powell were the Vikings that caught the passes by Dobbs. Joshua Dobbs was traded from Arizona to provide help because of Kirk Cousins suffering an Achilles injury last week against Green Bay. Dobbs would also rush for 66 yards with a touchdown run. After the game, he would have a moment with head coach Kevin O'Connell. Taylor Heinicke would get the start for the Falcons and hit 21 of 38 passes for 268 yards with a touchdown pass to Jonnu Smith. Heinicke would toss an interception in the game. Bijan Robinson was the leading rusher for the Falcons with 51 yards. Tyler Allgeier rushed for 39 yards with a touchdown run. Falcons defensive end Calais Campbell would find Joshua Dobbs in the endzone for a safety. At that point the game was a 5-3 score. Both teams had similar total yards with Minnesota gaining 363 total yards while the Falcons outained them by a few with 370 total yards. For the Vikings, they rise from the depths to get to a 5-4 record. For the Falcons, they drop to a 4-5 record. 

Next week:
Minnesota: vs New Orleans

Atlanta: @ Arizona

TW: 3-3; CV: 2-4

Seattle 3, Baltimore 37: TW: Ravens; CV: Ravens

I thought the Ravens would win but holy crap I didn't think they'd win that big. Geno Smith hit 13 of 28 passes for 157 yards with an interception. He wouldn't get a lot of help from his running game as Kenneth Walker III was held to 16 rushing yards on nine carries. Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught six balls for 63 yards. Seattle would gain a total of 151 yards in the game while converting only once on 3rd down while facing the crucial down 12 times. Lamar Jackson hit 21 of 26 passes for 187 yards with no touchdowns nor threw an interception. The rest of the team would do the heavy lifting. Tyler Huntley would see some playtime as he hit 5 of 7 passes for 38 yards with a touchdown pass to Odell Beckham Jr. Keaton Mitchell was the leading rusher for the Ravens as he ran over the Seahawks for 138 yards with a touchdown run. Gus Edwards would score two times while getting 52 yards rushing. Lamar Jackson would get 60 yards rushing. Baltimore's offense was a complete opposite to Seattle's as the Ravens gained 515 total yards with 298 of it coming on the ground game. Time of possession and 3rd down conversions would be the factor in the Ravens win as the Ravens got 40:04 of possession time while converting 6 of 13 times on 3rd down. For the Sehawks, they drop to 5-3 and lose their positioning in the NFC West. For the Ravens, they move up to 7-2 as they are now tied with the Chiefs for the best record in the AFC. 

Next week:
Seattle: vs Washington
Baltimore: vs Cleveland

TW: 4-3; CV: 3-4

Tampa Bay 37, Houston 39: TW: Texans; CV: Texans

CJ Stroud making his case for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Baker Mayfield was effective as he hit 21 of his 30 passes for 265 yards with two touchdowns to Cade Otton. Rachaad White would have success in running the ball with 73 yards rushing with two touchdowns. The Buccaneers offense would give their defense a 37-33 lead with 46 seconds left in the game. The lead would last for 36 seconds. Tampa would get to 332 total yards of offense. CJ Stroud would play spectacularly in this game. He hit 30 of 42 passes for 470 yards with five touchdown passes. Noah Brown would catch one, Dalton Schultz caught one, Nathaniel Dell caught two and Nico Collins would catch one as a collective of Stroud's passes. Houston's running game wouldn't get a lot of yardage as Devin Singletary would get 26 yards rushing. Texans runinng back Dare Ogunbowale would make a field goal adding another job to his repertoire. He would hit the field goal after Texans kicker Kyle Fairbairn would suffer an injury. The game-winning play was a Stroud to Dell connection for a 15-yard play that gave the Texans the edge in what would be a wild game. For the Buccaneers, they drop to 3-5 with fading hope of NFC South ambitions. For the Texans, they move back to playing .500 football with a 4-4 record. 

Next week: 
Tampa Bay: vs Tennessee
Houston: @ Cincinnati

TW: 5-3; CV: 4-4

Washington 20, New England 17: TW: Patriots; CV: Commanders

Another 4th quarter comeback falls short for the Patriots. Sam Howell was good in this game as the passer hit 29 of 45 passes for 325 yards with a touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson. Brian Robinson would have some success running the ball against the vaunted Patriots rush defense with 63 yards rushing with a touchdown run. Antonio Gibson rushed for 34 yards on six carries. Overall the Commanders would put up 432 total yards of offense. Mac Jones would do not great but not awful as he hit 24 of 44 passes for 220 yards with a touchdown pass to Hunter Henry. It would be a score off of a turnover by the Patriots defense. The play of the day for the Patriots was a Rhamondre Stevenson 64-yard run that lead to a score. The runner would finish the game with 87 yards on nine carries. Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 17 yards. Mac Jones would toss an interception that was off of a JuJu Smith-Schuster tipped pass that would end the day for the Patriots. New England's defense wouldn't get off the field a whole lot as Washington would convert nine of 17 tries on 3rd down. One of them included a 3rd down and 23 that would be converted by none other than Sam Howell for a 24-yard gain. New England would get a total of 327 yards in the game. A plus was that Mac Jones was not sacked at all during this game. For the Commanders, they get their 2nd win in what looked like a spiraling out of control season for them as they get a 4-5 record. For the Patriots, they fall to 2-7 in an ugly season that keeps getting uglier. 

Next week:
Washington: @ Seattle
New England: vs Indianapolis (Sunday morning)

TW: 5-4; CV: 5-4

Indianapolis 27, Carolina 13: TW: Colts; CV: Colts

Bryce Young's three interceptions give the Colts an edge in victory. Gardner Minshew hit 17 of 26 passes for 127 yards with a touchdown pass to Jonathan Taylor that would lead to the only offensive touchdown for the Colts. The defense would do the rest, more on that in a moment. Jonathan Taylor would rush for 47 yards on 18 carries. Zach Moss would rush for 26 yards on seven carries. Michael Pittman caught eight passes for 64 yards. The Colts defense would ravage in this game, intercepting two Bryce Young passes for pick-six's. Kenny Moore would catch two interceptions that would be returned for touchdowns. The first would be returned for a 49-yard score in the 2nd quarter. The 2nd pick-six would be in the 4th quarter that was also grabbed by Moore for a 66-yard pick-six. Segun Olubi would also catch an interception. Indianapolis offense would follow suit with a 198 total yard performance from their offense. Bryce Young would not have a great game as he hit 24 of 39 passes for 173 yards with a touchdown pass to DJ Chark in the 3rd quarter that cut the Colt lead to a 20-10 score. As mentioned, Young would toss three interceptions, two of them for interceptions. Chuba Hubbard rushed for 58 yards with 16 carries. Bryce Young had five carries with 41 yards rushing. Carolina would outgain Indy in total yards with 275 total yards. Eddie Pineiro would help out the cause with two successful field goals. Ultimately the three interceptions would put the Colts on top. For the Colts, they improve to 4-5 with the win. For the Panthers, they drop to 1-7 with the loss. 

Next week:
Indianapolis: @ New England (Sunday morning)
Carolina: @ Chicago (Thursday night)

TW: 6-4; CV: 6-4

Dallas 23, Philadelphia 28: TW: Cowboys; CV: Eagles

A bruised left knee wouldn't keep Jalen Hurts out of the game. Dak Prescott hit 29 of 44 passes for 374 yards with three touchdown passes. Jake Ferguson, Jalen Tolbert and Kavontae Turpin would be the Cowboys that caught those Prescott balls and converted them to touchdowns. Tony Pollard would be somewhat of a factor in the Cowboys scheme of things with 51 yards rushing on 12 carries. CeeDee Lamb would have a solid game as he caught 11 passes for 191 yards. Dallas was in the thick of things as the game really came down to the final play of the game. They finished with 406 total yards. Jalen Hurts would produce as usual. He would finish the game with 17 of 23 passes completed for 207 yards with two touchdowns while rushing for 36 yards with a touchdown run. AJ Brown and Devonta Smith were the Eagles players that caught those touchdown passes. D'Andre Swift was the Eagle with the leading rusher honors as he produced 43 yards rushing. Kenneth Gainwell would get 22 yards rushing while seeing six points. Philadelphia would get 292 total yards of offense. Judging by the team stats both teams similar but I think the main difference is that the Eagles made a few more plays that mattered. The final play of the game would be a Dak Prescott deep pass to CeeDee Lamb that went for 23 yards. Lamb wouldn't hold on to the ball as it was fumbled by Sydney Brown and recovered by Reed Blankenship. The fumble occurred on the Eagles 4-yard line. For the Cowboys, their two-game winning streak ends as they fall to 5-3. For the Eagles, they get to their 2nd straight 8-1 record with some breathing room in the NFC East. 

Next week:
Dallas: vs NY Giants
Philadelphia: Bye

TW: 6-5; CV: 7-4

NY Giants 6, Las Vegas 30: TW: Raiders; CV: Raiders

Dominating effort as former Giant Antonio Pierce defeats the Giants in Vegas. Tommy DeVito hit 15 of 20 passes for 175 yards with a touchdown pass to Wandale Robinson. DeVito would try too hard and threw two interceptions. DeVito played in relief for Daniel Jones who started this game. He finished with 4 of 9 passes for 25 yards before leaving the game with a right knee injury that the quarterback go through an MRI machine on Monday. Saquon Barkley rushed for 90 yards on 16 carries. New York put up 277 total yards. At least they produced positive passing yards compared to the -8 net passing yards last week. Aidan O'Connell got the nod for the Silver and Black and hit 16 of 25 passes for 209 yards. His teammates would do the rest. Josh Jacobs rushed for 98 yards with two touchdown runs. Jakobi Meyers would be utilized as a running back on a play that yielded in a 17-yard touchdown. Las Vegas would produce some points from kicker Daniel Carlson with three field goals. Overall, the Raiders would get 334 total yards of offense in the game. It had been quite the week for the Raiders as they let go of head coach Josh McDaniels, general manager Dave Ziegler, and offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi on early Wednesday morning. They would name Antonio Pierce as interim head coach. It was also a great game for Maxx Crosby who got six tackles with three sacks. For the Giants, they drop to 2-7 with little hope of getting back into a playoff position. For the Raiders, they improve to 4-5. Hopefully they can keep Antonio Pierce for the rest of the season, he seems like a good leader that players can lean on. 

Next week:
NY Giants: @ Dallas
Las Vegas: vs NY Jets (Sunday night)

TW: 7-5; CV: 8-4

Buffalo 18, Cincinnati 24: TW: Bengals; CV: Bills

The red hot Bengals survive against the Bills. Josh Allen hit 26 of 38 passes for 258 yards with a touchdown pass and a touchdown run while getting 44 rushing yards. Allen would toss an interception in the game. James Cook rushed for 20 yards while getting six carries. Stefon Diggs caught six passes for 86 yards with a touchdown catch from an Allen pass. The Bills would get 317 total yards of offense in the game. Joe Burrow was solid in the game as he hit 31 of 44 passes for 348 yards with two touchdown passes to Drew Sample and Irv Smith. Joe Mixon would get some yardage in the game with 37 yards with a touchdown run. For offense, the Bengals got 397 total yards with 343 yards coming from the air. Cincinnati dominated the time of possession stat with 36:38 of ball control while the Bills had 23:22. Still, the Bills could've had maybe made a few more plays and they would be right in the thick of it. The game was important for Damar Hamlin who had collapsed in a Week 17 matchup from last season. This time he would finish the game and much more. For the Bills, they drop to 5-4 with their season slipping away from them, let alone their hopes of a division title. For the Bengals, they continue their four-game winning streak with a 5-3 record. 

Next week:
Buffalo: vs Denver (Monday night)

Cincinnati: vs Houston

TW: 8-5; CV: 8-5

LA Chargers 27, NY Jets 6: TW: Chargers; CV: Jets

Two Ekeler touchdowns put the Chargers ahead of the Jets. Justin Herbert hit 16 of 30 passes for 136 yards while rushing for 17 yards. Austin Ekeler would do the scoring in this game as he rushed for 47 yards for two touchdowns. Keenan Allen would have a career day as he caught eight balls for 77 yards, including his 10,000 yards that he marked with his own sharpie. Safe to say it's going to be in his possession or the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton. The Chargers would have its shares of offensive ineptitude as pass protection let Herbert get sacked five times. They went 7 for 16 on 3rd down. Zach Wilson would have a trying game as he hit 33 of 49 passes for 263 yards. The passer would not be as fortunate as Herbert as the Chargers defense would sack him eight times and caused havoc by creating four fumbles and recovering three of them. Joey Bosa would cause the most mayhem as the pass rusher got three tackles with a forced fumble while getting 2.5 sacks. Breece Hall would get 50 yards rushing on 16 carries. New York got flagged 8 times for 40 yards, also an issue for the Jets. It was an ugly game. Garrett Wilson caught seven passes for 80 yards in the loss. The Jets would do alright on getting offensive yards with 270 yards in total. The Chargers would finish lower than that with 191 total yards. The two teams would utilize their kickers a lot as Cameron Dicker hit two field goals while Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein hit two field goals of his own. For the Chargers, they get back to playing .500 football with a 4-4 record. For the Jets, they fall back to playing .500 football with a 4-4 record. 

Next week:
LA Chargers: vs Detroit

NY Jets: @ Las Vegas (Sunday night)

TW: 9-5; CV: 8-6

Records

Cardinal Viking:

2023: 
Week 1: 10-6

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 13-3
Week 5: 6-8

Week 6: 9-6

Week 7: 4-9

Week 8: 10-6

Week 9: 8-6

Total: 78-58

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1
2022: 157-112-2

My record: 

2023:
Week 1: 9-7

Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 11-5

Week 4: 14-2

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 8-7

Week 7: 5-8

Week 8: 10-6

Week 9: 9-5

Total: 84-52

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1
2022: 166-103-2

See you all on Wednesday/Thursday for the Week # Picks post! Enjoy your week!

-Tom