Week 9 of the NFL season was one of the most, if not the most strange Week of the season so far. A lot of teams that were favorited to win took big losses this week. If you’re a betting person, chances are this week wasn’t a very fruitful one for you. Here is a full recap of Week 9 of the NFL season.

The week kicked off with the Indianapolis Colts hosting the New York Jets on Thursday Night. The Jets looked to keep the momentum going from their big win over Cincinnatti the week prior, but the Colts had other plans. The star of Week 8 Mike White left the game with a forearm injury, which gave 3rd string Josh Johnson the opportunity. Johnson threw for 317 yards and three touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough. Johnathan Taylor ran wild, as he totaled 172 yards and two scores. Nyheim Hines also ran for 74 yards and a touchdown. Wentz led the passing game with 272 yards and three touchdowns, as the Colts took a 45-30 win.

The Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins came into the game with a 1-7 record, but only one team could leave with a win. Jacoby Brissett started in place of the injured Tua Tagavailoa. Miami’s defense held Houston to just three field goals and forced four turnovers. Jacoby Brissett threw for 244 yards and one touchdown. Despite his two interceptions, Miami won 17-9.

The Buffaloe Bills traveled to Jacksonville to face the Jaguars
and week 9, and it went all but according to plan for the Jaguars. Josh Allen raised hell for the Bills and, of course, Josh Allen. The Jaguars’ Josh Allen got a sack, recovered a fumble, and caught an interception for Jacksonville. Buffalo’s Josh Allen struggled, as he threw for two interceptions and lost a fumble as well. The Jags won the game by a score of 9-6, as the Bills take their third loss of the year.

The Lamar Jackson records just keep stacking up week by week, this time, at the mercy of the Minnesota Vikings. Lamar rallied the troops again, from an early second-half deficit to defeat the Minnesota Vikings. Lamar threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns. Jackson also ran for 120 yards on the day. This makes Jackson’s 22nd game running for 75 yards or more, surpassing Mike Vick for the most all-time, the first QB to record multiple games with three touchdown passes and 100 yards rushing and 3rd career game throwing for 250 yards and rushing for 100 yards, which ties Cam Newton for most all-time. In the end, though, the Ravens forced overtime where Justin Tucker drilled a 36-yard field goal for the win. The final score was 34-31.

The Dallas Cowboys struggled severely in their matchup vs. The Denver Broncos. The Dallas offense failed to get into a rhythm throughout the game, while Denver moved the ball with ease. Teddy Bridgewater led the charge with 249 yards passing, while Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon III combined for 191 yards rushing. The Denver defense held Dallas to just 5-13 on 3rd down, and 0-4 on fourth down. The Broncos won 30-16, ending Dallas’ six-game win streak.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ woes continue, fortunately for them the Packers were without 2020-21 MVP, Aaron Rodgers. The Chiefs’ offense once again looked discombobulated throughout the game. Patrick Mahomes threw for just 166 yards on the day but completed just 54% of his passes. Jordan Love struggled in his first career start as well. Love looked very skirmish at times and failed to make accurate passes to open WRs at times. The Chiefs won the game 13-7, and improve to 5-4.

The Cardinals got hit with the injury bug this week and were without some of their best players, particularly Kyler Murray DeAndre Hopkins, and J.J. Watt. In place of Murray, long-time veteran Colt McCoy made the start. Arizona was facing the San Francisco 49ers in an AFC west match. Colt McCoy lit the 49ers up, completing 22/26 passes for 249 yards. James Connor stepped in big time for the Cardinals. Connor ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns and caught five passes for 77 yards and one touchdown. The 49ers failed to take advantage of the hobbled Cardinals and lost at home 31-17. The Cardinals are now 8-1 on the season.

The Browns were hitting on all cylinders vs. the Cincinnati Bengals in week 9. Nick Chubb was dominant, as he rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Baker Mayfield threw for 218 yards and two touchdowns. Myles Garrett and the Browns defense made things very uncomfortable for Joe Burrow. Burrow threw two interceptions and was sacked five times on the day. One of his interceptions went to Denzel Ward who returned it 99 yards for a Browns’ touchdown. Cleveland won 41-16.

Matt Ryan has been flying under the radar this season. Many expected the Falcons to be one of the worst teams in the NFL, but Ryan has been keeping Atlanta afloat. This week, Ryan took on the New Orleans Saints in an NFC South battle. With a non-existent running game, Ryan threw for 343 yards and two touchdowns, as well as a rushing touchdown. Cordarrelle Patterson has been a hidden gem for the Falcons all season, and this week he caught six passes for 126 yards. In the end, the Falcons Younghoe Koo nailed a 29-yard field goal that would win them the game 27-25. The Falcons are now 4-4

The New York Giants got back in the winning column this week vs. the Las Vegas Raiders. Even though Daniel Jones had a very pedestrian game statistically, throwing for just 110 yards and one touchdown, it was enough for the win. Derik Carr threw for 296 yards, but with two detrimental interceptions, both caught by Xavier McKinney. New York won 23-16.

In 2019, the Patriots defense forced Sam Darnold, then New York Jet, into one of the worst games of his young career. Darnold said that he was “seeing ghosts”, against the Patriots’ defense. This week, that was once again the reality for Darnold. Darnold threw for 172 yards, completing 16/33 passes, and three interceptions. One interception was run back by J.C. Jackson for a touchdown. Another interception he threw was made by Jamie Collins Sr., who snatched it out of the air at the line of scrimmage. Mac Jones led the way for the Pats with a 24-6 win.

The Philadelphia Eagles took on the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 9, but came up just short. Jalen Hurts threw for 162 yards and rushed for 62 more yards. His fellow 2020 draft class member Justin Herbert threw for 356 yards and a pair of touchdowns, with one rushing touchdown as well. Rookie WR Devonta Smith had his self a day with five catches for 116 yards and a huge touchdown to tie the game in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately for the Eagles though, the Chargers made a 29 yard field goal to take a 27-24 lead with seconds to spare.

Across the country, the other Los Angeles team hosted the Tennessee Titans at home. The Titans are trying to fill the void of All-Pro Derrick Henry, but the offense wasn’t the one to fill that void. The Titans defense put constant pressure on the Rams, an they had no answer. Tennessee sacked Matthew Stafford five times, and the pressure also forced Stafford to throw two ill-advised interceptions. One was thrown as Stafford was being spun to the ground in his own endzone, and the other was returned by Kevin Byard for a 24-yard touchdown. The Rams made a late push at the end. but it was just too late. Tennessee continues to play phenomenal as they improve their record to 7-2. The Rams also fall to 7-2 on the season.

The final game of Week 9 came between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Chicago Bears on Monday night. The game featured several controversial calls that went against the Bears, but they still fought through. Justin Fields had his best game as a pro with 291 yards passing and 45 yards rushing. Chicago made a comeback in the fourth quarter, but the effort was to no avail. Big Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers down to a game winning field goal in the waning moments of the game. The final score was 29-27, as Pittsburgh takes second place in the AFC North.