Even with six teams on bye this week (including three quarters of the NFC North), NFL Week Nine is still shaping up to be a big one. There is a lot going on around the league we love and many key storylines to analyze.
NFL Week Nine Preview: Around the Game
Manning-Brady Yet Again
If it seems like Peyton Manning faces off with Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and company every year, there’s a simple reason for that: it’s because he does. That’s the price of finishing first, which the Patriots, and whichever team Manning plays for, seem to do every year. This year’s incarnation of the match up will see the Patriots holding court in Foxborough, with both teams riding sizzling hot streaks. Typically, Manning and Brady have been playing sensational quarterback lately, and have led the Broncos and Patriots to 6-1 and 6-2 records, respectively. These two teams sit firmly atop the AFC playoff picture (don’t they always), and while this game won’t make or break the season for either club, you know it’s circled on many calendars. The first battle for AFC supremacy is waged this weekend. Look for an exciting and likely high-scoring affair.
RGIII Returns to Action
For the first time since Week Two, Washington will have its starting quarterback back in action. After missing seven weeks with a dislocated ankle, Robert Griffin III returns to the grid iron as his club travels to Minnesota to take on the Vikings. It’s difficult to ascertain how Griffin will perform in Head Coach Jay Gruden’s scheme if for no other reason than the fact that the sample size we have is so small. Griffin completed 77.5 per cent of his passes in his limited action this year, but didn’t get the ball into the end zone with his arm or his legs. Sunday should provide an interesting opportunity to see how a talented passer like Griffin will fit into a quarterback friendly scheme like Gruden’s. Either way, the return of RGIII can only boost the morale of a team that is riding high after back-to-back victories.
Ravens and Steelers Face Off
Quietly, the AFC North has been one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL. To put that in perspective, the first-place Cincinnati Bengals are 4-2-1 while the last place Cleveland Browns sit at 4-3. Sandwiched between those two clubs are the 5-3 Baltimore Ravens and the 5-3 Pittsburgh Steelers; two teams that don’t exactly love one another. One of the most noted rivalries in the AFC is renewed on Sunday Night Football as the Ravens travel to Pittsburgh in an attempt to sweep the Steelers in the season series. The Ravens picked up a 26-6 home victory over their rivals in Week Two, and will attempt to duplicate that success in hostile territory. It’s always seems to be a big deal when these two franchises go head-to-head, which is remarkable when one considers the fact that it always happens at least twice a year. What makes this match up even more compelling is the fact that the Bengals and Browns have winnable games with the Jaguars and Buccaneers, respectively. It’s entirely possible that the team that drops the Sunday Nighter will be the only AFC North franchise to taste defeat in Week Nine. In a division as competitive as this one, that could be very, very costly.
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