We are now one week past the halfway mark of the 2019 NFL season and it wouldn’t be a normal week without some upsets that give us thrilling takeaways. No team was safe on Sunday from being upset which included the New England Patriots suffering their first defeat of the season at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens.
The Minnesota Vikings were also the victims of an upset loss against the Kansas City Chiefs again without Patrick Mahomes. Arrowhead Stadium, no matter who’s under-center, remains a tough place to play for opposing teams. Mahomes should be close to returning from his dislocated knee cap injury, but in case he isn’t, then Matt Moore should be good enough.
The San Francisco 49ers are now the lone undefeated team across the NFL … just like everybody expected. Although they had a scare against the Arizona Cardinals, the 49ers keep finding ways to win.
There was certainly a fair share of chaos across the board on Sunday and it continues to keep people guessing on how the season may play out. Any given Sunday, right?
Without further ado, these are our five takeaways from the week that was.
Five NFL Week 9 Takeaways
5. Losers No More!
It’s always hard to feel for a team that has been searching for their first win nine weeks into the season. But finally, finally, the Miami Dolphins and their fans can erase the pain of possibly going 0-16 in 2019. The Dolphins put their best effort against rival New York Jets on Sunday and finally didn’t choke a lead away.
Granted, the Jets are in something of a tailspin themselves, but the Dolphins did not care and put up a season-high 26 points on Sunday. Ryan Fitzpatrick had enough FitzMagic to lead them to their first win. Miami is still in position for at least a top 3 2020 draft pick, so, they also got that going for them.
4. The Rrrrraiders!
In their final season in Oakland before becoming the Los Vegas Raiders, they’re quietly putting together a solid season. Derek Carr is playing efficient football again, Josh Jacobs keeps finding the end zone and Jon Gruden is having a much better coaching season than last.
At 4-4 and beating a pretty good Detroit Lions team on Sunday, who’s to say they can’t sneak in as a Wild Card team? Given how open the AFC seems to be, it’s certainly possible. Especially, if they keep winning close games that they weren’t in the past.
3. Here Come The Chargers
This is a tradition that is becoming quite predictable at this point. The Los Angeles Chargers start off incredibly slow and then, suddenly, they look like a playoff team. On Sunday, they took apart the 7-1 Green Bay Packers as if they’ve been this good all season long.
Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram tore the Packers’ O-Line to shreds accounting for 2.5 sacks against Aaron Rodgers — who had a game to forget along with his teammates. At 4-5, the Chargers look to put back-to-back wins into a winning season as they gear up, again, for another second-half run.
2. Circling The Wagons
The Buffalo Bills continue to be a fascinating team through nine weeks, so far. What’s equally fascinating is that they are the only threat to the New England Patriots in the AFC East. Following a disappointing loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles, how would this young Bills team respond?
Turns out, they would respond with a dominating performance against the Washington Redskins at home. If Buffalo wants to be taken as a serious contender, they need to A. beat the lesser teams and B. knock off one of the elite teams in the second half. They’re a tough team with good defense and offense that’s smooth through the air and ground. Make life tough on opposing teams.
1. Baltimore Makes a Statement
This is easily the biggest of all the NFL takeaways. The New England Patriots would finally face a tough team waiting to play spoilers on their perfect season heading into Week 9. The Baltimore Ravens were more than ready as they proved, without a doubt, that they are a powerhouse not to be taken lightly. Lamar Jackson praised with “MVP” chants from the Baltimore faithful, remains a prolific passer with dangerous feet who’s still getting better and better.
The Ravens defense made Tom Brady look as human as we’ve seen this season with an interception and a scoop-and-score fumble off Julian Edelman to continue the tone-setting night. The Ravens have the look of a Super Bowl team and now hold the head-to-head over the Patriots. Are the winds changing in the AFC? Baltimore is poised to make a deep run this January.
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