{"id":75690,"date":"2019-11-05T06:55:35","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T11:55:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=75690"},"modified":"2021-05-29T21:12:21","modified_gmt":"2021-05-30T01:12:21","slug":"nfl-week-9-takeaways","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/11\/05\/nfl-week-9-takeaways\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Week 9 Takeaways"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/a> suffering their first defeat of the season at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Minnesota Vikings\u00a0<\/a>were also the victims of an upset loss against the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> again without Patrick Mahomes<\/a><\/strong>. 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<\/a><\/strong> should be good enough.<\/p>\n

The San Francisco 49ers<\/a> are now the lone undefeated team across the NFL … just like everybody expected. Although they had a scare against the Arizona Cardinals<\/a>, the 49ers keep finding ways to win.<\/p>\n

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?<\/p>\n

Without further ado, these are our five takeaways from the week that was.<\/p>\n

Five NFL Week 9 Takeaways<\/strong><\/h2>\n

5. Losers No More!<\/h2>\n

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<\/a> 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<\/a> on Sunday and finally didn’t choke a lead away.<\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

4. The Rrrrraiders!<\/h2>\n

In their final season in Oakland before becoming the Los Vegas Raiders<\/a>, they’re quietly putting together a solid season. Derek Carr<\/a><\/strong> is playing efficient football again, Josh Jacobs<\/a><\/strong> keeps finding the end zone and Jon Gruden<\/strong> is having a much better coaching season than last.<\/p>\n

At 4-4 and beating a pretty good Detroit Lions<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

3. Here Come The Chargers<\/h2>\n

This is a tradition that is becoming quite predictable at this point. The Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> start off incredibly slow and then, suddenly, they look like a playoff team. On Sunday, they took apart the 7-1 Green Bay Packers<\/a> as if they’ve been this good all season long.<\/p>\n

Joey Bosa<\/a><\/strong> and Melvin Ingram<\/a><\/strong> tore the Packers’ O-Line to shreds accounting for 2.5 sacks against Aaron Rodgers<\/a><\/strong> — 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.<\/p>\n

2. Circling The Wagons<\/h2>\n

The Buffalo Bills<\/a> 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<\/a>, how would this young Bills team respond?<\/p>\n

Turns out, they would respond with a dominating performance against the Washington Redskins<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

1. Baltimore Makes a Statement<\/h2>\n

This is easily the biggest of all the NFL takeaways. The New England Patriots<\/a> would finally face a tough team waiting to play spoilers on their perfect season heading into Week 9. The Baltimore Ravens<\/a> were more than ready as they proved, without a doubt<\/a>, that they are a powerhouse not to be taken lightly. Lamar Jackson<\/a><\/strong> praised with “MVP” chants from the Baltimore faithful, remains a prolific passer with dangerous feet who’s still getting better and better.<\/p>\n

The Ravens defense made Tom Brady<\/a><\/strong> look as human as we’ve seen this season with an interception and a scoop-and-score fumble off Julian Edelman<\/a><\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>