Isn’t it wild that the NFL is playing a game in Germany this week? I don’t even remember the last time they played in a different country besides Mexico or England. That’s pretty interesting. You want to know what else is interesting? The fact that the Patriots offense has only scored four touchdowns in the last three weeks. Not good. Not good at all. However, we aren’t here to discuss my concern of our future at the quarterback position. We’re to talk about what happened around the league in Week 9. Let’s get into it.
1. The Green Bay Packers are in serious trouble
Here are the list of players that were hurt this past Sunday when the Packers faced the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
- RB Aaron Jones (Ankle, likely to return this week)
- CB Eric Stokes (Ankle/Knee, was seen on crutches & walking boot after Sunday’s game)
- LB Rashan Gary (Torn ACL, out for season)
- WR Romeo Doubs (high-ankle sprain, out for 4-6 weeks)
- WR Christian Watson (ruled out on Sunday for concussion, reportedly didn’t have one)
In other words, it’s not looking good for the cheeseheads. The Packers are currently sitting at 3-6 on the year, only one game ahead of the last place Detroit Lions, and their schedule doesn’t get any easier. The Packers will be facing the Cowboys, Titans and Eagles in their next three games. It seems that the best days are behind Aaron Rodgers and this Green Bay Packers offense. Time for Aaron to get immunized against throwing three red-zone interceptions in one game.
2. Joe Mixon had himself a day
The Cincinnati Bengals have had an… interesting year. They’ve had some concerning performances but then they’ll turn around the next week and show you why they won the AFC last year. This game against the Carolina Panthers was a perfect example of that. It was also a perfect showcase of Joe Mixon’s abilities on the football field. I attended the Commanders game this Sunday against the Vikings and when I was at the game I kept getting ESPN notifications saying that Mixon had scored another touchdown. It was ridiculous every 10 minutes it seemed like Joe Mixon was celebrating in the end zone. The Bengals real identity will be discovered towards the end of the year when they have an extremely tough stretch of games consisting of the Chiefs, Browns, Buccaneers, Patriots, Bills and Ravens.
3. The Patriots defense had a field day with the Colts
A blocked punt, a pick-six by Jonathan Jones, allowing zero third-down conversions on 14 attempts, and sacking Sam Ehlinger nine times were just some of the things this Patriots defense did on Sunday. What an incredible performance. Josh Uche and Matt Judon both left the game with three sacks to their name as the Colts only managed to put three points up on the board in a 26-3 Patriots victory. This win puts an exclamation mark on us winning four of our last five games. While I’m still very concerned about the quality of quarterback play we’ve seen in the last few weeks, this defense has definitely taken a major leap since the loss at home against Chicago on Monday Night Football. Judon is currently leading the NFL in sacks with 11.5, three higher than second-place Nick Bosa (8.5). The Patriots will face the 6-3 New York Jets after their bye this week, followed by four straight primetime games against the Vikings, Bills, Cardinals and Raiders. Belichick & Co. are currently sitting in last place in the division with a 5-4 record. If they go at least 3-2 in this upcoming five game stretch, I think we’ll have a chance to sneak into the playoffs. Anything less than that and I don’t know if the cards will fall in our favor.
4. Tom Brady led another game-winning drive
Don’t get me wrong. The Buccaneers still look like a complete shell of the team they once were, but it was nice to see Brady look like the Brady we all know. 44 seconds and no timeouts = 55th career game-winning drive. The Bucs will be facing the 6-3 Seahawks in Munich this Sunday and then they’ll be taking on the Browns, Saints and 49ers after the bye. It will take a lot for this team to make the playoffs, but we’ve seen Brady do a lot crazier things.
5. Lamar Jackson is still top five
Debate with the wall on this, it’s just simple facts. Gus Edwards, Mark Andrews, J.K. Dobbins and Rashod Bateman were all out. And yet he still gets it done. The Ravens have won four of their last five and have a seemingly favorable schedule coming their way after the bye as they will face the Panthers, Jaguars, Broncos and Steelers.
Xavier McKinney broke his hand… during his bye week. Wishing a speedy recovery for him because he is a key piece to the Giants success. I just still can’t believe that the Patriots are sitting at 5-4 and we are somehow last in the division. The days of both East divisions being mediocre seem to be long gone. Geno Smith and the Seahawks are going into Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers as favorites. A sentence that would’ve been laughed at if it was said before week 1. And Justin Fields broke the record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a game. However, here we are. Basking in all of the NFL’s true chaos and glory. This is YSN, until next time, signing out.
