Week 9 of the NFL season is in the books and the theme for the week seemed to be the overtime game. Three of the thirteen games on the schedule went to overtime in another thrilling week of the NFL.
Overtime Galore
The Detroit Lions may have been 2-5 headed into their game against the New York Jets, but don’t let the record fool you – the Lions are not a horrible football team. The Jets found this out on Sunday. The Jets needed overtime to beat the Lions. It was an interesting game to watch, specifically after the Lions’ second touchdown. The Lions’ kicker, Jason Hanson, had injured himself earlier in the game so the Lions were forced to attempt the PAT with the back-up, who happens to be Defensive Tackle, Ndamukong Suh. Suh hit the right upright, had he hit that kick, the Lions win this one in regulation instead of losing 23-20 in overtime.
The Arizona Cardinals aren’t very good since Kurt Warner retired. This week they were very good for about 3.5 quarters. The Minnesota Vikings were trailing by 14 points in the fourth quarter, but were able to tie the game and take it to overtime. In overtime, the Vikings ended up winning the game on a field goal, 27-24. The Vikings would not have won if it were not for Brett Favre’s career high 426 passing yards. That’s right, his career high came at the age of 41.
The last overtime match-up was a thriller between the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. The Raiders’ rookie Jacoby Ford literally ripped a pass from two defensive backs to set-up the game tying field goal. The Raiders won the game, 23-20, in overtime bringing their record to 5-4.
No Contest
This week there were five games that were no contests, that is one team won by more than 14 points.
The largest margin of victory this week was the Packers 45-7 thumping of the Cowboys. Wade Phillips was fired as a result of this debacle. I have literally run out of words to describe how bad the Cowboys have played this season.
The Giants were able to handle the banged up Seahawks in Seattle, 41-7. It really was never a contest, the Giants led 35-0 at halftime.
The Saints had no problem with the Panthers the second time around. In the first meeting the Saints were barely able to beat the Panthers 16-14. This time, the Saints crushed the Panthers, 34-3. Matt Moore went down with an injury that could threaten the remainder of his season, sorry Steve Smith owners.
The next no contest didn’t have the result many expected. The score in the Patriots-Browns game was 34-14, only the Browns were the team to score 34. The Browns were led by Peyton Hillis, who seemed unstoppable amassing 184 yards rushing on 26 carries. The Browns also had a nice game-plan against the Patriots, including an incredible “fumblerooski” for a TD.
The Ravens returned from their BYE week refreshed and took care of business against the Dolphins, 26-10.
The Rest of the Action
The Bills suffered another loss by three points. The Bears beat the Bills, 22-19. This was the third week in a row that the Bills lost by a field goal.
The Chargers have started their “charge.” They were able to beat a struggling Texans team, 29-23. Phillip Rivers seems unstoppable this season and he is on pace to crush Dan Marino’s single season passing record.
The Falcons held on against the division rival Bucs, 27-21. Roddy White was forced to leave the game with an injury, which could be problematic for the Falcons in the future.
Michael Vick returned to the Eagles, as did DeSean Jackson, and they picked up where they left off. Jackson had over 100 yards receiving and Vick was very effective both passing and running the ball. The Eagles just managed to beat the Colts, 26-24. Vick is undefeated as the starter this season.
On Monday Night Football, the Steelers opened fast by jumping on the Bengals early. They had a 20 point lead heading into the fourth quarter, but what seems like the norm, they allowed the Bengals back into the game. They managed to win 27-21 thanks to a 4th down defensive stand inside the red zone with under one minute to play in the game.
That does it for the Week 9 action, remember to check back next week to find out what you may have missed in Week 10.
Which game was most surprising to you? Comment Below!
[Photo Credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images via BleacherReport.com]
