NFL Week Nine Previews
Back In Week 0, The Week 9 Slate Of Games Looked Like A Season Changer On The Schedule With A Few Crucial Matchups That Have Massive Implication Across The Season’s Second Act. While That’s Still The Case(As With Every Week In The NFL) The Season Has Unfolded In Ways Unpredicted(As is Always The case) Now Matchups Like Bills-Dolphins Turn Into Fewer Exciting Games But MAtchups Like Broncos-Ravens, and Lions-Packers HAve Elevated To Near Critical Heights For Both Teams Involved. The Chargers And Browns Also Feature In A Big Game If Either wants More Say In The AFC Playoff Picture. For Other Teams Like The Cowboys and Bengals, Their Season Hinges On A Week 9 Victory, And The Cardinals And Bears Have A Matchup That Could Decide Their Playoff Fate Sooner RAther Later. The Panthers and Saints Have Nothing To Play For But Their Rosters Enter Week Nine With Pieces Who Can Provide Help To Other Playoff Teams. Even With The Climate Change Around The League Week Nine Bring A Fresh Intrigue Than What We Expected.
Rams Vs Seahawks
The Los Angeles Rams have Two Straight After Starting The Year 1-4 And While Still At The Bottom of the Division, They Stand In Position To Knock off The Top Team in Seattle In Week Nine. The Rams Offense Has Bounce Back Injuries Slowed The Team Matthew Stafford Comes In Hot Second In Dropback Success Rate And Seventh Drop back EPA Across The Rams ' Game Win Streak. The Rams Have Gotten Healthy With Puka Nacua Returning To Deliver A Blistering Receiving Game To Help The Rams Knock Off The Once Undefeated Vikings. The Seahawks Started 3-0 They’ve Drop To 4-4 And The Defense Has Played Atrocious Seattle Has The Worse Defense In Opponent Success Rate Since Week 4 After Looking Like One Of The League’s Best Through The First Three Weeks. Geno Smith Still Leads The League In Passing But Played Without Top Wide Receiver DK Metcalf Last Week And He’s Looked Shaky And His Offensive Remains A Concern. The Rams Defense Despite “Growing Pains” Has Turned Into A Five Unit In EPA And EPa Per Drop and Rookie Jared Verse Holding A Top Spot In Pass Rush Win Rate. This game between Seattle and Los Angeles symbolizes the collision/intersection of two teams going in opposite directions.
Broncos Vs Ravens
The Broncos Enter A Crucial Week Nine As Legit Playoff Contenders For The First Time Since The Chant “Omaha, Omaha” Broke Through The Air Ways. The Broncos Have the Hardest Litmus Test They’ll Face On The Way To Wild Card In The Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens Have The Best Offense In Football Since Week Two AndThe Lost To Cleveland Hurt Baltimore In The Standing But We Know What Baltimore Can Achieve With All The Switches Clicking. Bo Nix Comes In Off Of His Best Game As A Pro But He’s Not Fitted To Go Back And Forth With Lamar And The Ravens Score For Score But won't Have To He’s Leaning In On The Best Defense In Football. Bo Nix Has A -0.162 EPA/Dropback Compared To Lamar Jackson’s 0.276 Per EPA/DropBack But The Broncos Defense Ranks Top Three In Nearly Any Relevant Defensive Category With Maybe A Fifth Place Spot In Yards Per Carry Allowed. This Game Happens in Denver Where the Altitude Could Make THE Occurrence Of A Big Score Outburst Difficult For The Ravens and A Close After Possibly Favoring The Broncos. The Ravens' Defense Just Gave Up More Than 300 Yards Passing To Jamies Winston And The Browns, Bo Nix Could Find Himself Next In Line.
Colts Vs. Vikings
The Colts Coaching Staff Decide To Bench Anthony Richardson After The Young Inspire A Deluge Of Criticism Brought On By A Slew Of Poor Performances, Questionable Late Game Decisions, And The Colts Desire To Win Now and Develop Later. Richardson brings Too Much Risk Reward To The Game, Back Up Veteran Joe Flacco Brings The Opposite Literally, He’s Predictable and Functional But Generally Serviceable. The Colts Envision Their Season Rest On This Week Nine Matchup Against The Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings' defense has looked super suspect across this two-losing streak, ranking last in Dropback EPA Allowed since Week 6, after leading the league in total EPA Allowed across the five-game win streak to start the season. The Pass Defense Still Leads The League In Interceptions With Flacco Who’s Open To Giving Away A Possession Or Two. The Vikings Have Also Fallen Off The Cliff Ranking Just 24th Overall In EPA Per Play Since Week Five And The Darnold Career Arc A Strong Start Followed By a Depressing Drop Off That Has Followed Him Throughout His Career And Run Game That Supports Darnold, Has Just Four Teams That Rank Worse. The Colts' Defense Also Come In On a Steamer, Despite Their Offenses Best Self Sabotage The Indy Defense Gave The Offense Every Chance To Win Against The Texans, Currently Ranked 7th In EPA Since Week 5 Coming Into Minnesota. The Vikings Come In Still Gunning For The Division Lead With The Lions And Holding Off The Packers In The Wild Card Standings. The Colts Have The AFC Wild Card But A Massive Houston Collapse Have No Chance At The Division.
Bills Vs Dolphins
The Bills Dolphins Week 9 Matchup Had Some Promise As High Profile Matchup Back In Week 0 And Yes Tua’s Return Injury Revives Some Of The Liveliness This Matchup Lacks The Significance Once Thought of Previously. The Last time These Two Teams Met We Witnessed Tua Suffered A Devastating Concussion, He Also Threw Three Interceptions In That Game. This Dolphins Comes In Out Of The Playoff But Off Of The Best Game Of The Season For Offense Scoring 27 Points and Falling Just Short Of A Victory Over Arizona. With Their Playoff Chances Sunk The Dolphins Could Play Spoiler To Bills Look To Keep Pace With The Other AFC Greats for The Top Two Seeds In Football. With The Dolphins Trying To Click On Offense Again With Tua Gets His Toughest To Date, Faing A Top Ten Defense Bills. The Dolphins defense Has Played Better Against The Pass(176.3/Per Game) But Worse Against The Run(123.7/Per Game). Bills James Cooks Comes In On Strong Game 6.5 And Two Touchdowns Against Seattle. The Bills Offense Could Make A Statement By Putting A Foot Down Against A Division Foe.
Cardinals Vs. Bears
Two Of The Most inconsistent Teams In Football Enter Week 9 To Do Battle With NFC Playoff Position On The Line As The Arizona Cardinals 4-4- Meet The 4-3 Chicago Bears. Both Teams Come In Off Of Opposite Ends Of Harrowing Comebacks With the Bears Falling Short To The Hail Mary And The Cardinals Pulling Off A Late Comeback Over The Dolphins. The Cardinals Wants To Act As A Rushing, 5.2 A Carry Has The Offense Good Enough For the Top Ten Mostly Prop Up By A Couple Of Kyler Murray Big Scrambles And That’s Why Arizona Sports A Negative -0.01 EPA Per Run. OC Drew Petzig Also Wants To pass The Ball The Cards Have Launched Themselves into The Top ten In EPA But The Offense Depends On Murray. The Cards Offense Moves At One Of The Slowest Paces In Football Just 57 Plays Per Meaning They're Either Going To Lean Run Or Lean Pass Depending On The Occassion. On the Occasion, One Of The Best Defenses In The Sport The Chicago Bears with A Ten Defense, Held The Top Five Offense Of Washington Out Of The End Zone Until The Final Play. The Bears Have The Number Red one defense And Scoring won't Prove Easy For The Cardinals. The Cardinals' Defense Doesn’t Have Much To Sing About They Sunk At The Bottom Of Most Relevant Defensive Categories Giving Up Six Yards Per Play and 376 Yards Of Offense A Game. Caleb Williams Has Played inconsistently This and A Sharp fourth quarter Saved Him From A Bad Game Against The Commanders’s Defense. Williams Will Have A Secondary To Pull Apart With The Cardinals Pass Defense. Kyler Excels At Escaping From Pressure And Creating Plays. He Doesn’t However Keep His Eyes Downfield And His Receivers Don’t Excel At Creating Consistent Separation. The Cardinals Will Need A Lot Of Factors To Fall In Their Favor To Pull This Upset Over Chicago.
Packers Vs. Lions
Green Bay Packers Quarterback Jordan Love Told The Media It’s Realistic He Suites For The Packers Heavy Weight Matchup Between The Lions And The Packers This Sunday With The Division Lead In The NFC North On The Line. The Packers Come In Off Of A Harrowing Victory Over The Jags On Game Winning Drive Field Goal Late In The Fourth Of Course Love Didn’t Play That Series As He Exited With A Groin Injury On The Packers PenUltimate Drives. Love’s Place As The Starter For Matt Lauer won't Get Challenge You Can't Say He’s The Best Choice To Face The Lions. Love Remains A High-end Volatile Like A Nuclear Reactor. He’s Thrown An Interception In Every Game and He’s Sporting An Above Average turnover Worthy Play Rate. The Packer Struggled To Put Away The Jaguars Last Week The Lions Are A Different Big Cat. Most Football Fans Know Of what The Lions Achieved In Week 9 Scoring 52 Points and Seven Touchdowns but The Defense Comes In Number One In EPA Per Play and DropBack EPA Since Week Five, number Two In Passer Rating, And Second In The League In Turnovers(2.1) A Game. Love Has At Least Interception In Every Game This Season. The Packers Have an opportunistic But Not Always Efficient Defense With 10 Interceptions and 9 Fumbles But 26 Explosive Plays Surrender In The Pass Game. The Lions Offense Plays Efficient Passing Attack 28 Attempts a Game But A Top of The League. Jordan Love Has The Talent But Can He Parlay His Gunslinger Mentality Into Challenging Jared Goff And The Lions Hold On The Division?
Panthers Vs Saints
One Of The Least Notable Games On The Week 9 Slate Garners Has Massive Interest in how The Season As Both The Saints and Panthers possess multiple Players Who Contending Teams Can Acquire Before The Trade Deadline. Reports Acknowledge That The Panthers Will Start Bryce Young If Only To Help Explore His Trade Value and Maybe Prop Up His Stats In Hopes Of Securing A 4th Or 5th Round Pick For Young. No Time For Carolina To Mull The Three First Round Picks Expended On Him Just Move Forward. The Panthers Have Veteran Wide Receiver Adam Theilen On The Roster Though who Can Recall The Last Time They Heard That Name? Jadeveon Clowney Still Plays Football and The Panther could Sell High for Chubba Hubbard. All Of These Players Could Lend Value To A Contending Team This Season. The Saints Offense Took A nose Dive Before Carr Missed The Last Three Starts And Come In Ranked 29th In DropBack EpA And 25th EPA Per Play. Don’t Expect a Revival Just Yet As Carr Stats He’s Not The Savior And The Saints Offense Has Injuries All Across The Roster So Even One Of The League’s Worse Defenses In Carolina Won’t Spare The Saints Offense. Carr Should At least Add A jolt Of Confidence To A Offense Sorely Lacking With Their Back Ups. With both teams Out Of Playoff Contention, This Game Provides Value As a Showcase For Potential Trade Candidates.
