As week 9 of the 2016 NFL season comes to an end, narratives are starting to take shape, contenders and pretenders are being discovered, and the league's best are shining brightest. Here are some of the main takeaways from some of this week's lineup of games.
Note: Arizona, Chicago, Cincinnati, Houston, New England, and Washington all had their BYE week this week.
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings, 22-16 in OT: After a 5-0 start, the Vikings have stumbled to 3 defeats in a row. In what can only be described as a collective implosion. For starters, a horrible, plagued-by-injuries offensive line that features a fresh-off-the-street Jake Long. This in turn affects QB Sam Bradford's play significantly, in addition to a non existent rushing attack.
On the other side of the field, Lions QB Matthew Stafford has finally come to his own under Offensive genius Jim Bob Cooter. Whispers from sources surrounding the team talk about Stafford's incredible, Peyton Manning-like mastery of the offense, without having generational talent, Calvin Johnson to lean on. Lastly, this game also featured a tale of two kickers, Matt Prater sending the game into overtime with a 58 yard kick. All while the Blair Walsh project, which should have been put to bed a couple of seasons ago, missed a crucial extra point, and had a kick blocked.
Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders, 20-30: With a tie atop the division, the Raiders silenced the skeptics by showing America a vintage display of trench-dominant football. Coming from a record-setting, penalty-ridden performance in Tampa, the Raiders managed to play a cleaner game and defeat the Broncos with a strong 3 touchdown performance from running back, Latavius Murray. The ballcarrier has the impressive game put up by the offensive line to thank for the offensive endeavor. Offensive Coordinator, Bill Musgrave continues to deploy creative formations with extra offensive linemen to double team Von Miller and create gaps for his committee of running backs to punish a depleted Broncos defense.
On the other hand, the Broncos offense struggled early, with a lot of drops from tight ends that did not help QB Trevor Siemian establish a rhythm and some confidence. The defense did not look like itself, due to a couple of notable absences like Aqib Talib. In addition, they also had a copious amount of penalties go against them, featuring a sequence where Chris Harris Jr. looked like he didn't know how to play the cornerback position.
Green Bay Packers vs Indianapolis Colts, 26-31: The struggles continue for Aaron Rodgers and the pack, as they were overwhelmed by a Colts team that was superior on all 3 facets of football. For starters Jordan Todman, gave Indy 10 points on 2 fantastic kickoff returns. Furthermore, Andrew Luck continued to make play after play, keeping key scoring drives alive, and in the process, showing why he is the most valuable player in that division. The Colts defense was stingy, allowing for no separation for the Packers receivers in man coverage, and picking off Rodgers during an important possession.
The Packers can find some silver lining in Ty Montgomery's performance at the running back spot. He showed some flashes bouncing runs to the outside, and finding decent holes in between the tackles. It is also important to note, that Green Bay needs to find an identity on offense. They ditched the quick passing game employed during their victory, and opted for a more separation dependent package of plays for the receivers. The box score suggests this was not very effective.
Baltimore Ravens vs Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-14: Coming back from injury, Ben Roethlisberger was not able to lift a mediocre Steelers squad past a tough Ravens defense. The stat indicates that Ben is 2-6 during his first game back from injury, not to mention his horrendous home/road splits this team has been known for. The offense was consumed by drops from Sammie Coates (not surprising) and Jesse James, Le'Veon Bell's inability to run the football, the double/triple teaming of Antonio Brown, and an honest ineptitude from Roethlisberger to move the offense before garbage time.
The Ravens on the other hand, were able to capitalize on quick strikes like a long touchdown catch and run by former Steeler, Mike Wallace. As well as a blocked punt that was returned for a touchdown.
Perhaps the most striking image Steelers fans will come away with, is the bizarre "rabona" style onside kick attempt by Chris Boswell. The Rice University product tried this kick and only moved the ball a few inches, giving the ball back to the Ravens, along with the lead in the division.
