NFL Week 9 Highlights

As Week 9 of the NFL ends, the regular season is at its halfway point. There are nine more weeks left in the regular season. This is where playoff pictures start getting drawn up and where winning for the next nine weeks matters more.

Some NFL teams had bye weeks- Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos.

NFL Week 9 Schedule! pic.twitter.com/BSHV57JgYr

— Trip (@tripnfl) October 31, 2023

Here is a deep dive into some of the games from Sunday.

Vikings and Falcons

In NFL Week 8, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins suffered a torn Achilles injury. With Cousins being out for the rest of the season, many thought this would end the Vikings season. With the Viking’s backup QB Nick Mullens on injured reserve due to a back injury, the Vikings had only one QB left on their active roster, rookie Jaren Hall.  However, in the game’s second possession, Hall had to leave the field and was ruled out for the remainder due to a concussion. With this injury, the Vikings had to put in Josh Dobbs, an emergency QB that the Vikings acquired Tuesday of last week.

During practice, Dobbs didn’t even get a single rep with the Vikings offense, and before Sunday, he did not throw any practice passes or take a snap from the center.  What many thought would be the end of the game, Dobbs proved everyone wrong. The Vikings won, beating the Falcons 31-28, with Dobbs throwing 20-30, 158 yards and two TDs.

Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell comments on Dobbs.

Giants and Raiders

The Giants went to Las Vegas and played the Raiders, losing 30-6. Many Giants fans were hopeful of a comeback this game, but that all ended on the first play of the second quarter, when QB Daniel Jones buckled his knee and had to leave for the rest of the game.

Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll.

Having no points on the board and being down by seven this was not what the Giants needed. Tommy DeVito steps in for Jones, but was unable to bring the team back and was unsuccessful in securing the win for the Giants. Even though the Vikings were able to face adversity with player injuries, the Giants on the other hand were not.

Cowboys and Eagles

Two of the top teams of the NFC (not to mention rivals) went head to head in Philadelphia. The game ended with the Eagles beating the Cowboys 28-23.

This was a game of back and forth, with the Cowboys having just a three-point lead at the end of the first half. The Cowboys lead would go down the drain in the third quarter, where the Eagles would score 14 points and none by the Cowboys. Making it a 28-17 game at the start of the 4th. The Cowboys were able to bounce back by scoring a touchdown and cut the lead to only five points.

Down by five points, they were able to get the ball back in the last minute of the game. The Cowboys managed to get all the way down to the Eagles’ 11. Then after a sack and a penalty to push the Cowboys back. Then on the last play of the night, the Dak Prescott threw the ball and CeeDee Lamb caught it but was just a few yards short of scoring what could have been the game winning touchdown.

Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni take on the last possession.

After the win the Eagles have the best record in the league being 8-1 with a bye in Week 10.

Bills and Bengals

The Buffalo Bills headed to the Paycor Stadium, and did not return with a win. The final score was 24-18.  This was the second week that people saw Joe Burrow moving and being the mobile and quick on his feet QB that everyone saw the last two seasons. After Burrows calf injury during training camp, many thought in the first few games that Burrow was done and the team was not the same. However, this is now the Bengals fourth straight win in a row.

The game appeared like it was going to be a heavy back and forth game on the first few drives. However, the Bengals defense quickly figured out how the Bills were going to play and were able to get the ball back to the Bengals offense. Since, Burrow feeling healthy the offense has been explosive and unstoppable.

Many believe now that Joe Burrow is on the move again and looking like his old self, that the Bengals will see the Bills when the playoffs come around.

Josh Allen had the following to say on the game.

Monday will conclude NFL Week 9 of the regular season of the NFL with Monday Night Football. Tonight the Los Angeles Chargers will be headed to MetLife Stadium to take on the New York Jets. Kickoff will begin at 8:20 p.m.