There were plenty of surprises as the season reached the halfway mark. And there were plenty of changes atop the NFL Power Rankings.
Take a deep breath. All told, Week 9 featured a 14-game slate in which more than half of the contests were of the interconference variety. That includes Monday night’s clash between the Bears and Steelers at Pittsburgh.
There was no Aaron Rodgers or Kyler Murray on Sunday even though the Packers and Cardinals, respectively, were in action. Finally, there were some stunning results that had a huge effect on this week’s rankings.
Dating back to last season, the franchise has dropped 12 consecutive games. This season, the team had allowed the most points per game in the NFL entering Week 9. And that’s really concerning considering the Lions were torched for 519 points in 2020 – the second-most in one season in league history.
A change of scenery has not been good for former Rams’ quarterback Jared Goff, who has thrown 8 TD passes and committed 10 turnovers.
Make it eight consecutive for a team that opened the year with a win over Jacksonville. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor returned to the starting lineup for the first time since injuring his hamstring back in Week 2.
He threw for 240 yards but was sacked five times and served up three interceptions as the Texans settled for three field goals. David Culley’s squad turned over the ball four times but managed to come up with five takeaways in the losing effort.
The club fell to 2-6 thanks to a 45-30 victory loss at Indianapolis on Thursday night. Surprise star Mike White was injured early and third-stringer Josh Johnson wound up throwing for 317 yards and three touchdowns.
But much of that came after Robert Saleh’s team fell behind 42-16 in the third quarter. The Jets’ defense was singed for 532 total yards – including a whopping 260 yards rushing. Indianapolis’ offensive unit scored a half-dozen touchdowns.
While some may point to a shaky quarterback situation, Washington’s defense has been a big factor in the team’s disappointing 2-6 start. A year ago, the club ranked second in fewest total yards and fewest passing yards.
It’s been a much different story as Ron Rivera’s club ranked 27th in total defense while only two teams in the league were giving up more passing yardage per contest entering Week 9. Washington defender have allowed 20 TD passes.