What we Learned as NFL Bettors in Week 9 for Week 10

Following the conclusion of Bears vs. Steelers tonight, Week 9 of the NFL season will be in the rearview mirror.

And man, was it was a wild ride.

The Buffalo Bills, favorites to win it all, got beat by a team that has two wins in as many seasons. Superstar players left their teams under strange circumstances, and rookie players got their shot to start.

The next step is to take inventory of the major storylines from last week and apply them to Week 10 NFL wagering and beyond. So, let’s take down the three biggest things we learned last week in the NFL. 

NFL Week 9 Takeaways

Josh Allen and the Bills are not the Super Bowl favorites we thought they were

Josh Allen has a new nemesis in the NFL. His name is Josh Allen.

The latter, a linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars, had a career day against his name-twin. He snagged his first interception against the other Josh Allen, then came a sack and a forced fumble. It was a bizarre afternoon made even stranger when you realize the two were both seventh overall picks in back to-back drafts. 

Allen ended the day with 264 yards and two interceptions in the Bills' 6-9 loss. To say it was a bad game for Allen and this team would be an understatement considering Buffalo was a two-touchdown favorite on the road. The Bills were considered Super Bowl favorites and Josh Allen was leading the NFL MVP race. 

I don’t mean to take anything away from the Jaguars here by chalking this up to a “fluke game,” by the Bills. Urban Meyer did a great job of throwing the Bills off balance early and they never recovered. The Jags exposed the Bills offense as pretty average and were able to pressure Allen for the entire game. It’s clear to me moving forward that if Allen has a bad game, the rest of this team doesn’t have the skill to make up for it. 

The Bills have a great matchup this week against the Jets to get back on track. But, I feel its hard to trust them again as double-digit favorites. 

The Cleveland Browns don’t need Odell Beckham Jr. 

With all of the drama swirling around the Cleveland Browns last week, I was reticent to trust them against the Bengals. Well, the Browns came out and really impressed me by winning 41-16 in the midst of Odell Beckham Jr’s not so quiet exit from the team.

The former star for the New York Giants never really found his footing in Cleveland. But, this season things went from bad to terrible real quicks. The tipping point came after OBJ Sr. posted an Instagram video highlighting plays where Baker Mayfield didn’t pass to, or missed, his son. After years of poor play, the Browns were quick to grand OBJ’s wishes to leave Cleveland. 

The team itself, as far as on-field performance goes, doesn’t appear to have missed a step. In fact, it looked as if the Browns were better off without the distraction that has been OBJ. 

This is Baker Mayfield's team and he showed it this weekend. He has the weapons to win with Jarvis Landry and Donavan, Peoples-Jones, and Austin Hooper. Nick Chubb also remind us how good he can be and had his best game of the season with 137 yards rushing and two touchdowns. 

While OBJ’s talent is undeniable, he has potentially fallen into the category of “problematic star athlete” and the Browns are lucky to see him gone. 

Despite all the controversy and chaos, the Packers still need Aaron Rodgers at quarterback

Jordan Love was called on to start this week after Aaron Rodgers contracted Covid despite claiming to be immunized. Now, we know that Rodgers was never vaccinated due to an allergy to something in the shot. This caused an uproar across the nation as Rodgers had not been following the proper protocols set up for unvaccinated players and putting others at risk. 

These distractions and negative media attention was the last thing the 7-1 Packers needed heading into Week 9. 

Jordan Love got the start for the Packers and made two thing abundantly clear. He isn’t ready to lead and NFL team and the Packers need Aaron Rodgers if they hope to continue winning. Love passed for 190 yards and a touchdown in a sad 13-7 loss to the Chiefs. Davante Adams had his worst game of the year, totaling a mere 42 yards in the loss. 

The reigning NFL MVP is expected back sometimes this week, so long as he tests negative twice in a 48-hour span. If not, the Packers will have another tough game against the Seahawks to navigate without their best player.