Week Nine of the NFL Season is in the history books, and we are officially at the mid-way point of the 18 week, 17 game season.
For some teams, it has been an outstanding start, for others they have done as expected but for others, it has been a poor start to the campaign, and it could even be getting worse.
At the midway point of the season, I have it 79 scores correctly and 42 incorrectly, which I feel is a pretty decent return, but it is one that I would like to improve upon as we head towards the second half of the season.
We’ve already seen some stellar individual performances this season. In the running for MVP has to be wide receivers Tyreek Hill (Dolphins), AJ Brown (Eagles), CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys) and Stefan Diggs (Buffalo Bills). QB contenders will include Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Lamar Jackson (Ravens), Jalen Hurts (Eagles) and Joe Burrow (Bengals).
Running Back contenders are a bit thin on the ground, but Christian McCaffrey of the 49ers is the outstanding option here.
It’s rare for any other position to win MVP, but others who should be considered include DE Myles Garrett (Browns), OLB Micah Parsons (Cowboys), Safety Kenny Moore II (Colts), TE Travis Kelce (Chiefs) and OLB TJ Watt (Steelers).
Rookie of the year contenders include QB CJ Stroud (Texans), RB Devon Achane (Dolphins), RB Bijan Robinson (Falcons) and WR Jordan Addison (Vikings).
So, let’s now begin by recapping how Week Nine in the NFL turned out.
Any odds we refer to or display in this post are provided by bet365 Sport and they were correct at the time of publication, but may have changed in the meantime.
BET247
Bet365 Review ⊕ Min Deposit: £5 ⊕ Expiry: 30 days ⊕ Min Odds: 1/5 (1.20)
TOP30
William Hill Review » ⊕ Min £10/€10/$10 stake ⊕ Expiry: 30 days ⊕ Min Odds: 1.5
NEW BONUS
GG Poker Review » ⊕ Min Deposit: £10 ⊕ Limited period ⊕ $1 for ever $ in Rake
Bye Week – Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers.
A solid effort this week, 9 out of 14 isn’t too bad an effort, though I would have liked a couple more. We also have 14 games to pick from this week, so let’s hope we can get over that 0.66 mark over the next week or so.
It was a nervy finish with the Cowboys in with a chance of winning right until the end, but the Eagles hung on to record a massive win to move them on to an NBFL best 8-1 ahead of their bye week. It was a back and forth game until the second half when the Eagles moved two scores in front and that proved to be the key in securing the win, despite a brave Dallas fightback. The Cowboys are close to besting the Eagles, but they are not quite there yet.
Perhaps the most impressive performance of the season saw two teams with just two defeats meet in Baltimore but it was a hugely one-sided affair as the Ravens put the Seahawks to the sword. Seattle could muster just a single field goal against a rampant Ravens defense, while the offense added 37 points to secure a thumping win against one of the stronger and more resilient outfits in the NFC.
No doubt where the most drama was this weekend as the Buccaneers and Texans fought out a classic in Houston. With offenses combining for 76 points in total, it was the Texans who prevailed thanks to an incredible QB display by rookie CJ Stroud, who broke rookie QB records on his way to a five passing TD performance, with three receivers all catching for over 100 yards. A fantastic game of football and a huge one for the Texans to win.
Are the Cardinals set to tank to try and pick up the first pick in the NFL Draft next season? With no sign of Kyler Murray back at QB just yet, and him coming to the end of his contract in Arizona, the temptation to get a high pick and land one of the star QBs predicted to be available in next year’s draft is tempting. That would explain their lame offensive showing against a dominant Browns defense who chewed up the Cardinals and spat them out.
It was an all-round horrible day for the Giants. Not only did they suffer a heavy loss to the Raiders, but once again their offense was wholly ineffective until garbage time and before that they had lost QB Daniel Jones to a season ending ACL injury. Devito came in as his replacement and did score his first NFL touchdown but he also threw two interceptions as the Giants were overwhelmed by a Raiders team who have responded well to the firing of Josh McDaniels.
Kevin O’Connell was viewed as QB guru in his time at the Rams and he is now working his magic for the Vikings. However, the Rams are sorely missing him as without him, they are struggling mightily on offense and at the QB position in particular. Matt Stafford is injured and his replacements aren’t getting it done and this Rams team is a shadow of the one that won the Super Bowl just a couple of years ago.
The single greatest performance by a rookie quarterback in NFL history is what Texans fans got to witness in an incredible game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The teams shared 76 points, but the Texans secured two more thanks to Tank Dell’s touchdown late in the game. However, Stroud’s performance was one for the record books and one worthy of being Rookie performance of the week AND offensive performance of the week.
Josh Dobbs had three days to get to learn the Vikings playbook, but no matter, he was scheduled to back up rookie QB Jaren Hall against the Falcons. However, Hall went down early forcing the Vikings to turn to Dobbs. Incredibly, despite having to learn plays on the sideline and in the huddle, Dobbs produced an outstanding performance, passing for two touchdowns, rushing for another and leading the Vikings to a 31-28 win over the Falcons. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell called Dobbs performance one of the most impressive he has ever seen in the NFL.
The Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II had got tickets for his sisters to watch him play against the Carolina Panthers and he did not disappoint his family watching in the stands. He made eight tackles in the game, but his highlights were two outstanding pick sixes, one for 49 yards and the second for 66 yards which were crucial in the Colts landing the victory against the Panthers. It was another outstanding performance by Moore who has enjoyed an outstanding first half of the season so far.
There are 14 games in the NFL this week due to another four teams having their Bye Week on Week 11. The teams not playing this week are the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles.
Money Line Tip – Chicago Bears – 10/17
Money Line Tip – Indianapolis Colts – 10/13
Money Line Tip – Baltimore Ravens – 10/27
Money Line Tip – Cincinnati Bengals – 5/16
Money Line Tip – San Francisco 49ers – 20/31
Money Line Tip – Minnesota Vikings – 6/5
Money Line Tip – Pittsburgh Steelers – 20/37
Money Line Tip – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 20/23
Money Line Tip – Atlanta Falcons – 10/13
Money Line Tip – Detroit Lions – 5/6
Money Line Tip – Dallas Cowboys – 1/12
Money Line Tip – Seattle Seahawks – 10/27
Money Line Tip – Las Vegas Raiders – 23/20
Money Line Tip – Buffalo Bills – 5/18
Last week’s NFL Power Ranking is shown in brackets.
Bet365 Bonus Code, Sports, Casino and Poker Sign up offers and News
18+ Worried about your gambling?
Gamcare - When the fun stops – STOP!