50 things we learned in Week 9 of the 2015 NFL season
In honor of Super Bowl 50, here are 50 things we learned in Week 9:
1. Cam Newton: MVP candidate. Discuss. (But not until you have read the next 49).
2. Blaine Gabbert: MVP candidate. (Just kidding.)
3. Vikings DT Linval Joseph continued his great play, though it is not getting noticed too far out of Minnesota so far. That could change soon. Said teammate Brian Robison: “He’s having a Pro Bowl-type season. I am going to lobby for him. If he doesn’t (go), it’s a travesty.’’ We agree.
4. Steelers WR Antonio Brown had 17 catches for 284 yards. He might have saved Pittsburgh's season all by himself.
5. Unfortunately, Brown might not see those numbers again for a while. Ben Roethlisberger left with a foot injury and is expected to miss a few weeks. It's just that kind of year for the Steelers.
6. And welcome back, Sammy Watkins. We don’t hear anybody in Buffalo criticizing his work ethic after he hauled in eight catches for 168 yards, as well as a great finger-tip touchdown catch.
7. Peyton Manning is 0-2 in returns to Indianapolis. And he didn’t get to set the career passing yardage record there. Somewhere Jim Irsay is smiling. Broadly.
8. Colts coach Chuck Pagano should have tried that fake punt thing right before the end of the half. Instead, the Colts went into their fake punt coverage routine. Just sayin’.
9. Did the Falcons, down by four points, really kick a field goal with three minutes go and the ball on the 31-yard line? They never saw the ball again. Cue Herm Edwards: “You play to win the game.” You don’t play to not lose.
10. We’ll say this. This Broncos-Colts game was as entertaining as we thought it would be when the schedule was released last spring.
11. Here is the respect - or lack thereof - the Patriots had for the Redskins: They went for it on fourth down on their first possession and then attempted - successfully - an onside kick after their first TD.
12. The Cowboys likely want no part of Jordan Hicks in the future. The Eagles linebacker broke Tony Romo's collarbone in Week 2 and had a pick-six Sunday on Matt Cassel.
13. So the Saints will allow Sean Payton to shop for a new job after the season? We bet he’s not allowed to bring Rob Ryan with him.
14. The Packers left town two weeks ago with a chance to establish themselves as Super Bowl contenders - with road games against the Broncos and Panthers. Two losses later, they return to Green Bay with their bandwagon losing supporters faster than Jeb Bush.
15. That Mike Zimmer-Jeff Fisher post-game handshake, if you can call it that, was as brief and as cold as we’ve seen in a while. Jim Schwartz and Jim Harbaugh were laughing, though, calling them both amateurs.
16. And Zimmer didn’t hold back, calling the Lamarcus Joyner hit that knocked Teddy Bridgewater out of the game a cheap shot and "If we were out on the street, we would have had a fight.”
17. And one more: Zimmer said "there's a history" of cheap shots by defenses led by Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams And our thoughts turned to Bountygate.
18. If interim coach Dan Campbell has done anything in Miami, he has made sure the Dolphins have perfected the Ryan-Tannehill-not-ready-for-shotgun-snap-opponent-gets-a-safety play. Two games in a row. Yikes.
19. Instant replay: The Marcus Mariota to Delanie Walker 61-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Just watch it for the pure entertainment of seeing two Saints fighting for an interception and the ball bouncing to Walker. OK, Saints fans won’t enjoy it.
20. Rams coach Jeff Fisher, for some reason, went for two points in the first quarter. It failed. He lost in overtime. Had he kicked the point-after … well, you know. Sometimes coaches just need to get out of the way.
21. The Titans scored a first-quarter touchdown for the first time since Week 1.
22. Cam Newton tore down a Packers banner before the game in Carolina. His explanation after the game: "You're not gonna sell a Whopper at a McDonalds, know what I'm saying?" Respect.
23. Tom Brady threw an interception. And made a tackle. We don’t get to write those two sentences very often.
24. Our favorite tweet on Sunday came from Brian Murphy, columnist for St. Paul Pioneer Press:
25. Our second favorite came from Mike Periera at FOX:
26. And, finally, our third came from the the Steelers during a DeAngelo Williams run: "He gone." (One problem: He wasn’t. Not even close.)
27. Some guys still can’t make extra points, and Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein nailed a 61-yard field goal. He and Sebastian Janikowski are only kickers with two 60-yard plus field goals.
28. He doesn’t get noticed because he plays for Jacksonville - sorry, Jags fans - but this was the sixth straight game with a touchdown for WR Allen Hurns, the longest active streak in the league, according to ESPN.
29. Bills running back LeSean McCoy running north-south remains one of the game’s biggest threats to score from anywhere on the field. His 48-yard TD in first quarter was his eighth career TD of 40 yards or more. Just wish he’d keep the compass pointed that way more often.
30. At one point Sunday, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald, Tom Brady was playing behind a college right tackle at left tackle, a college right guard at left guard, an undrafted rookie center and a center at right tackle.
31. Titans edge rusher Brian Orakpo got two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. On one play. Let’s just say he was hot.
32. Why the Jaguars are the Jaguars: Down 21-16, but driving in the fourth quarter, they fumble. After the defense holds the Jets, they fumble the punt return. Next play: Jets score a touchdown to put the game away.
33. DeSean Jackson returned to the Redskins lineup for the first time since Week 1. The deep threat they have been missing, they said. Three catches for 15 yards. We bet that loosened up the defense.
34. We remember the good ole days when NFL games only lasted a swift three hours.
35. So we all are confused about when a catch is a catch in this league. And after watching the officials grant that last Packers interception, when CB Damarious Randall was bobbling the ball and got only one foot inbounds, we’re not even sure when an interception is an interception.
36. You know you have been around while: Ryan Fitzpatrick is the first NFL quarterback to start and beat the same opponent for five different teams. Yeah, we’re looking at you, Jacksonville.
37. Eddie Lacy’s tough season continues. He lost a fumble that set up a Panthers field goal, finished with just 10 yards on 5 carries and did not touch the ball after the third quarter after suffering a groin injury.
38. So the 49ers trade away TE Vernon Davis and his replacement, Garrett Celek, scored two touchdowns in the first half.
39. Congratulations to Mike Mularkey for the Titans' OT win over the Saints. But one game does not an interim coach make. Just ask Dan Campbell and the Dolphins.
40. The Colts should just punt the ball out of bounds. Every time.
41. They came up short, but the Raiders’ refusal to quit in Pittsburgh bodes well for the young team.
42. There was a Colin Kaepernick sighting.
43. The Bears have become competitive again quickly. Their past five games have been decided by a field goal or less.
44. Good to see Jason Pierre-Paul back on the field. He has a lot of work to do. But good to see him back.
45. He has taken a lot of abuse this season, so there has to be part of everyone who felt good for Andrew Luck on Sunday.
46. You realize, Los Angelenos, you'll be stuck with these Chargers games on TV every week?
47. The Panthers finished with 130 yards rushing against the Packers. It marked the 19th straight game they had at least 100 yards on the ground. Old school, baby.
48. A day to forget for Bucs WR Mike Evans with six drops. Seemed fitting that kind of day would end with his desperation lateral returned for a touchdown on the final play.
49. Brandon Browner. He helped make Marcus Mariota look like a seasoned veteran and then took his frustration out on a reporter in the locker room. There’s nobody else, Saints?
50. Bengals, Panthers, Patriots. All 8-0. Just like we thought when the season started.
PHOTOS: Best of NFL Week 9