Week nine of the NFL season is the regular season’s halfway point. The first half has been eventful, but this has only set the stage for what is likely to be an exciting second half as the race for the playoff spots gets into full swing. Let’s look at how the Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, and Los Angeles Rams (among others) fared this week.
Another Win for the Chiefs
For a 4-4 team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been involved in many close and entertaining games this season. This week, they were in another one of these games, this time against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are the only undefeated team left in the NFL, and a miracle would be needed to defeat them. Would the Buccaneers be this team?
The Chiefs scored the first touchdown after the opening two drives of the game that ended in punts. This drive started from their 45-yard line, and Patrick Mahomes was able to take the ball down to the Buccaneers’ 22-yard line, where the drive stalled. This set up a 40-yard field goal attempt from Harrison Butker, which was successful.
In reply, Tampa Bay was also able to score. But instead of matching the Chiefs, they bettered them. The offense, led by Baker Mayfield, went down to the Chiefs’ seven-yard line. From here, Raheem White found the endzone for the rushing touchdown to give the Buccaneers the lead.
But, the lead did not last long. On the following drive, Kansas City made their way down to the Tampa Bay one-yard line, and here, Mahomes found DeAndre Hopkins for the touchdown pass.
However, the Chiefs would make a mistake on their next drive. From their 48-yard line, Mahomes found Travis Kelce for a six-yard pass. Kelce then fumbled the ball, which the Buccaneers defense recovered. Luckily, the Chiefs could not do any damage with this possession.
This meant that the Chiefs had a 10-7 lead at halftime.
The Buccaneers had the first possession of the second half and would get the first set of points in the half. Mayfield and company made their way down to the Chiefs’ 11-yard line, and from here, the quarterback found Cade Otton for the touchdown pass to retake the lead.
This lead was extended on their next drive. Tampa Bay was able to make it down to the Chiefs’ 29-yard line but no further. This set up a 47-yard field goal attempt from kicker Chase McLaughlin, which he was successful with, giving the Buccaneers a seven-point lead.
The seven-point lead was very quickly reduced to nothing. Kansas City made their way from their 30-yard line down to the Buccaneers’ seven-yard line. Here, Mahomes found Samaje Perine for the touchdown pass to tie the game. However, Mahomes suffered an ankle injury on this play, and while he would continue to play in the fourth quarter, would this affect him and give Tampa Bay an advantage?
On his first drive since his injury, it looked like it did not affect Mahomes. He could drive his offense down to the Tampa Bay five-yard line. From here, he found Hopkins for the touchdown pass to retake the lead with four minutes left to play. Could the Bucanneers score on their remaining drives to stay in this game?
They were able to do this. Mayfield moved the offense down to the Chiefs’ one-yard line and found Ryan Miller for the touchdown pass. But instead of going for a game-winning two-point conversion, the Buccaneers decided to kick a PAT, which meant that the scores were tied as the fourth quarter ended. We would be going to overtime.
The Chiefs had the first possession during this period. From their 30-yard line, the offense was able to make it down to the Bucanneers’ two-yard line. From here, Kareem Hunt found the endzone to score the game-winning rushing touchdown, giving the Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Even with an ankle injury, Patrick Mahomes can deliver when his team needs it. The win keeps their undefeated season alive, improving to 8-0. It can now be wondered if this team will go undefeated all season long, and if they do lose, who will it be against? The Buccaneers’ narrow defeat means they fall to 4-5 and are losing ground to the in-form Atlanta Falcons.
Next week, the Chiefs face the Denver Broncos, while the Buccaneers play the San Francisco 49ers.
Prime Aaron Rodgers
The Houston Texans are a team that could easily challenge the Chiefs for the AFC Championship. They are a strong enough team but have not been consistent. On the other hand, the New York Jets have been consistently losing. Could the Texans get what could be seen as an easy win to help their season?
The first quarter of this game was not good for either side. Many drives ended in punts, and both teams lost possession with fumbles.
The Jets’ fumble occurred in a very on-brand manner. The team did find the endzone on this play, but in a similar way to Ohio State’ Will Howard against Penn State last weekend, fumbled the ball out of play on the goal line.
The Texans got the first score of the game a few drives later. Quarterback CJ Stroud moved his offense down to the Jets’ three-yard line. From here, Joe Mixon found the endzone for the opening rushing touchdown of the game.
Houston tried to extend their lead on the next drive. This stalled at the Jets 38-yard line, setting up kicker Kai’imi Fairbairn with a 56-yard field goal attempt. The kick went to the right of the posts, meaning that the Texans had a 7-0 lead over the Jets at halftime.
The Jets had the first possession of the second half and would be able to find the endzone from it. Led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the offense made its way down to the Texans’ 21-yard line. Here, Rodgers found Garrett Willson for the touchdown pass.
The Texans immediately struck back with a score of their own. However, it only extended the lead by three when Fairbairn kicked a 54-yard field goal.
The Jets regained the lead on their next drive with another connection between Rodgers and Wilson, this time for 26 yards. Houston was again forced into a field goal, which they missed.
Rodgers scored his third consecutive touchdown soon after. In another long touchdown pass, he found former Packers teammate Davante Adams for a 37-yard pass to seal the victory.
The Texans could score a field goal with the time left in the game, but it did not impact the overall result.
This meant that the New York Jets had defeated the Houston Texans 21-13, which could be seen as a surprise victory.
Aaron Rodgers had an excellent second half, throwing three long touchdowns, and has maybe given Jets fans some home that he could still be able to play like he did in Green Bay. The win improves the Jets to 3-6, while the Texans fall to 6-3.
Next week, the Jets face the Arizona Cardinals, while the Texans play the Detroit Lions.
Overtime in Seattle
The NFC West is anyone’s game this year, partly due to the San Francisco 49ers’ drop in form. This week, rivals the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks faced off to see if anyone could gain an advantage in this tight division.
Eight of the first nine drives during the first half ended in punts. The one that did not end in a punt ended in an interception thrown by Seahawks’ quarterback Geno Smith.
After this, the Rams scored the game’s first points. Led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, the Rams’ offense made its way down to the Seahawks’ 20-yard line but no further. On the play before this, Stafford fumbled the ball but recovered it, and while they still had possession, all momentum in the drive was gone. A Joshua Karty field goal from 38 yards out was the best they could make of this situation.
In reply, the Seahawks offense woke up. Smith took them down to the Rams’ 30-yard line and, from here, found Tyler Lockett for the touchdown pass. Seattle would quickly get the ball back after Stafford threw an interception, and this mistake would be one that the Seahawks would be able to capitalize on.
The resulting drive ended in another touchdown for the Seahawks, with Smith finding Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 24-yard pass that found the endzone.
This meant that the Seahawks had a 13-3 lead over the Rams at the end of the first half.
Los Angeles had the first possession of the second half and was able to find some very important points that kept them in the game. Starting from their 25-yard line, Stafford and company brought the ball down to the Seahawks one-yard line. From here, Stafford found Demarcus Robinson for the touchdown pass.
This touchdown reduced the Seahawks’ lead to three points. On the Rams’ next drive, this was reduced to nothing when Karty scored a 21-yard field goal.
On the next drive, the Seahawks made a mistake. Down at the Rams’ six-yard line, Smith threw a pass into the endzone that was intercepted by the Los Angeles defense, who would then return the ball down to the endzone for a 103-yard pick-six.
A few drives later, Smith and his offense would again be down in the Ram’s red zone, specifically at the four-yard line. But, as with before, Smith would throw another interception. Luckily for them, the Rams could not do anything with the subsequent possession.
Near the end of the second half, the Seahawks were still trailing by one score but had possession of the ball and were looking to find the endzone to take the game to overtime. Starting from their 27-yard line, Smith and company would drive down the field and reach the Rams’ 14-yard line. From here, Smith found Smith-Njigba for the touchdown pass, which took the game to overtime with the scores tied at 20-20.
Seattle had the first possession of overtime but was unable to gain any points. This meant that all the Rams had to do was score a field goal to win this game.
On the next drive, Matthew Stafford moved the offense down to the Seahawks’ 39-yard line. From here, he found Robinson for a pass that found the endzone to give the Los Angeles Rams a 26-20 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
With this win, the Rams improve to 4-4 on the season and keep themselves in the race for the NFC West. The defeat means the Seahawks fall to 4-5, but while this is a minor setback, it does not keep them out of the competition for the division title.
Next week, the Rams face the Miami Dolphins, while the Seahawks are on the bye week.
The Strugglers Entertain
The New England Patriots and the Tennessee Titans have struggled this season. They met this week in a game that will determine who will get the number one pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Titans had the opening possession of the game and were able to score the opening points. Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph brought his offense down to the Patriots’ nine-yard line. From here, he found Nick Vannett for the touchdown pass.
In response, the Patriots were able to break into the Titans’ territory, with the drive stalling at the 38-yard line. This set up Joey Slye with a 56-yard field goal. Unfortunately, his kick was missed.
A few drives later, things would get worse for the Patriots when quarterback Drake Maye threw an interception, handing possession to the Titans. But they would not have this for long, as Rudolph’s pass was intercepted on the Patriots’ three-yard line, ruining any chance of a touchdown from the drive.
This mistake would be costly. Slye had another opportunity to kick a long field goal on the following drive. This time, it was from 34 yards out, and he was successful with it.
This meant that the Titans had a 7-3 lead over the Patriots at halftime.
New England had the first possession of the second half and could take the lead from it. Maye and company moved the ball down the field to the Titans’ one-yard line, and from here, Rhamondre Stevenson found the endzone for the rushing touchdown.
However, they did not have this lead for long. On the game’s next drive, the Titans would be able to score a touchdown when Tony Pollard found the endzone on an eight-yard run. However, there was a holding penalty on this play, and the touchdown was removed from the board. Tennessee did get some points from this drive, with Folk scoring a 21-yard field goal, which tied the scores up in the fourth quarter.
In the middle of the quarter, the Patriots would make another mistake. On their 32-yard line, Maye was sacked and then fumbled the ball, which the Titans recovered. A few plays later, Rudolph found Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for the six-yard touchdown score to take the lead.
Time was running out for New England if they wanted to stay in this game. They had one opportunity to score the needed touchdown to take this game to overtime. Starting from the 50-yard line, Maye moved the offense down to the Titans’ five-yard line. Then, on the game’s final play, he found Stevenson for the touchdown pass to tie things up and force overtime.
Tennessee had the opening drive of the period and would very slowly make their way down the field to the Patriots’ seven-yard line. Here Rudolph fumbled the ball but was able to recover it, and gain a yard. This gave Folk a 25-yard field goal attempt, which he was successful with.
The score meant the Patriots had to find points on their drive to stay in the game. However, the Titans intercepted Maye’s deep pass from the 41-yard line, giving them a 20-17 win.
With the victory, Tennessee improved to 2-6, while the Patriots fall to 2-7. Next week, the Titans face the Los Angeles Chargers, while New England plays the Chicago Bears.
The Other Games
The Dallas Cowboys’ poor season continued this week against the Atlanta Falcons. The Cowboys again struggled in a game where they lost quarterback Dak Prescott to a hamstring injury. Falcons QB Kirk Cousins threw for three touchdowns in their 27-21 win, which keeps their lead at the top of the NFC South.
In what has been a battle between two good quarterbacks in previous years, the Miami Dolphins faced the Buffalo Bills. Returning quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had a strong performance and was very close to giving the Dolphins their third win of the season. But a game-winning field goal from Tyler Bass gave the Bills a 30-27 win and a four-game lead at the top of the AFC East.
The Cincinnati Bengals have recovered from their poor start to the season and are now (albeit slowly) getting themselves back into the AFC North. They faced the Las Vegas Raiders this week, and Joe Burrow had a vintage performance. He threw for a career-high five touchdowns in the Bengals 41-24 win.
The Los Angeles Chargers easily defeated the struggling Cleveland Browns. Justin Herbert threw for two touchdowns, and Jameis Winston threw three interceptions in the Chargers’ 27-10 win.
The Carolina Panthers will play in Germany next weekend. They faced the once great but now struggling New Orleans Saints to prepare for this. Both of these teams are bad, but a late touchdown from Chuba Hubbard was the difference, giving the Panthers a 23-22 win over the Saints.
After their shock defeat to the Cleveland Browns last week, the Baltimore Ravens hoped to return to winning ways against the Denver Broncos. They were easily able to do so. Lamar Jackson threw for three touchdowns, and Derrick Henry scored two more as the Ravens defeated the Broncos 41-10.
It was the “Doug Peterson Bowl” this week, as the Philadelphia Eagles (the team Peterson led to their only Super Bowl title) faced the Jacksonville Jaguars (his current team). This was another game that Saquon Barkley dominated. At one point, he performed a backward lead over a player. His two touchdowns helped the Eagles to record a 28-23 win.
The Arizona Cardinals faced the Chicago Bears this week. There was nothing notable in this game besides a mixed performance from Caleb Williams. The number one pick did not help his team, as the Cardinals cruised to a 29-9 win.
In a game that will be important in the race for the NFC North title, the Detroit Lions faced the Green Bay Packers. This game was the first game the Lions played outdoors this season, but they did not limit them. A strong second quarter, which included a pick 6, helped give the Lions a 24-14 win over their Wisconsinite rivals.
This week’s Sunday Night Football game was between the Indianapolis Colts and the Minnesota Vikings. It was a game of two halves. The Colts were dominant, especially on defense, in the first half but almost non-existent in the second. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold threw for three touchdowns in the second half to give the Vikings a 21-13 win.
And finally, how did the New York Giants ruin my weekend? This week, they faced the Washington Commanders, hoping to win against a team they can normally defeat. But, this Commander’s team is not like those before it. Jayden Daniels scored two touchdowns in a game where the Giants finally scored a home touchdown. This was also the debut of Irish kicker Jude McAtamney. However, the Giants would lose this game 27-22 and fall to 2-7. Next week, they are playing in Germany against the Panthers in what seems to be a punishment for everyone: Germany, the teams, and the fans who will spend money on expensive “International Game” tickets only to be disappointed when Daniel Jones does his usual mediocre performance.
So, that was Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season. Next week, the Eagles play the Cowboys, the Lions face the Texans in what is the game of the week, and my team plays in Germany. I won’t travel all that way just for what will likely be a bad game. Prove me wrong.
