NFL Week 9 Winners and Losers: Joe Flacco Shows Colts’ Botched QB Call

We’re already halfway through the NFL season.

And if there’s one thing to take away from Week 9, it’s that the NFC’s big favorite has emerged.

The Detroit Lions traveled to a rainy Lambeau Field and dismantled the Green Bay Packers to maintain their (slim) hold on the conference’s No. 1 seed. Detroit’s offense plays efficiently, its defense suppresses third downs and in the red zone and the Lions play with intensity and physicality.

Elsewhere in the league, the Baltimore Ravens have rebounded, the Los Angeles Rams are thriving, the New Orleans Saints are in free fall and Jim Harbaugh has built a winning culture with the Los Angeles Chargers – with a warning.

Here are the winners and losers for Sunday in Week 9.

WINNERS

The Lions establish themselves as a team to beat in the NFC

Detroit left no doubt. As the San Francisco 49ers have faltered at times this year, this total defeat of the Green Bay Packers (6-3) – a 24-14 victory – made the Lions the clear team to beat in the NFC. Yes, the Washington Commanders (7-2) were a revelation and a great story. Yes, the Atlanta Falcons (6-3), Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) and Minnesota Vikings (6-2) linger. But no team has been more complete, more balanced – and that goes for the entire NFL, including the Kansas City Chiefs (7-0) – than the Lions (7-1).

Over the last six games, Jared Goff has thrown just 22 incompletions – a staggering mark of efficiency (he also has 106 completions and 13 touchdowns in that span). Detroit also runs the ball exceptionally well. His defense held the Packers to 3-of-12 (25%) conversions on third downs and 1-of-4 in the red zone. A year after a trip to the NFC championship game, Detroit looks like a team aiming for the Super Bowl.

Rams move up in playoff rankings

Four weeks ago, the Rams were 1-4, their top two receivers were banged up and their season seemed on the brink. Health changes things. Cooper Kupp and Puka Pacua reinvigorated the offense and the Rams (4-4) won three in a row after escaping the Seattle Seahawks with a 26-20 overtime victory.

More importantly, Los Angeles sits in 10th place in the NFC playoffs. After Week 5, the Rams were No. 15, just ahead of the Carolina Panthers. In their win over the Seahawks, the Rams outscored Seattle 23-7 in the second half and overtime. The defense forced Geno Smith into three interceptions. It also appeared to be a turning point for an underrated defensive front that sacked Smith seven times. They may be a bit of an underdog, but with Matthew Stafford, the ever-steady Kyren Williams, Nacua (ejected Sunday for throwing a punch), Kupp and a young defense, the Rams could go unnoticed in the second half of the season. .

The Ravens bounce back and return to form

A disappointing loss last week against the Cleveland Browns did not generate a negative dynamic for Baltimore, which has rediscovered its identity: efficiency in the passing game and domination on the ground.

Against Cleveland, quarterback Lamar Jackson dropped back 43 times and Baltimore recorded just 21 carries. In Sunday’s 41-10 win over the Denver Broncos, Jackson recorded 22 turnovers and the Ravens did it 34 times. Jackson had as many incompletions (three) as passing touchdowns and posted a perfect passing rating of 158.3. The Ravens (6-3) also had their best defensive game since a Week 4 win over the Buffalo Bills, limiting the Broncos to conversions on just one of four red zone trips. Perhaps most promising for Baltimore was closing out the game with authority, a problem the team has had in the past; the Ravens scored the final 24 points of the game.

Jim Harbaugh transformed the Chargers

You would never have guessed that Jim Harbaugh was out of the NFL for nine seasons. Harbaugh, after winning a national championship with the Michigan Wolverines, immediately installed the physicality and toughness – especially in the scrimmage setting – that he is known to favor.

It must have given Harbaugh unfiltered joy to see running back JK Dobbins close out a 27-10 win over the Browns on the penultimate possession with four carries that led to a 7-yard touchdown run. Still, there are many questions around Los Angeles (5-3). Namely, the quality of its wins casts doubt on Los Angeles’ ability to compete with the AFC’s elite teams; The combined record of the teams the Chargers beat is 13-32 (.289), which is sixth-worst in the NFL. In fact, four of the five wins came against teams currently 2-7.

LOSERS

Stale saints self-destruct

The Saints season started with so much optimism. They destroyed a rebuilding Panthers team, then a Dallas Cowboys team considered an NFC contender.

New Orleans has since lost seven straight games, most recently against the Panthers, who opened Sunday with just one win before emerging with a 23-22 win. Quarterback Derek Carr (oblique) returned, but New Orleans struggled in situational football; the Saints (2-7) converted just two of four red zone trips despite entering the game tied for fifth in efficiency. Both failed red zone attempts occurred on the first two possessions, negating New Orleans’ chances of getting off to a fast start. Ten penalties called for 109 yards led to further self-destruction. Coach Dennis Allen is now 18-25 (.419) in three and a half seasons. This looks like a team that has become obsolete.

As the season wears on, the dolphins only have themselves to blame

In a tie game with 54 seconds remaining, the Miami Dolphins faced the Bills on a third-and-9 at the Buffalo 31-yard line. Josh Allen threw a low-percentage deep throw down the left sideline. It was well covered and broken. But, as Miami has done all season long, an epic mistake — in this case, Dolphins safety Jordan Poyer’s most unnecessary helmet-to-helmet personal foul — gave its opponent new life.

Seven plays later, the Bills kicked a game-winning 61-yard field goal and the Dolphins fell to 2-6. You can also point to a Raheem Mostert fumble in the third quarter – his sixth in the last 16 games. This happened while the Dolphins were leading and up by four points, and the mistake led to a Bills touchdown. The Dolphins are sloppy and undisciplined. They lack physicality and robustness. Coach Mike McDaniel’s play decisions are often predictable, especially in short yardage situations. This season is nothing but a waste of talent.

Jordan Love

He is still an immense and promising young talent. This is still his second season as a starter in Green Bay. But, at this point, Jordan Love definitely needs to do a better job of protecting the ball and the decisions he makes.

Love, 26, is tied for the league lead with nine interceptions; Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield, the two quarterbacks playing Monday night, also have nine. His only pick against the Lions was particularly devastating. Facing a seven-point deficit with 41 seconds left in the first half, deep in Packers territory, Love was flushed on a second-and-one and attempted to throw a soft check; it was intercepted and returned for a touchdown, the ultimate gift. Detroit also got the ball back to start the third quarter. This drive scored a touchdown. Green Bay (6-3) improved from 10-3 to 24-3. Love regularly plays spectacular games. He must eliminate the most terrible ones.

The Colts messed up their quarterback situation

When a coach benches a young quarterback 10 years into his NFL career and says the veteran backup gives the team “the best chance to win,” games like Sunday night’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings are eroding confidence in this coach. Shane Steichen, frankly, will have to account for the mediocrity of the Indianapolis Colts offense with Joe Flacco – albeit against a very good Vikings defense.

Flacco was inaccurate and left out checks in favor of low-percentage throws down the field. His lack of mobility handcuffed the Colts offense, while Anthony Richardson could have escaped and gotten out of the pocket. Flacco is 39 years old. The reality is that the Colts don’t have a team capable of contending for a conference title, and that feels like a huge waste of time.

This article was originally published on USA TODAY: NFL Winners, Week 9 Losers: Joe Flacco Proves Colts Missed the QB Call