The Cowboys Won’t Ever Make a Super Bowl & Stroud is a Top Ten Quarterback: Week 9 Takeaways and Hot Takes
Written by: Michael Fontanella
Week 9 was an exhilarating Sunday, kicking off with a must-watch matchup in Germany as the Kansas City Chiefs took on the Miami Dolphins. If you didn’t set your alarm for this game and missed it, you didn’t miss much. The Chiefs stood on business, winning 21-14.
Next, the Baltimore Ravens dominated the premier matchup in the 1:00 slate vs the Seattle Seahawks, rushing for an average of 7.3 yards per carry. Tommy Devito was back for revenge, throwing for 175 yards. However, no one was beating the Las Vegas Raiders this week under new head coach Antonio Pierce.
The Dallas Cowboys fell short again, and Josh Dobbs is back and better than ever, leading the Minnesota Vikings to a win in Atlanta. The Cincinnati Bengals took care of business on Sunday night, winning convincingly 24-18. Here are the top takeaways and hot takes from week 9 of the NFL season.
Week 9 Takeaways
Cowboys Fall Short Yet Again
This picture represents the Dallas Cowboys performance on Sunday better than I ever could. Despite this, I'm going to keep trying like the Cowboys. Dallas fell short to the Philadelphia Eagles 23-28 with two key plays determining this game. First, on fourth and goal, Prescott threw to TE Luke Schoonmaker, where he would be called short of a touchdown by a hairline. On the next drive, Dak Prescott stepped out of bounds on a two-point conversion where the lead could have been cut to three.
However, despite these two plays, Dallas had the ball last with a chance to end the game. Philadelphia was like the older brother spotting his younger brother points in a driveway one-on-one. The Cowboys had a great chance to score from the Philadelphia six-yard line, and in classic Cowboy fashion, they beat themselves after committing 56 yards in penalties and failed to score. However, even after losing, the Cowboys must feel good about themselves. They outgained the Eagles in almost every aspect of the game, and if it weren't for a couple of plays, this story would be different.
Photo credits:Larry Brown-Larry Brown Sports
JOSHUA DOBBS!!!
As an Atlanta Falcons bettor, I'm disgusted, but as an NFL fan, I'm in awe. Josh Dobbs is quickly becoming the story of the NFL season, and it doesn't matter if he's in the desert, eight inches of snow, or studying for NASA. Dobbs will show up and give his all. He brought home an improbable victory for the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. What's crazy about this is he landed in Minnesota on Wednesday. Jaren Hall was named the starter on Sunday, as the Vikings traded for Dobbs on Tuesday.
On the first drive of the game, Hall got a concussion, and Josh Dobbs was called on to try and run this new offense on four days of preparation. Putting this into perspective, it’s like telling a 6th grader to parallel park. Throughout the game, HC Kevin O'Connell explained the plays step by step to Dobbs as he didn't know them. And shocking enough, Dobbs completed 20 of his 30 passes, threw for 158 yards, and added two touchdowns. As a result, the Vikings hang on to their playoff hopes and have a second life in the locker room.
Photo credits: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
The Chiefs Offense is Still Sputtering
The Kansas City Chiefs offense now ranks 12th in points per game, something we are not accustomed to seeing in the Patrick Mahomes era. It was shocking the Chiefs didn't add a WR during the deadline, and therefore, they are rolling with rookie Rashee Rice as their number one wide receiver. You cannot count out Patrick Mahomes, but as the Bengals and Ravens offense dominate, I doubt the Chiefs ability to play from behind.
Home-field advantage will be massive for the Chiefs this year. Right now, they possess it, but with all these young pieces on offense, I don't see this team winning in places like Baltimore and Cincinnati as of now. However, with all these new pieces, it takes time for the offense to mold together, and I would not be shocked if Andy Reid and the Chiefs solved these problems just in time for the playoffs.
Photo credits:Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Today was a Good Day
At his first press conference, interim head coach Antonio Pierce said "The biggest window is the front window. Every f***ing door we go into, we're kicking that b**ch in from now on." If that isn’t the perfect mold for a Raiders head coach I don’t know what is. On Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders played with a fire under them that no one was putting out as they demolished the New York Giants 30-6. Undoubtedly, this was a result of the change in coach from Josh McDaniels to Pierce.
McDaniels as a Raider was awful, as they boasted a record of 9-16. The reason for his termination sums up the kind of person he is. The Raiders held a team meeting voicing their frustrations towards McDaniels and their disappointing 2023 season. During the meeting, Pierce expressed the team's need to adopt an underdog culture similar to the 2007 Giants that upset the undefeated Patriots in the Super Bowl. How did McDaniels respond? "Don't ever talk about the Patriots like that." CBS wrote a great article on the details of this horrible situation, but needless to say, the bad boy Raiders may be back.
Video credits: CalibossNelson - YouTube
Week 9 Hot Takes
Stroud is a Top Ten Quarterback
Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, Trevor Lawrence, Kirk Cousins, and Matthew Stafford are the only quarterbacks I can confidently say are better than C.J. Stroud.
Now, many quarterbacks, such as Tua, Dak, and Goff are up for debate, but look at their situations compared to Stroud. All three of those guys have struggled in situations that weren't perfect for them. It's hard to say those quarterbacks have better stats than Stroud in a Texans uniform. However, I can confidently say Stroud would have the exact numbers or even better if he replaced those three guys on their respective teams. Stroud's QB rating is 4th in the NFL, and he is 7th in passing yards as well. Needless to say, the Texans have found their Deshaun Watson replacement.
The Bengals are the best team in the NFL
The Cincinnati Bengals have now rattled off their fourth win in a row, three coming against top 12 teams, including Super Bowl contenders San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills. Both sides of the ball are clicking, and in the last four weeks, the Bengals are averaging 24 points per game and only giving up 16 points a game. When both sides are playing complimentary football, it’s hard to argue they can be beaten, especially with past success.
Will Levis is better than Bryce Young
In his first career game, Will Levis played a better game than Bryce Young has played all year. On the other hand, his performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers was nothing to write home about, as he completed only 22 of his 39 passes and threw for zero touchdowns and one interception. However, this is as hard as it gets for a rookie quarterback, as HC Mike Tomlin is 25-5 against rookie quarterbacks. When comparing Levis’ performance to Young, he doesn’t look all that bad. Against the Colts defense, he completed 24 of his 39 passes and threw three interceptions. Both situations are not ideal for rookie quarterbacks, but Levis has elevated his offense where Young has not.
