Best And Worst NFL Week Nine

So here we sit, nine weeks into the National Football League season and here is where we start to see some separation around this league. First there were the blowouts. Both the Eagles and Rams put up 51 points in their huge wins. There were stunners in Seattle, who for the 2nd week in a row didn't really look like itself. We also had quite a few fights pop up around the league as well this week, which seemed a tad high for this time of the year. Guess the players are starting to get a little more feisty.  But enough of the fluff, lets get straight into it. Here's some of the best and worst from week nine in the NFL.

Best:
Philadelphia Eagles
Talk about a team getting hot, look no further the the Philadelphia Eagles. They lost one game all year, that was back in week two (and only by a touchdown) to the Kansas City Chiefs. Since then, Philly has won seven straight games, some of which have come in blowout fashion. Look at this week's win, a 51-23 win over the Denver Broncos. Their offense exploded against Denver and the defense held the Broncos to almost nothing till the end of the ballgame. Carson Wentz is a legitimate MVP candidate. He had another four touchdown passes in this game, bumping his seasonal total up to 23. Newly acquired running back Jay Ajayi broke off a brilliant 46-yard touchdown run. Philly has turned itself into the top team in the NFC and they are firing on all the right cylinders at the right time.

Worst:
New York Giants
Things just seem to be going from bad to worse for the G-Men. Not only did they fall to 1-7 on the year, but they did so by giving up 51 points in the process, losing 51-17 to the Los Angeles Rams. Here's a sign of how bad things are for the Giants, they gave up a touchdown on third-and-33. Since 1994, there have been 293 plays of such instance in the NFL and there had never been a score on a play like that. Until Sunday. That was just a sign of the way things have gone this season to the Giants. Week after week, the Giants seem under-talented, unmotivated, and outcoached, and the team looked all three on that play.  It really seems like the players have started to give up on him, the defense showed signs of that on Sunday. Yes, having two of your best players go down with injury has killed a lot of hope around the Giants organization. Good teams find a way to overcome this kind of stuff and the Giants haven't been able to do that this year.

Best:
Jared Goff, Quarterback Los Angeles Rams
We talked a little bit about this game above, but here's more to add to it. Jared Goff went off in the Rams 51-17 win over the Giants. Goff completed 14 of 22 passes for 331 yards with four touchdowns. On some of the offensive plays for the Rams, the Giants defenders seemed almost allergic to tackling. Goff is showing signs as to why he was taken as high as he was in the NFL draft. Goff had himself a day, lighting up the Giants defense like a Christmas tree.

Worst:
Mike Evans, Wide Receiver Tampa Bay Buccaniers
Talk about one of the biggest boneheaded moves a player can make, Evans has made it Sunday. Tampa bay fell to New Orleans 30-10 on Sunday, which is bad enough when you consider that Tampa has won only two games all season long. But what Evans did this week was a bit shocking for a guy of his talent level. NEw Orleans defensive back Marshon Lattimore and Tampa Bay QB Jameis Winston were having words, there were two small shoves and Evans came flying in and blindsided Lattimore from behind, which lead to a huge fight on the sidelines. Evans is lucky Lattimore wasn’t hurt because he’d definitely be facing suspension. As is, the NFL would be entirely justified to suspend him. It’s another sign of the Buccaneers’ falling apart. Its been a down year for the Bucs and Mike Evans getting involved with this incident doesn't make things any easier. Now more then ever, considering the fact that Jameis Winston got hurt and they have to go with Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starter.

Best:
Adrian Peterson, Running Back Arizona Cardinals
He will go down in the books as one of the best running backs of his generation. After leaving New Orleans and heading out to Arizona, Peterson has shown flashes of his glory days in Minnesota. I think now that he's getting the touches, Peterson is starting to respond again. Look at what Arizona has, with Drew Stanton under center with Carson Plamer being hurt. Duke Johnson also going down proved to be big for Peterson, which now makes him the feature back in the Cardinals offense. He responded this week in Arizona's 20-10 win over the 49ers. On Sunday, Peterson carried the ball 37 times, which is a career high for him, and the highest number of rushing attempts by any player all year. There have been only three previous games where a running back has had 37 or more carries since the 2010 season. Those 37 carries went for 159 yards, the only running back to break 100 yards this week. He's showing signs of his old self again, which could be huge for the Cards.

Worst:
Joe Flacco, Quarterback Baltimore Ravens
Things just can't really seem to go right for the Ravens. They almost came back against Tennessee, falling to the Titans 23-20. Almost is the key word in that sentence. One of the things that has been hurting the Ravens has been the play of quarterback Joe Flacco. Joe threw two interceptions in Sunday's loos, giving him ten for the season. It was also the fourth time this year he’s thrown multiple interceptions in a game. So this is a huge issue that has a lot to do with his team’s losing record. In a three-point game, Flacco’s two turnovers, which turned into seven points for Tennessee, were the big difference.

Best:
Matt Forte, Running Back New York Jets
New York got payback for their week one drubbing against Buffalo. The Jets actually managed to hold on to a lead late in a game, pulling out a 34-21 win at home over the Bills and Matt Forte was a big reason for that. The veteran back totaled nearly 100 yards and scored twice in a performance that hearkened back to his days with the Chicago Bears a few years back. Forte led a rushing attack that finished with 194 yards and three touchdowns against a Buffalo defense that features one of the best run-stopping units in the league. Between him and Bilal Powell, Buffalo was made to look like a joke. New York is still hanging around this thing, in a year when they were expected to really suck. Forte had himself a good day Sunday, showing flashes of his old self and helping the Jets walk away with a win.

Worst:
Blair Walsh, Kicker Seattle Seahawks
His name made headlines a few years ago when he missed a potential game winning field goal for the Vikings against the Seattle Seahawks. Then, he loses his starting job in Minnesota and ends up getting signed by the team he lost to in the playoffs, the Seattle Seahawks. It looked like he might have started finding his old self again, connecting on 12 of his first 13 kicks. Seattle faced Washington on Sunday, falling in a heartbreaker 17-14, and Walsh is partially at fault in this game. He missed three kicks in the first half, all wide left. While all his teammates went back to the locker room for halftime, he stayed on the field practicing. It wouldn't help because Walsh wouldn't get a chance to kick again. Seattle never got back into range to make a kick and the Redskins came away with the win. If Walsh had been able to make a kick or two, it would have been way better for Seattle.

Best:
Christian McCaffrey, Running Back Carolina Panthers
Carolina had been struggling at times, but thanks to their win on Sunday, they are only a half game behind the Saints for first place in the division. Christian McCaffrey took over for Jonathan Stewart, who had himself a bad day and fumbling the ball twice. When McCaffrey came into the game, he took off. Christian touched the ball 20 times (15 runs, five receptions) for 94 yards and a touchdown. He’s been racking up catches all year long and already holds the franchise record for most receptions by a running back in a single season. But to see him garner the bulk of the carries shows he’s beginning his evolution as the do-it-all back we know he will become.

Worst:
Julio Jones Wide Receiver Atlanta Falcons
Never, ever thought I would be throwing his name into this category. There's no doubt in anybody's mind how great a receiver Jones is. What happened on Sunday in the Falcons 20-17 loss to Carolina is truly surprising. It came with about eight minutes left in regulation and Atlanta down by ten points. The Falcons faced a 4th and 7 from the Carolina 40, Matt Ryan dropped back and made a perfect pass to a wide open Julio Jones. Its a play Jones has made a thousand times, except this one. Jones dropped the ball in the endzone for what would have been a sure score. There was nobody even remotely close to him and he simply dropped the ball. Yes Jones does have the 4th most receiving yards in the NFL this year, but its still shocking to see him drop a wide open pass in the endzone. Sad.