NFL Week 9: Oakland Raiders Prevail; Report Cards For Each Team's Performance
Sebastian Janikowski iced an overtime win for the Oakland Raiders over the Kansas City Chiefs, and with NFL Week 10 action looming a week away, the second half of the season is officially upon us for every team.
How did your team do in their Week 9 contest? Look no further, I'll play professor and give my thoughts on a grade for each team that played on Sunday.
There's a lot to go over, so let's get right to it.
Arizona Cardinals
1 of 24
The Cardinals spent three-and-a-half quarters building their 14-point lead over the Vikings and just under five minutes giving it up. It was an impressive performance for them to start but ended in unimpressive fashion as the Vikings marched up the field for two quick scores to force overtime.
This loss can't be put on the defense entirely, though. If the offense had done anything but allow sacks in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals may have stood a chance.
Grade: C+
Atlanta Falcons
2 of 24
Michael Turner's performance stole the show, as he trampled the Bucs for 107 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.
The Falcons have mastered their brand of ball control, smash-mouth football and are roaring through the league at 6-2 right now. Needless to say, they had something to say about Raheem Morris' claim that the Bucs are the best in the NFC. Obviously, they said all they needed to on the field.
Their defense forced two interceptions on Josh Freeman, who had been praised for his ability to control the ball coming into today's game. Meanwhile, they stuffed the Bucs rush attack by holding them to just 96 yards on 27 attempts with no touchdowns.
Grade: A-
Baltimore Ravens
3 of 24
With half of their season officially under their belts, the Ravens are exactly where many predicted them to be—at the top of the AFC. They are winning games in every possible way—with offense, defense, passing, running and what have you.
This week, Joe Flacco and the defense get the gold stars for their performances. An efficient performance from Flacco included 266 yards and two touchdowns. The defense forced three interceptions on Chad Henne. That kind of disparity in turnovers is usually enough to ensure a win—and an impressive one at that.
Grade: A-
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Buffalo Bills
4 of 24
You can't help but feel awful for the Bills. Every week, they come so close to their first win of the season but fall just short. Ryan Fitzpatrick moved the ball with ease despite two interceptions but threw a touchdown and also helped set up two big touchdowns by the running backs.
Still, with the game on the line, the No. 6 pass defense gave up a touchdown pass from Jay Cutler to Earl Bennett that gave the Bears the lead for good. The offense had one last try but couldn't put anything together.
Grade: C
Carolina Panthers
5 of 24
Carolina's three quarterbacks combined didn't get half of Drew Brees' stats. That gives you an idea of what kind of game it was for the Panthers. The quarterbacks completed a combined 47.2 percent of their passes and converted just one of their 12 third-down tries with only 15 first downs on the entire game.
It wasn't much better for the defense, which allowed 408 total yards and three touchdowns to the Saints offense, which has been pretty anemic at times without Reggie Bush.
Grade: F
Chicago Bears
6 of 24
Jay Cutler was finally able to stay upright for the most part, only taking one sack against the Bills defense and avoiding an interception after throwing four against Washington before the bye week. As expected, the rush offense didn't get off the ground, despite being fairly close to a balanced attack (36 pass plays vs. 26 run plays).
The defense kept the Bills rush attack grounded and forced a timely interception at the end of the fourth quarter to halt what could have been the final nail in the coffin, with a five-point lead.
Grade: C+
Cleveland Browns
7 of 24
A pair of big-time upsets over the Saints and Patriots have given Cleveland fans something to be excited about for the first time since before he-who-must-not-be-named left town. Peyton Hillis bludgeoned the Patriots defense for 184 yards and two touchdowns, and Colt McCoy was efficient for the second game in a row, scoring his first rushing touchdown of his NFL career.
The Browns were able to confuse the Patriots with their defensive formations and constant shifting until the snap of the ball. This was a great performance for the Browns in every phase of the game.
Grade: A
Dallas Cowboys
8 of 24
The Cowboys are a mess that's almost entirely beyond repair. I think Michael Lombardi put it best when he tweeted, "111 points scored against the Boys in the last 11 quarters. This is so bad." This game was the epitome of a bad season gone terrible. It's currently Monday afternoon, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if Wade Phillips is getting fired as we speak.
Grade: F
Detroit Lions
9 of 24
Matthew Stafford has looked like every bit the first-overall pick that the Lions made him in 2009 when he's been on the field, but another injury took him out late in the game against the Jets and could have cost Detroit this game.
Their defense played well for the first three-and-a-half quarters of the game, but the Jets played well enough in the end of the fourth quarter and overtime to come back from 10 points down to win it.
Grade: B-
Green Bay Packers
10 of 24
Did the Packers explode on the Cowboys, or did the Cowboys implode on themselves? It's a little bit of both, but when you look at the records of these two teams, I think you can determine which more heavily impacted the outcome of this game.
The Packers offense moved the ball with ease against a hapless defense, and harrassed Jon Kitna and Dallas' running backs all night. This one was over before it began.
Grade: A
Houston Texans
11 of 24
The Texans led this game 23-14 in the second half and were able to block a punt on the Chargers, which has been their kryptonite all season long. Unfortunately, the complete lack of a pass defense has been the kryptonite of the Texans all season long, and it just so happens the Chargers feature the league's No. 1 passer.
Another huge game from Arian Foster in his campaign for the rushing title but wasn't enough to keep the Chargers at bay.
Grade: B-
Indianapolis Colts
12 of 24
Peyton Manning was a perfect 3-0 against the Eagles, but this group proved a different challenge than he'd faced in the past. Manning threw two interceptions, including a costly game-ender to Asante Samuel, who has been the bane of Manning's existence in the past. The rush attack, behind two touchdowns from rookie Javarris James, kept the Colts in it.
But in the end, the explosive threat of Michael Vick just proved too much for a defense that's built for its speed.
Grade: B-
Kansas City Chiefs
13 of 24
If you had told me in the preseason that the game between the Chiefs and Raiders would matter, I might have laughed right in your face. That would have given you right to slap me in the face.
The Chiefs were able to keep this game in their favor with solid defense in the first half but didn't get the production out of their offense they would have liked in the second half. Still, a loss to the Raiders isn't nearly as humiliating this year as it has been in years past.
Grade: C+
Miami Dolphins
14 of 24
Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne was forced into several bad decisions against the Ravens on Sunday, but this loss can't fall entirely on his shoulder. The Dolphins defense couldn't generate any kind of pressure or stop Joe Flacco from marching up the field any way he could.
The Dolphins ordinarily find their identity in the run, but despite a first-quarter touchdown from Ronnie Brown, their ground game never found a rhythm.
Grade: C-
Minnesota Vikings
15 of 24
Just when you think he's lost it for good, Brett Favre had his first game over 400 yards since 1993. Favre led two big drives at the end of the fourth quarter to force overtime and marched the Vikings down field for the winning field goal as the Vikings won their first game in three weeks in dramatic comeback fashion.
Teams are now 2-0 after dropping Moss from their lineup. Not important, just saying.
The defense finally got pressure, landing six sacks on Derek Anderson and holding the Cardinals rush attack to just 2.5 yards per carry. The Vikings desperately needed this win to save their seasons, and Brad Childress desperately needed this win to save his job.
Grade: B+
New England Patriots
16 of 24
You could have pretty much played Tom Brady's postgame press conference after the loss to the Jets over again. "We couldn't run it, we couldn't throw it, we just sucked." That was the definition of the Patriots offense for most of the game, as they were completely shut out by the Browns defense.
On defense, the Patriots had absolutely no answer for Peyton Hillis, as they allowed the back to trample them for 181 yards and two touchdowns. Things don't look as bright as they once did for this Patriots team, as they now face two difficult opponents (at Pittsburgh, vs. Indianapolis).
Grade: F
New York Jets
17 of 24
According to the win-loss records, this game should have never been as close as it was, but the Jets will take the win any way they can get it. Even though they eked one out over the Detroit Lions in a 23-20 overtime win, that was enough for them to keep pace with the Patriots and get back into a tie with them for first in the AFC East.
This team showed the resolve that it takes to make a run in the playoffs, but they're also showing that they're not as good as they were advertised this preseason. A close game against the Lions, even on the road, wasn't to be expected.
Grade: B
New York Giants
18 of 24
The Giants prove more and more each week that they are one of the best teams in the league. if you were starting either Eli Manning or Ahmad Bradshaw in your fantasy league, you were grinning from ear-to-ear the entire game. Both of these guys were of vital importance to the big lead built by the offense early on.
It's relatively easy to lose sight of the accomplishments of the defense when the offense scores that much, but the Giants defense was getting after it even when the game was far out of reach. They continued to create pressure and turnovers through the final whistle.
Grade: A
New Orleans Saints
19 of 24
The Saints picked up a big win last week but couldn't afford to lose another game with the Falcons and Buccaneers slowly distancing themselves in the highly-competitive NFC South. Thus, they needed this big divisional win over the Panthers pretty badly.
They completely stifled the Panthers' offense, but that's not saying much against a team that ranks dead last in points and yards on offense. It took Drew Brees 43 throws to get there, but 253 yards against the fifth-ranked pass defense in Carolina is impressive.
Grade: A
Oakland Raiders
20 of 24
My eyes fail me. I can't be looking at winning records for both the Raiders and the Chiefs at the same time, can I? The Raiders were able to get out of their own way long enough to pull out the victory, despite 13 penalties and three turnovers. In fact, the Raiders celebrated Janikowski's overtime field goal, but his earlier miss could have just as easily made him a goat for the team had they lost.
The defense wasn't miraculous but was able to contain the threat of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones long enough to give their offense enough chances to stay in the game. It was a very unimpressive win over a talented team.
Grade: B-
Philadelphia Eagles
21 of 24
After a month off, Michael Vick is back and looks just about as good as before. He threw for 218 yards and a touchdown and added 74 yards and another touchdown on the ground.
The defense did more than its share, holding Peyton Manning to just one touchdown and forcing two interceptions on the future Hall of Famer while sacking him three times. It was a nail-biter but an impressive win no less.
Grade: A-
San Diego Chargers
22 of 24
Phillip Rivers has been completing passes to guys whom he may have never heard of before a few weeks ago, but he's been making them all look good in spot duty.
Arian Foster's monster day didn't stop the Chargers, who were able to get the win despite Foster and yet another blocked punt, but more surprisingly, were able to win on the road in a hostile environment against the Texans.
Grade: B
Seattle Seahawks
23 of 24
Enough went right for the Seahawks that this game didn't end in a shut-out. Seattle was facing a doughnut on the scoreboard for most of the game as they watched the Giants pile on the points. The offense couldn't find any rhythm, but what's to be expected with only 17:26 of possession? Costly three-and-out drives, turnovers and penalties (nine for 70 yards) spelled doom for the Seahawks.
Defensively, they never stood a chance against the powerhose Giants. Even ranked 10th against the run, they've been gashed enough over the past two weeks to raise serious concerns in that regard.
Grade: F
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
24 of 24
The self-proclaimed best team in the NFC hit a snag in their attempt to make that claim on the football field. Josh Freeman, who had been efficient before Sunday's game, was held to just 50 percent completions and had as many touchdowns (two) as interceptions. An anemic performance from the rush attack didn't help his case in building offensive rhythm.
The defense, meanwhile, was flat-out torched by Hot-Lanta, allowing Matt Ryan to go off for 235 yards while Michael Turner had 107. Despite all those yards, it came down to one—a big stop on 4th-and-1 at the 2-yard line by the Falcons in the closing minutes of the game.
Grade: B+
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