NFL Week 9 Report Cards: Breaking Down the Week's 25 Winners and Losers
The Week 9 NFL report card continues to examine different aspects of the game, as this time we look at winners and losers.
We don't necessarily look at the team's records, but individual players who came out winners and losers on the day.
Every game has the chance to make a player a hero or a goat, so here's a look at where a handful of players ended up this week.
NOTE: Will be updated with winners and losers from the rest of the day's action
Winner: Colt McCoy
1 of 25
Colt McCoy, by virtue of being the starting quarterback against the New England Patriots, becomes a winner despite not throwing for any touchdowns and less than 200 yards.
However he did run for a touchdown, showed great poise, and kept the New England defense in check.
McCoy has now faced the Steelers, Saints, and Patriots, and is 2-1 in those contests.
Cleveland may finally have a starting quarterback.
Loser: Bill Belichick
2 of 25
The teacher was outdueled by his former pupil and it was a bad day to be a Patriots fan.
The Browns offense kept the Patriots defense on their toes, they took advantage of some uncharacteristic mistakes and the Patriots got their butts handed to them.
Tom Brady and the Patriots offense was nowhere to be found most of the day, and the 34-14 score wasn't as close as it looked.
Winner: Phillip Rivers
3 of 25
All Phillip Rivers did was throw for another 295 yards and four touchdowns.
So, you know, just another day at the office.
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Loser: Andre Johnson
4 of 25
Andre Johnson had great numbers on the day. But then he bobbled a great pass by Matt Schaub, and it went right into the hands of the Chargers on what could have been the go-ahead score and game winner
Instead, the Chargers were able to run the clock out and win 29-23.
The look on Matt Schaub's face as he walked off the field was priceless if you're a Chargers fan, and it's safe to say Johnson probably will be staying as far away from Schaub as he can for the next day or so.
Winner: Ndamukong Suh
5 of 25
I don't care if the ball clanged off of the upright. Ndamukong Suh, a defensive lineman, went in and tried to kick an extra point after Detroit's kicker got injured.
Suh did what was asked of him, and he almost got it through. This is why Suh is such a great player, not only does he excel at his position, he's game to try anything you ask him to do.
If you don't think Suh might take a handoff one day and power it into the end zone, you're not thinking creatively enough.
Loser: Miami Dolphins Offense
6 of 25
Chad Henne had three interceptions in the Dolphins loss to the Ravens. Not a good day for Henne, or the Dolphins offense, which got increasingly worse as the game wore on.
The time of possession battle was won by Baltimore, and Henne never got a touchdown pass on the day.
Outside of the opening drive, the Dolphins offense was ineffective and soft, not the best way to win a game against the Ravens, and they didn't win.
Winner: Brett Favre
7 of 25
If Brett Favre played more games like he did this one, the Vikings might have a few more wins on their schedule.
The caveat to that statement is the Vikings were playing the Cardinals, but the way the Vikings have been falling apart lately, it would've been no surprise to see another meltdown vs. Arizona.
Favre had 446 yards passing and two touchdowns on the day. Yes, he had two picks, but they didn't turn the game into a loss.
With all the heat on Head Coach Brad Childress, Favre came out and played a pretty good game, especially when it counted.
Loser: LeGarrette Blount
8 of 25
LeGarrette Blount, one of last week's big winners, flopped big time this week, rushing for only 46 yards on 13 carries and getting stuffed at the goal line at the end of the game.
Blount is a rookie, and this game showed why sometimes even talented rookies aren't the best option against a very good defense.
Don't count Blount out yet, though, there's still a lot of potential there. You just didn't get to see it this week.
Winner: Nick Folk
9 of 25
Last week, Nick Folk let the winds get the best of him at home. This week Folk nailed the 30-yard overtime kick to win in Detroit.
Folk saved his job with that kick, because kickers aren't allowed to have two bad weeks in a row in the NFL.
Sometimes they're not even allowed to have one bad week.
Loser: Matthew Stafford
10 of 25
Another injury to Matthew Stafford's throwing shoulder with 5:19 left in the game. There's not much else you can say about this.
Stafford has been great when he's played this year, but he's now been hurt twice. Hopefully this injury isn't as bad, and Stafford can get back out on the field next week.
Winner: Santonio Holmes
11 of 25
While Folk gets credit for getting the winning kick through the uprights, credit also has to be given to Santonio Holmes for catching Mark Sanchez' pass and running that ball well into field-goal range.
Great play call by Brian Schottenheimer and great execution by the offense on the field.
Loser: Buffalo Bills Fans
12 of 25
Not only did Bills fans have to suffer seeing their team drop to 0-8, they had to do it while watching a "home" game in Toronto.
This attempt by the NFL to expand the game into Canada is nothing but a disservice to Bills fans, and doesn't encourage the fans of this struggling franchise to invest in a team that now only has seven true home games a year.
Winner: Ryan Fitzpatrick
13 of 25
While we could sit here all day and go over what is wrong with the Buffalo Bills, Ryan Fitzpatrick doesn't rank very high on that list.
While it's still probable the Bills will be drafting a quarterback come April, Fitzpatrick may have plenty of other teams wanting his services next year.
Not that Fitzpatrick is a starter of the future somewhere, but he's certainly been good enough to be a backup on many other teams, who would be glad to have a guy who can step in and throw for 300 yards a game without any other real talent on the offense.
Loser: Arizona Cardinals Offense
14 of 25
The poor fans of the Arizona Cardinals may be sitting there going, "Derek Anderson didn't have a bad day," and they're right, he didn't.
But Anderson really isn't the reason the Cardinals were in the game until the end, and by not having a horrible day, that just means he'll get the start next week.
Anderson rarely has two good starts in a row, just sayin'.
Winner: Jay Cutler
15 of 25
Jay Cutler did not get sacked on Sunday.
Jay's the big winner!!!
Loser: Jimmy Clausen
16 of 25
Matt Moore had to go and get injured, and now this mess of a team is Jimmy Clausen's responsibility again.
While Panthers fans can hope Clausen develops into a great quarterback, he's not going to do much developing with the current organization, which is sure to change after the year is over.
Winner: Peyton Hillis Fantasy Owners
17 of 25
If you own Peyton Hillis, congratulations! Hillis ran for 184 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday, vs. Bill Belichick's Patriots.
He had one fumble lost, but the Browns defense held.
Hillis is becoming one of the best backs in the league, and there are eight more games to go.
Winner: Jason Campbell
18 of 25
Jason Campbell had a good day behind center vs. the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Campbell threw for 229 yards and one touchdown in the Raiders overtime victory.
Critical passes were made in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime to seal the victory, and Campbell may finally have locked down the starting job he lost in Week 1.
Loser: Thomas Jones
19 of 25
Thomas Jones, a legitimate threat in every game he's played in this year, was shut down by the Raiders defense, rushing for only 32 yards on 19 carries.
The Chiefs running game had a pretty bad day, and Jones' inability to break through the Raiders defense was one of the reasons.
No need to panic, though, he'll probably run for 150 yards next week.
Winner: Sebastian Janikowski
20 of 25
Sebastian Janikowski kicked the game-winning field goal after tying the game up to end regulation.
Janikowski can get a free drink and dinner in any restaurant in Oakland for at least the next week, and while it's his job to make those kicks, very few things in life come with 100 percent certainty.
Loser: Peyton Manning
21 of 25
Peyton Manning threw a game-changing interception and probably lost Austin Collie again for another few weeks.
Manning has been having a good year despite all the injuries, but things just fell apart in Philadelphia.
Don't expect to see Manning dwell on this, though, He'll be back.
Winner: Eli Manning
22 of 25
Eli Manning threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns as the Giants routed the Seahawks on Sunday.
That's a "win" in my book.
Loser: Pete Carroll
23 of 25
Pete Carroll not only has to figure out how to fix his defense, which can't seem to stop anybody lately, he has to figure out what he's going to do with Charlie Whitehurst if Matt Hasselbeck can't go next week.
Whitehurst struggled in his first start, and while it is the New York Giants, it was Carroll's responsibility to make sure a 41-7 score didn't happen.
It was an ugly game, there is plenty of blame to go around, but the fact is the Seahawks aren't a very good team and the injuries only exposed the complete lack of depth on the roster.
Winner: Clay Matthews
24 of 25
Clay Matthews is a stud.
I have nothing more to add to this, carry on.
Loser: Wade Phillips
25 of 25
Wade Phillips muddled his way through yet another ugly game, there were mistakes, and now it looks like the players no longer care what Phillips has to say.
That much was evident as the team didn't appear to have any life on the field and quite clearly went through the motions as the game wore on.
Phillips probably should just resign and go quietly into that good night.
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