50 Most Important Things We Learned from the NFL's Week 9

The 2011 NFL season just keeps getting better and better—there's no question about it.

The NFL's Week 9 was filled with action as Eli Manning and the New York Giants knocked off Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, Tim Tebow gets his second win this season as a starter and much, much more. 

Allow me to kickoff the start to your work week with the top 50 most important things that we learned from the NFL's Week 9. 

The Seattle Seahawks Have Major Problems at Quarterback

Tarvaris Jackson or Charlie Whitehurst—pick your poison. 

Jackson was simply dreadful against the Dallas Cowboys as he completed only 56.7 percent of his passes for 221 yards while throwing three interceptions.

Jackson and the Seahawks are now 2-6 after their 23-13 loss against the Cowboys. 

DeMarco Murray Is a Legitimate Lead Running Back

DeMarco Murray is simply no fluke. 

The rookie out of Oklahoma ran all over the Seattle Seahawks as he accumulated 139 yards on 22 carries as well as snagging four passes for 47 yards. 

I think that it's safe to say that he's a well-rounded running back. 

The Seattle Seahawks Are a Bad Football Team

The only games that I can actually see the Seattle Seahawks winning this season are against the Arizona Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams. 

I think that it's now safe to put the Seahawks in the "Suck for Luck" sweepstakes. 

Marshawn Lynch Is the Only Bright Spot on the Seahawks

As I just stated in the previous slide, the Seattle Seahawks are an extremely bad football team—but they do have one shining star and that's running back Marshawn Lynch. 

Lynch ran for 135 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries for Seattle this past weekend against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Dallas Cowboys Are in a Huge Hole in the NFC East

Despite the Dallas Cowboys beating up on the Seattle Seahawks, they are still in a huge hole in the NFC East, as the New York Giants knocked off the New England Patriots.

Dallas is now 4-4, two games behind the 6-2 Giants, but still do have two games remaining on its schedule against New York. 

The Cowboys have a lot of work to do if they want to win their division. 

Julio Jones Is a Play-Maker

Julio Jones entered Week 9 still without his first career touchdown, but he now leaves the week with two. 

The rookie out of Alabama snagged only three passes but accumulated an incredible 131 yards while scoring twice in Atlanta's 31-7 victory over Indianapolis. 

The Indianapolis Colts Are the Lone Winless Team in the NFL

The Miami Dolphins finally escaped a week with a victory, which now means that the Indianapolis Colts are the lone winless team in the NFL.

Curtis Painter and the lowly Colts were absolutely blown out by Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons, 31-7. 

Matt Ryan Needs to Be More Accurate for the Atlanta Falcons

Don't get me wrong, Matt Ryan played well against the Indianapolis Colts but he wasn't perfect as he was picked off once. 

Ryan did throw for 275 yards and three touchdowns but only completed 58.3 percent of his passes. 

If Ryan isn't accurate against better teams, then he's going to have trouble leading his team to a victory.  

The Colts Are Now the Front Runners in the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes

The Indianapolis Colts are certainly sucking for Luck as they are now the only winless team in the NFL with their putrid record of 0-9.

This certainly is an interesting scenario. With Peyton Manning, should the Colts draft Andrew Luck if they have the first overall pick? What do you think? 

The New York Jets Are Back in the Playoff Race

With their victory over the Buffalo Bills, the New York Jets are now in a three-way tie for first place in the AFC East after entering the weekend in third place. 

The Jets have now won three games in a row after losing at Gillette Stadium against the New England Patriots. 

The Buffalo Bills Need to Win Home Games

Buffalo's Week 9 matchup against the New York Jets was a huge opportunity for the Bills, but they failed miserably.

Buffalo could have made a statement with a key home victory over the Jets, but simply did not deserve to win the game as they fell short 27-11. 

The Bills need to be winning their home games if they want to be a legitimate playoff contender. 

Ryan Fitzpatrick Was Dreadful in Buffalo's Loss Against the Jets

So much for being one of the NFL's better quarterbacks, Ryan Fitzpatrick was just another guy Sunday against the New York Jets.

Fitzpatrick completed only 48.4 percent of his passes for 191 yards as well as tossing a touchdown but was picked off two times.

Buffalo is now in a three-way tie with the Jets and Patriots in the AFC East. 

Mark Sanchez Was Phenomenal Against the Buffalo Bills

I can't believe that I'm actually saying this but Mark Sanchez was phenomenal in New York's impressive 27-11 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

Sanchez may have thrown only one touchdown and one interception but he did complete an incredible 71.4 percent of his passes for 230 yards. 

Fred Jackson Needs to Play Much Better in Order for the Bills to Win

The Buffalo Bills are still a very good football team, despite their loss against the New York Jets, but they need to receive much more out of Fred Jackson in order to beat some of the NFL's better teams.

Jackson did run for 82 yards but he did fumble once as well as catching only three passes.

Let's put it this way: Buffalo's offense revolves around Fred Jackson. 

Plaxico Burress Appears to Be Back on Track for the Jets

Before entering last week with a bye, Plaxico Burress had reeled in three touchdowns in New York's victory over the San Diego Chargers after a shaky stretch of games.

Plax's success continued against Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, as he caught five passes for 79 yards. 

The Cleveland Browns Are No Longer Playoff Contenders

Entering Week 9, the Cleveland Browns were 3-4 and had a legitimate shot at regaining a chance in the playoff race against the Houston Texans—that obviously did not happen.

The Texans beat up on the Browns, 30-12. Cleveland now falls to 3-5, which is last place in the AFC North. 

Arian Foster Is an Absolute Machine

The reigning NFL leading rusher started of 2011 a bit shaky but has now rebounded nicely with his recent 124-yard performance against the Cleveland Browns.

Arian Foster accumulate those 124 yards on 19 carries as well as scoring a touchdown and snagging five passes for 26 yards. 

Ben Tate Is Also an Absolute Machine

Ben Tate a machine—what do you think? Twelve carries, 115 yards.

You bet he is. 

Houston Has an Elite Rushing Attack

This is now the second team on the year that both Arian Foster and Ben Tate have accumulated 100 yards or more. 

Sunday against the Cleveland Browns, the Texans ran for 261 yards on just 40 carries for an incredible average of 6.5 yards per carry. 

If that's not an elite then I don't know what is. 

Matt Schaub Looked Absolutely Dreadful in Houston's Victory over Cleveland

There is no chance in hell that Matt Schaub and the Houston Texans will be able to beat a legitimate playoff team if Schaub plays like the way he did against the Cleveland Browns.

Schaub completed only 60.9 percent of his passes while being intercepted once and posting a pitiful 56.3 quarterback rating. 

Peyton Hillis Without a Doubt Has the Madden Curse

What do you think? Do you believe in the whole Madden curse? I'm actually starting to.

Peyton Hillis has not been able to find a way to stay on the field due to several hamstring injuries this season and missed Sunday's game against the Houston Texans with yet another hamstring tweak. 

Note to all NFL players: Do not pose for Madden. 

The San Francisco 49ers Are Now the Second Best Team in the NFL

Bleacher Report's Lead Writer Matt Miller placed the San Francisco 49ers as the second best team in football in last week's power rankings—I am now too also starting to believe in the 49ers and I can agree that they are the second best team in the NFL.

With the 49ers' 19-11 victory over the Washington Redskins, San Francisco is now 7-1 on the season, the second best record in the entire league. 

Alex Smith Is One of the NFL's Better Quarterbacks

Well it's about time—Alex Smith is finally living up to his first overall pick expectations.

Smith played very well in San Francisco's victory over the Washington Redskins as he completed 70.8 percent of his passes for 200 yards and one touchdown.

All in all, Smith is doing a tremendous job at not turning the ball over and being a great game-manager. 

Frank Gore Is a Beast

OK, we all might have already known this one but Frank Gore's performance against the Washington Redskins was simply impressive.

Gore ran the ball 19 times as he racked up 107 total yards on the ground as well as catching a pass for seven yards.

I think that we can all agree that Frank Gore is San Francisco's offense. 

The Washington Redskins Are in a Downward Spiral

So much for actually making a run for the playoffs.

The Washington Redskins started off 2011 with a shocking 3-1 record, with an impressive victory over the New York Giants but now have lost four straight games.

Things are not going well in the nation's capital as the 'Skins are now 3-5. 

John Beck Isn't Bad but He Isn't Good

Let's put it this way: John Beck is simply average; he's just another guy.

In Washington's 19-11 loss against the 49ers, Beck completed 63.8 percent of his passes while posting a solid 76.0 quarterback rating.

As Beck is just an average quarterback, the Redskins stand no chance at making the playoffs. 

The New Orleans Saints Are Front Runners in the NFC South

With New Orleans' huge divisional victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Saints now improve to 6-3 on the season and now have a half game lead over of the Atlanta Falcons. 

New Orleans will now face the Atlanta Falcons next week in a huge divisional matchup before entering their bye week. 

The Saints Rebounded Nicely After an Embarrassing Defeat

After being embarrassed a week ago against the lousy St. Louis Rams, the New Orleans Saints rebounded nicely with a solid divisional victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Saints simply outplayed the Bucs Sunday as they escaped with a 27-16 win. 

Tampa Bay Needs to Start Scoring Touchdowns

If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers want to make the playoffs, then they're going to have to have a much better offensive attack—field goals are simply not going to cut it, especially against the New Orleans Saints.

Josh Freeman did not play terrible as he did not play great, he was just decent in Tampa Bay's loss against the Saints. However, Freeman and the team's offense failed to score a single touchdown until the fourth quarter after the team had to settle for three field goals. 

Darren Sproles Is an Extremely Dangerous Weapon for New Orleans

Acquiring Darren Sproles was arguably New Orleans' best transaction of the offseason.

In the team's victory over the Bucs, Sproles ran for 42 yards on four carries as well as catching five passes for 57 yards and scoring one touchdown.

All in all, Sproles is New Orleans' x-factor right now. 

The Kansas City Chiefs Are so Inconsistent

After coming up with a huge victory over the San Diego Chargers and winning four games in a row, the Kansas City Chiefs' winning streak was snapped against the lowly Miami Dolphins.

Can you believe that? The Dolphins came into Sunday's game with no wins on the season but somehow managed to beat the Chiefs. 

Talk about being inconsistent. 

The Miami Dolphins Are No Longer Winless

I would like to bet that no one in the entire world picked the Miami Dolphins to beat the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend—and if someone did, they're either a homer, crazy or just flat-out lucky. 

The Dolphins are no longer in first place in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes—sorry, Dolphins fans. 

The Cincinnati Bengals Are Legitimate Playoff Contenders

Do not sleep on the Cincinnati Bengals—they're a legitimate playoff contender. 

Andy Dalton has done a spectacular job thus far as he most recently led his Bengals to a solid 24-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Dalton threw for three touchdowns and 217 yards.

Chris Johnson Is Just Downright Terrible

Chris Johnson's struggles continued for yet another week as he ran for only 64 yards on 14 carries against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Granted, this may be an upgrade for what we're now used to seeing from CJ2K, as he entered Week 9 averaging a putrid 2.8 yards per-carry. 

Tebowing Is Where It's at

So much for planking.

I am actually a huge Tebower—if that's actually a word. I find myself Tebowing all the time, just like my man Tim Tebow who Tebowed his way to victory over the Oakland Raiders.

FYI, I am in the process of ordering this sweatshirt as we speak. 

Carson Palmer Looked Decent His Debut as a Starter

If you take away Carson Palmer's three interceptions, then he played pretty damn well in his debut as Oakland's starting quarterback—and that's a huge if. 

Palmer completed 54.3 percent of his passes for a solid 332 yards as well as tossing three touchdowns to go along with his three picks. 

Tim Tebow Is a Winner

Call me crazy, but I am a huge Tim Tebow believer. 

Tebow escaped the Black Hole in Oakland with a solid 38-24 victory over the Raiders and played well in doing so. Mr. Tebowing himself threw for two touchdowns and no interceptions as well as running for an incredible 118 yards. 

No. 15 did what he does best Sunday, and that's winning—just like Charlie Sheen. 

Eli Manning Is an Elite Quarterback

There is no doubt in my mind that Eli Manning is an elite quarterback—I mean, he is playing an elite level, especially with his incredible come-from-behind victory over the New England Patriots.

Manning has now thrown for 2,377 yards and 15 touchdowns, while posting a stellar 98.8 quarterback rating on the season.

What do you think? Is Eli an elite QB? 

Tom Brady Cannot Turn the Ball over and Expect to Win

No matter how poorly or how great your defense plays, but if your quarterback throws two interceptions and fumbles the ball once, your chances of winning that game significantly decrease—just ask Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. 

Surprisingly, New England's lousy defense played fairly well against the Giants, but Brady turned the ball over three times. 

If New England is going to make a playoff run, then Brady is going to have to be near perfect. 

Rob Gronkowski Is the Best Tight End in Football

Rob Gronkowski was an absolute beast against the New York Giants this past weekend for the New England Patriots—he was literally unstoppable.

Gronkowski snagged eight passes while racking up 101 yards and reeling in what was the go-ahead touchdown with 1:36 left in the game. 

Do you think that Gronk is the best tight end in football? 

New England Needs to Put More Pressure on the QB

Believe it or not, New England's pass rush isn't all that bad with the likes of Andre Carter, Rob Ninkovich and Mark Anderson—but the group simply could not get a hold of Eli Manning this past Sunday against the Giants.

The Patriots' secondary is already bad as it is, and it certainly doesn't help when the team's pass rush cannot bring down the quarterback. 

John Skelton Somehow Outplayed Sam Bradford

I think that we can all agree that Sam Bradford's season has been absolutely disappointment, especially after John Skelton somehow outplayed the reigning rookie of the year.

Skelton posted an impressive 85.7 quarterback rating as he tossed one touchdown while Bradford posted a 73.3 passer rating as he was picked off once and failed to throw a single touchdown. 

Steven Jackson Is St. Louis' Lone Offensive Weapon

Forget about Brandon Lloyd, as he's nothing when Sam Bradford is playing poorly, which he is. With that being said, Steven Jackson is literally all of St. Louis' offensive attack.

Jackson ran for a solid 130 yards on 29 carries against the Arizona Cardinals but failed to punch in any touchdowns as the Rams fell short, 19-13.

Green Bay's Offense Is Unstoppable

Can anyone actually slow down Green Bay's offensive attack? It is ultimately unstoppable. 

In Green Bay's eighth win of the season Sunday, the Packers simply outscored the San Diego Chargers, 45-38. 

The Packers had 368 yards of total offense. 

Philip Rivers Is No Where Close to Being an Elite Quarterback

Philip Rivers followed up Monday's dreadful performance with another stinker Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.

Rivers may have thrown for 385 yards and four touchdowns but he did throw three costly interceptions, which two of those happened to be returned back for touchdowns. 

Philip Rivers an elite QB? No way. 

Aaron Rodgers Is the Best Player in the NFL

There is absolutely no debate about this one: Aaron Rodgers is the NFL's best player.

Rodgers completed an amazing 80.8 percent of his passes in Green Bay's victory over San Diego. Now on the season, the reigning Super Bowl MVP has completed 72.5 percent of his passes—how sick is that? 

Jordy Nelson Is an Up-and-Coming Star

Jordy Nelson is without a question and big-play threat and we can all agree that he's an up-and-coming star.

Nelson reeled in five passes against the Chargers as he racked up 105 yards and scoring one touchdown. 

The Baltimore Ravens Are the Best Team in the AFC

Hey, remember that Monday night game with the Baltimore Ravens against the Jacksonville Jaguars and how poorly the Ravens played? That's a distant memory with Baltimore's incredible 23-20 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Baltimore is now 5-2 on the season, after completing the season sweep of the Steelers. 

Joe Flacco Played Like a Seasoned Veteran Against Pittsburgh

Joe Flacco played with guts and heart against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football, as he threw the game-winning touchdown with just eight seconds left in the game. 

The Delaware product completed 59.6 percent of his passes as he did not turn the ball over and accumulated 300 passing yards as well as leading the Ravens to 14 out 21 on third down conversions. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers Are in Trouble

In a way, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost any chance of winning the AFC North on Sunday night as they were swept by the Baltimore Ravens. 

The Steelers are now 6-3, which is certainly respectable with a solid win against the New England Patriots, but they have not looked good against the Baltimore Ravens and now will likely have to fight for a Wild Card spot.