2022 NFL: Previewing Week 9

One thing I love about the NFL is that it’s not the NBA. The regular season isn’t interminably long, the playoffs aren’t a slog and Kyrie Irving is nowhere to be found.

That being said, I love that the NFL trade deadline now resembles what goes down in pro basketball. Tuesday brought a flurry of moves that hasn’t been seen in decades. My head was spinning. Bradley Chubb and Jeff Wilson are going to Miami?! The Ravens got Roquan Smith? Wow!

T.J. Hockenson going from Detroit to Minnesota, the Giants getting out from under the Kadarius Toney experiment, the deals were coming fast. Even the Jets (!!) made a move and brought in running back James Robinson to replace the injured Breece Hall. It was a fun time. Teams aren’t sitting on draft picks and living a risk averse life anymore. If they feel they’ve got a shot at a Super Bowl, they’re pushing their chips in. They’re not stupid, they’ve seen teams like the Rams and Buccaneers get aggressive in recent years and it paid off. Why not do the same?

Speaking of the Rams and Bucs, they’ve had an interesting week. So have the Packers. All three teams chose to sit out the transaction extravaganza. And this isn’t because their rosters are fine.

Remember when they were championship contenders last season? Now they’re all under .500 and have big holes to fill. The Rams don’t have a reliable running back and it showed last Sunday against the 49ers (more on that later), while the Bucs need another pass-rusher now that Shaq Barrett is lost for the season and they’re thin on the offensive line.

Meanwhile, Green Bay was the only team in the NFC North that didn’t make a deadline move, even though it’s plain to see that they need offensive weapons in the worst way. In their defense, the best wide receiver available was Chase Claypool, who isn’t a great option. But they sure could have used a tight end like Hockenson to be a quality target for Aaron Rodgers.

Sometimes the best move is to not make a move. Who knows, it could be the smart choice in the long term. But for right now, it’s puzzling, to say the least.

NFL’S TOP 10

1. Bills – They didn’t look their best on Sunday night against the Packers, but they still won convincingly. That shows you the level of talent Buffalo has. Then they picked up running back Nyheim Hines from Indy and beefed up their secondary by acquiring safety Dean Marlowe at the deadline. Bills Mafia has to be pleased.

2. Eagles – They came off their bye week and stomped the Steelers at home before acquiring star pass-rusher Robert Quinn. Losing defensive tackle Jordan Davis to a high ankle sprain will hurt for a bit, but he’ll be back eventually. Sitting with a 7-0 record gives the team the luxury of being patient with Davis’ recovery.

3. Chiefs – Why did they trade for wide receiver Kadarius Toney? My question is, why not? Depth at a skill position is always a good thing and all Kansas City had to give up was a third and sixth-round pick to get him. Some people view that as a lot to give, but I think that’s not a bad investment for a former first-round pick with a good amount of upside.

4. Cowboys – Their defense was already stout and they went out and got stronger on the line by acquiring defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins. Ezekiel Elliott missed Sunday’s game with a knee injury, but Tony Pollard more than handled the load with 131 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged 9.4 yards per carry in the process. Now they’ve got a bye week to rest up and get healthy before a run of three challenging games.

5. Vikings – Their passing game was already good, but adding Hockenson to the mix in a rare inter-division trade was an excellent move. It’s just in time, because over the next few weeks, they face the 4-4 Commanders, the 6-1 Bills, the 6-2 Cowboys, the 4-4 Patriots and the 5-3 Jets. We’re going to find out what this team is made of real fast.

6. Ravens – They’re going on a run, you heard it here first. If they can get past a road game against the Saints (never an easy place to play), they’ll hit their bye week before returning with winnable games the rest of the season. Adding a strong linebacker like Roquan Smith and getting some other important names back from injury is just an added boost.

7. 49ers – How is Christian McCaffrey fitting in with his new team? Fire up your best Ace Ventura impression (OK, Boomer), because he’s like a glove. Unfortunately, they can’t play the Rams every week, but they looked intimidating on offense even without Deebo Samuel, who missed Sunday’s game with an injury. When San Francisco can get McCaffrey, Samuel and George Kittle all at full strength, look out.

8. Dolphins – Maybe I’m naive, but I didn’t feel Miami was a couple moves away from being a Super Bowl contender. But here we are. Adding Chubb to their defense is a godsend, especially being in the same division as the Bills. Also, are you noticing a trend in these rankings? Pretty much every team made some type of move at the deadline. That’s how good teams become title teams. Bravo.

9. Giants – They lost at Seattle. That’s not really a big deal. A lot of teams find it tough to win in that stadium, especially with the Seahawks being a team on the rise. They need more offensive weapons, but maybe dealing Kadarius Toney is an addition-by-subtraction type of move. And there are rumors that Odell Beckham Jr. could be heading back to the Big Apple.

10. Titans – If you had the anointing oil out for Malik Willis, maybe put it down for now. Tennessee started their rookie quarterback for Sunday’s win over the Texans and they didn’t let him do much. It doesn’t matter because they still won the game and improved to 5-2. The team is being noncommittal over whether they’ll start Willis or Ryan Tannehill on Sunday night against the Chiefs, but if you’re a betting person, put your money on Tannehill. Oh, I almost forgot: Derrick Henry is an absolute beast. He’s the reason why I’m 1-7 instead of 0-8 in fantasy.

WHAT’S THE CHATTER?

Please, let this happen: Breaking news came out on Wednesday that Commanders owner Dan Snyder is “exploring all options” for a possible sale of the franchise. That could mean he’s willing to sell the team outright or maybe sell off a minority stake in the franchise. His exit from the NFL is probably the best move for everyone involved. Snyder included. Remember, he bought the Commanders back in 1999 for $750 million. He could get as much as $5 billion (who knows, maybe more) if he sells the team. I didn’t go to Wharton, but I believe that’s a solid profit.

Sid’s day at Sofi: I’m an unapologetic Rams fan, but I had yet to attend a game at their new stadium. Until last Thursday when a connected friend called me with an interesting proposal.

Friend: “Hey, dummy! Want to go to the Niners-Rams game on Sunday? I’ve got suite tickets with your name on it.”

Dumbfounded Sid: “Uhhh, yes please?”

Friend: “Great! Check your email in a few.”

Turns out, he wasn’t lying. I got suite tickets to Sofi Stadium with parking. Free food included. I didn’t pay a dime. And even though the Rams got boatraced in the second half and the stadium was filled with 70/30 49ers fans, I had a blast. What an amazing facility. And what a crappy product the Rams are putting out on the field. It’s even worse in person.

He’s got a point: Mike Florio is someone I enjoy making fun of. He’s such a dweeb, I just want to shove him in a locker. However, when he’s right, he’s right. Florio says the NFL should move the trade deadline back even further. His point:

“Why prevent teams from doing arm’s-length transactions with an arbitrary deadline that comes before some potential sellers are ready to admit they need to sell?”

That’s very true. I know I’ve brought up the Rams more often than I should have this week, but if the trade deadline came two weeks later, L.A. would probably be 3-6 and willing to deal a star player (cough, Jalen Ramsey) to get some draft picks. And that’s true for other teams holding on a bit too long.

Awkward? Another interesting part about the trade deadline is the players who were rumored to be traded but ended up staying put. Guys like Texans receiver Brandin Cooks, Browns running back Kareem Hunt, Broncos wideout Jerry Jeudy all popped up in the rumor mill, but never got moved. They’re all professionals, so I’m sure there won’t be any weirdness in the locker room, and at least they don’t need to go apartment hunting in a new city. But I can’t imagine what it must be like to have your name bandied about as a commodity in the press.

Thanks, guys: I gushed about the Bengals last week. They rewarded my kindness by going out and laying a stink bomb against the Browns. Way to make me look like a reactionary moron.

APPOINTMENT VIEWING FOR WEEK 9

Eagles at Texans: This should be an easy win for Philly, but there is the Thursday night wildcard thrown into the mix here. Plus, this could be a trap game. Who could be blamed for looking past Houston? It probably won’t happen, but it’s worth watching for a half to see if anything nutty goes down.

Chargers at Falcons: Kudos to Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith for getting this team to .500 in what should be a rebuilding year. And with the up-and-down Chargers coming to town, the Falcons could fly to 5-4. Crazier things have happened.

Dolphins at Bears: Two teams who made moves at the deadline. That’s the only thing they have in common. I want to see a solid performance from Tua here.

Packers at Lions: If Green Bay loses this one, I’m REALLY going to freak out. The time to relax is over.

Bills at Jets: This game would have been skippable just a few years ago. Not anymore. What a great division matchup. Buffalo will win without much of a problem, but it’s great to see these two teams be relevant at the same time.

Vikings at Commanders: Washington is a different team with Taylor Heinecke at quarterback. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they roll here.

Rams at Buccaneers: L.A. is at 3-4. Tampa is 3-5. They faced off in one of the most entertaining playoff games in recent memory just a few months ago. Now look at where they are. Wow. At least the Bucs are getting a bunch of defensive pieces back this week, so that means the Rams and their bad offensive line get to face another stout defense. I’m thinking the league’s schedule makers really wanted to punish Sean McVay for winning a Super Bowl.

Titans at Chiefs: On paper, Kansas City should take care of business at home. But we don’t play games on paper, do we son? Damn right.

Ravens at Saints: It’s Monday night, what else are you going to watch? Plus, this is a team from Baltimore, my favorite city that I’ve yet to visit. But one day I will!

Enjoy the games!