2019 NFL: Week 9

Hey, since yesterday was Halloween, why don’t we go with a theme this week? Let’s make a list of all the things that are frightening in the NFL! Yay! OK, I’ll start with …

… I’m just kidding. That idea is so hacky that I’d rather spend 1,000 words talking about subpar airplane food. Instead, I have a better idea. We’re about halfway through the regular season, so let’s look back and take a look at my preseason predictions, shall we?

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

MVP pick: Ben Roethlisberger

That looks: Bad

The idea itself wasn’t terrible. People were making a huge fuss about the Browns taking over the AFC North when there were legitimate concerns about how that roster would come together. And those concerns proved themselves to be true as the Browns are an undisciplined mess.

I just picked the wrong team. It was apparent from Week 1, when the Steelers suffered a 33-3 drubbing at the hands of the Patriots, that Big Ben might not be the guy for MVP. Those fears were confirmed when he went down with a season-ending elbow injury a week later. While it was tempting to feel sympathy for the man, just remember he’s kind of a big, dumb animal. There’s no need to feel that bad for him.

Given a mulligan, you’d have to go with either Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson as the current frontrunners, but like anything else, things can change.

Defensive POY: Aaron Donald

That looks: OK

The Rams have played eight games and their star defensive tackle has five sacks. He’s also tied for the league lead in tackles for loss. And nobody can doubt the kind of attention he gets from opposing teams as he constantly draws double teams.

However, there are better options out there. If Patriots defensive backs Stephon Gilmore or Devin McCourty ended up with the award, I’d be happy. That secondary suffocates opponents.

One interesting option is 49ers rookie defensive end Nick Bosa. He’s been an absolute beast with seven sacks, 13 quarterback hits and 21 pressures. His star looked brightest in Week 8’s blowout win over the Panthers, when he racked up three sacks and returned an interception for a touchdown.

Only one rookie has ever been named defensive player of the year as a rookie. That man was Lawrence Taylor. If Bosa keeps surging, it wouldn’t be a shock to see him win it.

Offensive POY: Patrick Mahomes

That looks: Bad

He started the season well, but his touchdown numbers fell to sane levels in the couple weeks preceding that fateful Thursday night game. The second trainers had to pop his knee back into place, his hopes for this award went up in smoke.

No problem, there’s a candidate more than qualified. Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is my guy. He’s on pace for nearly 2,500 total yards and has 10 total touchdowns. All the people who doubted his ability to be an every-down back have been silenced. He’s the real deal.

Lamar Jackson has drawn some buzz for this award, but I still need to see more. This weekend’s game against the Patriots will answer any lingering questions. Deshaun Watson is also a quality candidate. Let’s see how he does down the stretch.

Offensive ROY: Kyler Murray

That looks: Good

I’ll admit to snickering a bit when I saw how small he looked on an NFL field, but the Cardinals quarterback has shut me up. Arizona’s offense is a work in progress, but head coach Kliff Kingsbury, when he’s not calling timeouts for no reason, has found that his man under center is more than capable of making the leap from college to the pros.

Raiders running back Josh Jacobs is also a solid pick. He’s fit in well in Jon Gruden’s surprisingly potent offense and has managed to shoulder a heavier load than I thought he was capable of. I’m a tad worried if he can stay healthy down the stretch. If he does, don’t be surprised if he wins.

Defensive POY: Nick Bosa

That looks: Great

Considering I’m putting him in the mix for defensive player of the year, it’s safe to say I got this one right. Let’s move on.

Comeback POY: Jimmy Garoppolo

That looks: Decent

The 49ers are sitting pretty with an unblemished record, and Jimmy G has been good, but not great. That is, until he diced up the Cardinals on Thursday night. If he goes on a run over the last eight games, he’d be a solid option for the award.

However, there are currently better options. I like Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, who has over 800 yards rushing in just eight games after suffering a season-ending injury in 2018. Teddy Bridgewater is an interesting option, but he probably won’t qualify since Drew Brees is back under center for the Saints.

Call me a homer, but I think Rams WR Cooper Kupp is the leader in the clubhouse, especially on the heels of his epic performance against the Bengals.

Super Bowl matchup: Chiefs vs. Eagles

That looks: Sigh

It could still happen, but I doubt it.

NFL’S TOP 10

1) Patriots — Still unbeaten. Still at the top.

2) 49ers — I’m a sucker for an unblemished record, even though I feel they would lose to the two teams directly below them.

3) Saints — Drew Brees is back and all is well in New Orleans. Can’t believe they didn’t lose a game while he was out. I’ll say it again: Sean Payton is the choice for coach of the year.

4) Packers — Aaron Rodgers is slinging touchdowns and he’s been without his top target Davante Adams for a few weeks.

5) Ravens — They had the benefit of a bye week before they face the Patriots. It’s been funny watching the national media want so bad to pick the Ravens, but not having the guts to do so. More on that later.

6) Vikings — Is there is one thing this team REALLY does well? They seem to be a jack of all trades, but a master of none. That should be enough to carry them into the playoffs, but we’ll see what happens once they get there.

7) Seahawks — Their defense isn’t strong enough to consider them a true Super Bowl contender. But they have Russell Wilson under center and Chris Carson running hard out of the backfield. This will be a team nobody wants to face late in the season.

8) Chiefs — They lost to the Packers on Sunday night, but they didn’t look completely helpless while doing so. That counts for something.

9) Colts — They shouldn’t have won that game against the Broncos, but that’s football for you. Good teams often get bailed out by inferior opponents.

10) Cowboys — They lead the NFC East, which is the reason they’re in this spot. Yes, the Bills have a better record, but they’re currently on punishment for looking so lame against the Eagles. More importantly, they made ME look like an idiot for thinking they would win convincingly.

WHAT’S THE CHATTER?

D.C. medical care: Now we know why Trent Williams didn’t want to report back to the Redskins, as he claimed the team doctors didn’t diagnose a soft tissue cancer of his head for years. Wow.

The team has called for an independent review of the medical records and the care provided to Williams. There’s no way this ends well. If he plays another down for this organization, that would be shocking.

Oh, really? Welp, Le’Veon Bell is unhappy again. And no, not about his contract. Apparently, the Jets running back was not satisfied with his lack of touches in the team’s loss the Jaguars. By the way, Bell is averaging 3.2 yards per carry this year with just one touchdown.

It’s quality, not quantity. And as someone who has Le’Veon on his fantasy team, I don’t want to hear his complaints. That also goes for safety Jamal Adams, who after being told by his GM that he wasn’t on the trading block, read reports that he was part of a possible trade with Dallas. The one thing you can trust about NFL executives is that they don’t tell the truth. Deal with that fact and you’ll be a lot happier.

Gone for good: Patriots cut wide receiver Josh Gordon off injured reserve this week. This probably won’t be the end of his NFL journey as he has enough talent for another team to pick him up. Or maybe he’ll end up back in New England. Stranger things have happened.

Dead line: After all the fireworks of the weeks leading up to the NFL trade deadline, nothing really fun happened at the last minute. People screamed for the Bears to make a deal for another quarterback, but the team decided instead with Mitch Trubisky. Good luck with all that.

WHAT TO WATCH IN WEEK 9

Texans at Jaguars: Deshaun Watson is appointment television. So is Gardner Minshew. Don’t sleep on this matchup, because it could come down to the wire.

Vikings at Chiefs: If Andy Reid manages to get another quality performance out of Matt Moore, I’ll be amazed. This game is worth watching just for that.

Bears at Eagles: Let’s see if Matt Nagy starts concentrating on using the Bears’ ample running backs. He probably won’t because anyone who keeps relying on Mitch Trubisky is a glutton for punishment.

Patriots at Ravens: This is unquestionably the game of the week. And while everyone will focus on Lamar Jackson, the key to this game will be Baltimore’s defense. If they can get New England’s offense off the field consistently, they’ve got a real shot at home. In fact, I’m going a step further.

The Ravens will win this game. There, I said it.