Around the NFL Week 9: And there was only one unbeaten left

Week 9 of the regular season has come and gone. This weekend we saw our number of undefeated teams fall to just one, as the San Francisco 49ers stand alone as the only unbeaten team in the NFL.

There were a number of high profile matchups in Week 9, including the Minnesota Vikings and the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles, and the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens.

In case you missed any of the games, check out the final scores recap.

Final Scores

49ers 28 Cardinals 25

Texans 26 Jaguars 3

Redskins 9 Bills 24

Vikings 23 Chiefs 26

Jets 18 Dolphins 26

Bears 14 Eagles 22

Colts 24 Steelers 26

Titans 20 Panthers 30

Lions 24 Raiders 31

Buccaneers 34 Seahawks 40

Browns 19 Broncos 24

Packers 11 Chargers 26

Patriots 20 Ravens 37

Cowboys 37 Giants 18

Stock Up

1. The Seattle Seahawks

On Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks matched up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Seattle was favored by 4.5 points in the game, so it seemed like a forgone conclusion that they would get the win fairly easily. This ended up not being the case. Behind a strong day from Jameis Winston and Mike Evans, the Buccaneers offense scored 34 points, forcing the game into overtime. In that overtime period, Seattle got the football and marched right down the field and scored the game-winning touchdown in a 40-34 victory. Now you may think, why would Seattle’s stock be going up after narrowly beating a now 2-6 Buccaneers team? The reason is Russell Wilson. On Sunday, Wilson played his best game of the season to date. The Seattle signal-caller threw for 378 yards and five touchdowns. This game gives Wilson 22 touchdowns to just one interception on the season. Those are historic numbers nine weeks into a season. To go with those 22 touchdowns, Wilson is completing nearly 68% of his passes, has thrown for 2,505 yards and has an average QB rating of 118.2. The Seattle defense has not been great this season, and they had another rough day Sunday but if Russell Wilson is playing like this, does it really matter? No team in the NFL has been able to contain Wilson yet this season and he is by far the favorite for the MVP award at this point and time. Seattle has a 7-2 record, and with Wilson playing out of his mind they look like a dangerous contender in the NFC.

2. The Baltimore Ravens

Every week the Baltimore Ravens continue to prove many people, including myself, dead wrong. Baltimore slayed the dragon on Sunday as the defeated the New England Patriots, giving them their first loss of the 2019 season. The game finished 37-20 but if it wasn’t for some fumbles by Baltimore the game could have been even more of a blowout. The Ravens’ defense was able to completely neutralize the Patriots’ rushing attack, holding them to 74 yards on the day, and they got enough pressure on Tom Brady to keep him uncomfortable all night. On the offensive side of the ball is where the Ravens really made their statement. The Patriots’ defense that was held by some as possibly the greatest of all time coming into this game got outplayed all night. Lamar Jackson did it on the ground and through the air, throwing for 163 yards and a touchdown, and rushing for 61 yards and two scores. Mark Ingram II added 115 yards on the ground as well, giving Baltimore 210 total rushing yards against the New England defense. The Ravens continue to be able to run the football against nearly every team they face, and doing this against the Patriots was extremely impressive. Despite the win, the Patriots are still a clear favorite in the AFC, but the Ravens showed Sunday they can play with anyone in this league. If they can run the football and Lamar Jackson can prevent committing turnovers, they can beat anyone in the NFL.

3. The Kansas City Chiefs

Andy Reid is one heck of a football coach. The Chiefs’ head man took Matt Moore, who was coaching high school football at this time last season, and led him to a win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Reid was able to put Moore in positions to succeed all day, and the Chiefs did not miss Patrick Mahomes one bit. Moore threw for 275 yards and a touchdown on the day, and had a QB rating of 103.9. Kansas City also had a great day running the football against a stout Vikings’ defensive front, rushing for 147 yards total as a team. The Chiefs’ defense also played a very good game, especially against the run. They held the NFL’s leading rusher Dalvin Cook to just 71 yards on 21 carries. That is 3.4 yards per run. This is a game that many believed without Mahomes the Chiefs would lose and fall to 5-4, but with outstanding coaching they were able to beat a good Vikings team even with their backup quarterback. Mahomes figures to be ready at the latest two weeks from now.

Three Stars - RB Edition

1. Carlos Hyde - RB Houston Texans

Carlos Hyde had a huge day on Sunday, rushing for a 160 yards on 19 carries against the Jacksonville Jaguars, his most rushing yards since 2014. Hyde helped the Texans’ offense control the game from the opening snap, helping lead them to a 26-3 blowout victory.

2. Christian McCaffrey - RB Carolina Panthers

Christian McCaffrey kept his outstanding season going on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. The Panthers’ running back ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns and caught the ball three times for 20 yards and a touchdown. McCaffrey’s three touchdowns on the day gave him 13 total on the season to go with 1,244 total yards.

3. Ezekiel Elliott - RB Dallas Cowboys

Ezekiel Elliott was dominant on Monday night against the Giants. The Cowboys’ star running back ran the ball 23 times for 139 yards. Zeke averaged six yards per carry and was consistently picking up at least five to eight yards per carry, meaning his total wasn’t inflated by one long run. The Dallas offensive line did an outstanding job of run blocking, allowing Zeke to have wide open holes to run through all night long.

Elsewhere around the NFC East

Philadelphia Eagles

Record: 5-4

Outcome: Win 22-14 over Chicago Bears

Next Game: AT New England 11/17

New York Giants

Record: 2-7

Outcome: Loss 37-18 vs Dallas Cowboys

Next Game: AT New York Jets

Washington Redskins

Record: 1-8

Outcome: Loss 24-9 at Buffalo Bills

Next Game: VS New York Jets 11/17