NFL Week 9 winners and losers: Tom Brady, Seahawks, Aaron Rodgers, Colts...

Week 9 of the NFL regular season came to a close when the Baltimore Ravens beat the New Orleans Saints at the Caesars Superdome on Monday Night. There were teams who were in desperate situations who needed wins and got them, while others who sank deeper into their midseason slumps to put them behind the eight ball for the second half of the NFL season.

WINNERS

Undisputed NFL leaders

How could Philly not be the top winners after the weekend? That’s all they have done this season, and they kept their record unblemished in a tough week that was full of trap game potential. They were on the road, against the worst team in the league, on a short week, and they still pulled through on Thursday night to improve to 8-0 on the season. Jalen Hurts continuer his candidacy for MVP as the defense only got stronger with the addition of Robert Quinn during the trade market.

Seattle surprise

Who do these Seahawks think they are? No one expected them to be in this position half way through the season, but Pete Carroll is looking like a shoe in for Coach of the Year, and the same Geno Smith that sat the bench for the last six years is getting some consideration for the leagues Most Valuable Player. Going into Arizona was far from an easy task, considering they are division rival with their season on the line. Smith and the Seahawks now hold a comfortable lead over the Niners in the NFC West.

Tom Terrific wins it late

Strange days in Tampa Bay for Bucs and Tom Brady, but the good news is they finally kicked their losing streak on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. For as bad as the Bucs have looked for most of this year, if you give No. 12 a chance to win the game late in the fourth quarter, he will sink you. That’s what the Rams found out when they punted to Brady and the timeout less Tampa Bay Bucs with 44 seconds to go in the game. Brady worked his magic in a game he surpassed the 100,000 and capped off the late comeback with a one yard to Cade Otton. In the post game Brady had just one thing to say, “That was awesome.” He has lived way more awesome moments through his career, but this comeback which is his record setting 55th game winning drive was enough to put a smile on Tom Terrific’s face.

Ravens string together three straight

The Ravens waited until Week 8 to put their first win streak together. Until that point they had trouble closing out games in the second half and were alternating wins and losses. In all three of their losses, they have given up double digit leads, but on Monday night against the Saints the run game set the tone as the defense shut down Andy Dalton and the New Orleans offense. They gave up a cheap consolation TD drive late in the game, but if they hadn’t taken their foot off the pedal in the fourth quarter the Ravens would have kept the Saints to under 200 yards of total offense.

J-E-T-S SIX-AND-THREE

For any one wondering if the Jets are for real, or if the first half of the season was a fluke, look no further than the Sunday’s win over the Buffalo Bills. Widely considered the best team in the league, with the MVP favorite under center the Jets were able to stifle the Bills. The defense made Josh Allen look human after going down 14-3 in the first quarter. Michael Carter did his best Breece Hall imitation with 76 yards and a TD, while Zach Wilson chipped in another 154 yards through the air as the Jets go into their Week 10 bye with the same amount of wins as the Dolphins and the Bills.

LOSERS

Rodgers reeling

Very rarely throughout his career does Aaron Rodgers fall into the losers list after a week, but when you lose five straight games and are averaging under 16 points a game it’s hard to keep your name off that list. We can no longer fault just the offensive line or the wide receivers. The Packers loss to the Lions fell directly on the shoulders of their four time NFL MVP. He threw two picks in the end zone, and when you leave 14 points on the field, it’s hard to win games even against the then one win Lions.

Indy in trouble

Indy has flipped belly up to end the first half of the season. The coach they had going into Week 1 is not longer on the sideline after getting fired following the 24-3 beat down at the hands of the Patriots. The quarterback they brought in this offseason to bring them back to the playoffs was benched two weeks ago and their MVP candidate from last year, Jonathan Taylor, has has less than 500 yards through the first nine weeks of the season. On top of that, Colts owner Jim Irsay, named Jeff Saturday the new interim head coach. Saturday has zero coaching experience, and the Colts are taking a big gamble in a season that can go even farther south.

Raiders ship has sunk

Las Vegas has without question been the most underwhelming team in the entire season. Can you believe we thought they were going to be able to hang with the Chargers and the Chiefs in the AFC West? After getting blanked by the Saints in Week 8, they let another big lead slip through their fingertips much like they did in the Week 2 game against the Cardinals. They were up 17-0 on the Jaguars in the first half but gave up 27 unanswered to Trevor Lawrence and Jacksonville. With the talent this team has on both sides of the ball there is no way they should have just two wins through the first half of the season. There is something institutionally wrong with the Raiders, and if things don’t turn around quickly coach Josh McDaniels’ job could be on the line in the next couple weeks. If old Raiders owner Al Davis was still alive, McDaniels would have probably already been on the unemployment line.

Rams losing on and off field

I’ve had hangovers that have lasted a day, maybe two but the Championship hangover the Rams are going through is one most shocking things that have played out this season. Not only did the Rams lose on to the Bucs on Sunday night, but they lost in the front office too. All season we have been talking about the Rams lack of weapons outside of Cooper Kupp, and how terrible the offensive line has been in protecting Matt Stafford. Los Angeles had a chance to go out and get some help in the trade market, but not a single move was made. Sean McVay is going to have to deal with the squad he’s got, but he did promise changes will be made in the coming weeks.

Kingsbury on the hot seat

Arizona came into their divisional game against the Seattle Seahawks with their backs against the wall searching for a way to claw back into the playoff picture. They kept themselves in the game until the fourth quarter, but turned the ball over on three of their four final possessions. Kliff Kingsbury’s press conference sounded a lot like a coach who was throwing his players under the bus for the mistakes that were made against the Seahawks and throughout the season especially around the one minute mark of this press conference below. His seat that is currently the hottest in the NFL. Is there a way out for the Cardinals coach? If Arizona loses to the Rams next week , then he may not may not survive until Week 11.