NFL Week 9 Essentials
November 5, 2017
Here?s all you need to know about Week 9?s slate:
Sunday, Nov. 5
Denver at Philadelphia: Turning away from Trevor Siemian after another poor performance on Monday night, the Broncos will hand the reins of their team back to Brock Osweiler. After a tour as the man in Houston, then as a trade chip and clipboard holder in Cleveland, the 6-foot-7 Osweiler will start a game for Denver for the first time since 2015. He's thrown four passes this season but does have plenty of experience, even throwing and running for a TD in a playoff win in January. Head coach Vance Joseph said there will be no scaling back of the playbook this week. A familiar face, WR Emmanuel Sanders, will try to make his life easier against a vulnerable Eagles pass defense. He's getting back to full strength from a nasty ankle injury that has also contributed to the Broncos' poor play, although probably not to the level of degree that the shoddy offensive line and turnover-prone Siemian have.
Since Week 3, Denver is a minus-10 in turnover differential, so count on a cautious approach against a fierce Eagles front seven. If weather conditions are sloppy on a potentially rainy day, the approach will be downright conservative and we could see a lot of Osweiler trying to keep drives alive with his feet.
The Eagles do have some of their own issues to be wary of. Carson Wentz's security blanket, TE Zach Ertz, won't play through a hamstring injury that kept him out of practices. He leads all tight ends in most statistical categories for a reason and will be missed against Denver's defense. RB Jay Ajayi is expected to play after joining the team from Miami, so we'll see how he fits in on a day where they should also be interested in establishing the run.
L.A. Rams at N.Y. Giants: L.A. is favored to improve to 6-2 at the halfway point, and is looking to become the first team to open 4-0 on the road this season. That doesn't even include the Rams' 33-0 win over Arizona in London, so it's clear that this group doesn't mind going out and performing from an opposing locker room. Currently the healthiest team in football, the Rams can't afford a misstep here since they've had one of the lightest schedules thus far, taking advantage to put themselves in this position.
New York will look to make the best of an awful season that could ulitmately cost Ben McAdoo his job given all the player backlash. Janoris Jenkins failed to show up for practice Tuesday and got suspended, continuing a pattern of defensive players angry with what's gone down this season. Meanwhile, the offensive line continues to be a mess that has hampered continuity, so it's not surprising that thhis line moved to 4.5 after opening 3.5.
Tampa Bay at New Orleans: Jameis Winston's shoulder is getting healthier, but there's no reason to expect to see him at 100 percent. He's in there because it's in his nature to try to lead his offense in a must-win situation, but the injury has affected his consistency even though he still gives the team a better chance here than Ryan Fitzapatrick. Turnovers could factor in as an issue since he'll be going up against a Saints defense that ranks first in the entire NFL in passing yards per game allowed, passer rating and interceptions since Week 3, forcing 11 turnovers.
Drew Brees is again leading the league in completion percentage and has flourished despite the Saints running the ball more with Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, so we'll see if the Bucs defense manages to disrup their rhythm in spite of the absence of top corner Brett Grimes. It's going to be on the front seven to generate pressure on an offense that's humming in spite of constant reshuffling along the offensive line. Tampa Bay must generate pressure or it will add to that ugly number currently seeing them surrendering a 34-point average in road games.
Cincinnati at Jacksonville: The Jaguars woke up Sunday as a playoff team and could potentially be in sole possession of first place in the AFC North if they get help from the Ravens in Tennessee. Outside of the Texans' line move after Watson's injury news was announced, Jacksonville saw its number move most, going from a 3.5-point favorite to 6-6.5 once star rookie RB Leonard Fournette was upgraded to probable coming off last week's absence due to an ankle injury but was rendered out Sunday due to a violation of team rules. With Chris Ivory in good form, Jacksonville does have a back in place to take pressure off Blake Bortles and will have its offensive line back intact with Brandon Linder returning.
The Bengals survived at home against Indianapolis to win for the third time in four games but now open a crucial two-game stretch looking to prove that their offense can hold up against a Jags defense that is on a record sack pace. Andy Dalton has proven he can excel against a relentless pass rush before, but he's also melted down in the face of many, making him the x-factor here. Considering how strong Jacksonville has also been against the run, it's Dalton who must make life easier for rookie Joe Mixon and the run game, not vice versa.
Atlanta at Carolina: Cam Newton complained on Instagram that he'll "never understand" the move to part ways with WR Kelvin Benjamin, but he's also not moping about it. Expect Devin Funchess to get more balls thrown his way and Christian McCaffrey to also find himself more touches. While the trade is unlikely to have an immediate crippling impact, what matters most is that center Ryan Kalil remains out, which means there will be more pressure on Newton to execute while avoiding mistakes. The Panthers are 5-0 when he throws less than one pick and seemingly need him more than ever here since the loser here falls to third in the NFC West.
Matt Ryan has had a shaky season, but snapped a three-game losing streak in the driving rain in New York and looked more sure of himself than he has in weeks. He'll have to be sharp against the Panthers, who are simply a different defense when Luke Kuechly plays. He was cleared from concussion protocol and instantly dominated in the 17-3 win at Tampa Bay. Ryan will have RBs Davonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman in the mix in addition to a recieving corps that's at full strength, so he's hoping to reverse a trend that has seen the
Indianapolis at Houston: Tom Savage is 1-2 as Texans starter and couldn't take advantage of the opportunity to take the reins at the beginning of the season, getting pulled after a half against Jacksonville. He should have more time against the Colts than he did against the Jags, so we'll see if he can push the ball down the field, as was the original plan this season before rookie Deshaun Watson had to come in and do that. Given the abrupt nature of how this injury went down, Savage will have to find a way to get his offense on the same page quickly. That task was made easier by the news that CB Vontae Davis stayed behind in Indianapolis, which means a Colts defemse that surrenders over 30 points per game will be without their top defensive back.
The Colts come off a 24-23 loss at the Bengals and will be playing consecutive home games for the first time. After being shut out the previous week at home by Jacksonville, there were some strides made on offense, but Jacoby Brisett's pick-six proved costly. After opening as a 13-point underdog when it appeared Watson was playing, Houston is now a 7-point 'dog.
Baltimore at Tennessee: Although the Titans are currently vying for the AFC South lead, this could ultimately be an extremly important game as far as the wild card picture goes. They're looking for their third straight home win and host an equally vital game against the Titans next week, so this is a crucial stretch and they're fortunate to be getting healthier as it approaches. Only tight end Delanie Walker's status is much of a mystery, but QB Marcus Mariota is close to 100 percent and the expectation is that we'll see a version of him much closer to the one we saw last season due to a hamstring injury. Top pick Corey Davis, who found the end zone in Week 1 but hasn't been heard from since, is also deemed ready to go.
The Ravens will have Joe Flacco back off concussion protocol and was looking sharper of late, so the hope there is that he'll be able to put his veteran team in postion to capitalize on a schedule that sees them facing backups the next few weeks in Green Bay and against Houston. If Baltimore can get out of Nashville victorious it's possible it can go on a run. Over the past two weeks, the defense has gotten significantly healthier, though the offense still has major issues with RB Terrance West out, TE Maxx Williams back and only four "healthy" WRs available for this game in Jeremy Maclin, Mike Wallace, Breshad Perriman and Chris Moore.
Arizona at San Francisco: The Cardinals are hoping to flush their brutal performance in London, but it's hard to say they can do that completely since a major issue followed them back across the pond with Carson Palmer sidelined basically the rest of the way. Although they've said the plan will be to feed Adrian Peterson, they're going to need Drew Stanton to be serviceable given the fact that the receiving corps is finally healthy for the first time. Larry Fitzgerald has terrorized the 49ers throughout his career, doing so even with Stanton under center.
The 49ers have acquired some hope in Jimmy Garroppolo, landing him from behind Tom Brady's shadow with Patriots. He won't play today and may not participate all season with the team in full tank mode. Left tackle Joe Staley, top receiver Pierre Garcon and rookie first-rounders Solomon Thomas and Reuben Foster are among those ruled out for today, so ending a five-game losing streak at the hands of Arizona will be complicated and likely require help from Stanton. The Cards are a 2.5-point road favorite.
Washington at Seattle: Russell Wilson threw for a career-high 452 yards and four scores and has a healthy Jimmy Graham producing, so the addition of an All-Pro left tackle in Duane Brown could yield huge results since the team has been working with the equivalent of scotch tape and just got themselves a quality adhesive. Yes, Brown is starting immediately.
Washington QB Cousins won't have multiple starting offensive linemen blocking for him, so this is going to be a great test of his ability to work with what he's got in order to make plays against an elite, albeit, banged-up defense. The weather is likely to be a factor too since rain and/or snow flurries are expected, so there are a ton of variables in play here that will likely make this a game-time call or no-play.
The Redskins won't have Jordan Reed or Jamison Crowder to help Cousins create opportunities and will utilize the elusive Chris Thompson to try and create chunk plays against the Seahawks, who will be missing Earl Thomas due to a hamstring injury that hampered him last year as the Texans had their way with the Legion of Boom. Bradley McDougald will fill in, and Seattle will still have Kam Chancellor (ankle) and should field linebacker Bobby Wagner to try and limit Cousins' exploiting the middle of the field. DT Sheldon Richardson is a game-time decision with an oblique issue that has held him back of late.
Kansas City at Dallas: Ezekiel Elliott won another battle to play after it looked like the Cowboys would have to make do without him as late as Friday morning. Although his normal practice routine was interrupted, there's no reason to believe that will be detrimental or that Dallas would've been better off with its other two backs. Elliott has been impressive of late, playing himself back into shape, and the line shift that made Dallas a favorite in this matchup was justified given his three consecutive 100-plus-yard games. Since the bye, he's averaged five yards per carry.
The Chiefs will try to slow down a Dallas offense that has averaged 32.4 points over the past five, welcoming Tamba Hali back to aid the cause. With Dee Ford out due to a back issue, the timing is right, but it remains to be seen how rusty he is. Kansas City isn't likely to intercept Dak Prescott three times like they managed against Siemian, so they'll probably need to continue putting up the points, which makes the high total in this game (53.5) understandable. The Chiefs are averaging 36 points per away game and would be 4-0 if not for that memorable Thursday night loss in Oakland the last time they were on the road.
Oakland at Miami: Sunday nights are for saving your season if you're the Raiders. Heading into a bye week, their team will be far more likely to be enthused and engaged in preparing for a date with New England in Mexico if they're 4-5 than they would be at 3-6. Attempting to stave off a doomed mind set falls on the shoulders Derek Carr, who couldn't get his offense to do much of anything in their last Sunday night showing, a Sept. 24 27-10 loss at Washington where the receivers couldn't catch and the offensive line couldn't block. After a 2-0 start, the Raiders have dropped five of six, which includes an 0-3 mark on the road where they've been outscored 77-34. Moving on from the disappointment begins tonight. All that's left to be seen is which direction this group is going.
In swapping Ajayi for a fourth-rounder, the Dolphins are turning the page themselves. While it's true knee issues have kept him from having the impact he had in lifting the Dolphins last season, it's still a disappointment that the work Adam Gase put in leading the team to the playoffs was completely stunted. The '17 version remains magically above .500, but has an extremely difficult schedule over the second half and would do their chances a huge favor picking up a win here. That requires putting a 40-0 nightmare in Baltimore completely behind them, so Jay Cutler's return from broken ribs is a welcome sight. To be fair, that last sentence could definitely have ended with a question mark. He's slated to start instead of Matt Moore.
