The midway point in the season means that we are officially allowed to begin thinking about the playoffs. And in this most bizarre of NFL seasons, the most exciting playoff races after the first nine weeks would appear to be in the AFC.
The AFC East clearly has been the class of the league, which really is surprising considering that the preseason division favorite is in last place at 2-6. The other four teams are all solidly in the mix, and the three teams that miss out on the division crown could possibly all make it in as wild cards -- though the AFC Central runner-up may have something to say about that.
All four teams from the AFC East that played on Sunday won their games, with New England taking the week off with a bye. It looks like this will be a thrilling race down the stretch with four competitive team battling it out for the title.
| Week 9 NFL Recap |
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Bears 14 (4-5),
Packers 13 (4-4) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
160: Yards rushing by a Bears team that had been averaging only 89.5 yards per game.
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| Player of the Game |
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Barry Minter, LB, Chicago: Led the defensive effort with 14 tackles and one pass defended. |
| Breakdown |
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The Packers have lost two straight home games for the first time in eight years. Things don't get any easier for the struggling Packers with trip to longtime their nemesis Dallas next Sunday. The Bears have been one of the biggest enigmas in the league, but the memory of the late Walter Payton was enough to inspire them against their archrivals. |
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Jets 12 (2-6), Cardinals 7 (2-6)
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| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
36:12: Time of possession by the Jets.
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| Player of the Game |
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Curtis Martin, RB, New York: Carried 38 times for 131 yards to lead the Jets ball-control offense. |
| Breakdown |
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The Cardinals continue to look inept on offense, totalling only 206 yards. Cards linebacker Rob Fredrickson had an impressive game with 17 total tackles, but that was just a testament to how long the Jets controlled the ball. New York sacked Dave Brown six times, with defensive tackle Ernie Logan getting two of the six. |
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| Jaguars 30 (7-1), Falcons 7 (2-7) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
185: Advantage in total offensive yards by the Jaguars.
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| Player of the Game |
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Fred Taylor, RB, Jacksonville: Ran through the Falcons for 124 yards on 27 carries.
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| Breakdown |
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Mark Brunell threw three touchdown passes before taking a seat on the bench early in the fourth quarter in favor of Jay Fiedler. Jacksonville's defense was amazing once again, recording nine sacks and picking off three passes. Atlanta never got its ground game going, running for only 42 yards on 11 carries.
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| Panthers 33 (3-5), Eagles 7 (2-7) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
81: Passing yards by the Eagles. |
| Player of the Game |
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Steve Beuerlein, QB, Carolina: Completed 21-of-34 passes for 281 yards and three touchdowns.
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| Breakdown |
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Carolina dominated the Eagles throughout, thanks to Donovan McNabb's inability to throw the ball. Duce Staley ran for 140 yards on 17 carries for Philadelphia, but his strong effort was wasted by a defense that couldn't stop the Panthers. Muhsin Muhammad caught two of Beuerlein's scoring passes and totaled eight catches for 88 yards.
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| Lions 31 (6-2), Rams 27 (6-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
163: Receiving yards by Lions wide receiver Germane Crowell. |
| Player of the Game |
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Gus Frerotte, QB, Detroit: Filled in for injured starter Charlie Batch in the second half and threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns on 12-of-16 passing.
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| Breakdown |
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The Lions are the top team in the NFC after the win over the Rams. Detroit is tied with St. Louis with a 6-2 record but holds the tiebreaker over the Rams. Frerotte and Crowell eased the absence of Batch and Herman Moore, but Greg Hill could never get it going on the ground, managing only three yards on 11 carries.
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| Colts 25 (6-2), Chiefs 17 (5-3) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
75: Yards lost to penalties by the Chiefs on 10 infractions. |
| Player of the Game |
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Edgerrin James, RB, Indianapolis: Continues to impress with his all-around skills, running for 109 yards on 20 carries, and catching seven passes for 90 yards and one touchdown.
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| Breakdown |
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The Colts continue to assert themselves against top-quality teams in the AFC. Indianapolis is two fourth-quarter comebacks away from possibly being 8-0, with the Colts' two losses to the Patriots and Dolphins each coming by only three points. James followed up last week's 205 total yard game with 199 total yards on Sunday, strengthening his status as the league's top rookie. The Colts will be challenged down the stretch with five of their last eight games on the road.
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| Bills 34 (6-3), Redskins 17 (5-3) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
41:00: Time of possession by the Bills. |
| Player of the Game |
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Doug Flutie, QB, Buffalo: Bounced back from a couple of rough outings with a solid game, throwing for 211 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-22 passing, and adding 40 yards on five carries.
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| Breakdown |
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The Bills stuck to their gameplan of trying to keep the ball away from the high-powered Washington offense, and they succeeded better than they even could've imagined. Buffalo churned out 204 yards on 49 carries in dominating the time of possession battle. The Redskins couldn't get their defense off the field for most the game, and the tired unit gave up 413 yards. This game should serve as evidence to the Redskins that they may have trouble winning games when their offense isn't clicking on all cylinders.
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| Ravens 41 (3-5), Browns 9 (1-8) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
159: Total yards gained by the Browns. |
| Player of the Game |
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Errict Rhett, RB, Baltimore: Silenced the Browns' faithfull by running for 117 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries.
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| Breakdown |
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Revenge for "The Move" will have to wait at least another year. The Browns resorted to their lethargic offensive ways Sunday after a decent game last week against the Saints. Rhett managed his fourth 100-yard game of the season for the inconsistent Ravens, who won for the first time since early October.
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| Seahawks 37 (6-2), Bengals 20 (1-8) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
26: First downs by the Seahawks' offense. |
| Player of the Game |
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Ricky Watters, RB, Seattle: Scored his first rushing touchdown of the season and totaled 133 yards on 27 yards.
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| Breakdown |
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The Seahawks jumped out to a 28-10 halftime lead and then coasted home to an easy win. Jon Kitna continues to look smooth in the offense, and Watters finally found the end zone in his second straight 100-yard game. Seattle is in great position to end its 11-year playoff drought with a 6-2 record at the halfway point of its season, and it looks as if the Seahawks may be right in the mix for the AFC berth in the Super Bowl.
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| Broncos 33 (3-6), Chargers 17 (4-4) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
4: Number of sacks by the Broncos and turnovers committed by the Chargers. |
| Player of the Game |
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Olandis Gary, RB, Denver: Rookie ran for 108 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries.
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| Breakdown |
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Chris Miller played for the first time in almost four years and he played mistake-free football for the Broncos. Gary ran for his second 100-yard game since taking over the starting job after Terrell Davis' season-ending injury. San Diego still has yet to find a running game, and if the Chargers don't cut down on the number of turnovers they lose, they will quickly fall out of the race for an AFC playoff spot.
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| Steelers 27 (5-3), 49ers 6 (3-5) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
90: Passing yards by the 49ers.
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| Player of the Game |
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Kordell Stewart, QB, Pittsburgh: Didn't put up spectacular numbers, but he had his third straight interception-free game.
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| Breakdown |
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The 49ers look completely lost at this point in the season and it's looking more and more like they will miss the playoffs for the first time since 1991. Charlie Garner ran for a career-high 166 yards and added 33 yards on three catches. The Steelers held future Hall of Famer Jerry Rice to only two catches for two yards, his lowest yardage total since going catchless in a game in December, 1985, during his rookie year. Pittsburgh got nice outings from rookie wideout Troy Edwards and running back Richard Huntley, but Jerome Bettis led the scoring attack with two rushing touchdowns.
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| Buccaneers 31 (4-4), Saints 16 (1-7) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
117: Rushing yards by bruising running back Mike Alstott on 25 carries. |
| Player of the Game |
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Trent Dilfer, QB, Tampa Bay: Played his best game of the season, throwing for 227 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
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| Breakdown |
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Tampa Bay's defense played another great game, but the offense did enough to complement the defense's effort for a change. Derrick Brooks led the way with 12 total tackles, an interception and two passes defended. The Saints held the Bucs to one sack, but their solid pass blocking was wasted with a poor run-blocking effort by the big guys up front. Ricky Williams was held to 41 yards on 14 carries, the first time in the last three games that he hasn't rushed for more than 100 yards.
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| Dolphins 17 (7-1), Titans 0 (6-2) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
56: Yards by which the Titans outgained the Dolphins. |
| Player of the Game |
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Sam Madison, CB, Miami: Picked off three passes, defended four other passes and added four total tackles.
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| Breakdown |
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Miami won its fifth straight game thanks to a tremendous one-man defensive effort from Sam Madison. On a night when the running game wasn't working well, the Dolphins needed a push from the defense and Madison's three picks provided it. Miami's defense hasn't allowed a touchdown in the last 14 quarters, the longest streak of its kind in the league since 1993. The Dolphins travel to Buffalo next week to try to avenge their lone loss of the season against the 6-3 Bills.
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| Vikings 27 (5-4), Cowboys 17 (4-4) |
| Review |
Key Stat |
Game Summary and
Game Recap |
7.7: Third-down completion percentage by the Cowboys, who were only 1-for-13 on third downs. |
| Player of the Game |
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Cris Carter and Randy Moss, WRs, Minnesota. Vikings' dynamic duo combined for 15 catches for 207 yards and three touchdowns.
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| Breakdown |
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After struggling through the first weeks of the season, the Vikings have now emerged as a solid playoff contender in the NFC. Minnesota looked disgraceful offensively in the first half, and then couldn't be stopped in the second. With the NFC lacking a dominant team -- and with surprising St. Louis and Detroit tied atop the conference at 6-2 -- it is not unthinkable for the Vikings to still rally in the second half of the year and get home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The Cowboys may be in trouble if Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman miss any significant action with their injuries, with a tough four-game stretch on their schedule coming up.
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