Week 9 was the week of backup quarterbacks getting starts, and in some cases, the third or fourth string quarterback.
At least a half dozen teams changed quarterbacks either due to injury or ineffectiveness.
It’s tough to beat what transpired with Minnesota’s quarterback situation. After losing Kirk Cousins for the season with a torn Achilles, the Vikings started Jaren Hall against Atlanta.
But he suffered a concussion in the first quarter. That meant Joshua Dobbs, who was acquired from Arizona during the trade deadline and had taken no practice reps, was thrust into action.
Behind Dobbs, the Vikings kept their winning streak intact. He threw two touchdown passes, ran in for another score and was the team’s leading rusher. Not bad for a guy who was still learning names, much less plays.
Finishing a close second was the QB switch out in Las Vegas, with interim coach Antonio Pierce going with rookie Aiden O’Connell over Jimmy Garoppolo. O’Connell was impressive, leading the Raiders to victory.
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Outside of all of the quarterback shuffling, there were several other prominent storylines. Joe Burrow is on fire. And so are the Bengals. The Eagles topped the Cowboys in their first NFC East showdown, while the Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud threw five touchdown passes against the Buccaneers.
As for the Patriots, it’s hard to imagine them sinking much lower.
Here’s the Power Rankings heading into Week 10
1. Philadelphia Eagles (8-1): They created some breathing room in the NFC East, and have a bye before tackling the murderer’s row portion of the schedule with the Chiefs, Bills, 49ers, and Cowboys on deck.
2. Baltimore Ravens (7-2): Four straight wins, and their defense continues to rock, allowing the fewest points allowed (13.8 per game) in the NFL. In an offense-driven league, that’s crazy good.
3. Kansas City Chiefs (7-2): Never a good idea to bet against KC coming off a loss. More to the point, Patrick Mahomes has that special bounce back gene where losses don’t multiply.
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2): One underrated element of their success has been the defense, which leads the league in takeaways (18) and interceptions (11).
5. Detroit Lions (6-2): They’re sitting comfortably atop the NFC North at the midway point, and their closest challenger just lost their starting QB for the season.
6. Cincinnati Bengals (5-3): Since Week 5, Joe Burrow has a 4-0 record, a 75.8 completions, 10 passing TDs and an 111.2 passer rating. It’s almost time to put him in the MVP conversion.
7. Miami Dolphins (6-3): Mike McDaniel’s team still hasn’t beaten a team with a winning record. Not that anyone is keeping track.
8. Dallas Cowboys (5-3): They boast one of the best defenses in the NFL, only they looked anything but in the second half against the Eagles.
9. San Francisco 49ers (5-3): They had a bye week to lick their wounds after three straight losses cooled off a hot start.
10. Buffalo Bills (5-4): If the season ended today, the defending AFC East champs would be out of the playoffs. Say it ain’t so.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3): It wasn’t pretty, but Kenny Pickett engineered his seventh game-winning drive in two seasons.
12. Cleveland Browns (5-3): Deshaun Watson was back after missing four games. He was a bit rusty, but that didn’t matter. The Browns tend to win when he’s under center.
13. Minnesota Vikings (5-4): Kevin O’Connell has to be a miracle worker. It’s mind-blowing how they were able to win with a quarterback who literally walked in off the street a couple days before the game.
14. Seattle Seahawks (5-3): Do we have the beginnings of a quarterback controversy? Geno Smith hasn’t looked good, and Drew Lock sits in waiting.
15. LA Chargers (4-4): A scant 191 yards of offense was enough to get the job done against the Jets.
16. New Orleans Saints (5-4): They tried out a new strategy Week 9. They allowed no sacks, and committed no turnovers. And voila, they chalked up a win.
17. Houston Texans (4-4): A .500 record and a rookie quarterback who looks like the NFL’s next superstar. With C.J. Stroud, the Texans are finally a team to be reckoned with.
18. New York Jets (4-4): “They’re a bad team with a great defense.” After calling the Monday night game, that was Troy Aikman’s assessment of the Jets. That’s spot on.
19. Atlanta Falcons (4-5): Jonnu Smith took a screen pass 60 yards for a touchdown. Why can’t the Patriots get players like that?
20. Indianapolis Colts (4-5): They had the best cure for any losing streak – a game with the Carolina Panthers.
21. Washington Commanders (4-5): After selling off parts at the deadline, aren’t you supposed to lose? Isn’t that the point? Sam Howell apparently didn’t get the memo.
22. Las Vegas Raiders (4-5): Guess it was Josh McDaniels fault after all. Or, they just played a woefully bad Giants team get back on the winning track.
23. Tampa Bay Bucs (3-5): Four straight losses, and along with an anemic offense, the defense has sprung leaks.
24. Tennessee Titans (3-5): Even with a loss to the Steelers, Will Levis continued to make a case to be the starter for the rest of the season.
25. Denver Broncos (3-5): They had a bye week to bask in their Week 8 upset of the Kansas City Chiefs.
26. Green Bay Packers (3-5): They managed to stop the bleeding after four straight losses. It wasn’t pretty, but they’ll take it.
27. LA Rams (3-6): No Matthew Stafford. No chance. It’s that simple for the Rams.
28. New England Patriots (2-7): Has Robert Kraft seen enough? Will Bill Belichick last the season? Stay tuned after their trip to Germany.
29. Chicago Bears (2-7): Tyson Bagent (4 turnovers) is fading fast. Justin Fields can’t come back soon enough.
30. New York Giants (2-7): They got blown out by a team with an interim coach and a rookie quarterback. And if that wasn’t bad enough, quarterback Daniel Jones is done for the year.
31. Carolina Panthers (1-7): Opponents have now scored 45 points off Bryce Young turnovers, as the rookie added two more pick-sixes to his NFL resume Sunday. Ouch!
32. Arizona Cardinals (1-8): Head coach Jonathan Gannon said Kyler Murray will start Sunday “if all goes well.” The downside if all goes well? Murray wins games and they lose the No. 1 pick.
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