If you made rash judgments after Week 1, shame on you.
You thought the New York Giants would really go into the tank after the Dallas Cowboys took it to them in New Jersey with the world watching? You thought the Pittsburgh Steelers were old, slow and injury-plagued after Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos announced their presence in the Sunday night opener?
Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
All the Giants have done since that opening loss is win six of seven, notching two road victories over hated rivals. All the Steelers have done is find a productive running back in "The Minivan" (Jonathan Dwyer), shrug off some crushing offensive-line injuries and win three of four since a Week 4 bye.
All of which makes Sunday afternoon's Steelers-Giants game essential viewing. A matchup between two league heavyweights who, combined, have been involved in four of the past five Super Bowls. The NFL has just one game scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET in Week 9, and it's this one.
Here's hoping we're all watching an epic ending.
Here is your Week 9 primer, with games ranked by intrigue, from 1 to 14:
Follow Ian Rapoport on Twitter @RapSheet.
