The Detroit Lions moved to the top of many NFL Power Rankings during this past week, mine included, and they backed it up on Sunday with a comprehensive 24-14 win over the Green Bay Packers at a soggy Lambeau Field. The victory kept Detroit in first place in the NFC North.
It was a miserable weather day in Wisconsin as it poured from start to finish, but these Lions are built to play in all elements. The Lions are a dome team and traditional NFL thought is that those kinds of teams struggle when they're out in the wind, rain and snow.
Not Dan Campbell's squad.
Playing out doors for the first time all season, it was the Lions who looked at home in the poor conditions. Jared Goff was ridiculously efficient once again as he hit on 18 of 22 throws for 145 yards, one touchdown and no picks. That may not sound all that amazing, but the weather definitely impacted this contest.
And consider this… over the past six games (all wins), the Lions have produced 28 offensive touchdowns and thrown just 24 incompletions. For someone who loves and devours a lot of NFL statistics, let me tell you that might be one of the most stunning I have ever seen. And it is, by no means, misleading.
The Lions looked complete at Lambeau, scoring through the air (Amon-Ra St. Brown), on the ground (Jahmyr Gibbs) and on a defensive pick six from Kerby Joseph. Campbell put a cross-hair on his own players in the offseason saying they would need to deal with being the team everyone wants to beat. Right now, they are showing themselves to be more than capable of handling the big stages.
The same cannot be said for Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love, who struggled on the slippery field with a groin injury that would have been hard enough to handle on a dry surface. Love threw an inexplicable interception just before the half that Detroit took to the house and it changed the game. The Packers were never really in it after that.
It was Love's NFL-leading 10th interception of the year and it marked the seventh straight game in which he has thrown at least one pick. That carelessness did not just manifest itself in the turnover, there were some baffling decisions from Love and one errant throw into the end zone that should have been a touchdown, but the ball was too far behind his intended receiver.
Love and the Packers are not in too much trouble at 6-3, but the quarterback does need to clean up his act if Green Bay are to be playing anything other than a supporting cast role when the NFC playoffs begin in January.
As for the Lions, they are 7-1 and off to their best start since 1956. Detroit went to the NFL Championship Game that season, but they remain one of just four teams never to have played in a Super Bowl. There is a lot of football still to be played and it's hard to predict injuries, luck and form down the stretch.
But as I sit here writing away at the conclusion of Week 9 in this 2024 NFL season, the Lions are indeed the best team in football and they are the best bet to represent the NFC in February's Super Bowl in New Orleans.
Who's Hot…
Lamar Jackson… I didn't need statistics to tell me that Lamar Jackson played a perfect game at quarterback in leading his Baltimore Ravens to a dominant 41-10 win over the Denver Broncos. But the numbers are there just in case you do need them… Lamar went 16 of 19 for 280 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He achieved the perfect passer rating of 158.3 for an NFL record fourth time in his career. Denver had some early chances to keep this close but once Lamar – backed by Derrick Henry – got rolling, this game got out of hand quickly. Lamar can still run the football better than any quarterback in the game, but a lot of his movement now is to set up throws downfield. And he has never looked better as a passer. On current form, I think it is very fair to suggest that Lamar Jackson is the best player in the NFL today. And while the Ravens still make mistakes on defense and drop winnable games, he should make them the most dangerous AFC team come the playoffs.
Saquon Barkley… I don't even know how to describe Saquon Barkley's play against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday night. I'm sure you've seen it by now but if you haven't, make sure you go and check it out. Having already made a couple of defenders miss, Barkley got turned around and was facing his own end zone. No problem. Just spring into a backwards box jump over the head of defensive back Jarrian Jones, who was almost standing at his full 5-foot-11 height. I've never seen anything like it and I would imagine it will be quite some time before we see that done again. What an athlete! Who even dreams of doing something like that in a middle of a play? I would imagine Barkley didn't even think. He acted on sheer instinct and produced one of the most remarkable plays in NFL history. And it came on another stellar day for the Eagles running back, who rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown while adding another 40 yards and a touchdown through the air. The New York Giants' loss has definitely been the Eagles' gain.
Joe Burrow… The Cincinnati Bengals had endured many problems heading into Week 9 with a 3-5 record, but quarterback Joe Burrow was not one of them. The Pro Bowl passer was ranked among the top five quarterbacks in the league and he was in impressive form once again during Sunday's 41-24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Burrow threw for 251 yards and five touchdowns as the Bengals won in Cincinnati for the first time this season. And with Burrow at the helm, I don't think Cincinnati are out of the AFC playoff race at 4-5. He gives them a chance every single weekend and the Bengals are going to write a few more headlines between now and the end of this campaign. Even if they cannot sneak into the playoffs, they will be a dangerous opponent down the stretch, thanks to the presence of Burrow.
Who's Not…
The Dallas Cowboys… Maybe Jerry Jones should have gone "all in" after all in this past offseason. The Cowboys have lost three in a row after Sunday's 27-21 defeat to the Falcons in Atlanta. Frustrations are mounting. Head coach Mike McCarthy slammed his tablet to the ground after studying one play and quarterback Dak Prescott was caught on camera suggesting his team sucks (in a slightly more profane way), before exiting with a hamstring injury that will be further assessed on Monday. The reality is that these Cowboys – America's Team – just don't have enough good players. That is impacting the form of their $60 million-per-year quarterback and the effectiveness of leading receiver CeeDee Lamb. And, of course, the defensive playmaking of Micah Parsons has been sorely missed. At 3-5, the Cowboys face a must-win game in Week 10 when they host the Philadelphia Eagles, who would love nothing more than to put another nail into the coffin of their fiercest rivals.
The Chicago Bears' offense… It was a real pleasure to watch the Bears in action in London and their offense – led by rookie quarterback Caleb Williams – was humming in a comprehensive win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. What has happened coming out of their bye week must be a source of great frustration for the Bears. They have scored 15 points in losing to Washington and a season-low nine in Sunday's 29-9 defeat at Arizona. During that span, Williams has completed just 49 percent of his throws and has not tossed a touchdown pass. He has now thrown four touchdown passes in London and just five in Chicago's other seven games in 2024. But there is enough blame to go around here. The play-calling has not always been great and Williams has been sacked nine times in two weeks, including six on Sunday. The Bears had this worrying look about them early in the season but appeared to have fixed their offense. But the problems are back with a vengeance.
The Las Vegas Raiders… The Raiders have now lost five in a row following Sunday's defeat to the Bengals, dropping them to 2-7 on the year. And head coach Antonio Pierce made a change after that game by firing offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. But what more could the play-caller do given what he was working with? The Raiders made this particular bed when they went into the season with Aidan O'Connell and Gardner Minshew at quarterback. And now they have to lie in it – and it is not very comfortable! Minshew was poor again on Sunday and ended up being replaced by Desmond Ridder, so you can add his name to the list of less-than-stellar quarterbacks on an offense that traded away its best player in wide receiver Davante Adams. None of these struggles should be a surprise to the Raiders or their fans.
The Fast Five…
- The Miami Dolphins actually played Josh Allen pretty tough in the first half as they sought a first win in Buffalo since 2016. But you cannot keep a great player down and Allen ended up throwing three touchdown passes and leading a late drive that led to Tyler Bass' game-winning field goal from 61 yards with just five seconds remaining. Cue the wild celebratory scenes in Buffalo.
- The Falcons have now won five of their last six games and Kirk Cousins is their driving force at quarterback. Cousins threw three touchdown passes and no interceptions in beating the Cowboys in Week 9. Over the past two games, he has now thrown seven TD strikes, no picks and has a rating of 145.4. Atlanta look playoff-bound for the first time since the 2017 season.
- The Minnesota Vikings halted their two-game slide with a much-needed 21-13 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football. The Vikings' D held Indy without an offensive touchdown and Sam Darnold, while a little bumpy at times, threw for 290 yards and three touchdowns. He tossed two picks to remind us he won't be perfect between now and the season's end, but he did connect with Justin Jefferson seven times for 137 yards. That connection is key.
- Teams who win miracle games – as Washington did on a Jayden Daniels Hail Mary against Chicago in Week 8 – often fall back down to earth with a big bump the following week. But there was no emotional letdown from the Commanders, who moved to 7-2 with a hard-fought 27-22 victory over the New York Giants – their best start since 1996. It was a typical Washington showing – Daniels played a clean game throwing for 209 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. And he was aided by a ground attack that amassed 149 yards and another score.
- The New York Jets got their offense on track in Thursday's 21-13 upset win over the Houston Texans as Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes, including what turned out to be the game-winner to Adams with 2:56 remaining. But the pick of the bunch was Garrett Wilson's stunning one-handed grab that was as good a catch as you will see in years!
Fact of the Week
Here is a quick reminder to take nothing for granted in the NFL! The Miami Dolphins are currently seeded 12th among the AFC's 16 teams and the Cleveland Browns are 13th. Both made the playoffs last season. Two playoff teams from 2023 in the NFC are also down the seedings in 2024. The San Francisco 49ers are currently 11th in the NFC conference standings and the Dallas Cowboys are 13th
Final Thought…
The New York Giants might have lost on Sunday at home to Washington, but it proved to be a special day for Irish kicker Jude McAtamney. The former Gaelic footballer from Swatragh in County Derry made his NFL debut for the Giants and converted his lone field goal attempt from 31 yards and added his only extra point kick of the game. Congratulations, Jude, and let's hope you can add to your tally when the Giants take on the Carolina Panthers amid what is sure to be a party atmosphere in Munich, Germany, next Sunday.
