The NFL Roundup - Week 9

Written by John Edward Betancourt

(Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

There's a thrill in the air hanging over Week 9 in the NFL and with good reason. Normally as we enter the pseudo second half of the season, patterns start to emerge, we have a good idea of what to expect for the rest of the season...but not this year. With ties happening on a regular basis and coordinator changes popping up left and right, it truly feels as though anything can happen this weekend, which means we are likely in for some fun surprises when teams take the field which should make for some fascinating stories and here are the ones that we will be keeping an eye on this weekend.

​Does Norv Turner's resignation fix the Vikings recent offensive woes?
In a stunning turn of events this week, the league saw another coaching position become available with Norv Turner's exit from the Minnesota Vikings. But what made this one so perplexing is the fact that Norv  just flat out resigned. Sure the team has been in free fall mode the last two weeks, but at no point was Norv's job in jeopardy so to see him just walk away is shocking to say the least. But, what's done is done, and while we can spend our day discussing the why, Norv Turner isn't coming back which begs the question...was his play calling and game planning the reason to blame for the Vikings woes, and more importantly, does his resignation fix it? The answer is simple...nope. Sam Bradford has regressed a bit since the Philadelphia game, suddenly becoming gun shy to pressure and he appears to be having major trouble reading what defenses are throwing at him and to top it all off, it's not just the offense suffering here, the defense is an absolute mess as well. Either way, there's obviously trouble in Purple Paradise, and it's up to the players to get this season back on track. 

The Jacksonville/Kansas City game is a big deal for QB Nick Foles.
Nick Foles has had quite the interesting career in the National Football League. Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012, it seemed as though Nick was going to be the long term answer at franchise quarterback for the team, especially when one considers the fact that the young man eventually won the starting job in Philly and even went to a Pro Bowl in 2013. But fortunes change on a moment's notice in this league and it didn't take long before Nick was sent packing to Los Angeles (then St. Louis) in a trade before being released and eventually picked up by the Chiefs to serve as the #2 QB behind Alex Smith. But come Sunday, Nick gets another shot at starting in the NFL and this start is important for so many reasons. For one, the Chiefs need him to do a great job to keep their playoff hopes alive in the ultra competitive AFC/AFC West and because, in a league where he has in essence fallen out of favor, this is Nick's big chance to show everyone in the NFL that he can still play at a high level and lead a team to victory.

What do the Rams have to do to get their season back on track?
A few weeks ago, we were celebrating the Rams elevated play on both offense and defense as they pulled themselves back from the abyss of what looked like a dismal start to the season. But after that surge the Rams have regressed. They have lost three in a row, and were utterly embarrassed in London...so where do they go from here? The wise move would be to shake up the roster, specifically at quarterback and bench Case Keenum but let's be honest...that's not going to happen. Jeff Fisher is hell bent on making sure that Jared Goff rides the pine for as long as possible which means if this squad wants to see any measure of success, the team has to return to an old school mentality. That means Keenum has to be a game manager and hand off the ball to Todd Gurley as often as possible, and their defense has to play physical and fast and get off the field as quickly as possible.  If they can do all of that, they'll find themselves back in the playoff hunt and if not...then whether he likes it or not, Fisher will need to make a change at QB, and other positions on the team otherwise their season will slip away.

The Denver Broncos/Oakland Raiders matchup may turn out to be the best game of Week 9.
The Broncos have enjoyed some serious supremacy in the AFC West for some time now, handily beating their division rivals year after year at home or on the road. But that kind of beating changes your opponent, and eventually they simply have enough and that's clearly the case when it comes to the Oakland Raiders. They've made big moves on their roster, drafted quality players and finally have a coach that's willing to take big chances and make tough calls and that's why both of these teams are sitting at 6-2 right now and that means Sunday's game is going to be one hell of a knock down drag it out fight between these two teams. Expect to see some stifling defense from both squads and big plays from both offenses. As to who wins, well that's still up in the air since these teams are so evenly matched but this is definitely one to watch this week as two bitter AFC West rivals battle it out in classic fashion.

The Seattle Seahawks are a team at a crossroads.
The last couple of weeks have been extremely unique for the Seattle Seahawks. The New Orleans Saints stunned them with an upset, and they tied with the Arizona Cardinals the week before that. Clearly this is a team that is suddenly having trouble flat out winning games and closing out their opponents so what then do they have to do in order to start winning again? Well first and foremost, they have to get their run game back on track. The Seahawks are a team that have always relied upon the run and getting a whopping 63 yards from their tailbacks last week is quite a glaring problem. But in addition to the run game, there's something else going on. The tie is clearly bothering them considering how cautious they looked in New Orleans last week which means when all is said and done the team needs to let the past go and come out with a little bit of confidence if they want to get back to their winning ways, and if they can't shake off prior games, then the rest of their season will be a non stop battle mentally...and an outright disappointment.

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