The NFL Roundup 2020: Week 9 – What We Learned

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Well, it took nine long and arduous weeks, but at long last… we finally had a weekend of football, that felt like normal. Because everything played out as we expected it to for a change, and it felt quite nice to enjoy a slate of games that didn’t take us completely off guard with upsets and surprises that felt woefully out of place and it was equally as lovely to not have Covid hanging over these games, either. But while it was wonderful to enjoy a regular week in the NFL, these matchups still had plenty to teach us about our favorite teams and that means the time has come to dive into Week 9 in the NFL and reflect upon all of its important lessons.

The Seattle Seahawks need to make some drastic changes to their defense.
No team should understand the importance of ‘defense wins championships’ better than the Seattle Seahawks. After all, quality D is what allowed for them to best the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII and the Legion of Boom helped them to dominate the NFC landscape for years on end. But apparently, they’ve forgotten this all-important lesson, because once again, their defense cost them an important game. Because the D simply could not stop the Buffalo offense in the slightest and well, the time has come for Seattle to make some drastic changes to their defense. Which means, they need to start benching some guys and toying with their scheme, because what they are doing now isn’t working and it’s either go for broke on defense or endure an early exit from the playoffs when their defense loses them the game.
 
The Pittsburgh Steelers are still the team to beat in the AFC.
Pittsburgh definitely endured a bit of a scare on Sunday. For the Cowboys really did want to make a statement by beating them, and by benching Ben ‘Uncle Rico’ DiNucci, they absolutely had a chance since Garrett Gilbert fired that team up in a manner we’ve haven’t seen in weeks. But alas, great teams figure out how to win important games, or games where they are being challenged like never before and that’s exactly what Pittsburgh did here. Because they were patient for four quarters and fought for every inch and figured out how to stop the Dallas offense when the time was right, and that means they are still the team to beat in the AFC. Because they are simply unstoppable at this particular point and it is going to take a team as talented and as patient as them, to end their epic win streak.
 
Tua v Kyler made for some dynamic football.
Shootouts are nothing new in the NFL, for the rule changes have allowed for quarterbacks to enjoy all kinds of newfound success through the air. But sometimes, you run into a shootout that has a special air surrounding it and that’s precisely what we enjoyed when the Dolphins and the Cardinals took the field. Because Tua Tagovailoa and Kyler Murray left it all on the field on Sunday, all in an effort to show the football world that they were worth their draft standing and can play at a high level and that really did make for one incredible game. One that genuinely felt like an old school shootout between two hall of fame quarterbacks like Elway and Marino, and while time will tell if that career path awaits either of these young QBs, it was just nice to see two quarterbacks take control of a game and make magic happen and it really does get you excited to see what these two young gunslingers are going to be able to do as their careers continue along.

The Denver Broncos might need to make some major executive changes in the offseason.
Every year, fans in Broncos Country provide their beloved team with undying loyalty and hope that the changes made in the offseason are finally going to put them over the top and as of late, the team continues to let them down. Because sadly, the Broncos keep making all the wrong offseason moves in an attempt to just will the team into victories and well, with another loss in the books, one that can be attributed to injury and poor offensive play… again, perhaps the time has come for the organization to think about making some incredible and controversial moves at the top, in the offseason. Because GM John Elway has neglected the offensive line for years, and has made some major contract snafus, and the training staff clearly isn’t doing a good job at keeping the players healthy and ready to play. So perhaps it really is time to make some tough moves at the top… so this team can finally return to glory.
 
Bruce Arians needs to have a long talk with his quarterback.
One thing that we can all agree upon, is that change is a difficult thing. Because no one likes having to indulge themselves in new routines, and people definitely don’t like having to move and rebuild their lives in a different place. But change is part of life and the sooner we realize that the sooner we can embrace change and just get to work and that’s a lesson that Tampa Bay Head Coach Bruce Arians needs to teach to his star QB. Because it’s obvious after Sunday Night’s game that Tom Brady thinks his trip to Florida is going to be some kind of Patriots 2.0 venture and it won’t be. It’s a different team with different dynamics and he needs to be the kind of leader that embraces the strengths of this team and plays to them, and until he does, there will be more awful games like the one he played on Sunday. Complete with temper tantrums and overthrows from a leader who isn’t leading right now.

---