The NFL Roundup 2022: Week 9 Recap

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Well, it took nine whole weeks football fans, but at long last, parity and balance returned to the NFL. Which uh… is a problem since parity is supposed to be at the ready any given week in this league, but digging deep into the cause of that, is a topic for another time. Because today, we are here to celebrate one quality weekend of football. One that really did offer up some satisfying moments and some big surprises and even some coaching changes and with that in mind… let’s dive right in and discuss Week 9 in the NFL and all the ups and downs it sent our way.
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The Indianapolis Colts coaching situation is a mess. 
It’s safe to say that the Colts did make the right call, in letting Frank Reich go. After all, no quarterback thrived in his system, and he changed them out often in his tenure with the Colts. Not to mention, it was a weird idea to hand the reins over to a player with minimal experience and his lack of football XP shows. But what’s strange, is letting Reich go now and replacing him with a guy that’s never coached at the professional level. Because that means that there was no one qualified on staff to take over, and no qualified candidates to bring up internally. Which means that disaster likely awaits this team when they could have waited to make a change. So, brace yourself Indy and football fans, because dark times are ahead for the Colts, the kind that will embarrass the team and the game because one hell of a mess has been created on the sidelines.
 
Stick a fork in the Green Bay Packers, they’re done.
It is definitely safe to say that the Green Bay Packers opened the season up with great hope for the 2022 campaign. Since they were poised to win the NFC North and handily it seemed. But thanks to the team’s inability to bolster its wide receiver lineup and through some poor playcalling and soft defensive play… this team is basically done when it comes to playoff and Super Bowl dreams. For their record is now insurmountable and the team seems to be falling to pieces, with Aaron Rodgers seemingly beyond frustrated when on the field and well… that’s unfortunate to say the least and it will be interesting to see what kind of fallout and change comes from this titanic failure of a season. 
 
The Miami Dolphins Defense is their greatest weakness.
At this point, we can safely say that the Miami offense is finally fixed. Tua has finally found his groove under center, he has weapons abound and they can seemingly score at will. But the same cannot be said for the defense. Because they keep teams in the game, and they force the offense to throw another touchdown or two in the hopes of keeping ahead and well… despite adding a red-hot pass rusher in Bradley Chubb, the defense is still a massive liability, and that has to stop. Otherwise, the Dolphins will see all the wonder they’ve accomplished his season disappear and hopefully this D can get their act together as the playoff push begins, so that Miami can hopefully find itself in the postseason for the first time in a long time.
 
The Buffalo Bills cannot take an opponent for granted again. 
The line we always hear from teams that are doing well and go up against a squad that is inferior on paper or that they have dominated for some time… is that they don’t take their opponent for granted and well… we all know that’s a load of malarkey. They know when they own a team, they know they can dominate, and they head into that game with a chip on their shoulder and confidence in their hearts and well… sometimes that backfires. Because every now and then, taking an opponent for granted backfires and well… it is obvious the Bills did just that on Sunday. Because they were genuinely stunned by how the Jets stood up to them and didn’t know how to react because they expected the Jets to roll over and play dead. But they didn’t and hopefully this provides the Bills with a valuable lesson on focusing on the task at hand and never, ever, taking an opponent for granted.
 
Tennessee needs more out of Malik Willis.
When you’re drafted as the immediate backup to a starting quarterback in the NFL, the expectation is that you are ready to go quickly. For if the starter goes down, it is up to the number two to salvage the season or at least keep it afloat and when that doesn’t happen, it’s problematic. For it puts pressure on a rookie and doubt surrounds him and well… that’s where Malik Willis is right now. Because sadly, he laid an egg on Sunday Night Football. Which is unacceptable. Because this team has a shot to go to the playoffs again and well, the ball is in his court now. He has to shake off the nerves and find a way to make plays and improve. Because the pressure is on, and the team needs him, and it will be interesting to see what kind of QB Willis transforms into now that the world is upon his shoulders.

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