Another week of NFL action is just about in the books. Week 9 has provided plenty of drama, from the Chiefs edging the Dolphins in Germany and the Ravens smoking the Seahawks to the Giants and Vikings losing quarterbacks to injury yet again.
Which players, coaches and teams were the true winners and losers of the latest round of showdowns? Here's a look.
Winner: Ravens
It's probably time to start talking about this team like one of, if not the, best in the NFL. After Sunday's 37-3 drubbing of the Seahawks, Baltimore easily leads the league in point differential (+115) despite previously dropping a pair of winnable games against the Colts and Steelers. Lamar Jackson is completing passes at a higher rate than just about any QB. And the defense, always feisty, is on another level entirely, holding four different teams to under double-digit points.
Loser: Seahawks
It's not just that they were embarrassed by the Ravens. It's that they had a real chance to make noise in the NFC West with the Cardinals, Rams and 49ers all slipping as of late. More concerning, they appear to have a legitimate issue under center: 2022 breakout Geno Smith has now thrown at least one interception in four straight games, and he's up to 13 in his last 15.
Winner: C.J. Stroud
Can we issue the Offensive Rookie of the Year award yet? The Texans' first-rounder has been surprisingly poised all year, but he rebounded from a slower couple of weeks on Sunday by absolutely torching the Buccaneers' secondary to the tune of a record 470 passing yards and five touchdowns. And some of his best stuff came when it mattered most, late in a shootout. Playing on a "rebuilding" Houston squad, Stroud is remarkably up to 14 TDs and just one pick through eight games. That's a QB right there.
Loser: Bill Belichick
Have the Patriots hit rock bottom yet? Each week feels like a new argument for that. This time, the typically disciplined New England squad was anything but, allowing mental miscues and untimely penalties to exacerbate another middling day for Mac Jones and the passing attack. The Commanders are not to be taken that seriously, and yet Sam Howell and Co. got the job done in crunch time, underscoring just how unthreatening the Pats have become in Belichick's 24th season on the sidelines.
Winner: Joshua Dobbs
Five days after arriving via trade from the Cardinals, who notably started him in Week 1 just two weeks after acquiring him from the Browns, Dobbs was unbelievably resilient as the Vikings' QB off the bench. Called upon after just six throws from rookie Jaren Hall, whose concussion robbed him of a full game to fill in for Kirk Cousins, Dobbs scored three times and led Minnesota in rushing as a play-extender and play-maker. He's the biggest reason this scrappy club is 5-4 going into the winter.
Loser: Tua Tagovailoa
This kid's had a phenomenal season for an explosive team. That can't be denied. But it's time we start paying attention to these matchups with legitimate contenders. It's not nothing that Miami has yet to beat a team with a winning record this year, and in each of the Dolphins' three losses -- against the Bills, Eagles and now Chiefs -- he's given the ball away. His final two plays against Kansas City, with everything on the line, were costly hiccups that could hurt Miami's playoff seeding down the line.
Winner: Eagles
All they do is win. Not every game has been smooth sailing for the reigning NFC champions, and for a bit there on Sunday against Dallas, it looked as if Jalen Hurts' hobbled knee might actually require him to come out of the game. Instead, he delivered, and so did Philly's defense down the stretch, spoiling an otherwise solid day for Dak Prescott and keeping the Birds easily atop the NFC East standings at 8-1. The Eagles are now 23-3 in their last 26 games, including playoffs.
