Week 9 of the NFL certainly had its statement victories as the midway point has arrived. The Detroit Lions are the class of the NFC North and the Baltimore Ravens made sure last week's loss didn't repeat itself, as both teams had convincing victories.
The Washington Commanders continue to control the NFC East, while the Philadelphia Eagles are also keeping pace. The Dallas Cowboys are falling apart and the New Orleans Saints hit a new low in losing to the Carolina Panthers.
As the Sunday afternoon slate of games closed, which overreactions will stick or what is actually true? There are some revelations in the NFL starting to emerge.
The Lions are the best team in the NFL
Overreaction or reality: Reality
The Chiefs are the last unbeaten team, but the Lions may be the best team in the league. Their 24-14 victory over the Packers wasn't as close as the score indicated, as Detroit proved it can win outdoors -- convincingly in the rain no less. Detroit has won six straight games and are the only team since 1940 with more touchdowns (28) than incompletions (24) in a six-game span within a season.
Jared Goff is on an incredible run as he has completed 82.8% of his passes with 13 touchdowns to just one interception with a 140.1 passer rating (the highest passer rating in a six-game span in NFL history). No matter who the Lions play, they are beating down their opponent in all three phases of the game.
Sunday's win over the Packers was a statement. The Lions can win anywhere -- even outside a dome stadium -- by a convincing margin.
The Packers are the most overrated team in the NFL
Overreaction or reality: Reality
There is so much hype surrounding Jordan Love and the Packers, yet they laid an egg in Lambeau Field with the weather in their favor. Love had his seventh straight game with an interception -- the longest streak by a Packers quarterback since Brett Favre in 2006 -- and was held without a touchdown for the second straight game.
Green Bay has good wins over Houston (6-3) and Arizona (5-4), but was beaten by Philadelphia (6-2), Minnesota (5-2), and Detroit (7-1). The Packers were outscored in those games 89-72 and allowed 29.7 points per game.
The Packers are a good team, but they need to beat the elite teams if they want to be considered as one. They haven't done that let -- and their quarterback keeps turning the ball over. A formula for not winning big games.
Dak Prescott's injury will end the Cowboys season
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
The Cowboys' season might already be over at this rate, long before Dak Prescott's hamstring injury knocked him out in the second half of Dallas' loss in Atlanta. The Cowboys are on a three-game losing streak and have been outscored 104-54 during the stretch, as the 104 points are the most points allowed in a three-game losing streak since 2010.
Dallas actually ran the ball well (137 yards on 6.1 yards per carry) and stopped the run (held Atlanta to 100 yards), but still couldn't stop the Falcons from scoring four touchdowns on their first eight possessions. The Cowboys only scored twice on their first eight possessions, and one was a touchdown.
Doesn't matter if Prescott is injured or not, the Cowboys are inconsistent offensively and defensively. If Prescott is unable to come back sooner than expected, it may not matter.
Broncos aren't a playoff team in 2024
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
The Broncos got blown out by the Ravens on Sunday, but is it fair to write Denver off after a 31-point loss to one of the AFC's best teams? Denver is still 5-4 through nine games, even though the schedule is going to be significantly tougher in the second half of the year.
Two more games against Kansas City doesn't help, neither does playing Atlanta after Kansas City next week. The Broncos can still control their narrative, as they play the Colts (home), Chargers (road) and Bengals (road) for three consecutive weeks in December -- the three teams they are competing with for a playoff spot.
Denver was run out of the building in the second half Sunday, but the Broncos aren't one of the AFC's elite either. That three-game stretch in December will tell the story if Denver is a playoff team or not.
Lamar Jackson is the MVP of the first half of the season
Overreaction or reality: Reality
Lamar Jackson had another stunning performance in the 31-point win over Denver, completing 16 of 19 passes for 280 yards with three touchdowns for a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Keep in mind Jackson only had 4 yards rushing in this performance, making the feat even more impressive.
The best passer in the league through nine weeks is Jackson, who leads the league with a 120.7 passer rating. The only quarterbacks with a higher passer rating through nine games in NFL history areTom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Peyton Manning (minimum 200 attempts).
Jackson is the first quarterback in NFL history with 20+ passing touchdowns and 500+ rushing yards within the first 10 games of a season (Ravens have played nine games). He has 2,379 passing yards with 20 touchdowns to just two interceptions and could become the first player to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
There are some worthy MVP candidates, but Jackson is No. 1 at the halfway point.
Saquon Barkley will lead the NFL in yards from scrimmage
Overreaction or reality: Reality
This one is going to come down to the wire between Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, who were arguably the two best free agent signings this offseason. Barkley had 1999 scrimmage yards Sunday (159 rushing, 40 receiving) to give him 1,071 for the season.
Barkley is on pace for 1,965 rushing yards and 2,275 scrimmage yards -- both of which would lead the NFL. Henry does currently lead the league in rushing yards (1,052) and yards from scrimmage (1,145), but he's played nine games to Barkley's eight (Eagles already had their bye week).
Defenses have keyed in on Barkley, but so much opens up with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith as the wide receivers in the Eagles offense. Barkley is a little dinged up, but he's physically trained for a 17-game run behind the Eagles offensive line.
There's a good chance Barkley leads the NFL in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage in 2024. His production hasn't tailed off either.
Cardinals are the best team in the NFC West
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
The 49ers were on their bye week, so the Cardinals got the spotlight with a convincing win over the Bears. Are the NFC West leaders the best team in the division?
Arizona rushed for 213 yards in Sunday's win over Chicago and had six sacks with 12 quarterbacks hits against a Bears offensive line that struggles to protect Caleb Williams. The Cardinals may have caught the Bears at the right time, but that shouldn't dismiss them from their battle toward the division crown.
Arizona did beat San Francisco earlier this year, but the Cardinals will have to prove they have staying power. Two games against the Seahawks will be tough, especially when one doesn't know which Seattle team will show up. Then there's the Rams and 49ers to close the season.
The Cardinals should be in the thick of the race, but this comes down to what San Francisco does in the second half of the year. Arizona certainly is a threat for the division title.
