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Sunday, November 8, 2009

Week 9 Recap: Pats Gain Control of AFC East

By Dan Shouse
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It wasn't always pretty, but the Patriots took control of the AFC East with a division win against the Miami Dolphins, highlighting week number nine in the NFL.

Patriots 27 (6-2) Dolphins 17 (3-5)

Just when the Dolphins looked poised to pull off a potential upset, going on a ten minute drive that ended with a touchdown in the 3rd quarter, the Patriots came right back with a touchdown of their own to take the lead. Tom Brady's 71 yard TD pass to Randy Moss ended any real chance for the Dolphins, and the Patriots now sit in firm control of the AFC East. Get ready for a big game next week, as the Patriots head to Indy to face the unbeaten Colts.

Colts 20 (8-0) Texans 17 (5-4)

Sometimes its better to be lucky than good, and that certainly applies to the Colts this week. Houston's Kris Brown missed a potential game tying 42 yard field goal on the final play, and the Colts remained undefeated. The win sets up a huge meeting with the Patriots next week in Indy.

Falcons 31 (5-3) Redskins 17 (2-6)

The Falcons beat the NFL's version of a minor league team, as Michael Turner ran for 166 yards and a pair of TDs. The most interesting part of this game was the fight that broke out along the Atlanta sideline after a late hit on Matt Ryan. It was actually the first time this season that the Redskins have shown any fight.

Cardinals 41 (5-3) Bears 21 (4-4)

Kurt Warner bounced back nicely, as after throwing 5 picks last week against the Panthers, he threw 5 touchdown passes this week against the Bears. Larry Fitzgerald was his main target, as he grabbed nine passes for 123 yards and two scores.

Bengals 17 (6-2) Ravens 7 (4-4)

If there were any doubts that the Bengals are a legit contender in the AFC North this year, those doubts were erased on Sunday. Cedric Benson went over 100 yards and added a score, and the Bengals defense shut down the Ravens from there. The win sets up a potentially huge game at Pittsburgh next week, with first place in the division at stake.

Buccaneers 38 (1-7) Packers 28 (4-4)

Maybe the Bucs should wear those orange uniforms more often. Josh Freeman threw for 3 touchdowns in his first career start, and the Bucs earned their first win of the season.

Jaguars 24 (4-4) Chiefs 21 (1-7)

Matt Cassel actually played well, throwing for 262 yards and a couple of touchdowns, but it was still not enough to beat the Jaguars. Maurice Jones-Drew was once again the Jags best player, gaining 97 yards rushing and adding a TD in the win.

Saints 30 (8-0) Panthers 20 (3-5)

It wasn't easy, but the Saints improved to 8-0 for the first time in team history with a win at home against the Panthers. After falling behind 14-0, Drew Brees heated up and threw for over 300 yards and a TD in the win.

Chargers 21 (5-3) Giants 20 (5-4)

The Giants thought they had snapped a 3 game losing streak, but Phillip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers had other ideas. Rivers found Vincent Jackson on an 18 yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds remaining to hand the Giants a fourth straight loss, this time in stunning fashion. The Giants are now in danger of dropping out of the race for the NFC East.

Seahawks 32 (3-5) Lions 20 (1-7)

After falling behind 17-0 early, the Seahawks rallied for a comeback win at home against the Lions. Matt Stafford struggled, throwing 5 ints in the loss.

Titans 34 (2-6) 49ers 27 (3-5)

Don't look now, but the Titans are actually on a winning streak. Vince Young didn't put up big numbers, but he also didn't make any mistakes, leading the Titans to the win. After a promising 3-1 start to the season, the 49ers have now dropped four in a row.

Cowboys 20 (6-2) Eagles 16 (5-3)

Maybe it is time to start believing in Tony Romo. Romo's 49 yard TD pass to Miles Austin in the 4th quarter put the Cowboys ahead for good, as the Cowboys gained a huge road win in Philadelphia. The win gives the Cowboys the top spot in the NFC East.

Monday Night Football: Broncos Coming Back to Earth

By Dan Shouse
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

For the first time as an NFL head coach, Josh McDaniels is dealing with a loss.

More than just the loss to the Ravens last time out, was how the Broncos lost. Heading into last week's game the Broncos were 6-0, coming off a bye, and facing a Ravens team that had struggled the past few games. All signs pointed to the Broncos getting an easy win, but just the opposite happened.

The Ravens controlled the game from the opening gun, and dominated the Broncos in all three aspects of the game - offense, defense, and special teams. The 30-7 final score was not even really indicative of how one sided the game was. The Broncos defense allowed the Ravens to run over them for 125 yards, the most the Denver defensive unit has allowed all season. The offense was not much better. Kyle Orton struggled to get the offense moving, and the Broncos were held under 200 total yards for the game, the lowest output by the offense this year.

Are the Broncos really as good as there 6-0 start indicated, or are the closer to the team that we saw last week against the Ravens? The truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but doubt may now be creeping in the Broncos' minds. Remember last season the Broncos started 8-5, but dropped that last three games of the season to miss the playoffs. Could history repeat itself? Probably not, but heading into Monday night's game at Invesco Field, the Broncos have something to prove. They must show that they can handle defeat, and not let things spiral out of control like they did a year ago.

Now the Broncos get to face off against the defending Super Bowl champs in the Pittsburgh Steelers. After starting the season slowly, the Steelers have been hot the past month, winning four straight to improve to 5-2. The Steelers once again find themselves in position to win the AFC North, as heading into the weekend they were tied for the division lead with the Cincinnati Bengals.

It"s not like the Steelers have been playing weaker teams during this latest surge. Two weeks ago, prior to the team's bye week, the Steelers defense was dominate, knocking off Brett Favre and an undefeated Vikings team. The offense has once again been solid as well. Ben Roethlisberger has thrown for over 2000 yards already this season. Rashard Mendenhall looks like the real deal at running back, and the receiving corps of Santonio Holmes, Mike Wallace, Hines Ward, and Heath Miller are as solid as you will find.

The Steelers are hot, and have the talent to take this team back to the Super Bowl. Based on the last couple of weeks, you could make the argument that the Broncos and Steelers are trending in opposite directions. After Monday night, there will be no such argument.

The Steelers are clearly heading towards the top of the AFC, and maybe now the truth is starting to catch up with the Broncos. Josh McDaniels, say hello to your first losing streak as an NFL head coach.

Prediction: Steelers 20 Broncos 10