Tag: 2021 Week 9

Week 9 Rooting Guide: Cowboys’ playoff odds, who can help this week

A look at the club’s odds to earn the No. 1 seed and also reach the Super Bowl, as well as who fans should root for in other Week 9 games. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Thanks to their scintillating backup-QB-led victory in Week 8, the Dallas Cowboys are riding high on a six-game winning streak. Their 6-1 start is the team’s best since 2016, when they ran off 11 wins in a row following an opening season loss. That was in Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott’s rookie season, and it was an unbelievable run of magic that endured during the famed “should Tony Romo get his job back” debate. Next Monday is the five-year anniversary of Romo’s concession speech.

Back then, the offense was centered around the running style of Elliott, but now not only is Prescott in firm control of the position, but the offense. The Cowboys are once again in the thick of the race for the NFC’s No. 1 seed and there is once again real hope the drought will soon end. That pursuit is marred by perhaps the best field the conference has seen in a while, with six teams having two losses or fewer, four of them with just one defeat, including Dallas.

The weekly watch is one.

Thanks to Week 8 losses by Arizona (7-1) and Tampa Bay (6-2) the Cowboys now control their own destiny in regards to these two competitors. Dallas has a Week 17 matchup with the Cardinals, so if they remain tied in the loss column otherwise, the winner of that game has an advantage. Dallas’ only loss came in Week 1 against the Bucs, but now the Cowboys are ahead of them in the loss column, crucial as head-to-head record is the first tiebreaker.

What are the current important playoff odds for the Cowboys? Which games on this week’s schedule can help Dallas now?

Cowboys News: Randy Gregory pay day? Gameday predictions, how to watch, McCarthy gets love

What’s to come for Cowboys-Broncos? Randy Gregory’s thoughts on a big payday, Mike McCarthy’s rebirth and more in the gameday news. | From @CDBurnett7

Last week was a rollercoaster of a gameday for the Dallas Cowboys; the quarterback roulette between Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush, with the latter pulling off a miraculous win in Minnesota. This Sunday, Prescott returns to the field against the 4-4 Denver Broncos, who have some interesting storylines with Dallas coming off of this years’ draft and are now without their franchise star in Von Miller.

The Cowboys sit at 6-1 and the image of head coach Mike McCarthy has changed from struggle to success in his second year in Dallas. One of the biggest revelations in 2021 is defensive end Randy Gregory pushing towards a big payday without his partner in crime, which he noted in an interview.

Who’s the X-Factors on Sunday? Will the Cowboys handle business at home? Is this the halfway point in a historic season for Dallas?

All this and more in Cowboys News and Notes.

QTNA Week 9: Regret over Fields? Cowboys’ weaknesses? Broncos under-the-radar players

Who’s the baddest on the block now that Von Miller’s gone? Is there any regret to stealing Patrick Surtain? We go behind enemy lines with @ByJonHeath of @TheBroncosWire to learn more.

The Dallas Cowboys are big favorites entering Week 9, but should they be? All signs point to yes. For one, the Denver Broncos have lost four of their last five games, and Dallas is returning home after two road games bookended the bye week. The Cowboys have outscored their opponents 121-69 at AT&T Stadium, a fittingly nice scoring margin for a team averaging over 40 points a home contest.

Still, the Broncos have enjoyed a steady edge over the Cowboys in recent years, so a win isn’t preordained. While the teams only match up once every four years, it’s easy to lose track of where each franchise is if not paying close attention. To help out with that, Jon Heath, managing editor of Broncos Wire sat down to provide answers to a few questions that need answers. In exchange, Cowboys Wire offered some enemy intel in return.

No homecoming parade, no fly zone among 6 things to know about Cowboys-Broncos

The Dallas Cowboys haven’t beaten the Denver Broncos in a long time, but that might not be such a bad thing. A look at 6 game facts ahead of Sunday’s contest. | From @BenGrimaldi

It’s not easy to win six games in a row in the NFL, especially when requiring a backup quarterback to start on the road. Yet that’s exactly what the Dallas Cowboys have done in 2021. The winning streak is the longest the team’s had since 2016 when starting quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott were rookies.

There’s no question it was an impressive win for the Cowboys over the Minnesota Vikings, but just around the corner there’s a new challenge. The Denver Broncos are next on the schedule and they’re coming off a win over the Washington Football Team. Here’s a six-pack of things to know about the Broncos as the Week 9 game approaches.

Caleb Williams wins Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Week Award

For his performance against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, Caleb Williams was selected the Davey O’Brien Quarterback of the week.

The awards keep rolling in for Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Caleb Williams. After netting the Big 12 offensive player of the week award for his efforts against Texas Tech, Williams received the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the week award.

Williams is well on his way to inserting himself into the conversation of every significant individual award if he keeps up what he’s been doing over the last month.

Since taking over as the quarterback during the Texas game, Williams has thrown 14 touchdowns. He also has four rushing touchdowns and is currently Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded quarterback through week nine of the season.

Caleb Williams has only one interception to his 18 combined touchdowns, 17 since the Texas game. Averaging 4.25 combined touchdown since taking over in the Red River Showdown, if he were to keep that pace, Williams is on pace for 35 combined touchdowns through the Big 12 championship. If the Sooners can make it into the college football playoff, he’ll flirt with 40 combined passing and rushing touchdowns.

That would be an incredible feat considering he’s only played significantly in the last four games, making just three starts.

The games get more challenging after the bye against Baylor, Iowa State, and Oklahoma State, but Caleb Williams has risen to the occasion of every challenge thus far. There’s no reason to think he won’t step up and overcome the obstacles that await him.

Williams is already a semifinalist for the national Davey O’Brien Award, which you could have a say in. All you have to do is like the awards posts on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, and you can vote for Caleb Williams to win the award.

There’s no telling where this season will end up, but Caleb Williams has already made it a memorable one. “Championship November” has a chance to be a special month for him and the program if they’re able to remain undefeated through the difficult challenges that lie ahead.

He’s just scratching the surface of the player he could be, and every practice rep and snap in a game is going to help him improve upon an already stellar start to his Oklahoma Sooners career.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

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Passing with flying colors: Report Card for Sooners complete win vs Texas tech

How did the Oklahoma Sooners grade out in their dominant performance against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in this week’s Report Card?

One week removed from their worst performance of the year to date, Lincoln Riley’s Oklahoma Sooners played perhaps their best game of the season. In every facet, the Sooners were better than the Texas Tech Red Raiders. For a team that came in hoping to play inspired football following the firing of the head coach, one may wonder if it had the opposite effect.

Nonetheless, this is hardly about the psyche of Texas Tech and more about the Sooners’ finally putting together a complete performance. In a 52-21 victory, everyone had to put their best foot forward. Let’s go through the different position groups and discuss the performances from each unit.

Caleb Williams earns Pro Football Focus’ True Freshman of the Week, lands on Team of the Week

Oklahoma’s Caleb Williams was named to Pro Football Focus’ team of the week and earned True Freshman of the week for the 4th straight time.

At this point, it’s becoming routine that Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Caleb Williams will do something extraordinary in a football game. Through the first few weeks of his tenure as the guy at the helm for OU, he dazzled with his arm and his legs.

This week in Oklahoma’s 52-21 win over Texas Tech, Williams showed off he’s got the elite arm talent that can carry the Oklahoma Sooners to victory every single week.

On a day where the Oklahoma Sooners running game struggled, Williams was up to the challenge of leading the offense.

After punting on the Sooners’ initial drive, Caleb Williams led the Sooners to seven straight scoring drives to run away from the Red Raiders before handing the reigns to Spencer Rattler to close out the game.

On the day, Williams was 23 of 30 for 402 yards and six touchdowns, becoming just the third Oklahoma quarterback to record six passing touchdowns and no interceptions in a game, joining Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray.

Once again, Caleb Williams graded out incredibly high per the folks at Pro Football Focus. He was named to their “Team of the Week” for his efforts and won the “True Freshman of the Week” award, yet again by PFF’s Anthony Treash.

The Sooners’ five-star quarterback takes home PFF’s True Freshman of the Week Award for the fourth straight week, thanks to yet another 90.0-plus PFF grade.

Williams earned a 92.8 PFF grade against Texas Tech on first review, the highest of any Power Five quarterback this week. And while he did have one turnover-worthy throw, but that was one of just a few mistakes on the day.

The Oklahoma quarterback completed six of his seven deep pass attempts over 20 yards downfield for 218 yards and three touchdowns. He totaled six touchdowns on passes thrown over 10 yards downfield, which is the most by any FBS quarterback in the 2021 season. – Treash, PFF

Caleb Williams continues to amaze as Oklahoma’s starting quarterback. It was a fantastic display of downfield accuracy and arm strength as the Sooners made explosive play after explosive play.

With each passing week, Williams continues to cement himself as one of college football’s best players, making a solid case for Heisman consideration.

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Oklahmoma Sooners remain in top 4 of latest AP Poll after win over Texas Tech

After their 52-21 win over Texas Tech, the Oklahoma Sooners hold steady at No. 4 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.

Just days before the initial College Football Playoff rankings unveil themselves, the Sooners get an update about where they stand in the AP Top 25 Poll as they enter their much-needed bye week. In the latest release of the AP Poll, the Sooners remain at the same spot of No.4. The Sooners remain the No. 4 team in the country behind Georgia, Cincinnati, and Alabama in that order.

Despite losing to an unranked Texas A&M, Alabama remains above the Sooners. Shifting our focus to the initial College Football Playoff rankings, there’s a good chance Oklahoma could end up behind Alabama initially and remain that way unless Alabama loses another game. Nonetheless, the Sooners have to like where they are despite their ups and downs with consistent performances this year to date.

A quick scan of the Top 25 shows that two of Oklahoma’s next three opponents are both currently top 15 teams. And both games are on the road. The Sooners will travel to Baylor in two weeks to face a Bears team coming off of a big win over Texas. Then to close out the regular season, Oklahoma will face in-state rival Oklahoma State. Both of these games will likely decide who represents the Big 12 in the conference championship game.

If these rankings hold up or at least if both teams find themselves in the Top 25 when Oklahoma plays them these could be valuable wins as the Sooners continue to build their case for the final four spots.

However, all of this is just a projection. Oklahoma knows what’s at stake and you can be sure Lincoln Riley will be sure to hammer that point home in what Oklahoma has dubbed “Championship November”.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

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After a big win, where does Oklahoma land in the newest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches poll?

Where do the Oklahoma Sooners land in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll after their big win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders?

A dominant showing by the Oklahoma Sooners in their 52-21 win over the Texas Tech Red Raiders put the voters at ease in this week’s USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll.

Oklahoma, who fell two spots in last week’s poll after falling behind the Kansas Jayhawks 10-0 at halftime, stayed at No. 4 in this week’s poll. There was little room to climb despite their 31-point win over the Red Raiders. The No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide were off this week, but the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs continued their dominant defensive performance in a 34-7 demolition of the Florida Gators. After having just a 14-12 lead over Tulane, the Cincinnati Bearcats turned it on in the second half and came away with a solid 31-12 win to stay undefeated and the No. 2 team in the nation.

The conference to watch as the season goes along is the Big 10. No. 6 Michigan State picked up a massive win over rival No. 10 Michigan, and the No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes continued their strong run of play with a 33-24 win over No. 23 Penn State. Michigan State still has games against Penn State and Ohio State while the Buckeyes will face Michigan. And that’s all just in the Big 10 East’s final month of the regular season. How all that plays out will certainly have an impact on the College Football Playoff landscape.

In the Big 12, Iowa State dropped out of the polls after their upset loss to West Virginia. Oklahoma State moved up four spots to No. 11 after doing what Oklahoma should have done to Kansas in their 55-3 win. Baylor had arguably the best win in their comeback performance over Texas and moved up to No. 13.

The No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners have a bye this week before heading to Waco to take on the No. 13 Baylor Bears. Oklahoma needs Baylor and Oklahoma State to stay in the top 15 to bolster their chances of making the College Football Playoff. While they should get in if they continue to win and remain undefeated, the murkiness of the Big 10 and a potential SEC Championship matchup of Alabama and Georgia could undoubtedly impact Oklahoma’s standing in the CFB Rankings down the road.

A look at the full coaches poll after this week’s slate of games.

Full USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Georgia 8-0 1,600 (64) –
2 Cincinnati 8-0 1,460 –
3 Alabama 7-1 1,453 –
4 Oklahoma 9-0 1,423 –
5 Ohio State 7-1 1,336 –
6 Michigan State 8-0 1,325 +1
7 Oregon 7-1 1,198 +1
8 Notre Dame 7-1 1,095 +3
9 Wake Forest 8-0 1,051 +4
10 Michigan 7-1 1,050 -4
11 Oklahoma State 7-1 922 +4
12 Texas A&M 6-2 910 +2
13 Baylor 7-1 815 +5
14 Auburn 6-2 802 +7
15 Ole Miss 6-2 680 -6
16 Iowa 6-2 512 -6
17 Kentucky 6-2 497 -5
18 Texas-San Antonio 8-0 401 +4
19 Houston 7-1 349 +10
20 BYU 7-2 310 +6
21 Coastal Carolina 7-1 301 +3
22 NC State 6-2 265 +3
23 Penn State 5-3 215 -6
24 SMU 7-1 192 -8
25 Pittsburgh 6-2 162 -6

Dropped from the rankings:

No. 20 San Diego State; No. 23 Iowa State

Others receiving votes:

UL Lafayette 156; Fresno State 73; San Diego State 65; Arkansas 65; Minnesota 29; Wisconsin 26; Mississippi State 20; Utah 10; Appalachian State 10; Air Force 9; Liberty 4; Iowa State 4; Clemson 4; Arizona State 1.

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5 Final thoughts on the Oklahoma Sooners vs. the Texas Tech Red Raiders

As the Oklahoma Sooners get set to host the Texas Tech Red Raiders, here are five final thoughts on the important Big 12 matchup.

The Oklahoma Sooners have an opportunity to move to 9-0 today when they take on the 5-3 Texas Tech Red Raiders. The good news for Oklahoma is they still have room to improve and hopefully reinforcements are coming that will help that.

Lincoln Riley hinted that several defensive players could be back this week or after the bye and it appears that Jalen Redmond is one of them.

On the offensive side, he said Michael Woods and Mario Williams were close to returning as well. If the Sooners can maintain a relative level of health this week and during the stretch run of the season they still have a great shot to complete an undefeated 2021.

On paper, the Oklahoma Sooners are the better team, but they’ve played six of their eight games close and this one has the potential to be a close one as well. As we get ready for Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech, here are some final thoughts on Saturday’s game.