Here’s a review of what went down in Week 9.
So much for the Buccaneers being the team to beat in this division. Sunday night’s utter embarrassment at the hands of the Saints showed where the real power in the NFC South lies.
Here’s a review of what went down in Week 9.
Saints (6-2) crushed Buccaneers (6-3), 38-3
This was such a thorough beating that it shifted the balance not only in the division, but in the entire conference. New Orleans dominated offensively, racking up four touchdown passes for Drew Brees, who completed passes to 12 different receivers. They were just as dominant defensively, holding the Bucs to a pitiful eight rushing yards and Tom Brady to a ridiculous 3.8 QBR.
With Michael Thomas back in the lineup the Saints are at full strength. They have won five games in a row and now lead the league in DVOA. Whoever comes out of the NFC will have to go through them. Next up, New Orleans hosts the 49ers.
The Bucs hit their head on the ceiling (hard)
As good as the Saints looked, this was a two-way street of a loss. Tampa suffered what Shaq Barrett called a “total team collapse” after the game. Their supposedly-fierce front seven managed only three hits and one sack on Drew Brees, their resurgent secondary made several grotesque communication errors, their quarterback got frustrated with the way things were going and went on tilt and their coach got completely outmaneuvered by the guy on the other sideline. The Bucs will try to get back on track against the Panthers next week.
Falcons (3-6) beat Broncos (3-5), 34-27
It seems Raheem Morris is much more capable of leading this Atlanta team than Dan Quinn was. The Falcons scored their first home-win under Morris on Sunday, headed by a couple of surprise performers. Wide receiver Olamide Zaccheus led them in receiving, totaling 103 yards and a touchdown on just four catches.
Meanwhile, kinebacker Foye Oluokun led them with 10 combined tackles and four QB hits. After their bye week, they’ll visit the Saints.
Panthers (3-6) lost to Chiefs (8-1), 33-31
There’s no shame in bein’ beaten by the best. While the Chiefs certainly did not play their best game of the year, Carolina deserves a lot of credit for keeping this game close. The Panthers embraced an aggressive gameplan, they defended the run well and they held it together despite missing Jeremy Chinn. A moral victory is better than nothing and the future looks bright under coach Matt Rhule.
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