Tag: Week 9

The worst offensive players in Tampa Bay’s loss to Houston, per PFF

Despite an overall dominant offensive performance, there were still a few players PFF didn’t think very highly of.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Houston Texans in Week 9, but that certainly wasn’t on the offense.

The team put up 37 points behind quarterback Baker Mayfield, with two rushing touchdowns from running back Rachaad White and two passing touchdowns to tight end Cade Otton. The defense wasn’t able to keep up, however, surrendering 39 points to the Texans and losing the game in the last 10 seconds. Despite a strong offensive performance, however, a few players didn’t come out with good grades when Pro Football Focus took to analyzing the matchup.

Here are the five worst-graded offensive players for the Bucs in Week 9, according to PFF:

Chiefs are the best team in the NFL, according to ESPN Analytics

ESPN Analytics ranked the #Chiefs as the NFL’s best team after Kansas City’s Week 9 win over the Miami #Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany.

The Kansas City Chiefs Week 9 win over the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany cemented their spot as the AFC’s top team in terms of playoff seeding, but the quants at ESPN Analytics don’t seem to think their dominance ends at the conference level.

According to ESPN’s football power index, Kansas City hosts the best team in the NFL, with two AFC rivals taking second and third place through nine games.

This ranking may surprise some fans who watched the Chiefs’ frustrating losses to the Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos earlier in the season, but after taking down the fifth-best team on the list, Kansas City certainly deserved a top spot.

The Chiefs will have their chance to beat the seventh-ranked team, the Philadelphia Eagles, after their bye week in a Super Bowl LVII rematch at Arrowhead Stadium.

If Kansas City emerges victorious against Philadelphia in Week 11, expect the Chiefs to remain atop the FPI rankings until another team takes them down later in the season.

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The worst defensive players in Tampa Bay’s loss to Houston, per PFF

Secondary seems to be a recurring theme on this list.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense had its definitively worst game of the season in Week 9.

The Bucs gave up 496 total yards and five touchdowns to the Houston Texans, with most of those coming from quarterback C.J. Stroud. As such, the secondary shouldered a large part of the blame for the terrible performance, and Pro Football Focus seemed to focus on their play. Of the five lowest graded defensive players in PFF’s grades for the Bucs’ Week 9 matchup, four of them were defensive backs.

Here are the five worst-graded players on the Bucs defense in their game against the Houston Texans:

LOOK: Chiefs DB Joshua Williams’ comical expression during insane Bryan Cook TD

To say that #Chiefs DB Joshua Williams was surprised when Mike Edwards lateraled to Bryan Cook in Week 9 would be an understatement.

Fans weren’t the only people whose eyes bugged out during Bryan Cook’s insane touchdown in the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 9 matchup against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Defensive back Joshua Williams can be seen with a comical expression on his face in a picture of the play that occurred in the second quarter of Kansas City’s international matchup in Frankfurt, Germany.

To say he looked surprised would be an understatement:

Williams didn’t touch the ball but was right in the thick of the action when Mike Edwards lateraled to Cook after recovering a fumble forced by Trent McDuffie. Cook would take the ball more than 50 yards to paydirt to give Kansas City a 21-point lead with mere seconds remaining before halftime.

Pictures like this are a great way to see plays from the perspective of the players who participated in them, and Chiefs Kingdom can certainly relate to the intense emotion displayed by Williams in this shot.

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10 studs from Chiefs Week 9 win over Dolphins in Germany

These 10 players helped lift the #Chiefs to victory against the #Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany on Sunday.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 9 win over the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany was an instant classic that is sure to be revisited by fans as the defending Super Bowl champions look to bring home another title later in the season.

Though Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense struggled in the second half, their performance through the game’s first two quarters was admirable, and Kansas City’s defense played one of its best games of the season.

Several Chiefs stood out as top performers in the game, and as Kansas City enters its bye week ahead of its Super Bowl LVII rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11, the team seems primed for something special in the back half of its 2023 campaign.

There remains room for improvement on both sides of the ball, but after securing a gritty win against Miami, arguably the AFC’s best team, the sky is the limit for the Chiefs.

Check out which players earned stud status for Kansas City in Week 9:

Chiefs Trent McDuffie leads NFL DBs in forced fumbles through Week 9

Second-year #Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie leads all NFL defensive backs in forced fumbles through Week 9.

The Kansas City Chiefs have a stud on their hands in defensive back Trent McDuffie. The second-year phenom has played outstanding football to this point in the season and is the NFL’s leader in forced fumbles among defensive backs through Week 9.

His forced fumble that led to an insane touchdown against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday helped lift Kansas City to victory. With eight games left on the Chiefs’ 2023 schedule, McDuffie should be expected to continue showcasing his stellar abilities in the secondary.

Kansas City needed help in the defensive backfield after falling short in its 2021 campaign. General manager Brett Veach used one of the picks he acquired from the Tyreek Hill trade to select McDuffie in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, and while the Chiefs have an ongoing need for more help at receiver, the cornerback’s standout play has been worth every bit of the investment it took to get him.

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Chiefs are on pace to take top seed in AFC playoffs

If the 2023 season ended today the #Chiefs would take the AFC’s top playoff seed.

The Kansas City Chiefs are among the most dominant teams in the NFL and are pacing to take the top seed in the AFC playoffs through Week 9.

While the team’s early success in 2023 hardly guarantees that it will earn the coveted playoff bye week in January, the fact that Kansas City controls its own destiny at this point in the season gives the Chiefs a massive advantage over opponents in the AFC.

Kansas City will have to win some extremely challenging games after their Week 10 bye to stay in their current position, but if recent history is any indication, the Chiefs should be expected to pull out scrappy victories with regularity through the end of the season.

Another No. 1 seed in the playoffs could help catapult Kansas City to another Super Bowl berth, so it is imperative for the Chiefs to stay the course and continue churning out wins as the 2023 regular season nears its conclusion.

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Chiefs Joe Thuney is best pass blocking guard in NFL, according to PFF

#Chiefs OL Joe Thuney is the best pass-blocking guard in the NFL, accoring to Pro Football Focus.

The Kansas City Chiefs offensive line has been one of the best units on the team through nine games. Their play has been particularly exceptional on the interior, as evidenced by veteran guard Joe Thuney’s outstanding 81.3 pass-blocking grade, which stands alone as the best among players at his position in the NFL.

Thuney is one of the Chiefs’ highest-paid players and has been worth every penny of Kansas City’s hefty investment in him, even while the team’s offense continues to find its stride through the second part of its 2023 schedule.

Paired with Trey Smith and Creed Humphrey in the middle of the Chiefs’ line, Thuney has a target on his back every week as opposing pass rushers attempt to harass reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes in the pocket.

Fans should expect Thuney to keep up his exceptional run in pass protection when Kansas City plays the Philadelphia Eagles at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 11.

WATCH: Chiefs players, Mitch Holthus react to Bryan Cook’s defensive TD vs. Dolphins

Check out this clip that features Mitch Holthus’ outstanding call of #Chiefs safety Bryan Cook’s iconic touchdown against the #Dolphins in Week 9:

Bryan Cook’s runback touchdown against the Miami Dolphins may go down as one of the most remarkable plays in Kansas City Chiefs history. When he received the now-iconic lateral from fellow safety Mike Edwards late in the second quarter of Kansas City’s Week 9 matchup against Miami in Frankfurt, Germany, he wasted no time getting to the boundary and turning on the jets to take the ball to the end zone for seven points.

Legendary broadcaster Mitch Holthus called the play for listeners on the radio, and his iconic second-by-second breakdown of the touchdown made the rounds on social media on Tuesday as Chiefs fans basked in Kansas City’s victory.

The clip included reactions from Chiefs players on the sideline, too, which were just as priceless as Holthus’ outstanding call on the radio.

If ever there was a play that could come to define Kansas City’s 2023 campaign, this incredible touchdown should be considered the leading candidate.

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How former Alabama players performed in Week 9 of NFL season

Roll Tide Wire takes a close look at how former Alabama players performed in Week 9 of the NFL season.

Alabama is one of the top programs in the country when it comes to producing NFL talent. The Crimson Tide are well-represented on both sides of the ball and at just about every position on the football field.

Week 9 of the 2023 season kicked off on Thursday night and concluded on Monday night, which means there were a lot of former Alabama players suiting up for their respective professional teams.

Believe it or not, 25 of the 32 teams in the NFL have at least one Alabama player on its roster. There are not many college programs that can say the same.

Roll Tide Wire breaks down how former Alabama players performed in their Week 9 matchups.