The 32 things we learned from Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season:
0. The number of combined receptions by five different Houston Texans players – targeted a total of 11 times – in Thursday night’s 21-13 loss to the New York Jets.
1. Perhaps the all-time ranking – and you’ll certainly have plenty of arguments here – of Jets WR Garrett Wilson’s game-winning 26-yard TD grab against Houston. A little Michael Jordan, a little OBJ, a little luck getting that shin down inbounds on a play that wasn’t initially ruled a catch. “For it to even come up in that convo, I’m blessed,” Wilson said afterwards. “I’m honored.”
1a. The NYJ’s number of wins now under interim HC Jeff Ulbrich.
1b. WR Davante Adams’ number of TDs with the Jets after he, too, caught one against the Texans.
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1c. At least the number of wide receivers Houston should consider acquiring after QB C.J. Stroud – sacked eight times by the Jets – looked helpless trying to pass the ball in an offense missing injured WRs Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs, the latter out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
2. The number of days, as of Sunday afternoon’s games, until the NFL’s 2024 trade deadline expires (at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday). And while it seems like most of the major names who were on the block – Adams among them – have already been moved, the league’s generally more aggressive strain of GMs certainly means more transactions could be forthcoming. And the Texans are one of those promising teams that nevertheless seem flawed by a very specific positional issue.
3. Desmond Ridder became the Las Vegas Raiders’ third quarterback of the season Sunday when Gardner Minshew was benched in a 41-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Recently signed off the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad, Ridder – he passed for 74 yards and a TD in relief in the town where he was the beloved leader of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats – might be the closest thing the Silver and Black get to a replacement QB option given they failed to swing a trade to get into position for Jayden Daniels on draft night.
4. The number of sacks collected Sunday by Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson – a career high – allowing him to take over the league lead with 11.
5. The number of touchdown passes thrown Sunday by Bengals QB Joe Burrow, the first time in his career he’d done that in a victorious effort.
6. Cincinnati’s Mike Gesicki caught two of those scoring strikes from Burrow, the first time in his career he had a 100-yard receiving day and multiple scores … though, sadly, the effort came a week late to be recognized on National Tight Ends Day.
6a. At least that meant less publicity for the league’s worst Griddy …
7. The number of wins for the NFC East-leading Washington Commanders, their best nine-game start since 1996. Now if they can only bolster that problematic secondary by Tuesday afternoon …
8. WR Darius Slayton had 60 yards on four touches Sunday, again displaying how effective he might be in another uniform given the numbers he’s posted – on pace for 900 yards from scrimmage – for the Giants’ largely inept offense. Unfortunately, his chances to be liberated by a trade likely dropped given he was evaluated for a concussion before the loss to Washington concluded.
9. Could the Philadelphia Eagles be the latest team with a receiver need? The only team that poses a threat to Washington in the NFC East after outlasting the Jacksonville Jaguars 28-23, Philly nevertheless saw Pro Bowler A.J. Brown leave the game early with a knee injury – a concerning development for a team with negligible wideout depth behind Brown and DeVonta Smith.
10. But at least Iggles RB Saquon Barkley continues to be one of this year’s best free agent signings. He went over 1,000 yards from scrimmage Sunday – adding another 199 to his tally, plus two TDs. But nothing beats his reverse hurdle Sunday, which he executed on the heels of a Barry Sanders-esque spin move. Just. Sick.
11. As for available wideouts? You can pretty much forget about the Los Angeles Rams’ Cooper Kupp after he hauled in 11 more balls for 104 yards in a 26-20 overtime win at Seattle that leveled LA at 4-4 and slotted them into an eighth-place tie overall in the NFC – meaning just outside wild-card position.
12. But give the next man up award to Kupp’s counterpart, veteran Demarcus Robinson, who caught a pair of TDs from QB Matthew Stafford – including the 39-yard game-winner in OT – while playing heavy snaps following the ejection of Puka Nacua, who was tossed for throwing a punch.
13. Further props to the Rams’ rookie-laden defense. Jared Verse and Braden Fiske combined for three sacks of Seahawks QB Geno Smith, while S Kamren Kinchens swiped two interceptions, taking one back 103 yards to pay dirt.
14. The San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers were the only teams on bye in Week 9, yet those playoff hopefuls also seem to have serious depth issues at wideout. However the Niners will get a lift if Jauan Jennings’ hip injury recovers sufficiently to allow him to play in Week 10.
15. Number of wins by the Buffalo Bills’ Sean McDermott in 17 career meetings with the Miami Dolphins since he became the head coach in 2017. But close shave Sunday, Bills K Tyler Bass hitting a 61-yard field goal in the final seconds of a 30-27 victory.
16. The New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans both showed admirable resilience Sunday given neither team is going anywhere in 2024 – Pats rookie QB Drake Maye with a remarkable game-tying TD pass at the end of regulation before the Titans fought back to win in overtime. What neither team did particularly well was showcase any of the receivers that might fetch some return on the trade market: Tennessee’s Tyler Boyd and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and/or New England’s Kendrick Bourne and Kayshon Boutte all held to 50 or fewer yards.
17. With QB Dak Prescott (hamstring) and WR CeeDee Lamb (shoulder) banged up in Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons, you wonder if Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones will be “all out” at some point as his underwhelming squad continues to sink toward the bottom of the NFC. A conditional seventh-rounder for recalcitrant Ezekiel Elliott might be welcome as Rico Dowdle continues to cement himself as the best back on the roster.
18. Congratulations to the Carolina Panthers, who notched their first home win of the season Sunday by beating the New Orleans Saints 23-22 while avenging a 47-10 Week 1 embarrassment at the Superdome.
19. But if Panthers RB Miles Sanders was hoping to show something to a potential suitor … welp. He amazingly managed to lose 5 yards on two carries while also losing 5 yards on two receptions. Carolina’s backfield could get crowded with rookie Jonathon Brooks’ debut seemingly imminent, but it makes a lot of sense to keep productive starter Chuba Hubbard (2 TDs on Sunday) if the team wants to build any kind of momentum and confidence for second-year QB Bryce Young now that he’s notched his first win of the season.
20. Still the most points allowed in a game this year by the Los Angeles Chargers’ No. 1 scoring defense, which also generated six sacks and three takeaways in 27-10 defeat of the Browns in Cleveland.
21. The Chargers became the sixth team since 1990 to surrender 20 or fewer points in their first eight games of a season.
22. Bolts QB Justin Herbert also passed for at least 275 yards for the third straight week – greenhorn WRs Quentin Johnston and Ladd McConkey continuing to establish themselves and giving GM Joe Hortiz little reason to aggressively pursue another pass catcher before Tuesday.
23. Though the Browns didn’t win, DE Myles Garrett, the league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, registered a season-best three sacks – which was either a plea for Cleveland to trade him … but more likely a reminder of how ludicrous former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum’s trade proposal of Garrett to the Lions rendered last week.
24. Per Next Gen Stats, Bo Nix’s TD catch for the Denver Broncos on Sunday was the most improbable by a quarterback in six years.
25. However Denver HC Sean Payton probably would have preferred some more likely TDs rather than being victimized by one of the Baltimore Ravens’ best defensive performances of the season in a 41-10 blowout.
26. Offensively? Another humdrum day in Charm City, QB Lamar Jackson and RB Derrick Henry combining to generate five Ravens TDs. Henry, who scored twice, became the fifth player ever with 100 rushing touchdowns in his first nine NFL seasons. Henry is also the fourth guy since 1990 to find the end zone in nine straight games to start a season.
27. But it was Jackson who had another near-flawless performance – and perfect 158.3 passer rating (16-for-19, 280 yards, 3 TDs) – as he continues to track toward a third league MVP award.
27a. It was the fourth time in Jackson’s career that he aced the QB rating with a 158.3 score – a new NFL record after he broke a tie with Hall of Famers Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner and future HOFers Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger.
28. Unless the Detroit Lions’ Jared Goff beats Jackson to the hardware. The NFC leaders are now 7-1, in part because Goff was once again uber-efficient, even in Green Bay’s rainy weather. Goff’s 82.8% completion rate and 140.1 passer rating are both NFL records over a six-game span within a season.
28a. Over that same stretch, Detroit has 28 touchdowns and 24 incompletions – two of those missed connections from QB2 Hendon Hooker. Wow.
29. But while you can argue whether the Ravens or Lions owns the league’s best offense, both Super Bowl hopefuls could use some help on defense – specifically at pass rusher. If Cleveland DE Za’Darius Smith is the biggest realistic prize still out there, advantage Aidan Hutchinson-less Detroit in this scenario as it’s highly unlikely the Browns are sending the three-time Pro Bowler back to his original AFC North home.
30. It might not be the most storied rivalry in the NFL or have the most chapters, but Bears-Cardinals is definitely the oldest. The teams, which used to share Chicago as a home, first met in 1920 – the NFL’s inaugural season – when the Bears were known as the Decatur Staleys. Sunday was the 96th installment, the Cardinals notching just the 30th win in a century-plus by beating the Bears 29-9.
31. However it took more than 100 years for these teams to be pelted by hail, while playing in a stadium with a retractable roof … that was inexplicably open Sunday.
32. Uniform note of the week: The Jets apparently listened to QB Aaron Rodgers’ advice to “make peace” with the darkness … by debuting their new black alternate uniforms on Thursday night. A Sith vibe apparently suits Rodgers and Co. well.
32a. Second uniform note of the week: Never hated the Eagles’ “Midnight Green” look, which will forever be associated with their first (and still only) Super Bowl triumph. But it should be the alternate look while the Kelly Greens ought to be restored as the primary kit.
32b. Third uniform note of the week: Not as strong a feeling on the Giants’ legacy uniform, though it was part of the league’s 1980s uniform heyday …
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Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.
