The Monday Afternoon Quarterback

With the end of Week 9 approaching, nearly every team in the NFL -- excluding Oakland and Seattle -- have played at least half of their [ir]regular season schedule. With that said, fans and experts are beginning to understand teams by the middle of the season. This year, unless a team has begun rebuilding for the future, flat-out stink, or you’re the Colts, we don’t really know what your team is all about. Sure, the Patriots and Broncos are pretty solid and the Bears are 7-1, but there are many question marks.

Here are nine thoughts for Week 9 as we take a look back at yesterday’s proceedings.

1. Rex Grossman throwing flat-footed should scare Bears fans. Giving up 157 yards on the ground to Ronnie Brown should absolutely frighten you to tears. Mind you, that’s consecutive 100-yard rushers (Brown and Frank Gore).
2. New England still has a lot of problems in the passing game. However, their loss last night to Indianapolis had to do with poor play-calling and the inability to run consistently. Last week, the Patriots knew they were playing the league’s top run defense, so they stuck exclusively to the pass. There’s no reason why Dillon and Maroney should not have had 20 carries each.
3. On the injury front, Michael Strahan (sprained foot) and Brian Urlacher (foot) may be question marks for their clash next week at The Meadowlands. Willis McGahee (ribs) had to be carted off four minutes into the 1st quarter against the Packers. Goodbye, fantasy football championship.
4. I love it when LaDainian Tomlinson decides not to pace himself. Two multi-touchdown weeks buoyed by 150+ yards of rushing. If the Chargers are smart, expect Michael Turner to get 10+ carries at Cincinnati leading up to the first of two Denver games.
5. With regard to the Bengals losing 4 of 5, look no further than Chad Johnson's touches. Wait, wrong Johnson. In Cincinnati’s four wins, Rudi Johnson averages 24.8 carries and 97.3 yards per game, respectively. In their four losses, he averages 15.3 carries and 60.0 yards per game, respectively. Sure, Ocho Cinco is not getting enough touches in games they loss and he’s unhappy as a result, but get the ball to Rudi. It’s proven.
6. I won’t bag on Michael Vick, unless his team loses to the Browns. More bizarre things have happened, and contrary to their record, the Browns have been competitive in almost all of their losses - all six of them. The Falcons' loss to the Lions was in the works after their defense decided to go on sabbatical a few weeks ago.
7. Question for Week 10 and beyond. How will Philadelphia and Carolina respond after their byes following consecutive losses? Okay, not a thought, but a thought-provoking question.
8. Don’t be shocked if the Raiders exit Seattle with a victory. Be stunned if their offense scores more than 10 points though. Rob Ryan has concocted quite the championship-caliber defense in the Black Hole with successful free agency grabs (Derrick Burgess) and a secondary rebuilt by the draft (Fabian Washington and Michael Huff).
9. Pundits complained that the 15-yard facemask penalty setting up the Washington victory should have been a five-yarder; thus, taking the Redskins out of Nick Novak’s field goal range. On its face, the penalty was of the five-yard variation; however, it’s a case of whose facemask Kyle Kosier was tugging on and when – Sean Taylor with time expired. The ball-hawking safety can take it to the house whenever he touches the ball and can benefit from his reputation once in a while -- okay, maybe just once. Much-needed signing Troy Vincent blocked the kick that set up the score. Make note of that, Coach Gibbs.