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    Joe Flacco proves Colts QB call backfired

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    We’re already halfway through the NFL season.

    And if there’s one takeaway from Week 9, it’s that the clear favorite in the NFC has emerged.

    The Detroit Lions entered a rainy Lambeau Field and dismantled the Green Bay Packers to maintain their (slim) hold on the conference’s No. 1 seed. Detroit’s offense plays efficiently, the defense deals with third downs and in the red zone and the Lions play with intensity and physicality.

    Elsewhere in the league, the Baltimore Ravens have bounced back, the Los Angeles Rams are on the rise, the New Orleans Saints are in freefall and Jim Harbaugh has built a winning culture with the Los Angeles Chargers – with one caveat.

    Here are Sunday’s winners and losers from week 9.

    WINNERS

    Lions profile themselves as a team to beat in the NFC

    Detroit left no doubt about it. As the San Francisco 49ers have sputtered at times this year, this aggregate victory over the Green Bay Packers (6-3) – a 24-14 win – made the Lions the clear team to beat in the NFC. Yes, the Washington Commanders (7-2) were a revelation and a great story. Yes, the Atlanta Falcons (6-3), Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) and Minnesota Vikings (6-2) are sticking around. But no team has been more complete and balanced — and that includes the entire NFL, including the Kansas City Chiefs (7-0) — than the Lions (7-1).

    Over the past six games, Jared Goff has thrown just 22 incompletions — a staggering mark of efficiency (he also had 106 completions and 13 touchdowns in that span). Detroit also runs the ball exceptionally well. The defense limited the Packers to 3 of 12 (25%) conversions on third downs and 1 of 4 in the red zone. A year after a trip to the NFC championship game, Detroit appears to be a team with a view to the Super Bowl.

    Rams are working their way up in the playoffs

    Four weeks ago, the Rams were 1-4, their top two receivers were getting beat up and their season seemed on the brink. Health changes things. Cooper Kupp and Puka Pacua have put the game back on offense and the Rams (4-4) have won three in a row after escaping the Seattle Seahawks with a 26-20 overtime victory.

    Most importantly, Los Angeles is ranked No. 10 in the NFC playoff. After Week 5, the Rams were No. 15, above only the Carolina Panthers. In their win against the Seahawks, the Rams outscored Seattle 23-7 in the second half and overtime. The defense forced Geno Smith into three interceptions. This also felt like a turning point for an underrated defensive front that sacked Smith seven times. They may be a bit of an underdog, but with Matthew Stafford, the consistently steady Kyren Williams, Nacua (ejected on Sunday for throwing a punch), Kupp and a young defense, the Rams could fly under the radar in the second half of the season can fly. .

    Ravens bounce back, returning to their form

    A disappointing loss last week to the Cleveland Browns didn’t create any negative momentum for Baltimore, which returned to its identity: efficiency in the passing game and dominance on the ground.

    Against Cleveland, quarterback Lamar Jackson dropped back 43 times and Baltimore recorded just 21 carries. In Sunday’s 41-10 blowout of the Denver Broncos, Jackson had 22 dropbacks and the Ravens ran it 34 times. Jackson had as many incompletions (three) as passing touchdowns and posted a perfect passing grade of 158.3. The Ravens (6-3) also had their best defensive play since a Week 4 win against the Buffalo Bills, limiting the Broncos to conversions on just one of four red zone trips. Perhaps most promising for Baltimore is that it closed out the game with authority, a problem the team has had in the past; the Ravens scored the final 24 points of the game.

    Jim Harbaugh has turned the Chargers around

    You would never have guessed that Jim Harbaugh had been out of the NFL for nine seasons. Harbaugh, after winning a national championship with the Michigan Wolverines, immediately installed the physicality and strength — especially in the sense of scrimmage — that he is known to prioritize.

    It must have given Harbaugh unfiltered joy to see running back JK Dobbins close out a 27-10 victory over the Browns on the penultimate possession with four carries that led to a seven-yard touchdown. Yet there are still plenty of questions surrounding Los Angeles (5-3). Indeed, the quality of his wins casts doubt on whether LA can compete with the elite teams in the AFC; the combined record of teams the Chargers have defeated is 13-32 (.289), which is sixth-worst in the NFL. In fact, four of the five wins have come against teams that are currently 2-7.

    LOSERS

    Outdated saints destroy themselves

    The Saints’ season started with a lot of optimism. They destroyed a rebuilding Panthers team and then a Dallas Cowboys team thought it was a contender in the NFC.

    New Orleans has since lost seven straight games, the most recent coming against the Panthers, who started Sunday with just one win before emerging with a 23-22 victory. Quarterback Derek Carr (oblique) returned, but New Orleans struggled with situational football; the Saints (2-7) converted just two of four red zone trips despite coming into the game tied for fifth in efficiency. Both failed attempts in the red zone occurred on the first two possessions, negating New Orleans’ chance to get off to a fast start. Ten penalties called for 109 yards led to further self-destruction. The Saints responded Monday by firing coach Dennis Allen, who finished 18-25 (.419) in two and a half seasons.

    As the season passes, dolphins have only themselves to blame

    In a tied game with 54 seconds left, the Miami Dolphins faced the Bills on a third-and-9 from Buffalo’s own 31-yard line. Josh Allen threw a deep, low-percentage throw down the left sideline. It was well covered and broken up. But as Miami has done all season, an epic blunder – in this case Dolphins safety Jordan Poyer’s most unnecessary personal foul – gave his opponent new life.

    Seven plays later, the Bills kicked a game-winning 61-yard field goal and the Dolphins fell to 2-6. You can also point to a Raheem Mostert fumble in the third quarter – his sixth in the last 16 games. It happened when the Dolphins were ahead by four points, and the mistake led to a Bills touchdown. The dolphins are sloppy and undisciplined. They lack physicality and strength. Coach Mike McDaniel’s play calls are often predictable, especially in short-yardage situations. This season is nothing more than a waste of talent.

    Jordan Love

    He is still a young talent with enormous promise. It is still his second season as Green Bay’s starter. But at this point, Jordan Love absolutely needs to be better at protecting the ball and the decisions he makes.

    The 26-year-old Love is tied for the league lead with nine interceptions; Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield, the two quarterbacks playing Monday night, also have nine. His lone pick against the Lions was particularly devastating. Facing a seven-point deficit with 41 seconds left in the first half, deep in the Packers’ own territory, Love was flushed on a second-and-1 and attempted to throw a soft checkdown; it was intercepted and returned for a touchdown, an ultimate gift. Detroit also got the ball to start the third quarter. That drive went for a touchdown. Green Bay (6-3) went from down 10-3 to 24-3. Love regularly makes spectacular plays. He must eliminate the terrible.

    The Colts messed up their quarterback situation

    When a coach benchs a young quarterback 10, his NFL career begins, saying the veteran backup gives the team “the best chance to win” while games like Sunday night’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings undermine confidence in undermining that coach. Shane Steichen will honestly have to take into account how bad the Indianapolis Colts offense looked with Joe Flacco – albeit against a very good Vikings defense.

    Flacco was inaccurate and passed up checkdowns in favor of lower percentage throws on the field. His lack of mobility handcuffed the Colts offense, while Anthony Richardson could have escaped and gotten outside the pocket. Flacco is 39. The reality is that the Colts don’t have a roster that can compete for a conference title, and this feels like a colossal waste of time.

    This story has been updated with new information.

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