Highs And Lows: The Biggest Winners (& Losers) Of NFL Season
Highs And Lows: The Biggest Winners (& Losers) Of NFL Season Week 9 & The Art Of Losing Hope
Way back in 2012, before he would turn out to in fact be a cornball brother, Robert Griffin III was the man. He was the number two overall pick in the NFL draft, taken by the Washington Commanders (who were then going by their racist surname) and he had a stellar rookie season. He led the team to their first NFC East title since 1999. And then the wheels fell off. In the 2012 playoffs, while already nursing a sprained LCL, doctors cleared Griffin to play. He would go on to tear both his ACL and LCL on the raggedy FedEx Field turf. And just like that his career was over. He was never the same. He would never return to the speed that made him a track star at Baylor. He would be a shell of himself.
But what no one talks about, what no one mentions in the demise of RGIII in the one good year he had with the team, was that the fans of the Commanders lost something too that day: hope.
This is Week 8 of the NFL football round-up in which we separate the wheat from the chaff (whatever that means) and figure out which teams are winners, losers, and everything in between.
Winners
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 9 win over the Indianapolis Colts (27-20) wasn’t a fluke, it was a statement. With the hottest team coming into Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, it’s clear that the defense had the levels turned up to All-Madden as they forced six turnovers and five sacks, making the elite Colts offense look mad pedestrian.
Meanwhile the Colts’ powerful rushing attack — featuring Jonathan Taylor — was held to just 45 yards on 14 carries. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers proved that he might still have something left in the tank, throwing for 203 yards and one TD, while Pittsburgh capitalised on turnovers to pull away.
The Colts are still one of the best teams in the league, but the loss ended their four-game win streak, dropping them to 7-2.
Baltimore Ravens
(Taye Diggs voice) “What the f-ck is that smell?”
Oh, just the Miami Dolphins stinking up the joint. The Dolphins couldn’t win a game if they were playing cards with Chauncey Billups and wearing 3D glasses. They stink, but sometimes stinking teams are just what other stinking teams need to right the ship.
The Baltimore Ravens were trending the wrong way before Week 9, until their matchup with the Dolphin,s which the Ravens dominated, 28-6. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was sharp and efficient, spreading the ball to multiple targets while the run game controlled the tempo.
Baltimore’s defense terrorized Tua Tagovailoa, limiting big plays and forcing turnovers. With this win, Baltimore just might be heading in the right direction.
Denver Broncos
Denver escaped with an 18-15 road victory over the Houston Texans, improving to 7-2. They trailed late but outscored Houston 11-0 down the stretch. Bo Nix engineered the decisive drive with a key 25-yard scramble to set up kicker Wil Lutz’s game-winning 34-yard field goal as time expired. Denver’s defense held the Texans without a touchdown and allowed just one third-down conversion in the final stretch. Their red-zone stops — including goal-line stands from 1- and 2-yard lines — proved critical. The win reinforces the Broncos as a serious contender on a strong run.
Middle of the Road
Chicago Bears (NFC North)
The Bears won the “Who Every Has the Ball Last Will Win This Game” outlasting the Cincinnati Bengals in a shootout, 47-42. The Bears offense looked unstoppable. Bears QB Caleb Williams went 20-34, 280 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Kyle Monangai ran for 176 yards on 26 carries, and Colston Loveland had six receptions for 118 yards and two TDs. But for all the explosiveness on offense, going for a combined 576 yards, the defense allowed 577 yards.
If the defense can improve, then the Bears could be a tough team to beat, but if the defense can’t get it together, they will always be forced to outscore their opponents, and that may prove to be a tall task each week.
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers lost to the Carolina Panthers in the “Mid battle for mediocre” 16-13. I’m still not convinced that Bryce Young is an NFL quarterback, and he’s proving my argument, going 11-20, for 102 yards and one Int. and the Carolina Panthers still won the game and that’s because running back Rico Dowdle ran for 130 yards on 25 carries and two TDs. The Packers are now 5-2-1 but they have to play more consistently to move to an elite level and losing to the Panthers ain’t it.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs lost 28–21 to the Buffalo Bills, dropping to 5–4. This year, whenever the Chiefs have to play up to the level of their competition they seem to fall short. Look, I’m never one to question Andy Reid’s coaching decision but kicking a field goal from the 1-yard line right before halftime feels like a dummy move.
Patrick Mahomes didn’t help matters, going 15 for 34 for 250 yards and an interception. It turned out to be Mahomes’ lowest completion rate in his career. Could this loss mean that their once-dominant aura may be fading? Someone get Taylor Swift on the phone, asap!
Losers
Dallas Cowboys
When it comes to the NFC East, there is the Philadelphia Eagles and three other teams looking at the 2026 draft. The Dallas Cowboys lost to the Arizona Cardinals, 27-17.
The Cowboys might be on the tailend of the Dak Prescott years as the quarterback seems to continue his life long history of two steps forward and three steps back. Turnovers and inconsistent execution have been a shadow throughout Dak’s career and it is getting harder to argue that the Cowboys and Dak are a good fit. Jacoby Brissett outplayed Dak going 21 of 31 for 261 yards and two touchdowns. Did Dak lose the game? Of course not as football is a team sport, but he didn’t do much to help them win it and that’s the problem.
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans were in the game until they weren’t, as they lost to the Denver Broncos 18-15. The offense struggled, the defense collapsed and the quarterback play was inconsistent, which is to be expected considering CJ Stroud left the game early after suffering a concussion. Replacement David Mills is a trash can; in his career, he only had 12 wins and 27 losses and one tie, and he’s even worse as a starter: five wins, 20 losses, and one tie. So it’s a given that he wasn’t going to produce, but the Texans were struggling before Mills took over. The Texans sit at 3-5 in the AFC South and don’t look like they’re going to overtake the Jacksonville Jaguars or the red hot Indianapolis Colts anytime soon.
Washington Commanders
This is becoming a permanent spot for the Washington Commanders, who got the doors blown off the car 38‑14 at home to the Seattle Seahawks, making this their fourth consecutive loss. Jayden Daniels returned as the starting quarterback but left the game late after suffering a left elbow injury on a sack. The offense looked like crap and the defense has proven that they are about as effective as a didgeridoo at a Too $hort concert.
The Commanders aren’t making the playoffs, and at some point, there has to be a conversation about Daniels’ durability and the obvious comparison to another lean running quarterback who lost his electricity and became another “what could have been” quarterback. Both were flashy, exciting, and full of potential, but ultimately unable to carry a team deep into the playoffs or sustain long-term success in the NFL and with it the hope of a city who wants desperately to believe again.
