Peyton Hillis was a beast for the Browns while the Cowboys inch closer to being on the clock.
With the NFL heading into the second half of the season, it is becoming obvious there is going to be a mad dash to the playoffs in both the AFC and NFC.
There are eight teams in the AFC with at least five wins. In the NFC, there are seven teams with five or more wins.
A great example of how little there is to separate between the majority of teams in the NFC was on display Sunday in Cleveland as the Browns took the New England Patriots out behind the woodshed and laid a beating on them.
With that in mind, let's take a look back at Week 9 in the NFL.
Star of the week
Browns running back Peyton Hillis put on a performance against the Patriots that would have made Hall of Famer John Riggins proud. Riggins weighed around 230 pounds in his heyday, Hillis goes 250 and has surprising speed for such a big man. Eric Mangini and Browns offensive coordinator Brian Daboll kept feeding the ball to Hillis and the 250-pound battering ram from Arkansas kept shredding the Patriots defence. Eric Mangini talked about what Hillis did to the Patriots and what he brings to the Browns that makes him so special. "Peyton does a nice job of grinding down the defence which is fun to watch." Hillis' 28th carry of the day was a great example of that.
The reaction from the Browns players, coaches and fans from that touchdown run says all you need to know about how much they love Hillis. By the way, the team that traded Hillis to Cleveland, the Broncos, ranks dead-last in the NFL in running the football. Just saying.
Stiff of the week
Jerry Jones and the Cowboys. Like a wounded cow out in the field, Jones finally put coach Wade Phillips out of his misery Monday when he fired him. The Cowboys are a mess and Jones deserves the majority of the blame. Not only is Jones the owner, he's also the general manager. Sorry, that arrangement just doesn't work in professional sports anymore. Jerry's ego is so out of control that he seems unwilling to concede any of his immense powers to hire a proper GM to do the job. So Wade is gone and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett takes over a team that is an unmitigated train wreck. Until Jones is willing to hire a legitimate head coach (Gruden, Cowher etc) and give them the authority to do their job, nothing is going to change in Dallas.
Team on the rise
It has been so long since the Oakland Raiders actually mattered in the NFL that it is downright shocking to see the way they have battled the last three weeks. Sunday's overtime victory over division-rival Kansas City Chiefs extended the Raiders' winning streak to three games. The Raiders now have a perfect 3-0 record in the AFC West and they have outscored their opponents 115-37 in their last three games. Feeding off the energy of a rare sellout at the Black Hole, the Raiders showed the kind of toughness and character that has been missing for years. After being mocked for the trade to bring Richard Seymour to Oakland, Al Davis deserves a little praise. Seymour was outstanding in the Raiders' win over the Chiefs and he's been the anchor to a much-improved Silver and Black defensive line.
What were they thinking?
Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz had a lot of explaining to do in the wake of his team's overtime loss to the New York Jets. I still don't understand why he wouldn't ask his punter, Nick Harris, to take over for injured kicker Jason Hanson. Instead, Schwartz asked defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to attempt the extra point after a touchdown in the third quarter. Suh hit the upright and that missed extra point allowed the Jets to tie the game and force overtime. When asked why he had Suh attempt the extra point, Schwartz said, "Ndamukong is our backup field goal kicker. He's done it in practice. We have a lot of confidence that he could kick it. It put him in a difficult situation because he went out without any warm-ups." It might be time to have punter Nick Harris take some reps in practice in case of a future emergency.
The race for No. 1
Roger Goodell might as well start preparing his speech for April 2011 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City: "Welcome to the 2011 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys are now on the clock." After Sunday night's embarrassment in Green Bay, the Cowboys have now lost five straight. In their last three games, the Cowboys defence has allowed 121 points. To put that into perspective, the Chicago Bears have allowed 133 points in eight games. While the Bills are a winless team, at least they are showing some fight. Unless Jason Garrett can perform miracles, the Cowboys have a good shot at the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft the way they've been playing the last month.
The Ronnie Lott Award
For a guy who has been fined $100,000 by the NFL for illegal hits this season, James Harrison is more than capable of delivering a punishing but clean hit. With the game on the line and the Bengals driving for the go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter of the Monday night game, Harrison came across and hit receiver Jordan Shipley. It was a textbook hard but clean tackle that dislodged the ball and ended the Bengals' hope of a comeback victory.
The Unsung Hero Award
It has to be San Diego Chargers receiver Seyi Ajirotutu. Playing in only his third career game, Ajirotutu caught four passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns in the Chargers' win over the Houston Texans. An undrafted free agent out of Fresno State, Ajirotutu's unexpected two-touchdown effort was enough to earn one of the game balls handed out in the victorious Chargers' locker room.
Injury of the week
The most frightening injury was suffered by Indianapolis Colts receiver Austin Collie when he was rocked by a scary, but not dirty, hit in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. However, the most significant injury was suffered by the Lions' franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford. In Detroit's loss to the Jets, Stafford re-injured his right (throwing) shoulder. Stafford underwent an MRI on Monday. According to MLive.com, there is a very good chance that Stafford is done for the year with a suspected Grade 3 separation of his throwing shoulder.
Rex Ryan watch
For all his swagger and bravado, Rex Ryan was quite humble in his praise of the Lions after his Jets barely won 23-20 in overtime. "This is a tough football team. Quite honestly, we prefer a first-round knockout and that didn't happen. We got knocked down a few times today, we were bloodied and all of that, but we won it in the championship rounds. That speaks volumes of your football team." If Ryan and the Jets thought playing the Lions was like a boxing match, then this week's game against Peyton Hillis and the Browns will seem like stepping into the Octagon in the UFC.
The funniest moment
Walking down to the locker rooms after the Bills and Bears game at Rogers Centre, I passed a handful of disgruntled Bills fans (are there any other kind?). In a classic Buffalo accent, they summed up the loss while shrugging their shoulders, "Oh well, at least we will be able to draft a good quarterback." Sometimes being a fan of your favourite football team requires a good sense of humour.
The Hot Cheerleader Award
Philadelphia might be one of the toughest sports towns in North American, but they do have some fine cheerleaders.
What to watch for next week
The first game to keep an eye on in Week 10 will take place at Ralph Wilson Stadium as the Bills host the Lions. Will this be the game the Bills finally get their first win of the season? It will be interesting to see if Peyton Hillis can repeat his amazing performance when the Browns host the Jets. Randy Moss makes his Titans debut at Tennessee takes on the Dolphins in Miami. And of course, a battle with two of the better teams in the AFC when the Patriots take on the Steelers at Heinz Field.
Just an FYI, Remembrance Day is Thursday, please wear a poppy.
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