Standouts from NFL Week 9
The NFL has made it through nine weeks of the 2022 regular season. This week brought several outstanding performances. Here are the ones that I found most impressive.
Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears
I've been critical of Fields so far in his pro career, but he has been improving each week. This week, he especially deserves some praise as he broke Michael Vick's single-game rushing record for quarterbacks with 178 yards on the ground.
Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins
Tua has taken some huge steps this season. Sunday was his third game of the season with at least 300 passing yards and at least three touchdown passes, and he did it against a solid Chicago defense. His play has been great for the Dolphins this season, and he was a big part of their latest win.
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
Yeah. At this point, it does seem like cheating to have Mahomes on this list. However, he did throw for over 440 yards against Tennessee and was the catalyst behind the Chiefs' comeback win.
Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Waker may be surpassing Breece Hall for Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Michigan State product became Seattle's starting running back in Week Six and already has seven rushing touchdowns on the season. On Sunday, he once again ran for over 100 yards and two scores.
Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans
Pierce is another impressive rookie who is making the most of the opportunities given to him in an offense desperate for star power. The former Florida star has two 100-yard games in his young career-- including a career-high 139 against a vaunted Philadelphia defense last Thursday.
Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Mixon finally showed up. Entering this game, he had a little over 400 rushing yards with just two touchdowns in eight games--seemingly rendering the Bengals' offense one-dimensional. With the offensive line struggles that became increasingly evident against Cleveland, both Mixon and his team needed this kind of performance (153 rushing yards, 5 total touchdowns). Now, he just needs to show up against better teams.
Kerby Joseph, S, Detroit Lions
The rookie third-round pick's performance against Green Bay earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week Nine. After Detroit fired its secondary coach early in the week, the defense responded by holding Green Bay to just nine points. Joseph was a hug part of that with two interceptions and a beautiful pass breakup on an Aaron Rodgers deep ball. The rookie gets more impressive each week and may soon become a star.
Patriots Pass Rush
Matt Judon leads the NFL with 11.5 sacks, yet he was;t the only one making life difficult for Colts QB Sam Ehlinger on Sunday. The Indianapolis offensive line has had some uncharacteristic struggles this season, and New England is the latest team to use that to its advantage. The Pats' pass rush got home nine times on Sunday, effectively masking deficiencies for its own offense.