Key takeaways and analysis from Week 9 in the NFL

Sunday Rundown recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.

Rookie of the Year Decade

C.J. Stroud is making the draft process look like a joke.

Widely considered to be the consensus No. 2 behind Bryce Young, the Ohio State product seemingly didn't generate much consideration for the top spot in this year's first round. In fact, as rumor season picked up and Stroud scored low on a supposedly important cognition test, there was even talk that he could drop further.

The Texans evidently didn't share that view and were content to take their quarterback of the future second overall before trading up to No. 3 for Will Anderson. How's that for a franchise-altering decision?

Stroud hasn't just been the best rookie quarterback this season. That race, with Young struggling in Carolina, isn't remotely close. After a historic performance in Sunday's win over the Buccaneers, it's time to consider whether there's ever been a better first-year signal-caller.

The 22-year-old has looked like a pro from the jump. He opened his debut season by going 192 passes without an interception, shattering Dak Prescott's record of 176. His first interception came in a Week 6 win over the Saints, and he hasn't had another since.

Stroud was on another level this week, completing a career-high 71.4% of his passes for a rookie-record 470 yards and five touchdowns. The final score was the capper on a six-play, 75-yard drive in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter, with a 15-yard strike to Tank Dell sealing the win and pushing Houston to 4-4.

It was hard to take issue with much of anything in Stroud's tape at Ohio State. He demonstrated all the arm talent, touch, and poise you could possibly want from a top quarterback, and an unbelievable CFP semifinal game against Georgia showed he could create outside of structure, too. But there were concerns about him doing that consistently in the NFL, and there are always overblown questions about whether Ohio State quarterbacks have it too easy.

It seems like we have our answer. Stroud was the best quarterback in this draft, he's the best rookie quarterback since at least Dak Prescott, and he's well on his way to being one of the best in a league filled with superstars.

Stroud and the Texans are building something special.

Ravens dominate on defense

Seahawks-Ravens was supposed to be one of the best games of a day filled with blockbuster matchups. Then again, we were expecting the same thing from Baltimore's Week 7 contest against Detroit. Are you sensing a trend here?

The Ravens beating the brakes off the Seahawks is the latest of many signs that this team isn't just good - it may be the NFL's very best.

You know the story about the offense by now: An all-time dual-threat quarterback finally getting some help at the skill positions, and getting the chance to run a modern offense, makes this group a nightmare to defend. Lamar Jackson is once again playing like an MVP, and that alone would likely be enough to carry Baltimore deep into January. Yet the defense has somehow been even better.

The Ravens had the Seahawks under siege throughout Sunday's blowout victory. Seattle's run game managed just 28 yards on 15 carries, and Geno Smith completed just 13 of 28 passes for 157 yards. The 46.4% completion rate is by far his lowest since breaking out as Seattle's starter last year.

Holding the Seahawks' explosive offense to just three points and 151 total yards was this group's most dominant performance yet. Baltimore is now allowing a touchdown on only 8.7% of opponents' drives, which is the NFL's best mark since the historic 2000 Ravens, according to Ben Solak of The Ringer.

We've said it here before, but it's worth repeating: Ravens defensive coordinator Mike McDonald should be flying to the top of prospective head coaching candidate lists. At this point, it seems possible that a team looking to hire McDonald could be sitting around until after the Super Bowl to do so. He'll be worth the wait.

Dobbs does it again

Joshua Dobbs is incredible.

Football fans everywhere have been conditioned to believe that quarterbacks need weeks if not months of practice and study before being able to run an NFL offense. That may well be true for most players, but we aren't talking about most players here. Dobbs once again proved to be the league's ultimate short-notice fill-in this week, leading the Vikings to a dramatic win over the Falcons.

Acquired from the Cardinals ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline, the veteran signal-caller was supposed to serve as the backup to Jaren Hall. But those plans went out the window when the fifth-round rookie suffered a concussion in the first quarter. It was the Dobbs show from that point forward, and he did not disappoint.

Dobbs going 20 of 30 for 158 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions doesn't even begin to tell the story of his Vikings debut. He also made one big play after another in scramble mode, including a 22-yard run on fourth down late in a game-winning 75-yard touchdown drive.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said postgame that he was essentially translating play calls and mapping things out for Dobbs on the fly. As it turns out, he didn't even get a practice rep during a week dedicated to preparing Hall for his first NFL start.

Dobbs' consistent ability to lead an offense that he knows next to nothing about, alongside players he had met only days prior, is unlike anything we've ever seen in this league. And we're well past the point of being able to pass it off as a fluke. He did it with late last year with the Titans, he did it again at the beginning of this season with the Cardinals, and now for the Vikings.

Minnesota sits 5-4 and is very much alive in the NFC playoff race. Unlikely as a postseason run may seem without Kirk Cousins, are we really going to bet against Dobbs at this point?

McDaniels really was that bad

The Raiders had themselves a wild week.

A pathetic Monday night performance in Detroit dropped Las Vegas to 3-5, and Mark Davis made the shocking decision to clean house 24 hours later. One would assume that such chaos just five days out from the next game would only lead to negative on-field results. But this, evidently, was no normal situation.

Reports out of the Raiders facility this week told the story of a group energized by the decision to part with head coach Josh McDaniels. Players had a mini basketball hoop brought into the locker room, offensive linemen were holding wrestling matches, and the team was seen dancing on the field before Friday's practice.

"It was time, one way or the other, for some sort of change," star receiver Davante Adams said Thursday.

That point was driven home during Sunday's pregame news cycle when Fox Sports' Jay Glazer detailed a recent meeting in which players "unloaded" on McDaniels.

Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that the Raiders looked like a completely different team in their first game under interim head coach Antonio Pierce. The offense finally found a rhythm under first-time play-caller Bo Hardegree and fourth-round rookie Aidan O'Connell, reaching the 30-point mark for the first time all season. The six points allowed on defense, meanwhile, is the team's lowest since November 2020.

Nobody should be getting carried away over what this means for the rest of the Raiders' season. This remains a flawed team that doesn't have the pieces to hang around in a supremely competitive AFC - blowing out the Giants does little to change that. But the renewed energy and apparent sense of relief that came with firing McDaniels midway through his second season speaks volumes.

Attempting to recreate the Patriot Way was once again a spectacular failure. Who could've guessed?

Quick slants

Bengals keep getting better

Another game, another opportunity for the Bengals hype train to pick up steam. Last week's win over the 49ers marked the official return of Joe Burrow and a high-powered offense. Burrow and Co. built on that momentum in Sunday night's victory over the Bills, but that unit's resurgence shouldn't allow us to overlook the steady dominance from Lou Anarumo's defense. The Bengals are right there with the Ravens among the NFL's most well-balanced contenders. They go head-to-head a week from Thursday, and it'd be no surprise to see a third matchup between the two AFC North juggernauts in January.

Chiefs doing it differently

What if the NFL's premier quarterback got the chance to team up with an elite defense? Don't look now, but the Chiefs have something cooking on that front. The impact of a Patrick Mahomes-led offense not quite living up to its ridiculous standards has been softened by some major improvements on the other side of the ball. Kansas City's defense entered this week ranked second in scoring and fourth in yards allowed. The follow-up act: holding the high-powered Dolphins to a season-low 14 points and Tua Tagovailoa to a season-low 193 passing yards. Steve Spagnuolo leading a group stacked with talent after recent draft investments is yielding the best possible results.

Bryce is overwhelmed

Things aren't going well for the No. 1 pick. While there have been flashes of brilliance, and many of which can be taken as a sign of things to come, the Panthers have to be concerned about the early struggles. Young had the worst game of his young career Sunday against the Colts' 28th-ranked defense, throwing for just 173 yards and three interceptions, with two going back for touchdowns. Young doesn't have any help on offense, and the system in place isn't doing him any favors. Both of those factors need to be addressed as soon as possible.

Arthur Smith, wyd?

Preseason hype for the Falcons, and the offense in particular, appears to have been severely misplaced. While there are undoubtedly issues with the roster, including at the most important position on the field, the focus should be squarely on Arthur Smith. The Falcons head coach isn't doing enough to get the ball in the hands of his best playmakers. After starting the season looking like one of the league's top running backs, Bijan Robinson has been limited to 24 touches in the past two games - both tight losses. Meanwhile, Kyle Pitts has 10 targets over that stretch despite Drake London's absence this week. What are we doing here?

Unexpected playmaker

Geno Stone is going to get paid. The secret superstar of the Ravens' loaded secondary, Stone recorded an interception for the fourth straight game in Sunday's win over the Seahawks. That gives him a league-high six picks on the season. And it's not just turnover luck, either. Stone, who had started just eight career games heading into 2023, entered this week ranked as PFF's No. 2 safety in coverage. Headed for free agency at season's end, the 2020 seventh-round pick couldn't have timed his breakout any better.

Come on, refs

I really try to avoid officiating-related rants in this space, but humor me for a second here - this one is such an easy fix. The Bills were knocked out of field-goal range at the end of the first half Sunday night when a clear miscommunication between Josh Allen and his receiver resulted in an intentional grounding penalty. Technically speaking, the rules were enforced correctly. Allen was in the pocket, and there was no receiver in the area. But it wasn't intentional. Allen thought his receiver would continue downfield, so he let the pass go. It really shouldn't be difficult for officials to get together and get these things right, especially when the fans already have to suffer through some truly unwatchable roughing the passer calls.

Stat of the week

MNF lookahead

Chargers vs. Jets

Don't let the records fool you here. The 3-4 Chargers should hold a major advantage over the 4-3 Jets in this one, even on the road. Then again, this is the Chargers we're talking about. We can only choose to believe in this team so many times before we learn our lesson. All that said, the offense showing its true potential against a stout Jets defense in prime time would be a heck of a statement. On the other side of the field, New York has an opportunity to get to 5-3 with a matchup against the Raiders on deck. Knocking off the Chargers on Monday night would be another important step in keeping the door open for Aaron Rodgers to return for a playoff run.