O'Malley's Tallies: Week 9 -- Best of the Best

While there were a number of games on the Week 9 Schedule this week, all the talk has generally been about the colossal matchup between the undefeated Colts and Patriots. Dubbed as "Super Bowl 41 1/2", this battle between two arch rivals on Sunday lived up to the excitement as 29 million Americans tuned in to watch the best the NFL has to offer. For the first time in franchise history, the Colts blew a double digit 4th quarter lead at home and the Patriots went on to win and improve to 9-0. After Sunday's win, I think it may be officially time for Nick Buoniconti and company to start to panic in South Florida. Here are the rest of Week 9's highs and low in this edition of "O.T's"...

STUDS

1. Adrian Peterson – As I said a few weeks back, the Rookie of the Year Competition is officially over. Despite going up against a defense that absolutely demolished the Texans last week, A Pete absolutely WENT OFF on Sunday at home vs. the Chargers. In total, Peterson carried the ball 30 times for 296 yards, caught 1 pass for 19 yards, and scored three touchdowns to help lead his Vikes to an impressive 35-17 victory.

2. Joseph Addai – For the second week in a row, the former Bayou Bengal had another dominant performance. With all the hype in “Super Bowl 41 ½” clearly aimed at Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Randy Moss, Mr. Addai was arguably the most valuable player in the entire game despite the Colts losing. All in all, Addai rushed 26 times for 112 yards while also catching 5 balls for 114 yards and a TD. After watching him on Sunday, there is no reason to expect top 5 numbers from here on out.

3. David Harris – While the Jets may have blown a double digit lead at home Sunday vs. the Redskins, one major bright spot throughout the game was the play of rookie Linebacker David Harris. Taking over for former Pro Bowler Jonathan Vilma (out for season with knee injury) for the second straight week, Harris had a whopping 24 tackles this week and seemed to be around the ball on almost all defensive plays. For those of you in IDP leagues, David Harris definitely is a must play going forward.

4. Terrell Owens – Since his ugly departure from the team a few years back, a trip to Philadelphia to play the Eagles is almost always a huge story when it comes to Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens. Playing in the national spotlight Sunday night, Owens made sure he did his best to rile up his former fans by coming up with a huge performance in the “City of Brotherly Love”. His 10 catches, 174 yards and a touchdown played a pivotal role in the 38-17 Dallas rout and led T.O. to shower Eagle fans repeatedly with the phrase “I LOVE IT!”

5. Detroit Lions – When the Lions beat ANYONE (even a High School team!!) by the score of 44-7, it should be noted. For a franchise that has suffered through a ton of losing throughout the years, they are quietly on their way to a playoff birth with a 6-2 record. Perhaps John Kitna’s bold prediction of a 10-6 record doesn’t seem so outlandish anymore..

6. Clinton Portis – After struggling for the majority of the year to regain some of that explosiveness for which he is known by, Portis finally had the game Redskin fans have been waiting for. Going against a Jets front four that has left a lot to be desired this year, Portis ran for 196 yards and a touchdown on 36 carries (including 37 yards in overtime) to help the Skins escape the Meadowlands with a 23-20 victory.

DUDS

1. Josh McCown – 13-28, 158 yards with 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. CALLING LANE KIFFIN!! TIME TO PLAY JAMARCUS RUSSELL!!

2. Rudi Johnson/Kenny Watson – What has happened to the Cincinnati Bengals? Once a preseason favorite to make the postseason, the “Bungals” have now lost 6 out of their last 7 including Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills. Going against a Bills defense that has been extremely poor against the run this year, Cincy couldn’t get anything going on the ground with their two headed monster of Rudi Johnson and Kenny Watson. Combined, the tandom totaled 22 yards on 13 carries in the 33-21 loss, dropping the team to 2-6 and all but assuring another season without a postseason birth.

3. Alex Smith – Since being drafted first overall out of Utah a few years back, one of Alex Smith’s biggest attributes was his precision accuracy and ability to avoid the big mistake. Throughout Sunday at Atlanta, he was anything but accurate. Completing only 44.7% of his passes, Smith threw for only 149 yards and three interceptions in the 49ers loss to the lowly Atlanta Falcons.

4. Kurt Warner – When you complete only 33% of your passes, chances are there is going to be a big “L” in the win/loss column on Sunday. This was indeed the case for Kurt Warner and the Cardinals, as his 10-30/2 interception day equated to a 17-10 loss at Tampa Bay.

Until next week, thank you for reading!

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