C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans throws a pass in the first half of a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at NRG Stadium on November 05, 2023 in Houston, Texas.
The NFL has reached its official midpoint of the regular season.
Sunday's action in Week 9 of 18 kicked off in Germany and concludes in Cincinnati, and there were some wild finishes in between.
Here's a look at the winners and losers from the 11-game slate:
Winner: Kansas City Chiefs defense
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The Kansas City Chiefs are being led by... their defense?!
The Chiefs defeated the high-powered Miami Dolphins 21-14 during their marquee AFC matchup in Frankfurt, Germany. Steve Spagnuolo's defensive unit held the NFL's top-ranked offense to a season-low 14 points, with the Dolphins getting shut out in the first half for the first time since Week 2 of the 2021 season.
With Patrick Mahomes throwing for a season-low 185 yards, the Kansas City secondary defense also helped put some points on the board. After cornerback Trent McDuffie stripped former Chief wideout Tyreek Hill, Mike Edwards picked up the loose ball and then lateraled to fellow safety Bryan Cook, who returned it for a 59-yard touchdown and 21-0 lead.
NFL
Loser: Miami Dolphins 'Super Bowl contender' conversation
The Dolphins are 6-3, BUT.....
Between their record and their offensive statistics, the Miami Dolphins might look like championship contenders. Looks can be deceiving. As impressive as the numbers might appear on paper (or a screen) the Dolphins have now gone 0-3 against winning teams this season.
The Dolphins are 6-0 against teams below .500, scoring 39.0 points per game and winning by an average margin of 18.2 points. Against the Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills, the Dolphins have combined to go 0-3, scoring 17.0 points per game and losing by an average of 16.3 points.
Winner: Cleveland Browns defense
The Cleveland Browns recorded their first shutout since 2007.
The top-ranked defense in the league was dominant in a 27-0 win over the Arizona Cardinals, allowing just 58 total yards in the win.
The Browns sacked rookie quarterback Clayton Tune seven times, three of which were recorded by defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson. Interceptions by Sione Takitaki and Denzel Ward and a fumble recovery by Myles Garrett helped give the Cleveland offense short fields to work with.
Loser: Arizona Cardinals front office for trading Josh Dobbs
While the Cardinals were getting shut out by the Browns, the quarterback they traded days ago was leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 31-28 comeback win over the Atlanta Falcons.
The Cardinals dealt Josh Dobbs to the Vikings on Tuesday following the news that Kirk Cousins suffered a torn ACL. Dobbs wasn't expected to play for Minnesota this week, but rookie quarterback Jaren Hall exited his first career start with an injury in the first quarter. Dobbs replaced him and went on to complete 20 of 30 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns and run for 66 yards and a score.
That was capped with an 11-play, 75-yard drive in which Dobbs threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Powell with 22 seconds remaining to give the Vikings a 31-28 victory.
Loser: Field goal kickers
A running back made a field goal kicker's job look easy.
After Houston Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn exited Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a quad injury in the second quarter, emergency kicking duties fell on backup running back Dare Ogunbowale.
With the score tied 30-30 with less than nine minutes remaining and Houston facing fourth-and-goal from the Tampa Bay 11-yard line, Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans elected to attempt a go-ahead 29-yard field goal. Ogunbowale came out for the first field-goal attempt of his seven-year career...and he made it.
It had been nearly 20 years since a non-kicker made a field goal in a game, with the last being wide receiver Wes Welker in 2004, according to ESPN's Field Yates.
After Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (more on him later) found Tank Dell for a 15-yard touchdown with six seconds remaining in Houston's 39-37 win, Ogunbowale sent the ensuing kick off into the end zone.
Winner: C.J. Stroud
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud broke an NFL record while completely a thrilling comeback victory.
The No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft completed 30 of 42 passes for 470 yards and five touchdowns in a 39-37 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, setting a single-game rookie record for passing yards.
His fifth touchdown pass of the day came with six seconds remaining. The Buccaneers went ahgead 37-33 after Baker Mayfield's 14-yard touchdwn pass to Cade Otton with 46 seconds remaining. Stoud then orchestrated a six-play, 75-yard drive, finding Tank Dell along the sideline for a 26-yard gain that brought the Texans into the red zone with 10 seconds left.
Stroud and Dell then connected for a 15-yard touchdown that gave the Texans the victory.
Winner: Odell Beckham Jr.
Odell Beckham Jr. received a nice birthday gift on Sunday: his first touchdown as a Raven.
The 31-year-old OBJ looked like his younger self in the Baltimore Ravens 37-3 win over the Seattle Seahawks, catching five passes for 56 yards, both of which were season highs. That included a a six-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Huntley in the fourth quarter, after which Beckham celebrated by doing the Park Heights Strut.
It was Beckham's first touchdown since Super Bowl LVI with the Los Angeles Rams.
Loser: Daniel Jones
Daniel Jones' comeback was short lived.
The New York Giants returned on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders after missing the previous three games with a neck injury. But he lasted only about a quarter before his knee buckled while we was being sacked on the final play of the first quarter. Jones remained in the game but fell to the ground untouched on the next play. Jones exited the game and did not return. He was replaced by Tommy DeVito, and the Giants went on to lose 30-6.
Winner: Kenny Moore II
Indianapolis Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II nearly outscored the Carolina Panthers on his own.
Moore intercepted Panthers quarterback Bryce Young twice and ran both back for touchdowns in the Colts' 27-13 win on Sunday. He became the first player in franchise history to have two pick-6s in the same game.
His first was a 49-yard return in the closing seconds of the first half that gave the Colts a 20-3 lead. Early in the fourth quarter, Moore returned another pick 66 yards to increase the lead to 27-10.
Loser: Dak Prescott
If Dak Prescott had smaller feet, he might have made the winner's list.
Prescott completed 29 of 44 passes for 374 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in a marquee NFC East matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. But what fans and critics will remember most from his performance was when he stepped out of bounds on a fourth-quarter two-point conversion attempt.
Prescott threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Tolbert to pull the Cowboys within 28-23 with 6:23 remaining. Prescott scrambled on the ensuing two-point attempt and was less than a yard from reaching the end zone when he stepped out of bounds while being chased towards the sideline by Brandon Graham.
That meant the Cowboys would need a touchdown on their next possession. Prescott guided Dallas to the Philadelphia 11-yard line before a false start, sack and delay of game left them a few yards shy of the end zone on the final play of the game.
The 8-1 Eagles now sit more comfortably atop the division over the 5-3 Cowboys.
