Final NFL Week 9 Observations ... With Miami Dolphins Angles

The Miami Dolphins victory at Arizona was just one of the Week 9 games that featured thrilling finishes

The Miami Dolphins' nail-biter against the Arizona Cardinals was part of a wild Week 9 in the NFL that concluded with another close game, the one between the Patriots and Jets at MetLife Stadium.

The Patriots' last-second victory, after they twice came back from 10-point deficits, moved their record to 3-5 on the season and maybe kept them alive in the playoff chase.

It also kept the Jets in control of the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, which of course will mean Trevor Lawrence unless he chooses to play hardball and go back or threaten to go back to Clemson.

Those two realities made it an interesting night in terms of rooting interest.

On the one hand, especially when it comes to Dolphins fans, wouldn't it be nice to not have to worry about the Patriots being involved in the playoff chase. Sure, they still don't look like a playoff team even after the win Monday night, but will anybody really be ready to count them until they're officially eliminated?

From an overall NFL standpoint, wouldn't it be refreshing to have playoffs that don't include them, something that hasn't happened since 2008 when they still went 11-5 but ended up on the outside looking in?

Then there's the Jets and a wish we've seen on social media from Dolphins fans about wanting to keep Lawrence out of the AFC East.

The argument, though, could be made that the AFC East always is more fun when everybody is competitive and it would be fun for Dolphins fans to be able to watch Lawrence twice a year.

Let's put it this way, if the Dolphins get where they appear to be going and Tua becomes a star at quarterback, wouldn't it be more fun to watch them compete against very good AFC East opponents?

-- The Dolphins' upcoming opponent will come to Hard Rock Stadium having deal with more heartbreaking losses than any team should have to endure. Really, the Chargers have made losing heartbreakers into an art form. Against the Raiders on Sunday, it was two failed fade passes into the end zone, the second one called a touchdown before it was overturned after review. Against Denver a week ago, it was the Chargers allowing a touchdown pass on the last play after a defensive pass interference penalty kept the Broncos' chances alive. Against New Orleans in an earlier Monday night, it was wide receiver Mike Williams tackled just short of the first down on a fourth-down completion after New Orleans had kicked a field goal on the opening drive of overtime — after Chargers kicker Michael Badgley had missed a game-winning field goal attempt. And against Carolina, the Chargers appeared on the verge of pulling off a miraculous finish with a hook-and-later, but Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler couldn't complete the lateral. So the Chargers will come to Miami with a 2-6 record when they easily could be 6-2.

-- The previous note should serve as a reminder to not get carried away with quarterback starting records as a gauge. Yes, Justin Herbert is 1-6 as a starter, but anybody who has watched him play knows he's the real deal.

-- The Pittsburgh Steelers remain undefeated, and with a chance to match the 1972 Dolphins' feat, but their didn't secure their victory against the big underdog Cowboys until the final play of the game when former Dolphins 2018 first-round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick broke up a pass in the end zone. For anyone wondering how it was that Pittsburgh almost lost to a bad Dallas team with its fourth starting quarterback of the season, look no further than the letdown factor. Pittsburgh was coming off victories in showdowns against Tennessee and Baltimore the previous two weeks. 

-- Unfortunate news for former Dolphins defensive end Taco Charlton, who sustained a fractured ankle in the Kansas City Chiefs' 33-31 victory against the Carolina Panthers. Charlton confirmed the news himself on Twitter.

Tore my LCL = Finished the game and only missed 1 Week.
Fracture my ankle = Walk off on it to see if I could come back and play. I really wanted this but God had a different plan. Be back soon! 🤞🏿 Taco Truck getting repaired. #UNLD

— Taco Charlton (@TheSupremeTaco) November 9, 2020

-- We close with the other team in the AFC East, the one leading the division. The Buffalo Bills made a big statement with their convincing victory against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, looking like the team that was so impressive in the early weeks of the season before they began struggling. Most importantly for the Bills, Josh Allen broke out a mini-slump when tied his season high with 415 passing yards (he first did it against the Dolphins in Week 2). Allen had a passer rating of 138.5, his first time topping 100 since Week 4 when he did it for the fourth time in four games. The Bills face another tough challenge in Week 10 with a game at Arizona.