NFL Week 9 patience scale: Trust wearing thin with Cowboys, Falcons; cut Ravens some slack

There’s a real desire to want to fall in love with the promise of the Falcons. They possess so much talent on offense -- even though quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and wide receiver Drake London were sidelined by injuries in Sunday’s 34-10 loss to Miami -- and their defense has improved dramatically. But that loss to the Dolphins was mystifying on so many levels. Miami had one win coming into the contest and literally dominated the action. The Falcons didn’t score until five minutes remained in the game, and they let Tua Tagovailoa throw four touchdown passes after he threw six interceptions in his previous two games. This all begs the question of who the Falcons are. They were anemic offensively in the first three weeks. They looked like a playoff contender in beating up on the Buffalo Bills in Week 6. And now the Falcons have lost two straight winnable games, including a 20-10 defeat to the 49ers a week ago. A loss without your starting quarterback is one thing. A loss to a lousy team with a backup quarterback who was the starter at this point last year (Kirk Cousins) doesn’t’ make much sense. The NFC has too many viable contenders for the Falcons to not be worried about their current 3-4 record. If they can’t find some consistency and more points, this team will be watching the playoffs once again.

J.J. McCarthy had better be something special when he returns to the Vikings' lineup. The high ankle sprain that has sidelined him since Week 2 has been the biggest factor in this team’s current 3-4 record. Reports indicate that McCarthy will be back on the field this coming week against Detroit, but that can’t be that encouraging. The Lions have been one of the best teams in football all season, and the Vikings can ill afford to lose any more ground in the NFC North. One problem with Minnesota is that the defense isn’t as good as it was a year ago. It doesn’t have the ability to cover for an offense that has been middling at best with Carson Wentz under center. The other concern the Vikings must be mulling is how best to keep McCarthy on the field. He didn’t even make it to the regular season as a rookie after sustaining a torn meniscus in preseason. He had some positive moments when he was playing earlier this year but his statistics -- two touchdown passes and three interceptions -- suggest that more severe growing pains are coming. Unlike Atlanta, Minnesota also must be worried about every team in its division. The Bears have won four of their last five games, while the Lions and Packers are safe bets for double-digit victories. It would be great to see McCarthy step in and give Minnesota a huge boost for that reason. The Vikings landed in a decent hole without him, and it’s time to start digging out of it.

Last week was the time to talk about how entertaining the Cowboys can be. This is the week when it’s time to talk about how maddening this squad can be when matched against top teams. There was nothing fun about watching Dallas in a 44-24 loss to Denver. The Broncos proved why there was so much hype around them coming into this season. They looked as complete as any team all season. The Cowboys, on the other hand, still don’t have a win against a team that is currently above .500, and it’s difficult to know when that will happen. That prolific offense didn’t have the same success against a Broncos defense that once again ranks among the league’s best. That feeble defense did what it’s done too often this year, which is surrender explosive plays and fail to get critical stops. This was a game when the Cowboys -- now 3-4-1 -- could’ve made a huge statement about their ability to contend for a playoff spot despite obvious flaws. Instead, it turned into an indictment about where this season will end for them. Oh, they’re going to score a lot of points with all that talent on offense. They’re also going to take a lot of losses when the competition is more legit.

It’s time to give up on the Giants. For all the energy that has been created by the emergence of quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Skattebo, this team is now 2-6 after Sunday’s 38-20 loss in Philadelphia. Skattebo exited with a dislocated ankle in that defeat and had surgery that night. The Giants also lost star wide receiver Malik Nabers to a torn ACL in Week 4. This team doesn’t have enough talent to take seismic hits like that and not stumble. The upside is that you can see a bright future for this group when all three of these players are healthy and together again. After all, the Giants beat the Chargers and the Eagles after starting the year with three straight losses (when Russell Wilson was starting at quarterback). But as good as Dart has been, it doesn’t feel like he is in a place where he can carry a team without some supporting cast members to carry part of the load. That’s why the Skattebo injury is so devastating. The Giants also have five straight games coming up against teams with winning records (San Francisco, Chicago, Green Bay, Detroit and New England). New York simply isn’t surviving that stretch. 

The best reason to give the Texans time is recency bias. They have won the last two AFC South titles. Their head coach, DeMeco Ryans, is smart and resourceful and immediately turned this team into a contender upon his arrival in 2023. That defense also is still flush with talent and nasty intentions, which is something the Texans could count on last year when quarterback C.J. Stroud was dealing with a second-year slump. The Houston offense remains a work in progress, but Sunday’s win over San Francisco was impressive. Stroud passed for 318 yards and two touchdowns and took full advantage of the kind of consistent pass protection that hasn’t been so present over the last couple years. If the Texans can see more of that production in the second half of the season, they will be in contention for a playoff spot. Let’s also remember that this team started 0-3 because it was playing good teams. It lost to the Rams by five, the Buccaneers by one and the Jaguars by seven. In fact, Houston’s four losses have come by a combined 21 points. That tells you things can change in a hurry for this team. Yes, the AFC South is much better than advertised, with the Colts boasting the league’s best record and Jacksonville ranking among the most improved. That said, the Texans are the reigning champs of this division for a reason. They still have enough talent and time to remind people as to why that is.

There are signs of life in Baltimore after all. The Ravens’ 30-16 win over Chicago was the kind of victory Baltimore sorely needed to think there’s a chance to turn around a season that started so dreadfully. The Ravens are now sitting at 2-5, which sounds ugly until you think about what 1-6 would look like for this team. Baltimore needed to start making its own luck and that’s what Sunday did for them. The important thing to remember here is that quarterback Lamar Jackson still isn’t back on the field. The Ravens won this game with Tyler Huntley under center and by leaning on some familiar assets, namely running back Derrick Henry and a healthier defense. The Bears had been hot lately, as they had won four straight games. The Ravens let them know early that this was going to be a fight, and that sense of urgency will be vital to whatever Baltimore does the rest of the season. We all knew this team would look different once it got healthier (along with Jackson’s hamstring strain, an assortment of injuries has weakened the defense). The real question about the Ravens always has revolved around time. How many losses could they take on before they were finished? They’ve avoided the worst-case scenario, and now there's hope Jackson will be starting this Thursday night against Miami. After that, the Ravens have four more games against teams that have losing records and five more contests against AFC North clubs. It would be overstating to say Baltimore is in control of its own destiny. It also would be wrong to underestimate what that win over Chicago meant to the Ravens’ dreams of resuscitating their season.

This is one of the more intriguing situations in the league. The 49ers have been as beaten up as anybody, as All-Pro defenders Nick Bosa and Fred Warner have sustained season-ending injuries, and some key offensive stars (quarterback Brock Purdy, tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk) have dealt with their own health problems. Those issues would’ve capsized most teams by now. Instead, the 49ers have a 5-3 record after Sunday's loss at Houston and the hope that Purdy, who’s only played in two games because of a toe injury, will return at some point. It says plenty about San Francisco’s culture that this team has stayed on the right side of average during this adversity. But there’s also the reality that San Francisco can’t keep contending for a playoff spot without adding more talent to the roster. A skeptic would say Sunday’s loss should’ve been ample proof of what could happen to the 49ers the longer they go with a diminished depth chart. The Texans throttled them to the point that San Francisco only gained 223 yards and controlled the ball for less than 19 minutes. An optimist would take a different view. This team is 3-0 in the NFC West and capable of winning more games with more veterans returning to the field. We’ll take the bright side here, by the way. The 49ers have gotten a lot done with Mac Jones at quarterback and a number of other backups stepping in. They aren’t winning the Super Bowl with their issues, but it’s worth believing they can remain in playoff contention.

It was a long day for the Panthers on Sunday. They took a 40-9 loss to Buffalo, and it didn’t even feel like the game was that close. In years past, this would’ve been the kind of game that started the discussion about how long the current head coach would keep his job. Today it’s a reminder of how different the expectations have become around that franchise. The Panthers came into Sunday with a 4-3 record, and a lot of hope that head coach Dave Canales was leading this team in the right direction. The defense has gone from being the worst in the league last season to being one of the most improved. A dangerous tandem has emerged at running back with Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard. Quarterback Bryce Young has played better. All that stuff still matters, even with a humiliating loss to Buffalo. As much as the Bills dominated -- they rushed for 245 yards – that says more about how great Buffalo can be when it is on. Young didn’t play in the game because he was nursing an ankle injury and backup Andy Dalton turned the ball over three times. It’s fair to think Buffalo wins that game even with Young healthy, but it also might be more competitive. Give the Panthers some time. If you can run the ball and play defense, you can be a viable threat in this league.

There’s been so much hype around the success of quarterback Daniel Jones with the Colts that it’s been easy to take Taylor for granted. The league’s leading rusher was at it again on Sunday, as he ran for 153 yards and two touchdowns, including an 80-yarder. Taylor now has four 100-yard games this season to go along with a league-high 12 rushing touchdowns. Given that he’s on pace for 1,806 yards and 25 touchdowns on the ground, it’s time to make Taylor the front-runner for Offensive Player of the Year. 

The Buccaneers literally could’ve beaten the Saints off what Nelson did all by himself. He produced the game’s first touchdown in Sunday's 23-3 victory -- by returning a Spencer Rattler interception 3 yards for the score – and didn’t stop there. Nelson added a forced fumble and two sacks to his effort and became the latest example of how resilient the Bucs have been in an injury-plagued season. Nelson was only playing because starter Haason Reddick was hurt. The backup made a strong case for more time based on what he showed.

The Packers tight end is quietly emerging into a star this season. He leads Green Bay in receptions and yards and is coming off huge effort in a Sunday night win over Pittsburgh. Kraft finished that contest with seven receptions, 143 yards and two touchdowns while proving how dangerous he can be after the catch. There’s been a lot of talk about Green Bay’s need to find No. 1 receiver over the last couple years. Maybe it’s time to think that Kraft has taken hold of that job.

This was coming sooner or later. Gabriel has started four games for Cleveland, and the Browns have lost three of them, including Sunday’s 32-13 loss to New England. He had his worst effort in that contest, with 156 passing yards to go along with two touchdowns and two interceptions. You’d like to see Gabriel have as much opportunity as possible to show what he can do, but there’s another rookie in the Browns locker room who’s known for attracting attention. This may not be the time for Cleveland to see what Shedeur Sanders can do -- he’s dealing with a back injury -- but that time might be coming soon if Gabriel can’t play better.

There’s no way to explain what happened to Cincinnati on Sunday. This team had a 31-16 lead after three quarters against a Jets team that hadn’t won a game and was relying on a quarterback who had been benched a week earlier in Justin Fields. The Bengals wound up allowing 502 total yards in that 39-38 loss, with 254 of those yards coming on the ground. It felt like Cincinnati was creating some momentum with the arrival of quarterback Joe Flacco three weeks ago. Now it’s clear that defense is as problematic as it was last year. Seriously, the Jets hadn’t scored an offensive touchdown in two weeks.

The 49ers running back had a quiet day in a loss to Houston. He finished with 25 yards on eight carries, and it’s becoming apparent he’s not the dominant threat as a ball-carrier that he used to be. McCaffery is averaging a career-low 3.5 yards per carry and he’s only surpassed 100 rushing yards once. He remains a problem as a pass catcher -- he already has 56 catches for 559 yards -- but San Francisco’s offense could use more from him in all facets these days.

This matchup always has huge playoff implications, as these teams met in last year’s AFC Championship Game and have seen one another four times in the last five postseasons. The Chiefs have won all those contests, but it’s been a different story in the regular season. Buffalo is riding a four-game winning streak in contests played before January. There also are more subplots this time around. The Bills suddenly have real competition in the AFC East with the ascending New England Patriots. The Chiefs are facing a similar battle in the AFC West, where they currently sit in third place behind the Broncos and Chargers. In other words, this game will create the same sense of urgency as it always has.

• DraftKings odds: +2200
• Weeks in top five: 6
• Next game: at Steelers | Sunday, Nov. 2

• DraftKings odds: +1100
• Weeks in top five: 4
• Next game: vs. Patriots | Sunday, Nov. 9

• DraftKings odds: +140
• Weeks in top five: 4
• Next game: at Bills | Sunday, Nov. 2

• DraftKings odds: +5000
• Weeks in top five: 4
• Next game: at Commanders | Sunday, Nov. 2

• DraftKings odds: +475
• Weeks in top five: 1
• Next game: vs. Falcons | Sunday, Nov. 2