This the good, the bad, and the ugly of Week 9 in the NFL.
The Good
OMG, can we talk about the Oakland Raiders? I feel like we’ve been watching the Raiders build their team over the years, and this is what its been building up to. The Raiders defeated the Broncos, 30-20, Sunday night and took the top spot in the AFC West with a 7-2 record. With the help of  a strong offensive line, Raiders running back Latavius Murray rushed for 114 yards and three touchdowns as the team defeated the defending Super Bowl champions. Quarterback Derek Carr threw for 184 yards and  didn’t turn the ball over. On the other side of the ball, the Raiders defense held the Broncos to just 33 rushing yards. Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack had two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the game, while safety Reggie Nelson contributed an interception. To top things off, Raiders punter Marquette King broke out some pretty swaggy dance moves.This was easily one of the most exciting NFL games to watch this season.
Bonus: Shout out to the NFC East. With all four teams at or above .500 coming out of Week 9, this division could produce multiple playoff teams.
The Bad
While the rivalry between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers is one of the best in the NFL, Sunday’s game in Baltimore was less than thrilling. That was, until the fourth quarter when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger ran for a four-yard touchdown with 48 second left to make the score 14-21. The Steelers’ fate lied in kicker Chris Boswell to nail the onside kick. I can’t even begin to figure out what Boswell, the second season kicker, was going for but he barely got the ball off the tee. It looked like he tried to fake out the Ravens and switch his feet, but that just resulted in what’s being called “the worst onside kick ever.” To add insult to injury, Boswell tried to kick the ball again which just confused everyone. You know it’s bad when the refs are laughing at you.
The Ugly
Kansas City Chiefs tight end (and new reality star) Travis Kelce put on a show during Sunday’s game against the Jaguars. Kelce was ejected halfway through the fourth quarter after he was pulled down in the end zone. He thought Jacksonville CB Prince Amukamara should’ve been called for pass interference, so, out of frustration, he started yelling at the referee that was closest. After a couple hand gestures and yelling some choice (but unknown) words, a second referee threw a flag at Kelce for unsportsmanlike conduct. The 27-year-old wasn’t too happy about that either so he threw his towel at the ref. Kelce was immediately ejected from the game, but he took his time leaving the field. When asked by ESPN what he learned from the situation, Kelce said “I can’t throw my flag on the ref but he can throw his all day long.”
