NFL Week 9 Tuesday Whip-Around: NFL Teams now on Jerry Kill plan

Two huge storylines emerged this week from the NFL, the tragic health scares for Broncos' coach Jon Fox and Texans' coach Gary Kubiak, and then the bullying saga in Miami between Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito. The latter is could win up being a critical story for the development in the culture of the NFL but the NFL's path should be clear here: eliminate hazing and bullying. I'll wait on the story for now because I'm sure multiple reports will be seen in the coming days where other teams analyze their own locker room situation, to truly determine whether Incognitio's actions were an exception or a rule. As for the other story, the healthy scares for Fox and Kubiak are both extremely startling and I wish both a swift and healthy recovery. The life of an NFL head coach involves constant stress, so while these two incidents should not be taken lightly, it is amazing that this is not an uncommon occurrence. It truly takes a special kind of person to lead a NFL team. Broncos' defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio will be in charge during Fox's absence, which will stretch into several weeks, while defensive coordinator Wade Philips should only have to be in charge for about a week in Houston. The situation these teams find themselves in is remarkably similar to the one the Minnesota Golden Gophers find themselves in now in college football, with head coach Jerry Kill off of the sideline to deal with epilepsy. The Gophers have actually won big games with Kill off of the sideline, and the reason why should be a lesson for these NFL franchises. Kill has an informed and dedicated staff that has worked with him for a while and knows how has he has constructed his team and how he wants a game to be run. Del Rio and Philips both have previous NFL head coaching experience, so we'll see if they have learned enough from their supervisors to keep the ships upright for both of these teams. Once again, get well soon gentlemen, and here's the other takeaways from Week 9 in the NFL:

Dolphins 22, Bengals 20 (OT)

1. Well, you don't see a walk-off safety in overtime every day! Cameron Wake's return really energized the Miami defense, who really don't have a star player without him.
2. This was a great game for young running backs, as Lamar Miller played up to his potential for one game with 105 rushing yards, and Giovanni Bernard had one of the craziest touchdown runs in history on his way to gaining 79 yards on just nine carries.
3. The loss of Geno Atkins for the season is a huge blow to any Cincinnati Super Bowl dreams. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer could launch himself to the top of owners' head-coach wish list this offseason if he keeps this unit near the top of the NFL.

Chiefs 23, Bills 13

1. CJ Spiller looked a lot healthier this week after taking a game off to rest, showing the explosion we though we'd see all year (116 yards on 12 carries).
2. The Chiefs defense gave up 470 net yards to the Bills and their undrafted rookie quarterback, but they still outscored the Bills' offense 14-13. Will that be the case against better competition later in the year?
3. The Chiefs may actually may need to give Jamaal Charles the ball more, which feels like a weird thing to say. He only rushed the ball 17 times versus 29 pass attempts for Alex Smith, which should not be the ratio the Chiefs live by unless they're keeping Charles on a pitch count to make sure he's fresh for the playoffs.

Carolina 34, Falcons 10

1. Another beatdown by Carolina against a weaker opponent. The big question will be if they can hang with a quality team like New England next week.
2. Matt Ryan's "cold streak" continues with three more interceptions this week, including his first pick six since 2010.
3. Well Falcons, can you admit now with six losses that your season is just about done? And now it's too late to trade Tony Gonzelez...

Jets 26, Saints 20

1. Rex Ryan was ready to outsmart Sean Payton on this day and give his team the win in the Superdome, constantly finding creative ways to apply pressure to Drew Brees.
2. The good old "ground and pound" was the key for the Jets in this win, with 198 rushing yards, led by angry ex-Saint Chris Ivory who ran for 139.
3. The play of the game: on 4th and inches halfway through the fourth quarter the Saints call a reverse that goes for negative eight yards. That one was a little too cute Sean Payton, might want to take it out of the playbook.

Titans 28, Rams 21

1. Hello Chris Johnson! CJ2K returned, rushing for 150 yards and scoring his first two rushing touchdowns of the season.
2. Zac Stacy is pretty good. 27 carries for 127 yards and two touchdowns isn't bad for a rookie 5th round pick.
3. Two back to back close losses for the Rams, as Kellen Clemens has played better than expected but not well enough to get wins.

Redskins 30, Chargers 24 (OT)

1. RGIII was a lot better than last week, but the kid still hasn't learned to avoid hits.
2. Pierre Garcon stepped it up this week after ripping his team's passing game through the media, catching seven passes for a total of 172 yards.
3. The Chargers had first and goal at the one yard line with under 30 seconds left and two timeouts and had to settle for overtime. That sequence may come back to haunt them at the end of December when they could be fighting for a playoff spot.

Eagles 49, Raiders 20

1. So Nick Foles was perfect this week. Literally perfect, with seven touchdown (which tied the NFL record) and a perfect passer rating. Michael Vick may be staying on the bench now.
2. What happened to this Raider defense? One week it was balling, the next it's being destroyed in less than three quarters.
3. The Raider ground game was at least successful on the day, but that's not really a good thing when you're playing from behind the entire game.

Seahawks 27, Buccaneers 24 (OT)

1. How does Seattle get back in this game after being dominated 21-0 deep into the second quarter? Take it all in Greg Schiano, because week in and week out you prove that you don't belong.
2. This was definitely Mike Glennon's best day as a pro so far. He was mechanically sound, made some big throws for his team and avoided any big rookie mistakes. For playing in Seattle against a great secondary, he was pretty good.
3. The Seahawks looked mortal at home for the first time in a while, and they need Percy Harvin to get back on the field quick to help them out.

Browns 24, Ravens 18

1. Rod Chudzinski has made both Jason Campbell and Brian Hoyer look like Pro Bowlers so far this season. Imagine when he gets his own quarterback.
2. Neither of these teams can run the ball. Joe Flacco was the Ravens' leading rusher and Willis McGahee got only 31 yards on 21 carries.
3. The Ravens' playoff hopes are officially on life support just a season after this team was hoisting the Lombardi. All those offseason losses have come back to haunt this team, as it can't seem to find an identity and handing Joe Flacco big money doesn't look like it was a great idea.

Patriots 55, Steelers 31

1. The Patriots offense has life again! Now can they stay healthy enough to sustain this success?
2. On the other side, this Steeler defense seems to have gone from ancient to legally dead. It will be very interesting to see whose heads roll this offseason in the Steel City after a season that went farther off the rails than anyone could have expected.
3. The Patriots offense stepped up just in time, because with all the injuries to the defense that unit has become a little shaky. Giving up 31 points to the Steelers is an omen that shouldn't be ignored.

Colts 27, Texans 24

1. Once again, all the best wishes to Gary Kubiak and his family. His removal from the sideline clearly affected his team, both from the loss of his demeanor and the loss of his play-calling ability.
2. Case Keenum gave the Texans more to chew on this week, as his mobility and deep ball skills have become huge assets for this offense.
3. Andrew Luck game winning drive count: 10. Luck was far from perfect and his protection was shaky, but he just seems to turn the magin on in the 4th quarter.

Bears 27, Packers 20

1. What a good day for Marc Trestman, who showed his system can work even with a backup quarterback and proved he's got guts when he went for it on 4th and one in his own territory and succeeded. 
2. Eddie Lacy really wants to be offensive rookie of the year, taking 22 carries for 150 yards and carrying an offense that was struggling.
3. Oh, and Aaron Rodgers was injured during the first quarter of this game and never returned. Not surprisingly, the passing game went with him. It is not hyperbole to see that the extent of Rodgers' injury could prove the deciding factor in this division race. The NFC North just got a whole lot more interesting.