26CornerBlitz

What We Learned from Sunday's Week 9 Games Here's what we've learned so far from Sunday's Week 9 games, which included the Pittsburgh Steelers' victory over the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC North showdown. Chicago Bears 41, Buffalo Bills 9 1. The Bears smothering defense entered Buffalo with a decisive advantage against a lost-at-sea Billsoffense. Vic Fangio's unit played to the expectation, clobbering the bevy of underneath tosses and forcing four turnovers, including two first-half defensive touchdowns. Safety Eddie Jackson stripped Bills tight end Jason Croom and dashed for a 65-yard score. Linebacker Leonard Floyd later took a tipped pass to the house. The two scores were more than enough to blow the game open. Corner Kyle Fuller was arguably the most impressive defender on the day, including an interception and three passes defended. On the day, a dominant Bears D generated four takeaways, four three-and-outs, and gave up just nine measly points. The Bears again rested beastly pass rusher Khalil Mack, who is dealing with an ankle injury. It was a smart decision by Chicago. The Bears didn't need Mack this day. Despite not getting overwhelming pressure on Buffalo (zero first-half sacks; four on the day), Chicago has enough playmakers in the secondary to make an offense like Buffalo pay. Getting Mack healthy for the stretch run is the key as the Bears (5-3) continue to lead a hotly contested NFC North. 2. The Bills offense is a wheel-less wagon stuck in a sinking mud. Quarterback Nathan Peterman got the start. With the barren collection of offensive weapons, a porous offensive line and zero run-game, it matters not who starts under center. The turnover-maestro tossed three interceptions, including a pick-six. The first two INT's weren't completely Peterman's fault. The first was bobbled by newly added receiver Terrelle Pryor and popped into a defender's hands. Pryor did nothing to aid the Bills attack (2/17). On the pick-six, receiver Zay Jones was hit at the line of scrimmage as the ball arrived and bounded into the hands of linebacker Leonard Floyd who galloped for the score. Peterman shied away from difficult throws, opting to a smorgasbord of quick, short tosses that did little to keep offensive rhythm. With no deep threat, the Bears could squat on short routes, which led to the three interceptions. A garbage-time QB sneak for a score ended a streak of 39 possessions over 12 quarters without a touchdown for Buffalo. Futility knoweth thy name. As depressing as Peterman's play was the lack of ground game is as concerning for Buffalo. LeSean McCoy continues his putrid play behind a line that can't open holes. The running back generated 1.0 yards per carry 10 totes. McCoy's dancing style isn't conducive to positive plays in this offense. 3. Facing a very good Bills D, the Bears offense wasn't asked to do much and didn't need to with its own defense dominating. Chicago had just 190 total yards and 11 first downs on the day (conversely the Bills' sad offense netted 264 yards and 22 first downs). Jordan Howard scored two rushing touchdowns in the first half, and Anthony Miller has become a reliable target for Mitch Trubisky. The quarterback missed a few throws otherwise the Bears might have put up a 50-burger on the day. Despite not getting much on offense and earning 14 penalties for 129 yards, the important thing for Chicago is that they won a road game they were expected to dominate. Dominate the defense did. Now the schedule heats up for Matt Nagy. The Bears have three straight division tilts, facing the Lions, Vikings and Lions in the next three games. Down the road, matchups with the Rams, Packers and Vikings again loom in what should be a wild ride for the division-leading Bears. -- Kevin Patra

A much needed stop by the Rams' D.

Terrelle Pryor: "The Fire is There; The Competitive Nature is There" (2:55) WR Terrelle Pryor praises QB Nathan Peterman's performance against the Chicago Bears, stresses that he's not losing confidence and talks about how the team continues to build chemistry with each other.

Explaining away his pathetic play is beyond comical.

Buffalo’s front seven was gashed by a trap play on Jordan Howard‘s 18-yard touchdown run late in the first half, but otherwise provided very little running room for Chicago’s running backs. On the other 19 carries by a Bears running back, they managed just 1.8 yards per carry, with Shaq Lawson and Harrison Phillips among those with strong efforts up front. While the Bills managed to limit Chicago’s passing attack to under 150 yards, it was less a product of their pass defense playing well than other circumstances. Short fields, a limited number of plays and unforced Trubisky errors all helped to keep the box-score numbers in check. Buffalo didn’t generate much of a consistent pass-rush, and on the backend, it was a forgettable day for Gaines, whose aforementioned penalties led to 10 points for the Bears’ offense. With both Josh Allen and Derek Anderson out of action, the Bills had little choice but to let Nathan Peterman throw the ball 49 times in an overwhelming defeat to the Bears at home. While his 189 passing yards left plenty to be desired, Peterman was able to sustain several drives, and two of his three interceptions were no fault of his own. Very few players on the Buffalo offense put play on tape deserving of individual mention. Terrelle Pryor played a significant role after being signed off of the street, and tight end Logan Thomas ended up as Peterman’s go-to option with seven receptions on eight targets.

Modern football with a real offense to take advantage of the rules? Naw man!

Yep! Getting out of hand after Kamara's 3rd TD!

Goff Picked! This could get out of hand! Great defensive play!

Kamara is killing them in the passing game. There's Brees to Watson after the great play action fake. 28-14 Saints!

The Rams have no answer on defense.

It has to be hard to keep a positive vibe through so many non-competitive games.

Anticipatory throws like that are what separates the great QBs from the average and bad.