Joshua Dobbs explains that the NFL just isn’t rocket science

Enjoying soccer is not precisely rocket science. Or at the least not by Joshua Dobbs.

Dobbs, who graduated from the College of Tennessee with a 4.0 grade level common and an aerospace engineering diploma, led the Minnesota Vikings to a 31-28 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday simply days after becoming a member of the group. The 28-year-old quarterback did not have a lot time to study the names of his teammates, not to mention the playbook, after being acquired from the Arizona Cardinals earlier than final week’s commerce deadline.

However that does not appear to matter. When rookie QB Jaren Corridor, who began within the absence of injured Kirk Cousins, suffered a concussion within the first quarter, Dobbs was pressured to punt.

Dobbs rebounded after getting a security and dropping two fumbles early within the sport, ending with 158 receiving yards, 66 speeding yards, and three complete touchdowns — together with Brandon Powell’s game-winning six-yard punt with 22 seconds left.

“What he was in a position to do in 5 days was as spectacular as I’ve ever seen a quarterback able to doing,” Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell stated of Dobbs.

O’Connell wasn’t alone in praising the previous fourth-round decide. Dobbs, who was an intern at NASA, obtained a greeting from the company on X, previously Twitter. The letter got here with a brand new title: “Astronaut.”

Dobbs undoubtedly had one of many standout performances on the league’s Week 9 slate. Listed here are another winners and losers from across the NFL on Sunday.

NFL Week 9 Winners

Raiders thrive after taking pictures: What every week for the Las Vegas Raiders. Simply days after firing head coach Josh McDaniels, common supervisor Dave Ziegler and offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi — and with rookie QB taking up for rookie Jimmy Garoppolo — the Raiders defeated the New York Giants, 30-6. Certain, the Giants have been with out beginning QB Daniel Jones for many of the sport, however Las Vegas will take what it may well get.

By halftime, the Raiders had already tied their season excessive in factors. Las Vegas additionally surpassed the 100-yard speeding mark for the primary time this season and didn’t flip the ball over for the primary time this yr.

Stroud is having an elite rookie season: Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield connects with tight finish Cade Otton for the go-ahead landing with 46 seconds left in opposition to the Houston Texans on Sunday. However that was too lengthy for CJ Stroud to go away. The Ohio State rookie rapidly drove his group down the sphere and hit Tank Dell for a 15-yard landing, sealing Houston’s 39-37 win.

Stroud’s last landing was his fifth of the day to associate with an NFL rookie document of 470 yards. This yr’s No. 2 total decide now has 14 touchdowns in comparison with only one interception via the primary eight video games of his rookie season.

“CJ Stroud does not seem like a rookie to me,” Mayfield stated after the sport. “He is very spectacular, seems like a refined NFL quarterback. So, hats off to him. He performed very effectively right this moment.”

All of North Asia: By the point the NFL ended Sunday night time, all 4 AFC North groups have been in playoff place. The division-leading Baltimore Ravens defeated the Seattle Seahawks with a 37-3 victory. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals have additionally all received and at the moment maintain all three Wild Card spots within the convention.

Oddly sufficient, Pittsburgh has been outscored by 30 factors this season regardless of being within the playoff image. For comparability, Baltimore outscored groups by 115 factors.

NFL losers from Week 9

Dolphins fall once more: The Miami Dolphins fell to 6-3 on the season with a 21-14 loss to the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs in Frankfurt, Germany. A well-recognized pattern emerged once more. Miami is now 0-3, averaging 17 factors per sport, this season in opposition to groups with a profitable document, as highlighted by NFL Media Cameron Wolfe. For comparability, the Dolphins are an ideal 6-0 group and common 39 factors in opposition to groups under .500.

So, are dolphins pretenders? Properly, if they don’t seem to be, the franchise has one thing to determine earlier than ending the common season with a three-game stretch in opposition to the Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, and Buffalo Payments.

An additional powerful search for the Dolphins: Tyreek Hill dropping a fumble to his former group and seeing the Chiefs return it for a landing.

Patriots hit previous lows: New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones threw a game-sealing interception with 30 seconds remaining in a 20-17 loss to the Washington Commanders. The Patriots (2-7) at the moment are 5 video games below .500 for the primary time since Invoice Belichick’s first season main the franchise in 2000.

New England is now 0-5 in non-division video games this season, and is the one group within the NFL with no win outdoors of its division, in response to Information company.

Dallas’ disastrous last drive: One of the vital anticipated matchups of Week 9 has come all the way down to the ultimate stretch. The Cowboys get the ball again with lower than a minute left within the sport and path by 5 factors to the Philadelphia Eagles. However after three performs and three Philly penalties, Dallas was arrange with first-and-goal on the Eagles’ six-yard line with 27 seconds left.

Nothing good occurred to America’s Group after that. Coach Mike McCarthy is not precisely recognized for his sport administration, and Dallas’ last sequence made that clear. After reaching the six-yard line, Dallas: Referred to as for a false begin, took a sack, threw an incompletion, a delay of the sport, and threw a brief go out of the tip zone on the ultimate play of the sport. The Eagles received 28-23 to enhance to 8-1, whereas Dallas now drops to 5-3.

“We be ok with our group,” McCarthy stated after the sport. “We have to study from these errors. That is what these video games come all the way down to. You get into that form of sport, and much more so for those who get into playoff soccer.”