The most exciting race isn’t for the playoffs but for the #1 draft pick. The 2-7 Patriots currently occupy that position but are one of nine teams at 2-6 or 2-7. That’s the most teams with two wins or fewer since 2006, and the number of “bad” teams has nearly doubled in the last two years (five each in 2022 and 2023).

The AFC is particularly awful. Only seven teams have a record of .500 or better. The Colts and Bengals are 4-5 but just one game away from the wild card. And the AFC East race is basically over; The 7-2 Bills hold a four-game lead over the 3-6 Jets. The Bills could clinch the division as early as Week 11.

The other side of the matter is that there are also really good teams; nine teams with at least six wins, plus two dominant teams in the 7-0 Chiefs (entering Monday) and the 7-1 Lions. Now let’s move on to the Week 9 review:

The motto of the 9th week: When Patience Runs Out. Raiders owner Mark Davis committed midnight massacre following the team’s 41-24 loss to the Bengals, firing offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and his offensive line coach and quarterbacks coach. And the Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen on Monday after the team’s seventh straight loss.

It’s hard to argue that the Raiders’ offense is in a good place, ranking 26th in points and 29th in yards. So what exactly did Davis expect from having Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell at quarterback? Even Bill Walsh couldn’t get results with this team.

Davis changes his mind about coaches more often than most people change their underwear, and now the Raiders are going to blow out their coaching staff again this summer (perhaps including head coach Antonio Pierce). It looks like Davis wants Tom Brady, who has zero front office experience, to call the shots. Vaya con Dios.

Saints had to fire Allen After a 2-0 start it turned into 2-7. In his 2½ seasons as the 18-25 Allen linebacker coach, his team ranked 26th in points and 28th in yards. And losing to the poor Panthers was the last straw. The Saints need a complete reset this offseason with a new coach, coordinator and some tough salary cap decisions.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus could be the next step. The Bears fell to 4-4 with a listless 29-9 loss to the Cardinals. And a week after giving up the Hail Mary to Washington, the Bears blew a 14-9 game by allowing a 52-yard touchdown run on an inside pass with just four seconds left in the first half. Eberflus is 14-28 in 2.5 seasons and his dismissal seems imminent.

There are good teams too! The Cardinals won their third straight to improve to 5-4 and move into first place in the NFC West. Their defense kept the Bears out of the end zone; 16 players recorded the most quarterback pressures on any team since 2018. And after the Cardinals committed 13 penalties for 100 yards in a Week 6 loss to the Packers, nine for 59 yards in just three games.

Lions and Ravens are starting to look Super. Lions increased the score to 7-1 A clean win over the Packers. — 24-14 in pouring rain at Lambeau Field. Jared Goff’s 82.8 completion percentage and 140.1 passer rating over the last six games are the highest for any QB in NFL history.

The Ravens defeated the Broncos 41-10, improving their top-five defense to 7-2. Lamar Jackson entered his fourth career game with a perfect passer rating (158.3), surpassing Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner, Ben Roethlisberger and Brady in NFL history. And Derrick Henry joined John Riggins as the only players over the age of 30 to score in 10 games. The Lions-Ravens Super Bowl would be a lot of fun.

Tracking the Old Patriots

Falcons LB Matthew Judon: He was hit by one tackle and one pass win over cowboysand has now started seven straight games without a sack.

Titans K Nick Folk: In the win against the Patriots, he kicked two short field goals, both extra points, and went 5-for-5 on touchbacks. Folk, who turns 40 on Tuesday, has made all 26 of his kicks this year and has a career-high 72 touchback percentage.

Cardinals W Chad Ryland: He had all five of his kicks, including a 55-yard field goal, in the win over the Bears. Ryland shot 10-for-11 in five games.

Raiders CB Jack Jones: His first interception of the year was a 29-yard pick-6 by Joe Burrow, which was Jones’ fourth career pick-6 in three seasons.

quick hits

Did the Patriots blow the overtime coin toss? Drake Maye said he was “throwing into the wind” about his game-sealing interception, and Jerod Mayo said Monday that “the wind changed from the beginning to the end of the game.” This means the Titans got the ball and positive wind in overtime. Can’t anyone on the Patriots raise their finger in the air?

The Titans’ 13-play, 72-yard overtime drive that lasted 7:28 was the NFL’s longest in overtime since 2018 and longest in terms of plays and yards since 2021.

The Colts were in disarray after Joe Flacco, and the offense made a poor impression in their 21-13 loss to the Vikings. If the 39-year-old point guard is going to play like this, you better turn to Anthony Richardson. But you also don’t want to be ping-ponging between quarterbacks all season long.

Jordan Love had 10 interceptions in seven games after making 11 carries in 17 games last season. It’s admirable that he’s playing despite knee and groin injuries, but he may be holding the Packers back.

The Chargers’ defense is legitimate. The No. 1 team, allowing just 12.6 points per game, became the first team since the 2019 Patriots to allow 20 points or fewer in each of its first eight games.

Tyler Bass Bills’ 61-yard field goal with five seconds left It was the ninth game-winning field goal of 60-plus yards and the first since the Vikings’ Greg Joseph in 2022.

Nick Sirianni wasn’t wrong to score two tries in the fourth over. His problem was that the Eagles went 0-for-2 on fourth down, 0-for-2 on 2-point conversions, missed a field goal late in the game, and nearly gave the Jaguars a 22-0 lead. Poor performance reflects badly on the coach.

In the Jaguars-Eagles game, referee Alan Eck wore the wrong jersey, as noticed by Football Zebras. He was wearing the referee uniform from two years ago.

The Cardinals became the first team in history to close its sunroof during a game. Heavy rain and hailstorms hit the area in the second quarter, and it took about 10 minutes to completely close the roof of State Farm Stadium.

Ben Volin can be reached at [email protected].