Week 9 Booms and Busts: Is Ryan Tannehill making the leap?

Not long ago, Ryan Tannehill was a quarterback fighting for his job. And not long ago, Philip Rivers was on the short list of MVP candidates.

Ah, and then you shake the NFL's snow globe, and everything is upside down.

The Dolphins had the biggest laugher of the Week 9 early slate, a 37-0 pasting of San Diego. The game got out of hand so quickly, it sent CBS scrambling for alternate programming. When the network decides a Jets game is "more competitive," you know someone's getting clobbered.

Tannehill was only asked to play three quarters, but he did plenty in that amount of time: 24-for-34 passing, 288 yards, three touchdowns. He wasn't sacked or intercepted, and he added a handy 47 yards on four scrambles.

The tape looked just as good as the numbers. Tannehill beat the Chargers from the pocket, on the run, and with the read option. It's all coming together for the third-year quarterback. He's collected 10 touchdown passes over his last five starts – right around the time Joe Philbin oddly threatened his job – and he's added 227 rushing yards over that span. A running fantasy QB is a lovely thing, a gift from the gods.

If we have one quibble with the Week 9 Miami offense, it's the distribution of the targets. Tannehill used 10 receivers in all, and no one had more than eight looks. Miami did all it could to unlock Mike Wallace, but he had to settle for an ordinary 3-50-0 day on eight attempts. Given how sharp Tannehill was, it's a shame he couldn't hook up with his most talented receiver. Resurgent tight end Charles Clay was the top pass catcher, hauling in five grabs for 65 yards and a touchdown.

The upcoming schedule is also a bit of a killjoy for the Tannehill story: Miami faces Detroit, Buffalo and Denver over the next three weeks. There's not an easy draw in that group. But that's tomorrow's problem; for now, we'll tip the cap for a job well done.

While Miami's 37-point output goes down as surprising, San Diego's bagel on the other end was downright shocking. Sure, you worry a bit when West Coast teams travel east for an early body-clock game, but San Diego had 10 days to prepare for this matchup, not to mention an hour giveback from daylight savings time. Maybe the Chargers never got the wakeup call; they didn't look prepared on the field.

Like Tannehill, Rivers didn't play a complete game. He finished the day 12-for-23 passing for 138 yards, no scores, three picks. He was also sacked three times. It's his first game without a TD since December, 2012.

Rivers completed 11-of-19 passes to his Big 3 (Malcom Floyd, Keenan Allen, Antonio Gates), but no one managed a gain over 18 yards. The rushing game didn't help the cause; slumping Branden Oliver collected just 19 yards on his 13 attempts. The Chargers appreciate their must-needed Week 10 bye; they return to action against Oakland and St. Louis.

In other Week 9 Booms (early games): 

-- Jeremy Hill, RB, Bengals: This was one of those calls the entire Internet seemed to get right. Take a bow, Internet. Hill rushed 24 times for 154 yards and two scores against the Jaguars, a one-yard plunge early and a 60-yard jaunt late. He also showed toughness, shaking off an early knee injury. The Bengals offense didn't seem to miss Giovani Bernard one bit.

-- Mike Evans, WR, Buccaneers: It's been a banner year for rookie wideouts, with Evans as intriguing as anyone. He snagged seven passes for 124 yards and two scores at Cleveland, taking advantage of the lesser (and smaller) Browns cornerbacks. (And his scoring celebration, yeah, that's money, too.) If the NFL switches to basketball rules anytime soon, the monstrous Buccaneers receiving corps will be ready.

-- Percy Harvin, WR, Jets: Facing the nasty Chiefs and with Michael Vick under center, I wanted no part of Harvin in Week 9. But credit the Jets, they found a way to use their newest weapon: 11 catches on 13 targets, 137 overall yards. Eric Decker also had a useful day (9-63-1, on 12 targets), and New York gave the Chiefs a reasonable fight before losing, 24-10.

-- Allen Hurns, WR, Jaguars: Go ahead and underthrow Hurns, that's just how he likes it. He took a pair of wayward throws from Blake Bortles and turned them into touchdowns, all part of a seven-catch, 112-yard explosion on nine targets. Hurns hasn't been consistent in his rookie season, but he's nonetheless flashed an intriguing big-play ability.

Also Booming (early slate): Alfred Morris, Matt Asiata, Mohamed Sanu, Bobby Rainey, LeSean McCoy, Jeremy Maclin, DeAndre Hopkins, Mark Sanchez, Miami Defense  

In other Week 9 Busts (early games):

-- Ben Tate, RB, Browns: He was running in quicksand over 10 carries (just three yards), though he did add 29 yards on four receptions. Terrance West didn't make anyone forget Jim Brown, but he was Cleveland's workhorse for most of the day (16 touches, 50 yards, one scoring catch). And the frustrating committee is alive and well.

-- Dez Bryant, WR, Cowboys: With all due respect to DeMarco Murray, there's a reason Tony Romo is the most important part of the Dallas offense. Bryant snagged a late and meaningless touchdown to partially soothe his owners, but overall the loss to Arizona was a forgettable washout (2-15-1 on 10 targets). Hurry Back, No. 9.

-- Jerick McKinnon, RB, Vikings: A 14-carry, 54-yard day doesn't sound so bad, especially when you factor in Washington's solid rushing defense, but McKinnon owners had to watch Matt Asiata vulture three short rushing touchdowns (and then a 2-point conversion at the end of it all, insult to fake-football injury). Asiata was used more liberally in the passing game, as well.

-- Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Vikings: He should have caught a 60-yard touchdown pass in the first period (toasting his defender easily), but what looked like a sure score fell apart. Did Patterson give up on the route? Did he lose the ball in the sun? Was it merely a case of Teddy Bridgewater air-mailing an easy throw? You decide. Patterson didn't make up for the early miss, finishing with just one grab for nine yards on seven targets. He wasn't used in the rushing game.

-- Andre Johnson, WR, Texans: We knew it was a fun matchup against the beatable Philly secondary, but Johnson wasn't invited to the party (2-12-0 on seven targets). Meanwhile, young pup DeAndre Hopkins busted out for 115 yards and a score.

Also Busting (early slate): Jordan Reed, Pierre Garcon, Chris Ivory, Michael Floyd and John Brown, Clay Harbor, Andrew Hawkins

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