As the leaves continue to fall and the weather turns distinctly colder, our attention starts to drift towards the NFL play-offs run as we dream of our team making it to the post-season dance. If your team is in the middle of the pack at the moment, fear not - they could make a run at the right time of the year and reach the play-offs. This time last year, Washington, Kansas City, Houston, Pittsburgh and Seattle did not have winning records yet all of them made the play-offs.Which leads me to the first of the six headlines that caught my eye in NFL Week 9. Expect the unexpectedIf the 2016 NFL season has taught us anything through its first nine weeks, it would be to expect the unexpected. Just look at how the fortunes of several teams have fluctuated over the first half of this season. A collection of fails, funnies and odd moments from Week Nine Minnesota were the darlings of the league at 5-0 but have since lost three in a row, New Orleans started 0-3 but have evened up their record at 4-4, the New York Giants have won three in a row, Miami have fought back from 1-4 to 4-4 with three consecutive victories and Pittsburgh, who were once in control of the AFC North at 4-1, are now tied at the top with Baltimore at 4-4 after dropping their last three.There are plenty of other examples of teams either turning things around or hitting the skids. Philadelphia have lost four of their last five, Detroit are back in the division race in the NFC North with a 5-4 mark - and can we rule Carolina out after they improved to 3-5 with a win in Los Angeles on Sunday night?Super Stafford does the businessThe Detroit Lions have trailed in the fourth quarter of every game this season yet they have a winning record of 5-4 and quarterback Matthew Stafford is a big reason for their dramatic successes this term. Highlights of the Detroit Lions win over the Minnesota Vikings And they dont come much more dramatic than Sundays 22-16 overtime win over Minnesota. Stafford just never knows when he is beaten and was undaunted when the Vikings took a 16-13 lead with 23 seconds left, even though the Lions were without a time-out.Stafford hit Andre Roberts on a 27-yard connection and raced to the line to spike the ball and stop the clock with two seconds remaining. Matt Prater kicked a monster 58-yard field goal that would have been good from 68 and Stafford fired the overtime winner 28 yards to Golden Tate to secure an improbable victory.But improbable victories are nothing new for Stafford and when a quarterback performs like that, the belief is infectious. You can see how the Lions, like their offensive leader, never quite know when they are done and certainly dont have any quit in them.Jay rumbles onA third straight 200-yard rushing day at the office was unlikely for British-born running back Jay Ajayi given that the Miami Dolphins were facing the leagues top-ranked run defence in the New York Jets. Highlights of the Miami Dolphins win over the New York Jets But Jay - who was born in London and also lived in Essex before moving to the United States - more than played his part once again as Miami recorded a 27-23 win. Ajayi rushed for 111 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries and the Dolphins seem intent on building their attack around him.The powerhouse rusher gives his team an emotional and energetic jolt every time he touches the football and his late first down runs allowed Miami to ice a hard-fought contest and escape with the win.Eagles miss their chanceThere is a fine line between winning and losing in the NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles discovered that in painful fashion on Sunday as they fell to a 28-23 defeat against the New York Giants.Eagles head coach Doug Pederson twice rolled the dice and went for it on fourth-and-short when field goals were available. The issue I have is not with going for it as Pederson did, but in the plays he called in those crucial moments. Highlights of the New York Giants win over the Philadelphia Eagles The first failure saw quarterback Carson Wentz trapped in the backfield on a read-option run and the second saw a run into the line on fourth-and-one from arguably the smallest player on the field in Darren Sproles.That failure was especially painful for the Eagles as it came just moments after Sproles was inches away from a huge punt return touchdown. He was pushed out of bounds in desperate fashion by the diving Keenan Robinson, saving seven points for the Giants.The Eagles also had a field goal blocked and still almost won the game late on, which was remarkable when you consider how many points they left on the field in a close contest.Niners embarrass themselvesThe San Francisco 49ers squad continues to tarnish the good name of one of the most successful franchises in NFL history.Colin Kaepernick threw for close to 400 yards but dont be fooled into thinking he is the heir apparent to Joe Montana and Steve Young - he still threw some terrible passes, including an ill-advised interception that set up one of several touchdowns in a 41-23 victory for New Orleans. Highlights of the New Orleans Saints win over the San Francisco 49ers But dont be fooled into thinking Kaepernick is the main problem in San Francisco. He is not, and although he is inconsistent and frustrating at times, it looks like he can do enough to get this team competitive, providing he has help from the defence.Unfortunately, this 49ers defence couldnt tackle a crossword and is truly terrible. The Niners came into this game allowing an NFL-worst 185 rushing yards per game and the Saints rumbled all over them to the tune of 248 yards on the ground. Mark Ingram rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown, becoming the seventh 100-yard rusher to face the 49ers in as many games.Raiders for realIm going to ignore my own warning at the top of this column about how quickly things can change in the NFL by telling you that I think the Oakland Raiders are for real and ready to last the course of the season in the AFC.That was a statement win on Sunday Night Football as the silver and black recorded a 30-20 victory over the Denver Broncos in a fight for top spot in the AFC West. What I liked most about the win was that the previously pass-happy Raiders got physical with the best defence in the game. Highlights of the Oakland Raiders win over the Denver Broncos Latavius Murray ran hard and effectively behind one of the better offensive lines in the NFL, which featured another Brit in right tackle Menelik Watson. Murrays 114-yard, three-touchdown display showed there is more to this team than an MVP candidate at quarterback in Derek Carr.With that kind of performance available on the ground, an outstanding quarterback at the helm and a 5-0 record on the road thus far, the Raiders could travel anywhere in the play-offs and be considered genuine contenders. For now! Also See: NFL week nine highlights RESULT: Week 10 game choice WATCH: Sunday Blitz Latest standings Frank Jackson Jersey . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. Wholesale Pelicans Jerseys . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie. https://www.cheappelicans.com/655u-nickeil-alexander-walker-jersey-pelicans.html . There was no hesitation from the 40th-ranked Pospisil, from Vernon, B.C., who admitted that he cut back on his training sessions over the last few days to conserve energy as the long ATP season finishes next week at the Paris Masters. Tyreke Evans Jersey . A forerunning sled crashed into the worker Thursday at the Sanki Sliding Center. The unidentified worker broke both legs and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. New Orleans Pelicans Store . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. NEW ORLEANS -- Things were a little fuzzy for Phoenix Suns coach Earl Watson after watching Devin Booker tie the game with a tough shot at the regulation buzzer.I remember the shot, but honestly I dont remember the play, he said. Im going to watch (the game) tonight on the plane. I will collect my thoughts and will try to see what I was thinking.I know we ran that play for him for sure.Good idea.Booker scored 38 points, including the improbable jumper that tied it at the buzzer, and the Suns beat New Orleans 112-111 in overtime Friday night, keeping the Pelicans winless on the season.T.J. Warren added 18 points on 4-of-17 shooting for the Suns (2-4), while Eric Bledsoe had 17 points and Tyson Chandler had 12 points and 18 rebounds.Anthony Davis had 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Pelicans (0-6), while forward Terrence Jones, starting in place of the suspended Dante Cunningham, had 19 points. Though the Pelicans outshot the Suns 46 percent to 43 percent, they managed to shoot just 53.6 percent from the free throw line (15 of 28). The Suns finished 24 of 28 at the line.The win was second in a row for the Suns who started the season with a four-game losing streak. The Pelicans started 0-6 for the second straight season.Its good that were able to get these wins, especially as a young team, Chandler said. Well start trying to close these teams out earlier, but it does build character in the long run.I thought we were on the right track before, but unfortunately we got a couple of losses. But I definitely like the way weve been playing all season.Booker tied the game at 102 with a fadeaway jumper from the side as time expired. He had made a 3-pointer to tie the game at 100. With 11.7 seconds remaining, Lance Stephenson took the entry pass down the left side of the lane and threw up a fall-away floater, which he watched go in as he fell to the court, leaving 2.1 seconds to play.He made a great shot, a contested jump shot, Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. Hes a great player.A back-and-forth overtime ended with Pelicans guard ETwaun Moore making two free throws with 8.6 seconds left after being fouled by Booker, who fouled out. But Warren took an inbounds pass from P.J. Tucker, cut through the lane and dunked, giving the Suns a 112-111 lead. Moore missed a jump shot as time expired.I thought we became too cautious at times, Gentry said. You cant play that way. If it doesnt work out, it doesnt work out, bbut you cant be cautious.dddddddddddd.It was the second straight overtime game for both teams. The Suns beat Portland 118-115 on Wednesday night in Phoenix, while New Orleans fell 89-83 at Memphis the same night.TIP-INSSuns: Booker had three of the Suns 8 3-pointers for the game. ... Bledsoe led the Suns with four assists.Pelicans: F Dante Cunningham was suspended for the game by the NBA after pleading guilty to operating a motor vehicle in a negligent manner while exhibiting the effects of having consumed alcohol in Washington state, according to a league press release.The NBA just let us know (today), Gentry said before the game. Its no big deal. Its something that happened and he regrets it.No other information was available from Pelicans team officials.Jones, his replacement, made the most of his first start for the Pelicans, finishing with 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four blocks. ... Buddy Hield and Langston Galloway combined to go 4 of 7 from 3-point range in the first 4 minutes and finished a combined 6 for 16 for the game.PELICANS SCARE:With 4:19 left in the fourth quarter Booker bumped Davis as he raced down the court to receive a long pass from Stephenson. Davis remained on the court for some time. He returned to the game and Booker was charged with a common foul.Booker said he wasnt fazed by the boos he received after he knocked down Davis.The crowd turned against me after that AD play, but I embraced it and had fun with it, Booker said. I talked to him afterwards about it and he said that he wasnt hurt or anything by it. He did tell me I overdid it though.OVER/UNDERGentry praised Suns small forward Jared Dudley, whom he coached for four years during his tenure in Phoenix, though not without a dash of his good-natured humor.Hes the least athletic (small forward) in the history of the game, said Gentry, laughing. Hes just really smart. He found his game to be effective in this league and sometimes thats tough to do.Still, Gentry doesnt expect Dudley to transform into a rim-crashing machine this year. Asked if he thought Dudley would achieve his promise of throwing down five dunks this season, Gentry replied, Id take the under on that one.UP NEXTSuns: visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.Pelicans: visit the Golden State Warriors on Monday. ' ' '