It was an interesting week in the NFL as the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints stay perfect at 8-0, a few teams proved they should still be involved in the title contender conversation while others continue to struggle and have gradually started to slip into mediocrity.

Here is a breakdown of the best games of week nine:

Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles

This NFC East matchup is always a battle as there is absolutely no love lost between these two teams and with the Eagles and Cowboys being one and two in the division standings this game had huge playoff implications.

Tony Romo and the Cowboys have been criticized all season long for the inconsistent play, but they have really started to come together as of late with their offense firing on all cylinders and winning three straight coming into this game. Romo has created some much need chemistry with his teammates in the passing game, especially with wide receiver Miles Austin who has put up monster numbers during their current win streak.

The Eagles have also had some success and disappointments this season beating the New York Giants in convincing fashion in week eight and losing to the lowly Oakland Raiders earlier in the season.

So both these NFC East teams were red hot coming into this game, but the Cowboys were the better team on Sunday night as they were able to keep the Eagles offense in check and capitalize on their scoring opportunities to come away with the big win 20-16.

With this win the Cowboys are now a legitimate contender in the NFC. They may not be at the level of the Minnesota Vikings or the New Orleans Saints, but they aren’t far behind.

Carolina Panthers @ New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are arguably the best team in football right now. They have a high powered offense led by MVP candidate quarterback Drew Brees and a defense that continues to surprise people on a weekly basis.

Even though they are the best team in the league right now with a perfect 7-0 record coming into this game against the Panthers they have struggled over the last couple of weeks against the Miami Dolphins and the Atlanta Falcons despite coming away with two victories.

The Carolina Panthers are by no means a team the Saints would be worried about facing this season as they have just been awful this year. The offense hasn’t been able to get going and quarterback Jake Delhomme has done nothing, but throw interceptions and depend on the ground game to get the Panthers going.

The Saints were -14.5 point favorites to beat the Panthers this week and that seemed like a sure bet, but that couldn’t have been further from the truth as Carolina came to play Sunday and almost pulled off the biggest upset of the season over Drew Brees and company.

Carolina got out to a quick 14 point lead over the Saints in the first quarter then added three more points in the second quarter to counter the Saints two field goals, but went into halftime with 17-6 lead over the NFC South leading Saints. Once again Drew Brees had to lead his team back from behind coming into the second half and he did just that with 24 points in the second half to beat the Panthers 30-20.

Other notable games in week nine:

Indianapolis Colts @ Houton Texans: 20-17 Colts

Baltimore Ravens @ Cincinnati Bengals: 17-7 Bengals

San Diego Chargers @ New York Giants: 21-20 Chargers

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Denver Broncos: 28-10 Steelers

Related posts:

1. NFL Recap Week 15: Romo Leads Cowboys Over Saints
2. NFL Locks of the Week: 3 Free Picks for Week 10
3. Monday Night Football Recap: Saints Brees Past Patriots
4. NFL Locks of the Week: 3 Free Picks for Week 9
5. NFL Locks of the Week: 3 Free Picks for Week 7