Griz In The Pros Week 9 Roundup

As we officially hit the midpoint of the NFL season, one thing is clear: This could be a short postseason for Montana Grizzly alumni.

Right now the Atlanta Falcons are the only team with Montana ties with a winning record. And even the Dirty Birds, at 5-3, aren't guaranteed to make the playoffs this year due to the an overcrowded field in the NFC.

Individually, then, the top day belonged to Tennessee Titans receiver Marc Mariani. Mariani caught one pass for 6 yards, returned one kickoff for 27 yards, and returned one punt for 8 yards. However, the play of the day came when Mariani recovered a muffed Cincinnati punt on special teams, giving the Titans the ball off the turnover. It wasn't enough though, as the Bengals rallied from a 17-7 halftime deficit to win 24-17.

In Philadelphia on Monday night, the Eagles' disappointing season continued with a 30-24 loss to the Chicago Bears. At 3-5, Philly needs to pretty much win out to even be considered for the playoffs. Safety Colt Anderson contributed one special teams tackle in the loss.

The biggest breakthrough came from the Miami Dolphins, who stunned Kansas City for their first win of the year, 31-3. However, only Dan Carpenter responded with a big day. The kicker finished 1 of 1 on field goals, connecting from 42 yards away, and a perfect 4-for-4 on PAT's. Cornerback Jimmy Wilson, a week after starting, found himself on the bench but still managed one tackle and one pass defensed on defense, and one tackle on special teams. Running back Lex Hilliard did see playing time, but didn't record any official statistics.

Finally, the aforementioned Atlanta Falcons kept pace with the rest of the NFC playoff hopefuls by whitewashing Indianapolis 31-7. Defensive end Kroy Biermann had two assists on defense, and safety Shann Schillinger finished with one special teams tackle.