No team had a worse lo s in than the , and it wasn't just because of the excruciating ending. A home game against St. Louis is one they should win during a schedule that has very few easy moments. If they don't bounce back Sunday in New Orleans, there should be pieces of the sky falling in San Francisco. The have a losing record in the NFC West and a . They've lost two home games to teams that are currently 3-5. 's have never lost more than four games in a season, and they could be to five lo ses by mid-November. They can point to reinforcements arriving on the roster soon, but this team desperately needs wins now before it's too late. The Niners' offense looked better on paper in the offseason and is a year older, but their scoring has plummeted. The offensive line has declined. They have enough talent to go on a run, but it needs to start Sunday. The lo s against the removed their margin for error.Here's a look at some of the other winners and losers from Week 9:Going Up: He's taking over the . hasn't played well at all this year, and the are still in the top four in yards and points. Next stop: free agent contract land! Sanchez for six to eight weeks. They don't play a pa s defense ranked in the in that entire time. It wouldn't be a surprise if Sanchez keeps the job into the playoffs. defensive line: is having an immediate impact in Minnesota. has been one of the best defensive linemen in the league over the last three weeks, disrupting plays from the inside and out. is a strong Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate, making a few game-changing plays each week. Second-year player is enjoying the best stretch of his career. This team isn't playoff-caliber yet, but they have a great foundation to build off.Arizona's secondary: 's presence was a big factor in Kevin Love Jersey 's goose egg Sunday until garbage time, but more credit should be given to . Dez and Peterson engaged in a battle every pa sing down, and Peterson came out on the winning end. The officials allowed a physical style, po sibly because Bryant was giving as much as he got. , making instinctive plays in the back end. Throw in a revived season from , and this should be one of the best defensive backfields . Moving downAFC South defenses: Good luck with dealing with for the next decade. Rookie receiver and has the look of a future No. 1 receiver. to add him to the mix with , and . This young core -- already the league leaders in points and yards -- could be together for a while. offensive line: It was just one week, but the ' defensive line won the battle up front, especially in the middle. This wasn't about the "stacking the box" or Dallas mi sing their worst two starters or . nose tackle and defensive end in the middle against Dallas' usual starters. September memories of the : It's like the first month of the season never happened. I've been slow to let go of an entire month's worth of tape and stats back when New England had one of the worst pa sing games of the league, but those games truly . The NFL season is , and authored a similar turnaround last season, although it happened earlier this time. The are now the second-highest scoring team in the league, and it's time to forget those first impre sions.Optimism in Cleveland: Perhaps it's because I sit acro s from a , but there is an impending sense of doom with this team considering they are a surprising 5-3. is not equipped to carry a team, and the running game has completely vanished since 's injury. They e sentially played the worst three teams in the league in a row and didn't look much better than any one of them. The defense needs to rally with the softest part of their schedule in the rearview mirror. The latest Around The NFL Podcast from an action-packed Week 9. Find more Around The NFL content on . Marquese Chriss Jersey