Here's another way to look at NFL 2013. There are just eight weeks left in the regular season.

But there's never shortage of surprises when it comes to this game we all love. So we will continue to do our best to point out who has excelled at each position on a weekly basis. In some instances, the answers are obvious. In at least one case this week, we couldn't make up our minds.

Congratulations to this week's stars among the stars ...

Nick Foles, Jason Witten And Bill Belichick Headline The NFL's Week 9 Honor Roll Slideshow

 

QB Nick Foles

Let us get this straight -- five times in 93 seasons and now twice in nine weeks. Back on opening night in Denver, Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning tied the NFL record with seven touchdown passes in a game and now Foles tied it two months later in Oakland. The Eagles' second-year pro completed 22-of-28 throws for 406 yards and seven scores in Philadelphia's 49-20 win over the Silver and Black.

 

RB Chris Ivory

There were a season-high 13 players than ran for 100 or more yards in Week 9. But it was hard not to miss how Ivory said hello to his one-time teammates from New Orleans. Dealt to the Jets in April, he dealt out a little punishment to Saints' defenders, running for 139 yards on 18 carries in his team's 26-20 victory over Drew Brees and company. The Jets rolled up 198 yards on the ground on 36 attempts in handing the Saints only their second loss of 2013.

 

WRs Andre Johnson/T.Y. Hilton

What a game at Reliant Stadium on Sunday night. Texans quarterback Case Keenum found Johnson three times for scores in the first half and Andrew Luck threw three touchdown passes to T.Y. Hilton in the second half in the Colts 27-24 victory. Johnson finished with nine catches for 229 yards, Hilton seven receptions for 121 yards. Tie goes to the fans who witness their performances.

 

TE Jason Witten

The 11-year veteran was targeted 10 times by Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo on Sunday vs. the Vikings, and Witten came up big as usual, totaling a game-high eight catches for 102 yards and a score in Dallas’ 27-23 victory. And it’s also worth noting that the reliable Witten cracked the Top 20 on the NFL's all-time list for career receptions. The perennial Pro Bowler now has 851 catches in 11 seasons.

 

Offensive Line: Bears

Sure, the Packers lost quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the first quarter and Marc Trestman's team came away with a 27-20 win on Monday night at Lambeau Field. But give credit where credit is due to that and that's to the men up front for the Bears, who paved the way for 171 yards rushing (125 by Matt Forte) and allowed backup quarterback Josh McCown (starting for Jay Cutler) to be sacked just once in 42 pass attempts.

 

DE Cameron Wake

Talk about an a-WAKE-ening? The Dolphins snapped their four-game winning streak in dramatic style Thursday night. Wake sacked Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton in the end zone for a safety in overtime in Miami’s 22-20 victory. Wake entered the game with just 2.5 sacks on the season but would total five tackles, 3.0 sacks, force a fumble and recover one as well in the much-needed win.

 

LB Luke Kuechly

The bad news for the Panthers is that the team finally gave up a touchdown in the first half Sunday. The better news for Ron Rivera's team is the fact that it was the only touchdown Carolina allowed the Falcons this weekend as the Panthers rolled to a 34-10 win. The second-year pro totaled eight stops, knocked down a pass and had one of the team's three interceptions of Matt Ryan. And we won't ignore the 19 tackles by Falcons rookie linebacker Paul Worrilow in a losing effort.

 

CB Sean Smith

It's hard to win when your offense can't score a touchdown. But it's also easy to win when you play the kind of defense that the Chiefs are playing these days. One of the team's big offseason pickups, Smith totaled a pair of tackles, knocked down two passes and returned a Jeff Tuel interception 100 yards for a score in Kansas City's 23-13 win over the Buffalo Bills at Orchard Park.

 

Special Teams: Jamari Lattimore

The Pack wasn’t back in the win column on Monday night against the Bears. But Lattimore, a third-year pro, did his best in a losing effort. Lattimore blocked a punt in the first quarter, which set up a Green Bay touchdown. After the Packers tied the game in the third quarter, the linebacker recovered an onside kick, which set up a field goal. Add in a special teams tackle and three more stops on defense, and it was quite a performance, albeit in a loss.

 

Coach: Bill Belichick

When you hang 55 points and 610 total yards on the proud Pittsburgh Steelers, both the highest totals ever allowed in a game by that franchise, it's time to give the man in charge some credit. So much has been made about what the Patriots haven’t done this season. Perhaps it's time to remind people that this team is just two wins away from a 13th consecutive winning campaign, one of the longest streaks in NFL history.

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-- Read more of Russell S. Baxter at ProFootballGuru.com. Follow him on Twitter @BaxFootballGuru.