The NFL season has reached its halfway point with the arrival of week nine, but plenty of action is still on the rise. It feels like yesterday that the season began and the playoffs will surely be here in no time. This week offered the usual plethora of exciting games and blowouts, plus the league’s second ever regular season game in Germany.
Take a look at everything that went down during week nine of the NFL:
Thursday Night Football
Tennessee Titans 16 – Pittsburgh Steelers 20
Titan’s rookie quarterback Will Levis had the debut of a lifetime last week, but could not repeat his success. After tossing four touchdown passes in week eight, Levis failed to find a teammate in the end zone, and tossed an interception on his team’s final drive in Pittsburgh. He was also sacked four times due to poor offensive line coverage, while Tennessee only converted three of its 13 third downs.
With less first downs than its opponents, Steelers fans may be saying their team caught a break. Pittsburgh earned 30 more penalty yards than Tennessee and held the ball for less time in the game. It’s quarterback, Kenny Pickett, tossed the game winning touchdown midway through the final quarter, while running back Najee Harris scored a touchdown on his team’s first drive. The curse continues for the Titans as they have lost five in a row to Pittsburgh, dating back to 2014.
Sunday
Miami Dolphins 14 – Kansas City Chiefs 21
The NFL returned to Germany for the second consecutive year, playing its first ever game in Frankfurt. A tale of two halves, the Chiefs led 21-0 at halftime with two Patrick Mahomes’ touchdown passes, and a returned fumble by free safety Bryan Cook. Dolphin’s wide receiver Tyreek Hill was the man who lost the ball to Cook, perhaps throwing his old team a bone. The second half saw a touchdown pass from Dolphin’s quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, and a rushing touchdown from running back Raheem Mostert.
With both of these scoring drives in the third quarter, the final frame saw a scoreless five drives between the sides, handing Kansas City its first win in Germany. The Chiefs are the first team to win an NFL game in four different countries. Miami earned more first downs than the Chiefs, but only converted 25% of its third downs. The Chiefs have now defeated Miami four times straight, as both teams will get next week off after their travels.
Minnesota Vikings 31 – Atlanta Falcons 28
Multiple players received injuries on the Minnesota Vikings this weekend, but they prevailed against all odds in earning their first winning record of the season. Running back Cam Akers tore his achilles while wide receiver K.J. Osborn faced a concussion in a rough hit taken for his team. The Falcons led the entire game up until the final quarter where a field goal from Viking’s kicker Greg Joseph made the difference. Replacement quarterback Joshua Dobbs played hero for the Vikings, completing two touchdown passes, his second with less than 30 ticks remaining in the game, and a rushing touchdown.
He did fumble the ball twice throughout the game, however Atlanta also faced two turnovers. The 62 yards lost by the Falcons due to eight penalties also held them back. Both kickers were flawless, with Joseph making all three kicks taken, while Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo scored four times. After Dobbs scored with 26 seconds remaining, Taylor Heinicke’s last second hail mary attempt for the Falcons failed to find a recipient. The Vikings have now won five of the last six matchups between these sides, as they prepare for the Saints in week ten.
Seattle Seahawks 3 – Baltimore Ravens 37
In a game not nearly as thrilling as the last one, the Ravens put the Seahawks in their place over the weekend, cementing their status this season. After a scoreless first quarter, Baltimore came to life with 17 points in the second quarter, only conceding a field goal to its opponents. Its quarterback, Lamar Jackson, did not throw a touchdown pass but completed nearly 200 yards with just five failed pass attempts. However, another quarterback played for Baltimore in the form of Tyler Huntley, who did toss a touchdown in the final quarter.
Raven’s kicker Justin Tucker was on his A game, knocking back all three field goal attempts taken. Finally, Raven’s wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. received a birthday gift, scoring his first touchdown for Baltimore. Even with two fumbles, Baltimore held Seattle to only 28 rushing yards and just over 100 passing yards. The Seahawks ended with only six first downs throughout the game, while Baltimore earned 29. Seattle will hope to bounce back in week ten against Washington.
Arizona Cardinals 0 – Cleveland Browns 27
The third shutout of the season now belongs to the Cleveland Browns after they held the Cardinals scoreless on Sunday. Arizona’s quarterback Clayton Tune only tossed 58 yards, and two interceptions, while his team earned just 17 passing yards and 41 rushing yards. The Browns failed to score in the first quarter, but saw two touchdown passes from quarterback Deshaun Watson and a rushing touchdown from running back Kareem Hunt later on.
Kicker Dustin Hopkins scored two of his three field goals for the Browns, who did not have a turnover throughout. The Cardinals had just seven first downs, and only one third down conversion. Along with Tune’s two interceptions, he fumbled the ball midway through the third quarter. Arizona will try to bounce back against the Falcons in week ten, where quarterback Kyler Murray may be set to play his first game of the season.
Los Angeles Rams 3 – Green Bay Packers 20
Green Bay did not lose the lead once in its matchup with the 2022 Super Bowl champions on Sunday. The Ram’s were held to just 10 first downs and a field goal, while the Packers achieved 21, on top of two touchdowns. Their quarterback Jordan Love completed 20 of 26 completions and tossed a touchdown late in the final quarter, while tossing 228 yards. The other Green Bay touchdown was scored by running back Aaron Jones on the team’s first drive of the second quarter, who finished the game with 73 yards.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles was forced to start quarterback Brett Rypien after Matthew Stafford picked up a thumb injury. Rypien fumbled the ball and completed only 13 of 28 attempts, while tossing an interception in the final quarter. The Ram’s have recently signed quarterback Carson Wentz, possibly with the hope of finding a suitable replacement while Stafford recovers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 37 – Houston Texans 39
The Buccaneers lost their fourth game in a row this weekend, keeping their losing curse intact. Tampa Bay’s quarterback Baker Mayfield tossed two touchdowns and 265 yards, but was topped by the performance of CJ Stroud. The Texans quarterback tossed five touchdowns, and set a rookie record with 470 yards. His last touchdown came with ten seconds remaining in the game, however, a failed two-point conversion left the door open for Tampa Bay. Stroud found four different receivers amongst his touchdown passes.
Tampa Bay fumbled the ball on its first play, handing the Texans their fifth win in a row over the side. Each team was penalized heavily, earning nine flags, and Houston getting pushed back 115 yards to Tampa Bay’s 90 yards. Both teams also completed all fourth downs attempted. Tampa Bay will look to redeem itself once again in week ten as it hosts the Titans.
Washington Commanders 20 – New England Patriots 17
After losing two games straight, the Commanders found their winning ways once again just narrowly edging out the Patriots. Washington began the game with a 10 point lead, but faltered down to losing 14-10 by halftime. Running back Brian Robinson fumbled the ball for Washington in the second quarter, which led to a Patriot’s touchdown and the lead. A scoreless final quarter allowed Washington’s 10 points in the third to be enough for the victory. The Patriot’s final drive of the game ended with an interception by quarterback Mac Jones with 38 seconds remaining. Jones completed the game with a touchdown and 220 yards, but could not finish the job on the last drive.
As for Washington’s quarterback Sam Howell, he made a poor choice in his team’s final drive of the first half, but it was his only interception of the game. He finished the game with a touchdown pass and 325 passing yards. The Patriots only held the ball for 22 minutes compared to Washington’s 38 minutes, but made the game close by capitalizing on the Commander’s mistakes. They are now facing their worst start since 1993, as serious rebuilding may be upon the horizon. Week ten will offer them the chance to defeat the Colts for the tenth time in 11 games. Meanwhile, Washington earned its first win in New England since 1996 and snapped a four game losing streak to the side.
Chicago Bears 17 – New Orleans Saints 24
With quarterback Justin Fields out, the Bears started quarterback Tyson Bagent for the third week straight. Bagent shined in his first game, but has been lackluster the past two weeks. He tossed two touchdowns against the Saints, but three interceptions and a fumble may have cost his team the game. Bear’s wide receiver D.J. Moore also fumbled the ball, but none of the interceptions or fumbles were returned by New Orleans for a touchdown. The Saints were left to their own devices to score, as quarterbacks Drew Carr and Taysom Hill tossed a combined three touchdowns.
Carr tossed two touchdowns in the first half, while Hill’s served as the game winning drive in the final quarter. The Bears earned more first downs than the Saints, but their five turnovers surely hurt their chances of scoring more. They also lost 71 yards across eight penalties. Now holding a 2-7 record, the Bears are perhaps playing for nothing but their own pride at this point in the season. The Saints have defeated the Bears eight times in a row, and will look to retain a winning record against an equally thirsty Minnesota Vikings next weekend.
Indianapolis Colts 27 – Carolina Panthers 13
The 20 points scored by the Colts against the Panthers in the second quarter would have been enough for a victory, but they added insult to injury with their fourth quarter touchdown. Colt’s kicker Matt Gay opened his team’s scoring just over a minute into the second quarter with his first of two field goals. Quarterback Gardner Minshew tossed a touchdown pass later in the quarter for Indianapolis, while an interception from Panther’s quarterback Bryce Young was turned into a Colt’s touchdown by cornerback Kenny Moore.
Young had three interceptions throughout, costing his team multiple scoring chances. Although each team earned 17 first downs, Carolina was hurt by losing 81 yards to 10 penalty flags. Young was also sacked four times, resulting in 36 lost yards for Carolina. The Panthers did hold the Colt’s to only 78 rushing yards, and also finished with 77 more total yards. Young’s three interceptions clearly played crucial to the Panther’s seventh loss of the season.
New York Giants 6 – Las Vegas Raiders 30
After returning to action for the first time in almost a month, Giant’s quarterback Daniel Jones exited Sunday’s game early with a season ending torn ACL. This forced Giant’s rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito to enter his second game of his career in just as many weeks. DeVito scored a touchdown on the Giant’s first drive of the final quarter, but tossed two earlier interceptions which hurt his team’s winning chances.
With Raider’s quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo also out on injury, Aidan O’Connell made a worthy replacement for him, tossing 209 yards and completing 16 of 25 attempts. He failed to score a touchdown, but Raider’s running back Josh Jacobs shined with two touchdowns and 98 yards. Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers also scored a rushing touchdown for Las Vegas as his team’s kicker Daniel Carlson made all three field goal attempts. The Giants continue their stint in last place of the NFC East, but will get a chance to hurt their division rivals Dallas in week ten
Dallas Cowboys 23 – Philadelphia Eagles 28
The hottest divisional matchup of the week resulted in the Eagles solidifying their place as the best team in the league. The Cowboys held a three point lead at halftime, but only scored once in the second half. Their quarterback, Dak Prescott, tossed three touchdowns and 374 yards, the most distance by him all season. Jalen Hurts played an equally solid game for Philadelphia, finding two different men in the end zone and scoring a rushing touchdown in the second quarter. He also completed 17 of 23 attempts.
The Cowboys earned seven more first downs than the Eagles, however, five Prescott sacks may have hurt Dallas’ chances of advancing. The only turnover of the game was a fumble by Cowboy’s wide receiver CeeDee Lamb with five seconds remaining, ending the Cowboy’s chances of divisional sovereignty. They will look to return to winning ways next week as they host the Giants.
Buffalo Bills 18 – Cincinnati Bengals 24
With a win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, the Bengals have now evened the all-time series at 17 wins a piece. Bengal’s quarterback Joe Burrow tossed two touchdowns and 348 yards while his team held the ball for 36 minutes throughout. Even with such little ball possession, the Bills kept it close as quarterback Josh Allen earned a passing and rushing touchdown.
Allen threw an interception in the second quarter, while Bill’s tight end Dalton Kincaid fumbled the ball later in the game. The Bengals were only able to muster a field goal from the two turnovers but their lack of turnovers and long drives won them the game.
Monday Night Football
Los Angeles Chargers 27 – New York Jets 6
Each team that was showcased on Monday night football finished the night with an even record, after the Chargers earned their second win in a row for the second time this season. The Jets earned more first downs than their opponents and almost 100 more total yards. Multiple errors throughout is what cost them the game. Their quarterback Zach Wilson did toss a staggering 263 yards, but fumbled the ball twice in the first quarter. New York ended the game with three fumbles, as wide receiver Garrett Wilson also lost the ball in the final quarter.
Two of the three turnovers eventually led to Chargers touchdowns, as they placed them in great field position. Charger’s quarterback Justin Herbert had no need to toss a touchdown pass with running back Austin Eckler scoring two rushing touchdowns. The Chargers have defeated the Jets five time straight, not losing to them since 2011. They will host an exceptional Lions team in week ten as they search for their first winning record this season.