Before last weekend, it would have been a near consensus that the Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers were among the best teams in the NFL, that J.J. McCarthy was in over his head as an NFL quarterback and that if nothing else at least the Dallas Cowboys could be counted on to score points at home.
And then …
The Lions spent almost the whole game trailing in a 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings while McCarthy totaled three touchdowns, the Colts and their NFL-best offense were down 17 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 27-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Packers got shutdown at Lambeau Field in a humbling 16-13 defeat to the Carolina Panthers and the Cowboys couldn’t get anything going in a 27-17 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night.
That’s the NFL — ever unpredictable.
For a closer look at the highlights and lowlights, here were the NFL’s winners and losers of Week 9.
NFL Week 9 Winners
Ravens’ Playoff Probability
Few teams ever start 1-5 and find their way into the NFL playoffs, but not only is that a possibility for the Baltimore Ravens — it seems like a probability.
The Ravens got a crucial win over the Bears in the final week without injured star QB Lamar Jackson (hamstring), and then with Jackson making his long-awaited return Thursday night Baltimore looked like the team it was expected to be all along.
Jackson completed 18-of-23 passes for 204 yards and 4 touchdowns, Derrick Henry rushed for 119 yards and the defense delivered as well in a 28-6 win over the Dolphins.
The Ravens are now 3-5 and just two games behind the AFC North-leading Steeler with two head-to-head games still to come.
J.J. McCarthy Stock
Let’s not overstate it and say that McCarthy conjured visions of Warren Moon or anything Sunday — he completed 14-of-25 passes for 143 yards and had an interception — but he also threw for 2 TDs and rushed for another while helping the Vikings to a massive win over division rival Detroit.
Maybe there’s hope yet for Minnesota (4-4).
It was certainly fair to wonder if McCarthy was capable of quarterbacking a playoff-caliber team, though. He was so bad in the Vikings’ 22-6 Week 2 loss to the Falcons that Minnesota conveniently stretched out his return from an ankle injury as long as possible — literally until backup Carson Wentz physically fell apart and had to have season-ending shoulder surgery.
The verdict is definitely still out on McCarthy, but Sunday was a positive step.
Bo’s Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Brissett And Brock Bowers
Yes, we’re using alliteration as a reason to knock out some quick-hitters here.
– Bo Nix and the Broncos just keep finding ways to win in the fourth quarter. Denver was down 15-7 entering the fourth quarter at Houston and couldn’t get anything going offensively, going missed field, three-and-out, quick interception, touchdown, punt after four plays, muffed punt recovered by Houston, punt after five plays, three-and-out, three-and-out through three quarters. And yet, the Broncos did just enough again — getting a sustained touchdown drive to start the fourth quarter and a game-winning 34-yard Will Lutz field goal as time expired for an 18-15 win. They’ve won six in a row and are 7-2.
– The Bills won the game of the week, 28-21 over the Chiefs. Until Buffalo finds a way to best Kansas City when it matters in the playoffs, this win only means so far. After all, the Bills beat a then-undefeated Chiefs team in Week 11 last year only to eventually lose to KC in the AFC championship game. It was the fourth time in five years the Chiefs bounced Buffalo from the playoffs. But all that said, this was a mightily impressive performance. The Bills were up 15 points entering the fourth quarter and seemed in control the entire game. Most notably was how much better the defense looked from earlier in the season, coming up with several momentous stops.
– Jacoby Brissett is going to hang around the NFL as long as he wants to as one of the most reliable backup quarterbacks in the league. But he may be even more than that now for the Arizona Cardinals. Since stepping in for injured starter Kyler Murray three games ago, Brissett has had the Cardinals competitive every week (two losses by four points each and then a breakthrough 27-17 win at Dallas on Monday night). He threw for 261 yards and 2 TDs and rushed for another score vs. the Cowboys, has thrown only 1 INT in those three starts and will now get at least another month as the starter with Murray going on the IL.
– Raiders tight end Brock Bowers made his return from injury Sunday and reminded everyone why he is probably the best tight end in football. Bowers had 12 catches on 13 targets for 127 yards and 3 TDs. The Raiders still lost (30-29 in overtime to the Jaguars), but Bowers is at least a bright spot for a bad team.
Sam Darnold And The Seahawks
Whether McCarthy pans out in Minnesota or not, Vikings fans have to be wondering why the team let Sam Darnold walk after he had such a strong season in purple last year. Sure, it ended with a couple duds, and that was clearly enough for the team to move forward with McCarthy in 2025, but look at what Darnold is doing in Seattle now.
He completed 21-of-24 passes for 330 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT in a 38-14 win at Washington and has now thrown for 2,084 yards, 16 TDs and 5 INTs for a 6-2 Seahawks team.
Redefining Field Goal Range
The limits of what is considered field goal range have changed dramatically over the last several years with kickers making FGs from beyond 50 yards seem routine and expected. And the bar keeps being raised.
Jaguars kicker Cam Little set the NFL record Sunday with a 68-yard field goal at the end of the first half in Jacksonville’s eventual overtime win vs. the Raiders. The previous record was 66 yards, set by the Ravens’ Justin Tucker in 2021.
Steelers Strike Back
Despite leading the AFC North, Pittsburgh has looked typically mediocre — at least as it has in recent years — and came into the weekend 4-3 after back-to-back losses to the Bengals and Packers.
So the Steelers needed a game like this.
They not only snapped that losing skid but did so in dominant fashion against a surefire playoff team, beating the Colts 27-20 while forcing six turnovers.
Panthers’ Playoff Hopes?!
Coach Dave Canales looked to already be on the hot seat entering his second season in Carolina after an uninspiring 5-12 campaign last year. Now? He might be a coach of the year candidate.
The Panthers are the biggest surprise in the NFL, improving to 5-4 after a 16-13 win over the Packers in Green Bay. They’ve won four of their last five now, but aside from a 30-0 win over the Falcons in Week 3 didn’t have another needle-moving victory until Sunday.
Rico Dowdle rushed for 130 yards and 2 TDs and the defense forced a pair of turnovers in the big win.
The Panthers are in second play in the NFC South behind the Buccaneers.
NFL Week 9 Losers
Dan Quinn And Commanders Fans
After a surprise run to the NFL championship game in Dan Quinn’s first season as Washington head coach, it sure seems like everything that could go wrong for the Commanders has this season.
Star second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels had already been sidelined twice this season with different injuries, and he’s going to be out again after dislocating his non-throwing elbow gruesomely in that 38-14 loss to Seattle.
The injury happened with 7:39 remaining in the fourth quarter and Washington hopelessly down 38-7 at the time. Quinn immediately came under fire for leaving Daniels in the game at that point when he’d already been injured twice this year.
To his credit, Quinn took ownership of the decision Monday and acknowledged his error.
Nonetheless, Washington has now lost four straight games and is 3-6 while having to turn back to ineffective backup Marcus Mariota again for the foreseeable future with their playoff hopes looking bleak.
Packers Hype
All season, especially since acquiring defensive difference-maker Micah Parsons from Dallas in a blockbuster preseason trade, the Green Bay Packers have been pitched as top Super Bowl contenders.
But the reality is they really haven’t been all that impressive to this point.
The Packers are a solid 5-2-1, but they lost to the lowly Browns, tied the Cowboys, trailed most of the way in a 27-23 come-from-behind win over the Cardinals, trailed most of the first three quarters in a 35-25 win over the Steelers and now lost 16-13 at home to the Panthers.
Just saying, it would be nice for Green Bay to actually look like a Super Bowl-caliber team for more than a quarter at a time sporadically.
Also, the Packers will be without emerging star tight end Tucker Kraft the rest of the season after he tore his ACL on Sunday — a brutal blow in the midst of a breakout season.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys made two big trades this week to acquire defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the Jets and linebacker Logan Wilson from the Bengals in what feels like a panicked reaction to another dismal defensive showing Monday night in that 27-17 loss to the Cardinals.
But is it going to matter now?
The Cowboys are 3-5-1 and sure look to be more than two defensive upgrades away from contending for anything. They ranked second-to-last — ahead of only the Bengals — in points allowed (30.8 per game) and yards allowed (397.4 per game).
Kyler Murray’s Future In Arizona
Last week Kyler Murray was by all accounts nearing a return from the foot injury that has sidelined him for three games now. This week, he’s officially been placed on injured reserve and will miss at least the next month to continue healing.
It’s no coincidence that decision comes in light of Brissett elevating Arizona’s offense since taking over at QB.
And it’s fair to wonder if Murray’s time with the Cardinals might be nearing its end.