Somehow, it's already the halfway point of the regular season and Week 9 brings several exciting matchups. We are also just days away from the trade deadline, so your team could potentially look a lot different in Week 10.
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Sunday, Week 9 -- Top 5 games to watch
- WHERE: Lambeau Field (Green Bay, Wis.)
- WHEN: 4:25 p.m. ET | FOX
This looks to be one of the most competitive games of Week 9. The Lions and Packers hold the top two spots in a very competitive NFC North division and whoever wins this game will be the leader of the division heading into the back half of the season.
Detroit leads the league in points per game (33.4) and point differential (+100) and its dominance over the last few games has earned it the top spot in the NFL Power Rankings. The Lions are elite in every sense of the word. Green Bay is faced with the possibility of being without Jordan Love (groin) this week, which isn’t ideal heading into such a big matchup. However, the combination of Josh Jacobs and Malik Willis worked well in Weeks 2-3.
NFL Pro Insight for Lions-Packers
The Packers' defense has blitzed at the third lowest rate (18.5%) but has generated pressure on 51.8% of their blitzes this season, the fourth-highest rate in the NFL. They’ve managed to generate pressure just 27.5% of the time when sending four or fewer pass rushers. Their +24.3% pressure rate when blitzing compared to when not blitzing is the second-largest increase in the NFL behind the Bills (+25.0%).
Jared Goff has averaged a league-high 12.2 yards per attempt against the blitz this season. Goff also completed every one of his seven passes against the blitz for 56 yards and three touchdowns in Week 8 against the Titans.
- WHERE: State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Ariz.)
- WHEN: 4:05 p.m. ET | CBS
Both these teams have won three of their last five games.
When Kyler Murray gets Marvin Harrison Jr. the ball, it generally goes well for Arizona. In the two games Harrison Jr. has 100-plus receiving yards, the Cardinals are 2-0. But the offense has struggled to get the ball to him consistently. This week, the Cardinals face a pass defense ranked third in overall pass defense efficiency and that is one of the top red zone defenses in the league.
The Bears were on the losing end of the now-famous Jayden Daniels Hail Mary last week, but the problems started before that. They opened the game with six punts and a turnover on downs in their first seven drives, raising questions about the consistency of the offense. Their defense, which has a league-low opponent red zone scoring percentage, is keeping them in most games.
NFL Pro Insight for Bears-Cardinals
James Conner has forced a league-high 54 missed tackles this season, including 41 missed tackles on the ground (third-most). He has recorded 557 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 129 carries this season.
The Bears have secured 89.1% of their tackles this season, the third-highest tackle efficiency rate in the NFL.
- WHERE: Lumen Field (Seattle)
- WHEN: 4:25 p.m. ET | FOX
The Rams gave viewers a reminder of what life is like with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back in the lineup, and the impact was obvious. The offense looked complete, Matthew Stafford looked calm, and it all culminated with a big win over the Vikings. Meanwhile, the defense has made steady improvements, especially over the last three games. The Rams are ranked 13th in points allowed over the last three games, up from 22nd on the entire season, and ninth in yards allowed, up from 21st on the season. This team has a high-growth ceiling.
Seattle does not have an identity right now. It went from blowing the doors off the Falcons to getting its own doors blown off by the Bills, and the Seahawks just can’t seem to decide who they want to be. The Hawks need to right this ship, fast.
NFL Pro Insight for Rams-Seahawks
The Rams offense uses motion at the highest rate in the NFL at 84.1% of their snaps. On passing plays, the Rams have the highest drop-off in success rate when not using motion, going from 51.9% when using motion to 37.8% without.
The Seahawks defense has allowed the fifth highest-completion percentage (70.2%) and success rate (48.6%) on passing plays with motion.
- WHERE: Highmark Stadium (Orchard Park, N.Y.)
- WHEN: 1 p.m. ET | CBS
Tua Tagovailoa returned for Miami last week and the difference was noticeable. Although the Dolphins ended up losing by a point, 28-27, but they put up their highest scoring output this season and Tagovailoa was only sacked once on 41 dropbacks.
Buffalo walked into Seattle and tore the Seahawks apart from the jump last week. It was their fourth win by 21 points or more this season and their performance put them in the top three in the NFL Power Rankings. Josh Allen and the offense have really minimized turnovers this year, which has contributed to successful outcomes on offense.
NFL Pro Insight for Dolphins-Bills
Gregory Rousseau has generated a team-high 32 pressures on 226 pass rushes this season, tied for the 10th-most pressures by any defender in the NFL this season.
Rousseau has been particularly good off the snap, averaging a 0.76 second get-off time, eighth-quickest in the NFL (minimum 100 pass rushes). In turn, Rousseau is tied for the fourth-most quick pressures in the NFL (17), surpassing his quick pressure total from the entirety of the 2023 season (14). The Dolphins have allowed opposing defenses to generate the seventh-lowest pressure rate in the NFL this season (27.8%).
- WHERE: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta)
- WHEN: 1 p.m. ET | FOX
Dallas is coming off a loss to NFC rival San Francisco, where it once again failed to play a complete four quarters. The loss dropped the Cowboys a game below .500 heading into arguably the toughest part of their season. Starting this week, they’ll face the Falcons, Eagles, Texans, and Commanders, all teams with winning records. Their running game is non-existent (ranked last in yards per game) while Dak Prescott has thrown two interceptions in each of his last three games. Their -48-point differential is the ninth-worst in the league.
Atlanta got back to regularly scheduled programming last week with its second statement win over the Buccaneers this season. The Falcons are now 4-0 in the NFC South. Kirk Cousins and Co. have proven to be a dangerous and versatile offense and if the last few weeks are any indication, will be a very tough test for a struggling and beat-up Dallas defense.
NFL Pro Insight for Cowboys-Falcons
Bijan Robinson has a 57.6% success rate on under center runs this season, the highest rate among 36 running backs with at least 30 carries. He has gained 176 yards and scored a touchdown across 33 such carries, resulting in 5.3 yards per carry, the seventh-most among the same group of 36 running backs.
The Cowboys defense has given up the most touchdowns (11) and allowed the second-highest success rate (49.3%) against under center runs this season.
