COVID-19 effects ripple across the NFL. Plus, Week 9 picks and fantasy football advice
COVID-19 is surging across the country, and the National Football League has hardly been immune.
Four teams closed their facilities Thursday in response to positive COVID-19 tests, and several notable names – Ravens all-pro Marlon Humphrey and Broncos GM John Elway – have tested positive for the coronavirus. And Lions QB Matthew Stafford and Cowboys QB Andy Dalton have also landed on the COVID-19/Reserve list. Elsewhere, the Raiders reportedly received massive penalties for COVID-19 violations, while the NFL is mandating mask use postgame. The specter of COVID even lingered over the Thursday night game.
But before we dig into that contest and the rest of Week 9, enjoy these fun breakdowns:
- Power rankings: How all 32 teams stack up after eight weeks of play.
- Week 9 picks: Who will win this week's games?
About last night: Green Bay Packers 34, San Francisco 49ers 17 — Aaron Rodgers and the Packers had little problem with a 49ers team that was absolutely depleted. Newly missing for the Niners: The injured Jimmy Garoppolo and George Kittle and left tackle Trent Williams, first-round pick WR Brandon Aiyuk and fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel (who was also injured) to COVID-19 contact tracing protocols. The Packers weren't immune to the virus either – rookie RB AJ Dillon tested positive this week and two other players were sidelined after coming into contact with him – but it didn't hold them back in this contest. Rodgers had 305 yards and four touchdowns, connecting with WR Davante Adams 10 times for 173 of those yards and one score.
Game of the week: New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers — After pulling off yet another close victory, the Saints head to "Tompa Bay" for a huge NFC South matchup on Sunday Night Football. New Orleans, which won the first matchup against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in Week 1, sits at 5-2. Tampa, 6-2 and with Antonio Brown now in tow, could take a big step towards its first division title since 2007 if it avoids the season sweep.
Sneaky-good game of the week: Miami Dolphins at Arizona Cardinals — We turn once again to the Dolphins for an intriguing matchup of young quarterbacks. No. 5 overall pick Tua Tagovailoa – very much not on an audition, per his coach – and Kyler Murray, the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft, meet in this battle of surprise second-place teams.
Survivor pool game of the week: Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars — Jim Reineking, the usual writer of this here newsletter, has yet to pick wrong in this space (Prior picks, starting in Week 1: Steelers, 49ers, Colts, Rams, Cowboys, Dolphins, Bills). This week, he's putting his trust in a one-win team ... because Deshaun Watson and the Texans (assuming all ends well after one of their players tested positive for COVID-19) are going against the Jake Luton-led Jaguars. Don't know who Luton is? Most probably don't — he's a rookie sixth-round pick out of Oregon State who is about to play in an NFL game for the first time.
- PHOTOS: Best of Week 9 | Big-play celebrations | Fans and cheerleaders
Week 9: Picks, news, analysis and more
- Power rankings: The undefeated Steelers maintain their hold on the No. 1 spot after their gutsy win in Baltimore over the rival Ravens.
- Week 9 picks: Who will win this week across the NFL? Our staff makes their picks.
- ‘It’s not something I can really X out of my life’: Cowboys DE Randy Gregory opens up on tackling anxiety.
- Evolution of DK: How the Seahawks wide receiver became more than just a physical marvel – and how he can keep getting better.
- Winners and losers of NFL trade deadline: Which teams and players are better off following the trade deadline.
- Lorenzo's Locks: The best bets you can make in Week 9 of the NFL season.
- New QB for Cowboys: Andy Dalton is on the COVID-19/Reserve list, but Ben DiNucci will not be the man under center for Dallas.
- Betting on himself: Ex-coordinator Kris Richard wasn't offered a coordinator position last offseason. So he turned down jobs to bet on himself for the future.
- Punishment doled out: Bears WR Javon Wims was suspended two games for punching Saints DB Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.
- Fatal flaws? Mike Jones examines six second-tier contenders – and what's holding them back.
- 'We sold out': Bill Belichick maintains that the Patriots' depth issues this year are due to the team going all-in to win Super Bowls.
- Expanded playoffs? The league is considering it among its contingency plans should the pandemic force the cancellation of games.
- Patrick Mahomes helps out: The Chiefs QB, through his foundation, helped pay for the costs of using Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium as a polling place.
Fantasy football: Get your lineup right
Our fantasy football experts have valuable advice to get the most out of your lineup this weekend.
- Fantasy rankings for Week 9: For your convenience, these position-by-position rankings were updated for this week's games.
- Sizzles and fizzlers: Who's hot and who's not coming out of Week 8?
Week 9 schedule
(All times Eastern)
Bye week: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams, Philadelphia Eagles
Thursday
Green Bay Packers 34, San Francisco 49ers 17
Sunday
New York Giants at Washington Football Team, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Chicago Bears at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Carolina Panthers at Kansas City Chiefs, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Baltimore Ravens at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Seattle Seahawks at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Denver Broncos at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:05 p.m. (FOX)
Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys, 5:25 p.m. (CBS)
Miami Dolphins at Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Monday
New England Patriots at New York Jets, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
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