NFL Week 9 breakdown: Chiefs get best of Aaron Rodgers' replacement. Cowboys get embarrassed by Broncos.
The Dallas Cowboys might have blown their chance at the NFC's top playoff seed.
With teams such as the Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers all chasing the conference's coveted No. 1 playoff seed - which comes with a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage - an inexplicable loss such as the one suffered Sunday by the Cowboys to the Denver Broncos can be costly down the line.
The Broncos' stunner in Jerry World wasn't the only upset of the day. The Jacksonville Jaguars shocked the Buffalo Bills as one Josh Allen got the better of the other Josh Allen. The Rams got manhandled by the Tennessee Titans, who were without Derrick Henry.
Jordan Love came up short in his NFL starting debut after being pressed into action by Aaron Rodgers' positive COVID-19 test.
NFL Week 9's biggest moments
- Aaron Rodgers got support from many Packers fans in attendance at Arrowhead Stadium despite his deception.
- Aaron Rodgers' fall from grace continued Sunday when he was widely criticized on pregame shows for conducting himself as a vaccinated player.
- Bill Belichick's pregame outfit quickly became a hilarious meme.
- Baker Mayfield wished Odell Beckham Jr. well after the Cleveland Browns won in the first game since the team and receiver split.
- Where might Odell Beckham Jr. play next? Keep an eye on Seattle.
- The Carolina Panthers' Haason Reddick ripped New England Patriots QB Mac Jones for "a dirty play."
- Jordan Love's mom and girlfriend had terrible seats at Arrowhead Stadium.
- Some Minnesota Vikings players wore "Free Odell" T-shirts during warmups before Sunday's game in Baltimore.
- Veteran WR DeSean Jackson will be joining the Las Vegas Raiders after getting released by the Los Angeles Rams.
NFL Week 9 analysis
- Winners and losers: While the Dallas Cowboys had a stunning defeat against the Denver Broncos, the Tennessee Titans keep taking down powerhouse teams.
- What we learned in Week 9: Upsets galore signal a possible wide-open second half to the season.
- Titans lean on blueprint to score win without Derrick Henry: The Titans' defense dominated, but so did their physicality, exposing a Rams flaw.
- Packers let down Aaron Rodgers' replacement: Jordan Love, forced into his first NFL start after Rodgers' positive COVID-19 test, came up short in a setback that snapped the Packers' seven-game winning streak.
- 'A piece of humble pie': From being pushed around in a decisive defeat to hearing the home crowd cheer for the Broncos, Cowboys players were jolted by Sunday's loss.
NFL Week 9 rundown
- Titans 28, Rams 16: The Titans have defeated four playoff teams from last season during their five-game winning streak.
- Cardinals 31, 49ers 17: Playing without Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins, the short-handed Cardinals completed a season sweep of the 49ers.
- Chiefs 13, Packers 7: Filling in for Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love struggled in his first start and the Packers saw their seven-game winning streak snapped by the Chiefs.
- Chargers 27, Eagles 24: While the Chargers snapped a two-game skid, the Eagles have yet to win a home game under first-year head coach Nick Sirianni.
- Dolphins 17, Texans 9: Tyrod Taylor threw three interceptions as the Texans' losing streak reached eight games.
- Ravens 34, Vikings 31 (OT): The Ravens rallied from 14 points down in the third quarter to remain atop the AFC North.
- Broncos 30, Cowboys 16: In a stunner, the Broncos went into Jerry World and manhandled the Cowboys.
- Jaguars 9, Bills 6: The Jaguars' Josh Allen made life miserable for the Bills' Josh Allen as Jacksonville pulled off this startling result.
- Patriots 24, Panthers 6: The Patriots once again had Sam Darnold seeing ghosts.
- Browns 41, Bengals 16: The Browns put a week of Odell Beckham Jr. distractions behind them in this impressive victory.
- Falcons 27, Saints 25: A missed two-point conversion try by the Saints kept the door open for the Falcons to win with a last-second field goal.
- Giants 23, Raiders 16: The Raiders are an NFL-worst 3-16 after the bye week over the last 19 years.
- Colts 45, Jets 30 (Thursday): The Colts steamrolled the Jets in their first home prime-time game in four years. Also, Scorigami!
Eyes on the (fantasy) prize
Big-play wide receivers and under-the-radar running backs highlight this week’s fantasy waiver wire.
Rookie wideout Elijah Moore of the Jets got Week 9 off to a smashing start with seven catches for 84 yards. It didn’t matter who was at quarterback for the Jets either. Moore caught a TD pass from Mike White AND Josh Johnson.
The Browns’ Donovan Peoples-Jones had a two-touchdown game in Week 6, but then missed two weeks with a groin injury. He returned Sunday with a 60-yard TD bomb as one of his two catches. He’ll take over Odell Beckham’s starting spot going forward and should have more opportunities the rest of the way.
Brandon Aiyuk of the 49ers may finally be back in fantasy managers’ good graces after recording six receptions for 89 yards and a TD. But it wasn’t all good; he did lose a fumble.
And the Falcons’ Olamide Zaccheus had only three targets, but he caught all of them for 58 yards and two touchdowns. That’s unsustainable over the long haul though. (Russell Gage is still available in many leagues and he caught seven of his eight targets.)
If you’re looking for a running back instead, consider veteran Devonta Freeman of the Ravens. Yes, Latavius Murray is due to return soon, but Freeman has been more than capable of handling lead-back duties with touchdowns in three consecutive games. He had a season-high 79 rushing yards on 13 carries on Sunday and added a receiving score.
Meanwhile in Tennessee, Adrian Peterson got most of the attention as the potential replacement for Derrick Henry, but D’Onta Foreman showed flashes as part of the backfield rotation.
Coming this week
Monday: Week 9 wraps up when the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Chicago Bears (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN). The Steelers are 27-5 in Pittsburgh since "Monday Night Football" began in 1970, including a run of 19 straight wins.
Tuesday: Paste BN Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 9.
Thursday: Week 10 kicks off with the Miami Dolphins hosting the Baltimore Ravens (8:20 p.m. ET, NFL Network). Before the game, make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 10 game.
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