NFL Week 9 breakdown: Vintage Tom Brady saves Bucs; Packers continue to find new lows
NFL Week 9 is (almost) complete. Here are some of the biggest developments from Sunday's action:
- Tom Brady led another game-winning drive, salvaged the Bucs' season and hit a ridiculous milestone Sunday.
- The Bills might have bigger concerns after a humbling loss to the Jets.
- Aaron Rodgers and the Packers appear to be a broken football team.
- The Vikings enjoy a hefty 4½-game lead in the NFC North.
Biggest moments of NFL Week 9
- Tom Brady is the first NFL quarterback ever to throw for more than 100,000 yards.
- Bears QB Justin Fields rushed for 178 yards, the most by a quarterback in a single regular-season game in NFL history.
- The Jets threw stadium rendering shade at the Bills in glorious post-victory burn.
- The Panthers' QB woes continued Sunday, as P.J. Walker was benched in favor of Baker Mayfield after a bad first half against the Bengals.
- NBA standout Damian Lillard "wouldn't be mad" if Raiders stars left after Sunday's massive collapse in Jacksonville.
- Rams WR Cooper Kupp paid homage to Dwight K. Schrute from the hit NBC sitcom “The Office" with a T-shirt.
Key storylines from NFL Week 9
- Winners and losers: While Tom Brady might have saved the Buccaneers' season, rock bottom worsens by the week for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.
- 32 things we learned: While the Bills might regret their conservative trade deadline approach, the Rams' and Packers' seasons might be over.
- NFL Brand can't escape its entertainment realities: NFL Brand was on full display again on another Sunday when either team could win, games would go down to the wire ... and something crazy would happen, Jarrett Bell writes.
- Bills' biggest concern after humbling loss: As if it weren't bad enough the Bills fell to 6-2 and 0-2 in the AFC East, Josh Allen's elbow could be a concern moving forward, Safid Deen writes.
- Geno Smith shows Seahawks transformation: Smith has revitalized his career in Seattle, with no better example than after he threw a pick-six in a win against Arizona, Tyler Dragon writes.
- Packers are a beaten and broken team: The Lions defense gambled that Aaron Rodgers couldn't beat them through the air and it worked, Tom Silverstein writes.
- 'I wouldn't get your hopes up': Washington Commanders fans reacted to owner Dan Snyder exploring "potential transactions." The fans' reactions span the spectrum of excitement to ecstasy to pessimism that any change will occur.
NFL Week 9 results
- Chiefs 20, Titans 17 (OT): Patrick Mahomes led a comeback win for the Chiefs.
- Buccaneers 16, Rams 13: Tom Brady avoided his first four-game losing streak in 20 years with a touchdown throw in the final seconds.
- Seahawks 31, Cardinals 21: Geno Smith led three straight touchdown drives after throwing a costly interception.
- Dolphins 35, Bears 32: Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Fields showed why they are two of the most exciting young quarterbacks in the NFL in this shootout.
- Jaguars 27, Raiders 20: The Jaguars rallied from a 17-point deficit for the second-biggest comeback in franchise history.
- Bengals 42, Panthers 21: Joe Mixon set a franchise record with five touchdowns as the Bengals picked up a get-right win.
- Vikings 20, Commanders 17: The Vikings are trending toward becoming the first team to clinch its division crown this season.
- Jets 20, Bills 17: The Bills suffered a rather inexcusable loss to the inspired and officially resurgent Jets.
- Chargers 20, Falcons 17: Cameron Dicker kicked a game-ending field goal three days after being signed as a free agent.
- Lions 15, Packers 9: Whether it’s age or his injured throwing thumb, Aaron Rodgers looked incapable of lifting a limited Packers offense.
- Patriots 26, Colts 3: While the Patriots head into their bye week above .500, the Colts have lost three straight and have yet to earn a win since benching quarterback Matt Ryan in favor of second-year player Sam Ehlinger.
- Eagles 29, Texans 17 (Thursday): While the Phillies fell in the World Series and the Union were defeated in an absolutely epic MLS Cup, Philadelphia fans can take solace in the fact that the Eagles are off to the best start in franchise history.
The week ahead in the NFL
Monday: Week 9 wraps up with the Baltimore Ravens visiting the New Orleans Saints at the Caesars Superdome (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN and ESPN2). Both teams will play without key pass catchers.
Tuesday: Paste BN Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 9.
Thursday: Week 10 kicks off with the Carolina Panthers hosting the Atlanta Falcons at Bank of America Stadium (8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video). Before the game, make sure to check out our expert predictions for every Week 10 game.
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