A high-octane slate of Sunday games. Plus, Week 9 game picks and fantasy advice
Welcome to Week 9 in the NFL. Hope you have no plans for Sunday, because the day has an impressive slate of games, which kicks off in Frankfurt, Germany.
Previously on NFL: Pittsburgh Steelers 20, Tennessee Titans 16 — Will Levis performed admirably in his second career NFL start, but his team’s play wasn’t enough on “Thursday Night Football” on the road against a Steelers team that's in the thick of the AFC playoff race. Steelers WR Diontae Johnson scored his first touchdown in nearly two years (Week 17, 2021) in the victory.
Game of the week: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles — These two longtime NFC East rivals renew their not-so friendly acquaintances on Sunday in a game that could have long-standing implications in the playoff race. While the Eagles have been stationed at the top of power rankings lists since the beginning of the season, the Cowboys seem to be gaining momentum. The Cowboys clobbered the Rams last week, and Dak Prescott has to be licking his chops after watching film of the Washington Commanders' Sam Howell dice up the Eagles defense for a career-high 397 yards and four touchdowns passing.
Game of the week 1B: Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals — This matchup (along with Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs in Frankfurt and Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens) also was under serious consideration for "game of the week" status. There's just a lot of good matchups in Week 9. That's great for us fanatics of football! The Bills-Bengals game is noteworthy not just because it's a rematch of last season's divisional playoff game and pits two AFC contenders against each other. It also marks a seminal moment in the recovery of Damar Hamlin. Hamlin returns to the site of his cardiac arrest 10 months ago, and that storyline adds a powerful emotional element to this "Sunday Night Football" showcase.
Survivor Pool Game of the Week: Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints — We're back on the "whoever is playing against the Bears" wagon here. The Saints aren't consistent, but the Bears are one of the NFL's worst teams and will have an undrafted rookie quarterback making his third career start. Tyson Bagent, who was playing for Division II Shepherd University last fall, continues to fill in for Justin Fields, who is sidelined with a dislocated right thumb. The Saints have won their last seven against the Bears, which includes a 2020 NFC wild-card playoff game. (Previous survivor pool picks - Week 1: Ravens ✅, Week 2: 49ers ✅, Week 3: Chiefs ✅, Week 4: Eagles ✅, Week 5: Dolphins ✅, Week 6: Bills ✅, Week 7: Seahawks ✅, Week 8: Chargers ✅.)
➤ PHOTOS: Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games
NFL Week 9: Pigskin prognostications
- Week 9 picks: Paste BN Sports' panel of football experts has provided fans with the great public service of making prognostications for every game this weekend.
- Lorenzo's Locks: Find out why Paste BN Sports' Lorenzo Reyes is high on the Bengals and Chiefs in big AFC showdowns this weekend.
- NFL Week 9 betting odds: Which teams are favored this week? If you’re new to sports betting, don’t worry. We have tips for beginners on how to place bets online.
- Power rankings: See how all 32 teams stack up heading into Week 9.
NFL news, notes and analysis
- This NFL coaching position 'has plagued' league's diversity efforts: The road to becoming an NFL offensive coordinator is confoundingly steep for coaches of color, according to data from Paste BN's NFL Coaches Project.
- How attractive is the Raiders' head-coaching job? The Raiders made Josh McDaniels the first head-coaching casualty of the 2023 season, but would top candidates even consider the open position in Las Vegas?
- Prior moves have haunted Raiders: Mark Davis' efforts to turn around a once-proud, signature NFL franchise continue, but the Raiders owner can't be trusted to make the right call, Jarrett Bell writes.
- Head coach hot seat rankings: Who might be the next to go after the Raiders fired Josh McDaniels?
- Commanders still eye playoffs, even though trades suggest rebuild: Despite dealing away Chase Young and Montez Sweat at the NFL trade deadline, the Commanders still have postseason aspirations.
- Trade deadline day winners and losers: There was a surprising level of action on Tuesday's deadline day, with some players and teams improving their respective situations as others raised eyebrows.
Fantasy football: Helping you optimize your lineup
Last week was a horrible one for quarterback injuries, and fantasy football owners might be scrambling to find capable passers for their rosters. With four teams on a bye, it's also important to fill those lineup holes. We're here to help!
- Fantasy rankings for Week 9: For your convenience, these position-by-position rankings were updated for this week's games and are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.
- Start 'em and sit 'em players for Week 9: Let’s take a look at some players at each position fantasy managers might be on the fence about having active this week.
- Waiver wire possibilities: If you've got space on your bench or a need to fill on your roster, here are seven players you could target.
- Buy low, sell high: Here's who to target if you're in the market to buy players off a bad week or if you're looking to sell your own players coming off a great performance.
- Biggest fantasy winners at NFL trade deadline: With multiple big names and playmakers on the move Tuesday, these are some of the biggest winners and losers for fantasy managers.
- Sizzlers and fizzlers: These players saw their fantasy values increase or decrease most based on their performances in Week 8.
- Thank you, Taylor Swift, for helping me dominate my fantasy football league: Travis Kelce averages 22.3 fantasy points a game when Taylor Swift is in attendance, and almost five points less when she isn't, Mike Freeman writes.
NFL Week 9 schedule 📅
Bye week: Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers
Thursday
Sunday
- Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Frankfurt, Germany), 9:30 a.m. ET (NFL Network)
- Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Washington Commanders at New England Patriots, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Indianapolis Colts at Carolina Panthers, 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)
- New York Giants at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)
Monday
- Los Angeles Chargers at New York Jets, 8:15 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN and ESPN2)
Talkin' football 🗣
- It's a Football Podcast: Paste BN Sports NFL insiders Safid Deen and Tyler Dragon dish on the latest hot topics surrounding the league. This week's podcast ponders the midseason upheaval in Las Vegas and if the 49ers won the trade deadline.
- NFL Facebook group: Run a post route to The Ruling Off the Field 🏈 to engage in friendly debate and conversation with football fans 🏟.
If you enjoy reading 4th & Monday 📰, encourage your football fan friends to subscribe 📱. Follow the yearningly young-at-heart writer of this newsletter on X, formerly Twitter, @jimreineking ✖ or Threads @jimreineking.