Week 9 of the NFL season kicked off Thursday with the New York Jets defeating the Houston Texans and ended with the Kansas City Chiefs remaining as the lone unbeaten after taking down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an overtime thriller on “Monday Night Football.”
On Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens blew out the Denver Broncos, and the Buffalo Bills won a thriller over the Miami Dolphins. Later, the Detroit Lions earned their third straight win at Lambeau Field over the Green Bay Packers, and the Los Angeles Rams beat the Seattle Seahawks in overtime.
On “Sunday Night Football,” the Minnesota Vikings ended a two-game skid by topping the Indianapolis Colts.
Our NFL Nation reporters reacted to all the action, answering lingering questions coming out of each game and detailing everything else you need to know for every team. Let’s get to it.
Did the DeAndre Hopkins trade pay for itself in the win over the Bucs? If not, the Chiefs received a good early return on their investment. Playing without four injured wide receivers, the Chiefs leaned heavily on Hopkins, who delivered eight catches for 86 yards and two touchdowns. Hopkins will need to produce similar performances for the Chiefs, at least until JuJu Smith-Schuster and perhaps Hollywood Brown return.
Describe the game in two words: Gritty win. The Chiefs (8-0) and their struggling offense looked to be in trouble while trailing by seven points in the fourth quarter. But they cobbled together two touchdown drives, one with Patrick Mahomes playing on an injured ankle. Then they engineered a 10-play touchdown drive in overtime for the victory.
Most surprising performance: Kareem Hunt was having a tough game, with 16 rushing yards on seven carries in the first half. But he ran seven times for 47 yards on Kansas City’s tying touchdown drive in the second half. He finished with 106 yards on 27 carries and scored the winning touchdown in overtime on a 2-yard run. — Adam Teicher
Next game: vs. Broncos (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
Buccaneers
Can the Bucs manage to climb out of this after dropping three straight? The Bucs fell to 3-5 last season then slipped to 4-7 before winning five out of their final six games. But the difference is that they were aided by a weak NFC South. This season, the Atlanta Falcons (6-3) might run away with the division. The Bucs (4-5) will get some help with wide receiver Mike Evans returning after the Week 11 bye and only one of their remaining opponents (the Los Angeles Chargers) having a record above .500.
Eye-popping stat: Just like the Bucs’ Week 5 loss to Atlanta, their defense surrendered a touchdown in OT while their offense never got an opportunity. Since 2012, when the NFL adopted the current regular-season overtime rules, there have been only three other teams to lose two prime-time games in OT during the same season: the 2015 Dallas Cowboys, the 2021 Chargers and the 2022 Denver Broncos.
Biggest hole in the game plan: All four of the Chiefs’ touchdowns came on third down, with two pitting DeAndre Hopkins against Josh Hayes, who has seeing his first career NFL start. The Bucs didn’t have any other options, with Jamel Dean on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, but this was a tough assignment. — Jenna Laine
Next game: vs. 49ers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
Was there a difference in the offense after the QB change? The Colts had relatively meager offensive production and a passing game that was largely ineffective in the first game since veteran Joe Flacco supplanted second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson. The Flacco-led offense produced two completions for more than 20 yards, and Flacco had some notable misses on open receivers and an ugly interception. Yes, Flacco completed a higher rate of throws than Richardson has, but did he actually prove coach Shane Steichen right when he said Flacco gives the Colts a better chance to win?
Most surprising performance: Colts nose tackle Grover Stewart had an active night as a pass rusher, with the run-stopping interior defensive lineman stepping up with a pair of sacks. Stewart was responsible for the sack-fumble that jarred the ball loose from Darnold in the second quarter, then added another sack later in the quarter. Stewart had six pressures and a half sack entering the game.
Biggest hole in the game plan: Single covering Justin Jefferson: The Colts had the right idea in dedicating more bodies to the pass rush, but it came at a cost. The Colts’ cornerbacks were left in single coverage against the Vikings’ elite receiver, which led to a predictable result (137 yards, most by a Colts opponent this season). The Colts’ young outside corners, Jaylon Jones and Sam Womack III, were no match for Jefferson without deep safety help. — Stephen Holder
Next game: vs. Bills (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)
