All 16 NFC teams are in action in Week 9, and the conference’s top-heavy division picture is impossible to miss. The Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers are all at least two games over .500, and together they’ve built a 22-8 record. The week starts Thursday night in Baltimore and wraps up with a matchup of first-place teams in the Twin Cities.
One of the biggest numbers belongs to Jacksonville. After Liam Coen inherited a 4-13 team in 2024 and turned it into a 13-4 division winner, the Jaguars are off to a 5-2 start this season.
They’re coming off a 42-7 home win over the Colts, own the NFL’s best scoring differential at plus-85, and have as many wins as Houston, Indianapolis and Tennessee have combined. Those three AFC South teams are 5-18 together, with a minus-121 point differential.
The Colts’ slide has become its own story. Indianapolis is on a four-game losing streak, and only two teams are allowing more total yards per game.
The roster has already changed, too, with left guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner among the stars moved via trade. Shane Steichen’s club was 8-2 not that long ago in 2025, but since then the Colts are 2-13 overall.
They finished the 2025 season on a seven-game skid and are now 2-6 to open 2026.
Detroit’s defense has been shaky at times, but the Lions have steadied themselves after that 2-2 start. They’ve allowed more total yards per game than all but three teams, and no defense is giving up more passing yards per outing.
Still, the last three weeks have looked much cleaner. Dan Campbell’s team gave up 127 points over its first four games, including three games with 30 or more allowed, but has surrendered just 53 points across its last three victories.
In Sunday’s win over the first-place Vikings, Detroit held Minnesota to season lows in both yards, 266, and points, 15.
Seattle has already matched last season’s loss total, and the turnover problem hasn’t gone away. The reigning Super Bowl champions started 2-0, then dropped four of their next six.
On Monday night at Lumen Field, the Bears rolled to a 34-17 win over the Seahawks. Last season, Seattle turned it over 28 times in 17 games; through eight games this year, the Seahawks already have 14 giveaways.
Arizona’s week brought a quarterback change, but the Cardinals’ defense remains the bigger number. Mike LaFleur’s team has already matched last season’s three-win total after last Sunday’s wild 33-30 overtime road win over the Cowboys, yet it has also allowed an NFL-high 238 points.
The Cardinals have given up 30 or more points in six of their eight games. Gardner Minshew is set to take over for Jacoby Brissett, and the point total is worth watching as the season goes on, especially with the 2024 Carolina Panthers’ NFL-record 534 points in mind.
In Other News...
Colts Still Have A Sauce Gardner Debate Fans Cant Ignore
Sauce Gardner has given the Colts what they hoped for when they swung the deal, giving the secondary a proven cornerback who can still tilt a game on the outside. The move was bold from the start, the kind of front-office gamble that invites instant comparison to other recent defensive trades around the league, especially when a team is trying to accelerate its timeline instead of waiting for a homegrown solution.
The debate now is less about whether Gardner can play and more about what Indianapolis gave up to get him, especially with the trade being viewed through the lens of what has happened since. Even with Gardner performing well, the broader verdict has grown harsher because the Colts have had to live with the cost while also navigating the injuries and setbacks that followed, which is why this one still lingers as a front-office decision fans cannot quite let go. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Still Waiting On Two Crucial Calls Before Colts Game
The Cowboys are still sorting through two key injury situations as they prepare for their Week 9 matchup with the Colts, with cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and wide receiver George Pickens both limited in practice. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said both players are hopeful to suit up, but each is still being described as a bit limited as Dallas works through the final stretch of the week.
Their availability matters for a Cowboys team trying to line up as close to full strength as possible before facing Indianapolis. Porters ankle and Pickens hamstring have kept the picture cloudy for now, and the final injury report should give a clearer read on whether either can go or whether Dallas will have to adjust again before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Fans Are Losing Faith As Jonathan Taylor Debate Heats Up
The latest SB Nation Reacts survey paints a bleak picture of where things stand in Indianapolis, with confidence in the franchises direction sinking after four straight losses and a wave of roster turnover. The Colts have already moved on from veterans Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner, and the fan base appears to be absorbing those decisions as part of a larger reset rather than a quick fix.
Jonathan Taylor now sits at the center of that debate, with the conversation around the star running back becoming a referendum on how long this rebuild might take. For a team trying to chart a path forward, the question is no longer just what Taylor means to the offense, but whether keeping him fits the timeline the Colts are really working on. [Read more 🡒]