With November here, the NFL calendar is starting to feel a little more serious. The Patriots are back in action Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET against the Green Bay Packers, but there’s plenty else on the board this weekend if you’re tracking the bigger picture.
Here’s the Week 9 rooting guide for the non-Patriots games.
On Thursday night, the pick is the Baltimore Ravens over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Baltimore is working through life with its third-string quarterback, and that quarterback is banged up too. Still, that’s the side to pull for.
Sunday’s early window brings a few clear calls. The Dallas Cowboys are the choice over the Indianapolis Colts, even if the Colts’ season is already described as spiritually over and headed toward a major rebuilding process. The logic is simple: as long as there’s any theoretical chance they could catch fire, it’s safer to root against that.
The New York Jets are the preferred outcome against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Patriots already hold a major edge over their division rivals in both the standings and the head-to-head tiebreaker, so siding with the Jets fits the playoff math.
The Detroit Lions are the pick over the Miami Dolphins. With the Patriots’ Week 10 opponent visiting their Week 8 opponent, the NFC team is the better result here. It’s not quite time to start thinking about draft-position damage, but that day is coming.
And in Cleveland Browns at New Orleans Saints, the Saints are the team to root for. It’s another straightforward AFC-over-NFC decision, and the NFC side gets the nod.
In Other News...
Belichicks Hall Of Fame Push Just Got Real For Patriots Fans
Bill Belichick is back in the Hall of Fame conversation, and for Patriots fans the timing makes the whole thing feel a little more real. He is one of five coaching candidates nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2027, joining Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Dan Reeves and Mike Shanahan after the Halls coaching subcommittee trimmed an original field of 14 nominees.
Only one of those names will make the final class, with the announcement coming in February before the enshrinement in August in Canton, Ohio. For New England, Belichicks candidacy is less a surprise than a reminder of how quickly the next chapter of his legacy is arriving, and how much attention the Hall will draw as it sorts through a group of coaches with championship rsums and long-standing cases of their own. [Read more 🡒]
Belichick And Kraft Just Reignited A Patriots Hall Of Fame Debate
Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft are back in the same Hall of Fame conversation, this time as finalists for the 2027 Pro Football Hall of Fame class in the coach and contributor categories. The list is a broad one, with 15 finalists spread across categories, and the selection committee will trim it down before the class is announced during NFL Honors in February 2027. For Patriots fans, it is another reminder of how much the franchises modern identity is tied to two men whose partnership defined an era.
The process still has plenty of moving parts, with a 25-person committee set to decide which names make the cut and an induction class expected to land somewhere between three and seven honorees. If both end up in Canton, it would only sharpen the long-running debate around how the dynasty should be remembered and who gets the clearest credit for it. The enshrinement ceremony is scheduled for August in Canton, Ohio, but for now the bigger question is whether New Englands most influential coach and owner will get in together. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Trade Deadline Fit Could Be Exactly What Drake Maye Needs
The Patriots have spent much of the season looking for more juice in their passing game, and the lack of reliable help at receiver has only made life harder for Drake Maye. With the trade deadline approaching, Indianapolis wideout Josh Downs has emerged as a name worth watching for New England, especially for a team that could use a player who fits quickly and gives the offense a cleaner path forward.
Downs would make sense for more than just the obvious need at the position. He already has a built-in familiarity with Maye from their time together at North Carolina, which could help shorten the adjustment period if the Patriots decide to make a move. For a young quarterback still trying to settle into the NFL, that kind of connection can matter, and it is the sort of detail that can make a deadline swing feel more practical than flashy. [Read more 🡒]