Week 9 shook up both playoff races, and the biggest swing in the NFC came from Green Bay. Jordan Love carved up the Patriots in a 45-27 win, a performance that kept the Packers in the hunt and tightened the picture as the second half of the season starts to take shape.
The Packers’ latest surge is hard to ignore. Love threw for 372 yards and three touchdowns as Green Bay picked up its fifth win in its past six weeks. At 6-3, the Packers are now in the NFC playoff mix and head back to Lambeau next Sunday for a crucial NFC North meeting with the Vikings.
Minnesota, meanwhile, will finish Week 9 on Monday night against the Bills. The Vikings are 6-1 and sitting in the NFC’s No. 2 spot, but the offense has been uneven for much of the year, scoring 20-plus points only twice. With Carson Wentz set to start in place of the injured Kyler Murray, the Vikings could also be in the market for a quarterback before Tuesday’s deadline.
Detroit stayed right in the thick of things too. Jake Bates kicked four field goals to lift the Lions to a 19-9 win over the Dolphins in Miami, moving Detroit to 6-2 and giving the club its third straight victory. The Lions now head to Germany next Sunday for a matchup with the Patriots in Munich.
Chicago is also climbing. The Bears are 6-2 and hold the NFC’s No. 6 spot entering Sunday night, but a win over the Buccaneers would move them up to No.
- Since Caleb Williams returned from a hamstring injury, Chicago has won three in a row and is being talked about as a legitimate Super Bowl contender as the season moves deeper into November.
The Giants continue to own the NFC East at 5-2-1. They’ve won two straight since handing the offense to J.J.
McCarthy, including a 19-9 win over the Eagles, and now have two winnable games ahead against the Commanders and Colts over the next three weeks. Dallas sits next in the division at 4-5 after holding off the Colts 27-23.
San Francisco also bounced back in a big way. After a Week 7 loss to the Falcons and a bye last weekend, the 49ers beat the Raiders 38-17 to improve to 7-1. They’ll travel to Dallas next before a Week 11 matchup with the 6-1 Vikings that could carry major weight in the NFC standings.
At the bottom of the NFC playoff race, Tampa Bay took advantage of Carolina’s loss and moved into first place in the NFC South at 3-5. But the Buccaneers could be right back behind the Panthers if they lose to the Bears on Sunday night.
Elsewhere in the NFC, the Seahawks sit at 4-4, the Rams are 5-4, and the Cowboys are 4-5.
In the AFC, Buffalo remains in control of the No. 1 seed at 6-1 and will close out Week 9 against the Vikings on Monday night. The Bills’ offense is scoring a league-high 33.3 points per game, while Minnesota’s defense is allowing a league-low 13.3 points per game, setting up a matchup of strengths on both sides.
Denver kept rolling too. The Broncos improved to 7-2 with a 26-21 win over the Panthers, their fifth straight victory, even after being outgained for the fourth time in five weeks. That result keeps Denver in charge of the AFC West for another week, and with both games against the Chiefs already in the books, the Broncos are in a strong position to win their second straight division title.
Jacksonville continued to look like one of the AFC’s top teams. The Jaguars beat the Ravens 33-10 on Thursday night, got a sixth 100-plus passer rating game this season from Trevor Lawrence, and forced three Baltimore turnovers. At 6-2, they now get a favorable stretch, including two games against the 1-7 Titans in the next three weeks.
Pittsburgh stayed atop the AFC North at 6-2 despite being on bye. The Steelers hold the tiebreaker over the Bengals by conference winning percentage and will face Cincinnati next Sunday night before a stretch that includes games against the Broncos, Texans and Jaguars.
Kansas City got back on track in a hurry. After losses to the Seahawks and Broncos in Weeks 7 and 8, the Chiefs crushed the Jets 35-12 and moved to 6-2. Kenneth Walker III powered another strong rushing effort, and Kansas City remains in the wild-card chase while still within reach of the AFC West.
Cincinnati also handled its business. The Bengals beat the Falcons 34-17 behind Joe Burrow’s sharp day, as the quarterback completed 83% of his passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns with a 140.1 passer rating. The Bengals are 6-2, have won four straight since their 2-2 start, and look like a real AFC threat as the trade deadline nears.
New England’s loss to Green Bay dropped the Patriots to 5-4, leaving them barely clinging to the final AFC spot. They’ll head to Germany next weekend for a game against the Lions in Munich before a Week 11 bye. The Browns are 5-4, the Raiders are 4-5, and the Ravens are 4-5 behind them in the AFC race.
In Other News...
Steelers May Already Be Winning The Joey Porter Jr. Trade
Joey Porter Jr.s first season in Dallas has been a reminder that even a big-name trade can come with plenty of baggage. The Cowboys paid significant draft capital to land the cornerback from Pittsburgh, but Porter has been in and out of the lineup and has not been able to carve out a consistent role when he is active, leaving the deal under a brighter spotlight than Dallas likely expected.
From the Steelers side, the early returns look a lot cleaner. Pittsburgh moved Porter and got future draft picks back, while Dallas is still waiting to see whether the trade will pay off before Porter reaches unrestricted free agency after the season. For now, the balance of value appears to be tilting toward the team that was willing to move on. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Head To Cincinnati With First Place Suddenly On The Line
A trip to Cincinnati suddenly comes with a lot more than the usual AFC North edge. Pittsburgh and the Bengals both arrive at 6-2, both riding four-game winning streaks, and the winner will leave Week 10 in a far better spot in the race for first place. For a Steelers team that has spent the last month building momentum, this is the kind of matchup that can sharpen a seasons direction in a hurry.
The division picture got even more interesting elsewhere, with Baltimore making a major quarterback change after placing Lamar Jackson on injured reserve and turning to Jacoby Brissett. For Pittsburgh, that only adds to the sense that the next stretch can reshape the standings quickly, especially with the Steelers still trying to protect their own place at the top. Off the field, the organization also had a scare involving legend Jack Ham, who was hospitalized but reported to be alert while undergoing tests. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Trade Target Suddenly Comes With A Serious New Concern
The Steelers are still expected to explore the wide receiver market before the 2026 NFL trade deadline, and Calvin Ridley had been one of the names tied to that search. Pittsburgh has been looking for help at the position, and Ridleys profile as a potential target made sense on paper, even as his recent performance has trended in the wrong direction.
Now there is another layer to weigh. The Titans confirmed Ridley was involved in an incident at Nashville International Airport, but offered no further explanation, and that uncertainty only adds to the questions surrounding a player whose on-field production has already raised some concern. For a Steelers front office trying to balance need with risk, that kind of development can change the conversation quickly. [Read more 🡒]