Week 9 brings more than the headline games, and a few matchups outside the usual spotlight could end up stealing the weekend. With the trade deadline looming on Nov. 10 at 4 p.m.
ET, this is also the kind of week when front offices are watching closely and rumors keep circling. That backdrop gives these games a little extra juice.
The first one comes early and with a twist: Bengals vs. Falcons on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 9:30 a.m.
ET on NFL Network, with the international setting in Spain adding its own flavor. Cincinnati and Atlanta arrive off completely different kinds of Sundays.
Michael Penix was picked off four times in the Falcons’ 16-0 loss to the Buccaneers, while Joe Burrow answered with five touchdown passes and the overtime game-winner in the Bengals’ 43-36 win over the Titans.
That contrast makes the passing game the obvious place to focus. Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase have been a headache for secondaries all season, and the numbers back it up: Higgins is second in yards per game at 103.7, while Chase sits 16th at 70.3.
The Bengals also lead the league in passing yards per game at 288.4, and Atlanta’s defense is allowing 223.4 passing yards per game, right in the middle of the pack. Cincinnati comes in at 5-2; Atlanta is 3-5, but has shown enough flashes to make this one feel a little less predictable than the records suggest.
Broncos vs. Panthers is another matchup that could sneak up on people, even without the divisional or conference angle.
It’s set for Sunday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
Denver is coming off a massive divisional win over the Chiefs, a game that went down to the final play, and the Broncos now sit atop the AFC West with a four-game winning streak. Carolina, meanwhile, is trying to stop a two-game slide and keep its footing in the NFC South despite a season full of uneven stretches.
There’s a clean statistical clash here, too. The Panthers are ninth in yards per game at 363.7, while the Broncos defense has given up the eighth-most yards per game at 355.3. The trade deadline adds another layer, with Denver heavily linked to running back Jonathan Taylor, one of the top names on the market.
Then there’s Buccaneers vs. Bears, a game that carries a different kind of intrigue because both teams are coming off wins in very different ways.
Tampa Bay beat the Falcons 16-0 without completing a pass, leaning on the ground game in the rain as Bucky Irving ran for 170 yards and Kenneth Gainwell added 140. Chicago, meanwhile, has won three straight, including a primetime victory last week over the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks.
The quarterback matchup between Baker Mayfield and Caleb Williams gives this one real pop, especially with both teams sitting second in their divisions and trying to keep playoff hopes moving in the right direction. The Bears are the stronger team and the more likely one to make a deeper postseason run, but Tampa Bay is settling back in with Mayfield’s return and could keep improving as the season rolls on. Another name to keep an eye on is defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, who will be playing his second game with the Bears after a blockbuster trade with the Titans.
In Other News...
Bucs Suddenly Have A Reliable Edge At The Perfect Time
Chase McLaughlin has quietly become one of the most dependable pieces on Tampa Bays roster, and the timing could hardly be better. The kicker was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month after a spotless October, when he converted all 18 of his kicks and drilled seven field goals, a stretch that pushed him to the top of the NFL scoring race and extended his run of made field goals to 19 straight.
For a Buccaneers team trying to keep its footing as the season moves deeper into November, having that kind of stability on special teams matters. There was also some encouraging movement elsewhere on the practice field, with receiver Emeka Egbuka back after a foot injury and defensive lineman Elijah Roberts returning from illness, giving Tampa Bay a little more depth as it waits to see how the rest of the week unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Suddenly Face A Tristan Wirfs Concern Before Bears Game
A late-week injury report has put a familiar name in a less comfortable spot for Tampa Bay heading into its Week 9 matchup with the Bears. Left tackle Tristan Wirfs was added after missing practice because of a toe injury, leaving his status for Sunday uncertain at a position the Buccaneers can least afford to shuffle.
If Wirfs is unable to go, the next man up would likely be Ben Chukwuma at left tackle, a significant development for an offensive line that has to help keep the game plan on schedule. Todd Bowles is expected to update Wirfs status in the coming media sessions, and for now the Buccaneers are left waiting on one of their most important players. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Defense Faces Its Biggest Test Yet Against The Bears
The Buccaneers have steadied themselves with three wins in their last four games and are right back in the NFC South chase, but the next stretch will say plenty about how real that push is. Chicago brings a different kind of challenge, with Caleb Williams at the controls and Ben Johnson guiding an offense that has started to look dangerous, while the Bears also added defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to bolster a roster that already has a lot of punch on both sides of the ball.
For Tampa Bay, the most intriguing part of this matchup may be the one area it has protected best: the run game at the line of scrimmage. The Bears want to lean on their ground attack, but the Buccaneers have made a habit of making teams work for every yard there, and this is the kind of test that can tell you whether that strength holds up against a more complete opponent. [Read more 🡒]