Week 9 NFL Capsules
Miami Dolphins (6-2) at Kansas City Chiefs (6-2): The Dolphins aren’t getting much attention for their defense, but with safety Jevon Holland (concussion) back in the lineup a week after cornerback Jalen Ramsey (knee) returned, Miami has potential to be menacing for teams without multiple threats in the passing game. Enter the Chiefs, who looked mortal at Denver in a 24-9 loss, the third time this season they’ve been held under 20 points. The Chiefs find themselves in unfamiliar territory — no, not the Frankfurt, Germany part — going conservative to keep the ball away from Tua Tagovailoa and former KC No. 1 receiver Tyreek Hill. The Chiefs’ passing defense is no slouch, allowing 176.1 yards per game in 2023. Hill is already over 1,000 receiving yards and has 61 catches, more than twice the number for the Chiefs’ leading wide receiver (Rashee Rice, 30). Tagovailoa has 18 TD passes, tied with Kirk Cousins for the NFL lead, but far more weapons to lean on than Patrick Mahomes. What’s uncertain is the merit of the Dolphins’ position in the AFC pecking order. Miami is winless (0-2) against teams with winning records this season.
Minnesota Vikings (4-4) at Atlanta Falcons (4-4): Imagining a more chaotic week of quarterback change for two teams going head-to-head isn’t easy to fathom. The Vikings lost Kirk Cousins (Achilles) for the season just as he got Minnesota back to .500 following an 0-3 start. Atlanta benched Desmond Ridder “for this week” with turnovers becoming a detrimental factor. That sets up a save-your-ticket-stub type of QB pairing not to be confused with Montana-Elway: Vikings rookie Jaren Hall gets the call against journeyman Taylor Heinicke. Heinicke makes his first start for the first-place Falcons but the 30-year-old is 12-12-1 as a starter in his career. Minnesota’s toothy defense depends on chaos caused by blitzing more than 57 percent of snaps. DE Danielle Hunter has 10 of Minnesota’s 23 sacks, but if the mobile Heinicke can get Atlanta aligned and see the pressure coming, big plays are possible. Opponents complete 72.2 percent of their passes and converted third downs 43.5 percent of the time. Hall could benefit from a more reliable rushing attack and the Vikings are pushing Cam Akers ahead of Alexander Mattison in search of a spark.
Arizona Cardinals (1-7) at Cleveland Browns (4-3): Rookie Clayton Tune jumped to the front of the line at QB this week when starter Joshua Dobbs was traded to the Vikings. Dobbs was expendable with Kyler Murray nearing his return from a December 2022 ACL tear. Tune’s task would be to get the best of the NFL’s No. 1-ranked pass defense spearheaded by DE Myles Garrett (8.5 sacks). Arizona has averaged just 318.6 total yards and 18.9 points per game. In other words, the margin for error is miniscule. Cleveland coughed up the ball on a late-game interception by PJ Walker to lose at Seattle in Week 8. Deshaun Watson, sidelined with a bruised rotator cuff, said he’s getting stronger and the Browns plan to welcome him back Sunday. But the last time Watson deemed himself ready, he wasn’t, and Walker ended up finishing the game. Walker has six turnovers and one touchdown, and the Browns are also without All-Pro running back Nick Chubb (knee) for the rest of the season. Following this game, the Browns enter a stretch of pivotal AFC North games: at Baltimore next week, followed by a date with the Steelers.
Los Angeles Rams (3-5) at Green Bay Packers (2-5): Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said publicly the next 10 games are critical for QB Jordan Love, whose future with the franchise is likely tied to his performance the rest of the way. Three losses (Falcons, Raiders, Broncos) ended with Love having a chance to win the game but failing to get the Packers points. Green Bay enters on a four-game losing streak but could get a break if Matthew Stafford (sprained thumb) can’t play. Backup Brett Rypien is untested and the Rams lost their leading rusher, rookie Kyren Williams, to a knee injury two weeks ago. Green Bay’s rushing game isn’t exactly dangerous. Aaron Jones is off to a slow start this season. He has yet to rush for more than 45 yards in any of his four games after surpassing that mark in nine of 17 games last season. Love has 11 touchdown passes but his eight interceptions are tied for second-most in the NFL.
Washington Commanders (3-5) at New England Patriots (2-6): Even with losses in five of the past six games, Commanders coach Ron Rivera appears convinced Sam Howell is the right man to lead Washington forward. With showings like last week against the Eagles, it’s easy to buy the argument. Howell have four touchdown passes and put up 31 points against Philadelphia for the second time this season. But he has nine turnovers (eight INTs) and has been sacked 41 times in 2023. With a running game averaging 85.9 yards per game, Howell is being asked to carry a heavy burden. In the team’s four losses in the past five games, the Patriots scored a combined 37 total points compared to 29 in the lone win during that stretch. The Patriots’ top two rushers, Rhamondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott, are both averaging less than 4.0 yards per carry and the ground game (84.4 yards per game) isn’t a threat. Falling behind in games places the onus on Jones, as New England is being outscored 118-53 in the first half this season.
Chicago Bears (2-6) at New Orleans Saints (4-4): The Bears traded a 2024 second-round draft choice to the Commanders in return for DE Montez Sweat to try and upgrade one of the NFL’s weakest pass rushes. General manager Ryan Poles, who previously traded pass rushers Robert Quinn and Khalil Mack out of Chicago, called Sweat “a huge addition” to a defense with an NFL-worst 10 sacks. Sweat has 6.5 sacks so far this season, giving him a total of 35.5 in five seasons. Rookie QB Tyson Bagent will make his third straight start in place of Justin Fields, who continues to rehab a thumb injury. Bagent completed 25 of 37 for 232 yards but was intercepted twice in a 30-13 loss to the Chargers last Sunday in Los Angeles. New Orleans had lost four of five before recording its highest-scoring performance in the last 20 games in a 38-27 victory at Indianapolis last Sunday. Just in time for Sweat’s arrival, New Orleans changed the left side of the offensive line because guard James Hurst missed the last two games due to injury, and Trevor Penning was benched three games ago. Andrus Peat moved from guard to tackle, and Max Garcia started at guard. The Saints had season highs of 350 passing yards, 161 rushing yards and 511 total yards against the Colts. It was the third consecutive game in which they gained 400 yards.
Seattle Seahawks (5-2) at Baltimore Ravens (6-2): Division leaders separated by 2,300 miles duel in Maryland with critical matchups against more familiar rivals dead ahead. The Seahawks moved past struggling San Francisco and into first place in the NFC West with last Sunday’s 24-20 victory against visiting Cleveland. Geno Smith threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 38 seconds remaining for the winning score. “Our team is such a scrappy team. We find ways to win no matter what,” Smith said. “I feel like if I can play up to my capabilities, play up to my standard, who knows where we can be. Because we’re one of the best teams in football if we play right.” Seattle’s defense has been a big reason why it is atop the division. Over the past four games, the Seahawks have allowed a total of nine second-half points and zero touchdowns. They also acquired DT Leonard Williams from the Giants this week. The Ravens have used their usual ground-and-pound approach to build a 1 1/2-game lead in the AFC North. They labored offensively at Arizona last week, with just 268 yards of total offense. Gus Edwards ran for three touchdowns — two after interceptions — as the Ravens came away with a 31-24 victory, their third in a row.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4) at Houston Texans (3-4): Despite losing three in a row, Tampa Bay resides in the NFC South, where front-running Atlanta is only a half-game ahead with a matching record and has made a quarterback change. The Texans are 2 1/2 games behind streaking Jacksonville in the AFC South. The Buccaneers’ position might have influenced their thinking when New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas came calling with a trade proposal involving their top wide receiver, Mike Evans. Playing his 10th season, Evans is on his way to his 10th 1,000-yard season with 507 yards on 33 receptions.
Tampa Bay’s decision not to trade means quarterback Baker Mayfield retains his most reliable target. Mayfield is enjoying the most accurate season of his career at 64.2 percent with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. He intends to make the start Sunday despite a knee contusion. Mayfield and the Bucs are looking to revive an offense that has struggled during their recent slide. They’ve managed just 37 points during the losing streak. The Texans missed a chance to get over the .500 mark last week with a 15-13 loss at previously winless Carolina. The Texans managed only 229 total yards against a team ranked 30th in the NFL in scoring defense at more than 28 points per game. That’s part of a recent trend for Houston, which after averaging 24 points and 368.5 yards per game in the first four games has regressed to 17.3 ppg and 279.7 yards per game in the past three games.
Indianapolis Colts (3-5) at Carolina Panthers (1-6): Frank Reich scored his first win with the Panthers last week, just in time to roll out the red carpet for the team that fired him one year ago. Reich would love to dish out a defeat to the Colts on the near-anniversary of being canned. Indianapolis has lost three games in a row to fall from the top of the AFC South to the bottom. Carolina is last in the NFC South and faces a sharp turnaround to a short week date with the Chicago Bears (2-6) next Thursday. “We’ve got to just continue to find ways for us to take the next step,” Reich said. Reich had a 40-33-1 record in four-plus seasons with the Colts. He was fired Nov. 7, 2022. The Colts are consistently putting up points and are the only team with at least 20 in every game this season. But blending the running game to preserve leads — and prevent self-inflicted wounds from QB Gardner Minshew (four fumbles, five interceptions) — remains a challenge. The Colts’ defense has been part of the issue, allowing an NFL-high 28.6 points per game. Carolina is averaging 18.1 points per game (25th in the NFL).
New York Giants (2-6) at Las Vegas Raiders (3-5): Points are a problem for two teams in and out of disarray since Week 1. The Giants started 6-2 last season but enter with the opposite record for numerous reasons. Anyone tuning in to this late afternoon kickoff to see TE Darren Waller’s return to Las Vegas can skip it. Waller could be headed to IR with a hamstring injury. But there are still a few storylines simmering after dramatic ends to October for both franchises. The Raiders fired GM Dave Ziegler, head coach Josh McDaniels and offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi. Former Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce was promoted to interim head coach, and promptly benched Jimmy Garoppolo in favor of rookie Aidan O’Connell. The Giants have been decimated by injuries and haven’t scored more than 16 points since beating Arizona 31-28 on Sept. 17. New York gets QB Daniel Jones back and could be healthier on the offensive line than at any point this season with both offensive tackles in line to play. The Giants have allowed 41 sacks and must contend with Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby (6.5 sacks). Las Vegas has scored over 18 points just once this season and has four offensive touchdowns in the past four games.
Dallas Cowboys (5-2) at Philadelphia Eagles (7-1): November games don’t typically settle division titles in the NFL, but there’s plenty of anticipation for the top two teams in the NFC East to meet for the first time this season. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is 8-3 as a starter against the Eagles, completing 67.5 percent of his passes for 2,757 yards with 19 TDs and eight picks. All the Eagles did last week was add an All-Pro safety, trading for Kevin Byard of the Titans, to shore up one of their few defensive weaknesses. The Eagles allowed 31 points to the Commanders for the second time this season, but won last week on a huge performance from Jalen Hurts. He matched his career high with four TD passes and matched his season high — set in the first meeting with Washington in Week 4 — with 319 passing yards against Washington. Hurts (shoulder) didn’t play in the December loss to Dallas last season and Prescott (hand) didn’t play when the Cowboys lost at Philadelphia in Oct. 2022. Dallas’ defense gives up 17.1 points per game and has nine interceptions, including three returned for touchdowns by cornerback DaRon Bland. Hurts is 1-2 in his career against the Cowboys.
Buffalo Bills (5-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (4-3): Cincinnati knocked the Bills out of the AFC playoffs with a 27-10 win in the divisional round last season, and the Bengals are on a three-game winning streak that corresponds with QB Joe Burrow (calf) saying he’s healthy. His play backs up the claim. Burrow completed 28 of 32 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns against the 49ers last week. He also completed 19 consecutive passes, one shy of Ken Anderson’s team record set on Jan. 3, 1983. The Bills are fourth in the NFL with 27 sacks, which could limit the amount of time the Bengals have to separate from Buffalo’s man coverage. Burrow said he won’t be thinking about the last game at this site between the teams, in January, when the game was canceled due to the medical emergency involving Bills safety Damar Hamlin. The Bills also claim their focus is on this week and enter with a little extra rest, having defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24-18, on Oct. 26. Bills quarterback Josh Allen needed the time off. He is dealing with an injured right shoulder and wasn’t a full participant in practice. Allen will be going against Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson, with whom he played collegiately at Wyoming in 2016 and 2017.
–Field Level Media