NFL Week 9 storylines to watch: AFC heavyweight matchups, NFC East showdown, Raiders reset - The Athletic

Believe it or not, we’re already at the halfway point of the season. And already, the NFL has featured no shortage of drama.

We’ve had one head coach-general manager duo fired, and others find themselves on the hot seat as their teams appear headed for disappointing finishes.

The next four weeks should tell us a lot about the contenders and pretenders. Who remains on top? Which teams will manage to rebound from slow starts, and which will absolutely crumble under pressure?

We’ll soon find out.

Here are five of the leading storylines to follow during the Week 9 action. (Find the NFL Week 9 schedule here.)

GO DEEPER

Trade deadline, Raiders fallout, blockbuster Week 9 slate: Our NFL writers discuss

1. International affair

The Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins kick off Sunday’s action with a showdown in Germany. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs (6-2) aim to get back on track after having their six-game win streak snapped last week against the Denver Broncos, while the Dolphins (6-2) look to protect their lead in the AFC East.

This is a matchup featuring dynamic quarterback/pass-catcher tandems. Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce enter the game with 50 regular-season touchdown connections between them. With two more touchdown hookups Sunday, Mahomes and Kelce can surpass Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham (51) for third place on the all-time list for a quarterback-tight end duo.

Meanwhile, Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa and wide receiver Tyreek Hill look to continue the blistering pace at which they have opened the season. Hill leads the NFL with 1,014 receiving yards and needs 91 on Sunday to break his own record (set last year) for most receiving yards through nine games. Tagovailoa leads the NFL with 2,416 passing yards, while Mahomes ranks third with 2,257. The fans in Frankfurt should be treated to a game full of fireworks. (Dolphins vs. Chiefs, 9:30 a.m. ET Sunday.)

Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have combined for 50 touchdown connections during their careers. (David Eulitt / Getty Images)

2. Measuring stick game

Another pair of divisional leaders face off as the Baltimore Ravens welcome the Seattle Seahawks to M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Riding a three-game winning streak, the Ravens look like one of the more well-rounded teams in the league. Lamar Jackson has found comfort in new coordinator Todd Monken’s offense, completing 70.5 percent of his passes while putting together another MVP-caliber season. Baltimore’s defense is turning in a dominant season, holding teams to just 15.1 points and 276.5 yards per game.

The Ravens will serve as a good test for the Seahawks, who lead the NFC West and spent the last week working to further upgrade their defense by signing Frank Clark and trading for Leonard Williams. The Seahawks have exhibited improvement since their blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1. But a narrow defeat (17-13) to the Cincinnati Bengals snapped a three-game win streak in Week 6. How will they fare against another talented AFC North squad? (Seahawks at Ravens, 1 p.m. ET Sunday.)

3. Raiders reset, again

Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis pulled the plug on Josh McDaniels after just 25 games, and former Pro Bowler and Raiders linebackers coach Antonio Pierce takes over as interim head coach. It’s the third time in the last 10 years that the Raiders have had an interim head coach, and Pierce becomes the seventh coach during that time span to lead the team. Can he rejuvenate the squad? Players already are talking about how much lighter and free they feel after just two days under Pierce.

How will it translate onto the field Sunday when the Raiders face one of Pierce’s former teams, the New York Giants? The Raiders have talent at key positions but holes and question marks at others, including quarterback, where rookie Aidan O’Connell will start as the team is seemingly poised to end the brief Jimmy Garoppolo era. (Giants at Raiders, 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.)

GO DEEPER

Raiders embracing new energy with Antonio Pierce: 'We’re not walking on eggshells'

4. Classic NFC East showdown

When it comes to NFC East rivalries, it doesn’t get much better than Cowboys–Eagles. This week, NFC-leading Philadelphia (7-1) welcomes Dallas (5-2) for a matchup that features the top two teams in one of the league’s most storied divisions. In the last seven seasons, both the Eagles and Cowboys have won the NFC East three times. However, Dallas has won four of the last five meetings with Philly, including a 40-34 shootout last Christmas Eve with Jalen Hurts sidelined with an injury.

The Eagles will try to give themselves an early cushion in the division, while the Cowboys aim to take steps toward overtaking their hosts. To do so, Dallas will have to slow one of the top offensive attacks in the game — a tall task. That Hurts-to-A.J. Brown connection is as strong as they come. Brown is riding a historic six-game streak of games with at least 125 receiving yards. However, the Cowboys have yet to allow 100 yards to a receiver this season. Which streak ends this week? (Cowboys at Eagles, 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.)

GO DEEPER

NFC East roundtable: Commanders, Giants chart new paths at trade deadline; Cowboys stay quiet

5. Key AFC playoff preview?

The Cincinnati Bengals welcome the Buffalo Bills for a “Sunday Night Football” matchup that could serve as a postseason preview. And the outcome of this tilt between two of the AFC’s elite teams could help determine playoff seeding. Joe Burrow and the Bengals enter Sunday on a three-game win streak after stumbling out to a 1-3 start to the season. Meanwhile, Josh Allen and the Bills have had an up-and-down last several weeks, going 2-2 since their 3-1 start.

Will this be a hotly-contested, high-scoring shootout? The potential seems strong. However, the last meeting between these teams (last season’s divisional playoff matchup) saw the Bengals dispatch the Bills 27-10 on the road. Who gains the upper hand this time? (Bills at Bengals, 8:20 p.m. ET Sunday.)

(Top photos: Ben Liebenberg / Associated Press; Brad Mills, Mark Konezny / USA Today)

---

“The Football 100,” the definitive ranking of the NFL’s best 100 players of all time, is on sale now. Order it here.

Adblock test (Why?)

Read Again Brow https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiTmh0dHBzOi8vdGhlYXRobGV0aWMuY29tLzUwMjY0NDQvMjAyMy8xMS8wNS9uZmwtd2Vlay05LXNjaGVkdWxlLWdhbWVzLW1hdGNodXBzL9IBVGh0dHBzOi8vdGhlYXRobGV0aWMuY29tLzUwMjY0NDQvMjAyMy8xMS8wNS9uZmwtd2Vlay05LXNjaGVkdWxlLWdhbWVzLW1hdGNodXBzLz9hbXA9MQ?oc=5

Bagikan Berita Ini