The Nov. 4 trade deadline dominates discussion as Week 9 reaches Sunday.
But The Athletic’s Zak Keefer, Mike Sando and Jeff Howe see plenty more dominating headlines, such as a few quarterbacks returning from injury, a pair of top-tier defenses on display when the Denver Broncos meet the Houston Texans and, of course, another showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, which feels like its own holiday on the NFL calendar at this point.
What else intrigues our writers this week? Read more below.
A pair of QB returns are expected this week, with the Minnesota Vikings (at Detroit Lions) getting J.J. McCarthy back and Kyler Murray (limited in Friday’s practice) potentially returning for the Arizona Cardinals (vs. Dallas Cowboys). Which team has reason to feel more confident their starter is back?
Sando: The fact this is even a question reflects poorly on Arizona’s paying Murray as though he’s an upper-tier QB. McCarthy has barely played and has yet to play well. How could the Vikings feel confident about him in the short term at all? I’ll bet Minnesota would rather have Murray for the next month.
Keefer: The answer needs to be Arizona; otherwise, the Cardinals are going to face some serious questions at season’s end about Murray’s future and where this franchise is headed. The reality with McCarthy is he’s played one good quarter and seven lousy ones and has now missed 23 of his last 25 games because of injury. For the Vikings, the rest of this season will be about where the arrow is pointing in January with regard to McCarthy. He needs to show he can stay on the field before he can prove he’s the future.
Howe: If confidence is based on prior production, this is an easy one, but I don’t want to jump off everything Sando and Keefer already said. So I’ll say the Vikings because they’ve staked their future on McCarthy. The Vikings’ decision to roll into 2025 with McCarthy as the starter should tell us all about their confidence in the 2024 first-rounder, even if he’s yet to show a lot in game action. Kevin O’Connell has earned enough goodwill with his history of QB development — and his own experience at the position — to know McCarthy couldn’t possibly be an overnight success story. His trajectory will take time, as with any other young QB, and the Vikings should feel confident in their plan.
The Indianapolis Colts are on the road versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. Daniel Jones’ revival could parlay into an extension. What does his play this year say about the league’s tendency to give up on QBs? We thought the Steelers might run away with the AFC North, but could their defense sink their season? (They just traded for safety Kyle Dugger.)
Sando: It’s easier to play for a pretty good Colts team in that market with no one expecting much from you than it is to play for a pretty bad New York Giants team in that market with sky-high expectations for you.
Keefer: It’s obvious how utterly happy Daniel Jones is in Indianapolis this season. It’s hard to blame him, especially after the nightmare end in New York. He’s playing for the hottest play caller in football, Shane Steichen, lining up behind one of the best offensive lines in football and handing it off to the most explosive player in the league, Jonathan Taylor. I explored the league’s tendency to give up on QBs too soon extensively before the season. Jones is adding the latest chapter. As for the Steelers, they’re showing us they have a ceiling. An inexcusable loss to the Cincinnati Bengals was followed by a no-show second half against the Green Bay Packers. There are two games left against the Baltimore Ravens; Baltimore has the edge in the AFC North despite a 3-5 record.
Howe: I hit on the Jones question in this week’s QB Stock Report. As for the Steelers, their defense is a major issue, and they should be extremely concerned over their inability to adjust to Joe Flacco and the Bengals’ pared-down game plan before completely falling apart late against the Packers. They’re talented, and I recently spoke to a defensive coordinator who couldn’t understand why they were underperforming to such a degree. If the Steelers don’t improve quickly, their schedule is tricky enough to open the door for the Ravens or Bengals.
Broncos-Texans has two of the league’s best defenses on the same field. Denver is coming off yet another impressive win but will miss star cornerback Pat Surtain II, who suffered a pectoral injury. Houston handled the San Francisco 49ers last week but still has a way to go to turn its season around. What do we think of this matchup?
Sando: I favor Denver because the Broncos’ offense, though inconsistent, is probably better than the Texans’ offense. That said, Denver hasn’t played a defense like Houston’s defense. There could be turnovers.
Keefer: The Broncos have put up 77 points across their last five quarters, dating to that wild 33-point fourth-quarter eruption against the Giants. This team is playing like one of the best in the AFC. I still am hesitant to trust the Texans’ offense — particularly the line — although last week was the most encouraging outing of the season.
Howe: I’m still not sure what to make of either team. The Broncos are improving, but I’m not ready to get excited about their recent stretch considering the competition. But if this offense keeps it rolling on the road against the Texans’ surging defense, I’ll be a lot more impressed. The Texans are getting more interesting, too. The offense doesn’t have it figured out yet, but it is showing more flashes. Also, the Texans’ four losses have come against three teams in the playoff picture, along with the Jaguars, who were the No. 7 seed before dropping out during their bye week. So their early struggles are understandable, but the Texans do have to start beating good teams to be taken more seriously.
Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has a test against a tough Houston Texans defense Sunday. (Ron Chenoy / Imagn Images)
Chiefs-Bills feels like an annual holiday on the league calendar at this point. Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen meet yet again with a decent chance this won’t be the only time their teams face each other this season. What’s different about this matchup this time around?
Sando: The Chiefs are playing better on offense than the Bills are playing. They have strung together six consecutive games with at least 7.0 EPA on offense, the longest streak for Kansas City since at least 2000, per TruMedia. That’s saying quite a bit when considering how well the Chiefs have played with Mahomes and even two decades ago with Trent Green/Priest Holmes.
Keefer: These games remind me of the Peyton Manning-Tom Brady meetings of the mid-2000s, when the regular-season matchups often decided which team would be hosting the AFC Championship Game come January. The element that stands out to me about this year is the James Cook factor: He’s coming off a game in which he piled up 216 rushing yards, and the Chiefs’ linebacker trio is playing quite well. If he breaks a couple, I expect Buffalo to continue its regular-season run of victories over the team it can’t find a way to beat in the playoffs.
Howe: The Chiefs have looked vulnerable going into their recent regular-season meetings with the Bills, but they’re looking scary good these days. It feels like the Chiefs have felt the urgency of the moment, knowing the early struggles couldn’t just be wished away, that they’d show up and win simply because they’re the Chiefs. The Bills are playing more of a long game, especially defensively, because they have a lot of room for improvement. If their defense doesn’t play better, the Bills are going to need a perfect game from Allen to have a chance.
It’s the last game before the trade deadline for the Tennessee Titans (vs. Los Angeles Chargers) and New Orleans Saints (at Los Angeles Rams). Tennessee has already traded cornerback Roger McCreary. Should both of these teams be sellers? Who else around the league should be selling at the deadline?
Sando: The Saints should definitely be sellers, especially if there’s interest in any of their older defenders. I wouldn’t want to take away too much from the offense while Tyler Shough is just getting started, but it was a mystery to me why they re-signed Alvin Kamara for the price they paid. Getting something for Chris Olave could also make sense if the team doesn’t want to pay him near the top of the market amid injury concerns. The Las Vegas Raiders should also sell. Could Pete Carroll sell the Raiders on a three-year vision along the lines of his early years in Seattle, which featured lots of roster moves and drafting a specific type of player? Or will the team conclude Carroll is too old to look down the road that far?
Keefer: The Titans are going to have to look long and hard at the decisions made over the past few years, starting with the constant firings at the top, and of course, a plan of action. There is little talent left, and that’s an easy way to sabotage a talented young quarterback like Cam Ward. That’s the danger the Saints are facing, as well, the balance between stockpiling draft capital with keeping talent around a young passer so he doesn’t get buried.
Howe: The Saints need a hard reset, but they’ve shown little evidence they’re interested in that route. I’m also not sure their books can handle offloading those contracts because of the way they’ve structured their contracts. The Titans’ biggest trade chip is Jeffery Simmons, but I’d be surprised if they parted with him. The Cleveland Browns, Raiders, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins need to sell, sell, sell and sell.