As the season enters Week 9, NFL games have never been closer, more exciting, or more unpredictable.
This season, there have been 72 games decided by one score (eight points or less), the most such games through Week 8 in NFL history.
There have been 38 games to feature a game-winning score in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or in overtime this season, tied with 2021 for the most such games through Week 8 in NFL history.
There have been 25 games won by a team that overcame a deficit of 10-or-more points (including five such games last week), the third-most through Week 8 all-time, trailing only 1987 (26 games) and 2020 (26).
The NFL international slate resumes on Sunday (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network) with the second regular-season game in Madrid when the Cincinnati Bengals take on the Atlanta Falcons. The week concludes with a Monday night game featuring the Buffalo Bills and their No. 1-ranked scoring offense visiting the Minnesota Vikings and the league’s No. 1 scoring defense.
Here’s a look at a few interesting storylines entering Week 9:
Buffalo (6-1) at Minnesota (6-1) (Monday night, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC): The Bills, with the league’s top-ranked scoring offense (33.3 points per game), visit the Vikings and their number one ranked scoring defense (13.3 points per game against) in primetime in Week 9. It will mark the first time in 13 seasons that a team averaging 33-or-more points per game will face a team allowing 14-or-fewer points per game in Week 9 or later (Kansas City at Denver on Nov. 17, 2013).
The Bills have scored 233 points under first-year head coach Joe Brady, the second-most points by a team in their first seven games of a season with a first-year head coach in the Super Bowl era, trailing only the 2000 St. Louis Rams under Mike Martz (296 points).
Bills quarterback Josh Allen and running back James Cook have each recorded a rushing touchdown in the same game on 16 occasions and last week, surpassed Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott (15 games) for the most such games by a pair of teammates in NFL history.
Per Next Gen Stats, the Vikings defense has blitzed on 73.1 percent of drop backs this season, the highest percentage by a team through Week 8 since 2015.
Jacksonville (5-2) at Baltimore (4-4) (Thursday night, 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video): In Week 8, the Jaguars became the first team since 2004 (Kansas City on Dec. 13, 2004) with at least two touchdown passes of 25-or-more yards and at least two rushing touchdowns of 25-or-more yards in a single game.
This week, Jacksonville can become the third team in the Super Bowl era to not allow an opposing player to rush for 75-or-more yards in 25 consecutive games, joining San Francisco from 2021-23 (27 consecutive games) and 1989-91 (26).
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence leads all qualified passers with a 112.6 rating this season and is one of three quarterbacks, along with Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow and San Francisco’s Brock Purdy, with a passer rating of 100-or-higher in five games in 2026.
Baltimore running back Derrick Henry recorded his 136th career touchdown in Week 8, tied with Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk (136 touchdowns) for the fourth-most touchdowns by a running back in NFL history, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith (175), LaDainian Tomlinson (162) and Marcus Allen (145).
Cincinnati (5-2) vs. Atlanta (3-5) (Madrid, Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network): The NFL international slate resumes in Week 9 when the Bengals and Falcons meet in Madrid, the second regular-season game to be played in Spain. Atlanta will appear in an international game for the second consecutive season (2025 in Berlin) while Cincinnati will play internationally for the first time since 2019.
In Week 8, Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow passed for 462 yards and had six touchdowns (five passing, one rushing) and became the second player in NFL history with at least 450 passing yards, five touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown in a single game, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Norm Van Brocklin (Sept. 28, 1951 with the Los Angeles Rams).
Burrow can become the fourth quarterback in NFL history with at least four touchdown passes in four consecutive games, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Peyton Manning (five consecutive games in 2004 with Indianapolis) and Dan Marino (four in 1984 with Miami) as well as Tom Brady (four from 2020-21 with Tampa Bay).
Cincinnati wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who has a touchdown catch in five of his past six games, is one of four players in the Super Bowl era with at least 60 touchdown receptions in his first 85 career games, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers Jerry Rice (77 touchdown receptions) and Randy Moss (66) as well as Rob Gronkowski (67).
Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson ranks third among running backs with 983 scrimmage yards (780 rushing, 203 receiving) this season and can become the fifth player with 35 games with at least 100 scrimmage yards under the age of 25 in NFL history, joining Clinton Portis (40 games), Ezekiel Elliott (38) as well as Pro Football Hall of Famers Edgerrin James (39) and Emmitt Smith (35).
Denver (6-2) at Carolina (3-4) (1 p.m. ET, CBS): The Broncos have won 15 consecutive regular season games that have been decided by one score, tied with the 2008-09 Indianapolis Colts for the longest such streak in NFL history.
Last week, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix recorded his 15th career game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or in overtime, surpassing Dak Prescott (14 games) for the most game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime by a quarterback in his first three seasons since 1970.
Denver linebacker Alex Singleton leads the NFL with 101 tackles this season and became the second player since 2000 with at least 100 tackles in their team’s first eight games of a season, joining Zaire Franklin (102 tackles in 2023 with Indianapolis).
Green Bay (5-3) at New England (5-3) (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX): Both the Packers and Patriots have won four of their past five games entering Week 9. Since Week 4, Green Bay’s Jordan Love and New England’s Drake Maye both rank in the top three in passing yards and touchdown passes.
Maye is one of two quarterbacks all-time under the age of 25 with at least three combined passing and rushing touchdowns in five consecutive games, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Bobby Layne (five consecutive games in 1951 with Detroit).
This week, Maye can become the sixth quarterback since 1970 with two-or-more touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown in three consecutive games, joining Josh Allen (2024 with Buffalo), Justin Fields (2022 with Chicago), Kyler Murray (2020 with Arizona), Mike Vick (2010 with Philadelphia) and Steve Grogan (1976 with New England).
Love leads the NFL in passing yards (2,246) entering Week 9 and is one of two quarterbacks, along with Las Vegas’ Kirk Cousins, with multiple touchdown passes in seven games this season. With his next touchdown pass, he will become the fifth quarterback in Packers franchise history with at least 100 regular-season touchdown passes, joining Aaron Rodgers (475 touchdown passes) and Lynn Dickey (133) as well as Pro Football Hall of Famers Brett Favre (442) and Bart Starr (152).
Las Vegas (4-4) at San Francisco (6-1) (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX): The 49ers, coming off a Week 8 bye, can improve to 5-0 at home this season while the Raiders look for their fourth win in five road games in 2026.
Las Vegas quarterback Kirk Cousins leads the AFC in passing yards (2,124) and ranks second in the NFL in touchdown passes (19) this season. Last week, he joined Pro Football Hall of Famer Drew Brees (Nov. 11, 2018 with New Orleans at 39 years and 300 days old) as the only quarterbacks age 38-or-older in NFL history with three touchdown passes, a rushing touchdown and a passer rating of 140-or-higher in a single game.
Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers became the first tight end in NFL history with at least 70 receiving yards in each of his first six games of a season. He has 217 career receptions since entering the NFL in 2024 and this week, can surpass Trey McBride (221 receptions) for the most receptions by a tight end in their first three seasons in NFL history.
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has 99 touchdown passes in 56 career games entering Week 9 and can surpass Frankie Albert (65 games) as the fastest quarterback in franchise history to reach 100 career touchdown passes.
San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey has 49 career games with at least 100 scrimmage yards and a scrimmage touchdown since entering the NFL in 2017. He has a rushing touchdown in six consecutive games, tied with Buffalo’s James Cook for the longest active streak in the NFL.
Arizona (3-5) at Seattle (4-4) (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX): Arizona tight end Trey McBride leads the NFL with 66 receptions this season while Seattle wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba ranks second with 64 catches entering Week 9.
McBride, who has 413 receptions and 4,019 receiving yards in 74 career games, is one of two tight ends in NFL history with at least 400 receptions and 4,000 receiving yards in their first 75 career games, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow Sr.
Smith-Njigba can become the third player in NFL history with at least 100 receiving yards in eight of his team’s first nine games of a season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin (1995 with Dallas) and Adam Thielen (2018 with Minnesota).
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