Our guide to every Week 9 game: Matchup previews, predictions, picks and nuggets

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NFL Nation

NFL Nation is made up of 32 team-specific reporters who cover the NFL year-round across ESPN.com, ESPN television shows, ESPN Radio, ESPN+ and social media platforms. It was established ahead of the 2013 season.

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Pamela Maldonado

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Pamela Maldonado

Sports Betting Analyst

Pamela Maldonado is a sports betting analyst for ESPN.

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Eric Moody

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Eric Moody

ESPN Writer

Eric Moody is a writer for fantasy football, men's and women's basketball, and sports betting at ESPN. Eric joined ESPN in 2021 after working as a senior fantasy analyst at Pro Football Network. Prior to that, he spent much of his career as a manager at a Fortune 100 financial services company.

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Seth Walder

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Seth Walder

ESPN Analytics

Seth Walder is an analytics writer at ESPN, specializing in quantitative analysis. He is also a regular on "ESPN Bet Live" and helps cover sports betting. Seth has been at ESPN since 2017. He previously worked at the New York Daily News covering the Jets and Giants. You can follow Seth on X via @SethWalder.

Nov 6, 2026, 06:25 AM ET

Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season is here! Football is back in Madrid, this time featuring the Bengals and Falcons. Back in the States, Drake Maye and Jordan Love will face off, Shedeur Sanders will start in place of Deshaun Watson ( concussion ), and the Raiders return to the Bay Area.

We're here to get you ready for the action. First, our NFL Nation reporters take you inside the locker room with the best thing they heard this week, and ESPN Research provides a key stat to know. Then, analytics writer Seth Walder makes a bold prediction for each matchup, fantasy analyst Eric Moody shares fantasy football intel and betting analyst Pamela Maldonado hits betting insights for each contest. We also have Football Power Index (FPI) game projections, and Maldonado, Moody and Walder give us final score picks for every game.

Let's get into the full Week 9 slate, which culminates with a "Monday Night Football" matchup between the Bills and Vikings on ESPN . (Game times are Sunday unless otherwise noted, and all odds are via DraftKings.)

Jump to a matchup:

CIN-ATL | DAL-IND | NYJ-KC

DET-MIA | CLE-NO | NYG-PHI

LAR-WSH | DEN-CAR | HOU-LAC

GB-NE | LV-SF | ARI-SEA

TB-CHI | BUF-MIN

Thursday: JAX-BAL

Bye: TEN , PIT

What ESPN Analytics says ...

Bengals (5-2) at Falcons (3-5) in Madrid

9:30 a.m. ET | NFL Network | CIN -3 (52.5 O/U)

What we're hearing on the Bengals: The numbers say quarterback Joe Burrow is in the midst of a career year. After he tallied six touchdowns (five passing, one rushing) last week, that's what Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich believes, too. Said Ulbrich: "He's playing his best football that he's ever played in his career, in my opinion, right now." Burrow leads the NFL in passing TDs (20) and ranks fourth in passing yards (2,115). -- Ben Baby

What we're hearing on the Falcons: Atlanta will need to disrupt Burrow to give itself the best chance to win. The Falcons have the personnel and scheme to do it, too -- Brandon Dorlus and Gervon Dexter Sr . rank first and second, respectively, in the NFL among DTs in pressure rate. They are the first teammates to be first and second in that category through eight weeks since 2018. -- Marc Raimondi

Stat to know: The Falcons have 16 turnovers, second most in the NFL behind the Chargers (17). It's also Atlanta's most through eight games of a season since 2003 (19). -- ESPN Research

Bold prediction: Dorlus will record a sack. He has an 11.5% pressure rate when playing tackle, best in the NFL. -- Walder

Injuries: Bengals | Falcons

Fantasy nugget: The Bengals have averaged a league-high 36.3 points per game over their past three games, but running back Chase Brown has scored 10 or more fantasy points just once during that stretch. He has still averaged 18.6 touches per game, and now he faces a Falcons defense that has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to backs. See Week 9 rankings . -- Moody

Betting insight: Burrow is 15-7-1 against the spread/straight up in nonconference games and 22-10 ATS/straight up following a win since 2022. Atlanta can pressure QBs, but Burrow gets the ball out quickly enough to make that tough. If the rush doesn't get there, the Falcons allow almost a 75% completion percentage. With WRs Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins , Cincinnati has the guys to turn those clean pockets into TD drives. Read more . -- Maldonado

Maldonado's pick: Bengals 30, Falcons 24

Moody's pick: Bengals 30, Falcons 27

Walder's pick: Falcons 23, Bengals 21

FPI prediction: CIN, 77.3% (by an average of 7.7 points)

Matchup must-reads: Trio brought in to replace All-Pro DE has shined for Bengals ... Falcons' Pearce back from suspension, expected to play ... Bengals DE Howell out indefinitely after wrist surgery

Cowboys (3-5) at Colts (2-6)

1 p.m. ET | Fox | DAL -5.5 (51.5 O/U)

What we're hearing on the Cowboys: For at least the third time this season, the Cowboys are facing a must-win game. Last week's overtime loss was difficult to move on from given the poor defensive and offensive performances while playing at home. Now on the road and facing a team that has fired its general manager and could trade even more of its top players, Von Miller senses danger. "Those guys are fighting for their lives as well," he said. "They're trying to find their identity, too. And those teams are always scary whenever you play them because you really don't know what to expect." -- Todd Archer

What we're hearing on the Colts: The Colts have given up 33 or more points in four of their six losses this season, meaning Sunday's matchup with the high-scoring Cowboys has the potential to go awry. Indianapolis is coming off a 42-7 loss , and the Colts have shown very little defensive resistance this season. Of note will be the matchups between Colts CBs Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward and Dallas WRs CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens . "Just a very, very talented group," coach Shane Steichen said of the Cowboys' playmakers. -- Stephen Holder

Stat to know: Colts QB Daniel Jones is the only QBR-qualified quarterback without a touchdown on a pass of at least 10 yards or more downfield this season. -- ESPN Research

Bold prediction: Colts RB Seth McGowan will score a touchdown. With Jonathan Taylor potentially available for trade, I suspect Indianapolis might want to lighten his workload. That opens the door for a McGowan score. -- Walder

Dan Campbell: Lions owe it to Jack Campbell to stay locked in

Injuries: Cowboys | Colts

Fantasy nugget: Cowboys RB Javonte Williams had 25 touches last week but finished with only 6.7 fantasy points. The workload hasn't been an issue. Williams has averaged 19.3 touches per game and has scored a touchdown in six of eight games. The Colts have allowed the sixth-most rushing yards per game, so Williams should bounce back in this matchup. See Week 9 rankings . -- Moody

Betting insight: Since 2024, Dak Prescott is 4-14 ATS as a favorite (7-11 straight up). Dallas keeps giving opponents chances to hang around, allowing more than 51% of third downs to be converted. Indianapolis has its own problems, but the Cowboys rarely force turnovers and struggle to end drives. Prescott has a favorable matchup, but asking this defense to protect a lead feels shaky. Read more . -- Maldonado

Maldonado's pick: Cowboys 31, Colts 27

Moody's pick: Cowboys 31, Colts 24

Walder's pick: Cowboys 27, Colts 14

FPI prediction: DAL, 61.2% (by an average of 2.9 points)

Matchup must-reads: Williams says Cowboys must 'execute,' over and over ... Colts' Steichen defends Taylor usage, says RB will keep role ... Source: Colts, Adebawore agree to 2-year, $35M extension ... Forget about Cowboys' D, what happened to the GOTI offense?

Jets (2-6) at Chiefs (5-2)

1 p.m. ET | CBS | KC -10 (47.5 O/U)

What we're hearing on the Jets: New York is showing signs of life on offense, especially the past two weeks, but the Jets left a lot of points on the field because of poor efficiency in the red zone -- they're last with a 42% conversion percentage. They actually devoted more practice time this week to red zone play. "We just have to be better. And there is a sense of urgency," offensive coordinator Frank Reich said of the red zone woes. RB Breece Hall (quadriceps) is expected back after a five-game absence, but WR Garrett Wilson ( concussion ) could be out. -- Rich Cimini

What we're hearing on the Chiefs: Two words were expressed by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo following the collapse last week : killer instinct. The Chiefs allowed the Broncos to score 15 points on two drives. Spagnuolo wants to see how his players perform if they have another lead. "That was on my objective for going into this game, if we are fortunate enough again to get in that situation," Spagnuolo said of building killer instinct. "... I asked everybody to ask themselves this question: Did you let up? Did we lose our edge? Did I call it differently? Hopefully, we will be presented with that situation again, and hopefully we can rise up and make those plays." -- Nate Taylor

Stat to know: Jets QB Geno Smith has 16 completions on passes 20-plus yards downfield, which is tied with Drake Maye for the second most in the NFL ( Jordan Love , 18). Smith's 59% completion rate on such throws is also the best in the NFL. -- ESPN Research

Bold prediction: The Jets will win. Sometimes football doesn't make sense. The Jets' young core is playing quite well. They've just been losing games. And the Chiefs are hardly infallible. Sometimes, strange things happen. -- Walder

Injuries: Jets | Chiefs

Fantasy nugget: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes scored 25.4 fantasy points last week, his second-highest total of the season. It was also his second game with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdowns. Mahomes has another favorable matchup this week against a Jets defense that has allowed 28.1 fantasy points to the Raiders' Kirk Cousins , 26.0 to the Dolphins' Malik Willis and 23.8 to Maye over its past three games. See Week 9 rankings . -- Moody

Betting insight: The Chiefs are 0-10 against the spread in November games since 2024. Their offense makes another close finish believable, as Kansas City averages only 23.9 points. On the New York side, Smith has completed 69% of his passes with only three interceptions. If he avoids handing Kansas City easy points, the Jets can make this annoying for the Chiefs until late. Read more . -- Maldonado

Maldonado's pick: Chiefs 21, Jets 13

Moody's pick: Chiefs 30, Jets 16

Walder's pick: Jets 23, Chiefs 20

FPI prediction: KC, 80.3% (by an average of 8.6 points)

Matchup must-reads: Glenn says RB Hall is Jets' starter despite Allen's emergence ... Chiefs' floundering pass rush starts with Jones: 'I always can be better' ... Jets' WR Wilson in concussion protocol, RB Hall trending toward return ... Mahomes hasn't run QB sneak since '19 season

Lions (5-2) at Dolphins (1-6)

1 p.m. ET | Fox | DET -7 (50.5 O/U)

What we're hearing on the Lions: Coach Dan Campbell is very familiar with this Dolphins organization. In 2010, he began his coaching career as an offensive intern in Miami. He spent six seasons with the team, which included an interim head coaching stint in 2015, when Miami went 5-7. In Campbell's only previous meeting against the Dolphins as coach, the Lions lost 31-27 in 2022. He isn't taking this contest lightly. "They're young, they're hungry, they're active," Campbell said. "They run, they hit, they hustle, they finish, try to play disciplined ball and they're playing that way." -- Eric Woodyard