An undrafted quarterback lit up the Raiders on Thursday night, Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers held off the Ravens in an AFC North showdown, the Panthers picked up a big NFC South win, and the Vikings cruised past the Lions behind the return of Dalvin Cook. In the late afternoon, the Saints handed the Rams their first loss of the season.
All that and more in Week 9's biggest takeaways from NFL Nation.
Teams with byes in Week 9: CIN, IND, NYG, PHI, ARI, JAX
Jump to a matchup:
GB-NE | PIT-BAL | KC-CLE | DET-MIN | TB-CAR
ATL-WSH | CHI-BUF | NYJ-MIA| LAC-SEA
HOU-DEN | LAR-NO | OAK-SF
New England Patriots 31, Green Bay Packers 17
The Patriots' defense -- which had been one of the team's questions in the first half of the season, due to inconsistent play -- showed that it can slow down one of the top quarterbacks in Aaron Rodgers. Specifically, the front four generated plenty of pressure, which hasn't always been easy for the unit. That bodes well heading into next Sunday's road game against the Titans. -- Mike Reiss
It has been a season of close calls, but close calls don't get you into the playoffs. After Sunday's loss at the Patriots, the Packers are in trouble when it comes to the postseason. They're 3-4-1 at the midway point of the season and still have road games at Seattle and Minnesota before the month of November ends. Things are not looking good in Green Bay. -- Rob Demovsky
Pittsburgh Steelers 23, Baltimore Ravens 16
The Steelers have to be pleased with the state of their defense after outmuscling the Ravens for a fourth consecutive win. Despite looking unorganized to start the season, Pittsburgh hasn't allowed more than 21 points in a game since September and held Baltimore to field goals on three of its four red zone trips. "We've found our rhythm, everyone's healthy, and we're showing what kind of defense we can be," corner Mike Hilton said. The Steelers will find out more about their defense Thursday against Cam Newton and the Panthers. -- Jeremy Fowler
The Ravens enter the bye week with coach John Harbaugh squarely on the hot seat. Baltimore (4-5) has dropped three straight and fell three games back of the AFC North-leading Steelers in the loss column. Is Harbaugh worried about his 11-year run with the Ravens? "I've never been somebody that ever worried about keeping a job. It's always been, for me, dealing with a job," Harbaugh said. "Never been any regrets here with me. We'll keep fighting." -- Jamison Hensley
Kansas City Chiefs 37, Cleveland Browns 21
The Chiefs can again count on big things from Kareem Hunt. After a slow start to the season, Hunt has emerged as a consistent threat. That should continue through the second half of the season. As coach Andy Reid has said, Hunt is playing as well as any back in the league, though he might not have the stats to prove it. He gets the Arizona run defense next week. -- Adam Teicher
Attrition is starting to take a toll on the Browns. The team lost two corners to the Chiefs and has injuries to its top three (Terrance Mitchell, Denzel Ward and E.J. Gaines), with Matt Ryan and the high-powered Falcons offense up next. Cleveland also has injuries to two starting linebackers, as a 2-6-1 season trudges slowly forward. -- Pat McManamon
Minnesota Vikings 24, Detroit Lions 9
The Vikings' defense has performed at a different level since being dragged up and down the field by the Rams in Week 4. Coach Mike Zimmer said Sunday that Minnesota had to change what it was doing scheme-wise "because we're good at what we did, people are copying it." Those changes paid off during Minnesota's past five games, including sacking Matthew Stafford 10 times, a franchise record. These types of defensive performances will be important down the stretch, when the Vikings face Mitchell Trubisky, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Russell Wilson after their bye week. -- Courtney Cronin
It was a day Matthew Stafford will want to forget -- his offensive linemen, too. Stafford was sacked 10 times -- and hit a total of 17 times -- in a loss that was alarming for many reasons. The Lions have been beaten soundly in back-to-back weeks, and that is a major concern with four consecutive games against over-.500 teams waiting for them the rest of November into December. -- Michael Rothstein
Carolina Panthers 42, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 28
Second-year wide receiver Curtis Samuel summed up where the Panthers believe they're headed when he talked about his 33-yard touchdown run on a double-reverse that was measured at 103.9 yards of running. "I'm telling you, I've got a bunch left. I've got a bunch more left,'' he said. The 6-2 Panthers are just hitting their stride as they prepare for a Thursday night game at Pittsburgh. The offensive explosion along with a defense that has top-10 potential should put the Panthers in the conversation with the Saints and Rams as top contenders in the NFC. -- David Newton
For three weeks now, the Bucs have not been able to put two consistent halves together. Ryan Fitzpatrick was under duress and overcame a rough start to make it a one-score game in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough. At 3-5, the Bucs are in sole possession of last place in the NFC South, and unless this defense does something miraculous, that won't change. Tampa Bay gets Washington in Week 10. -- Jenna Laine
Atlanta Falcons 38, Washington Redskins 14
The 4-4 Falcons, now riding a three-game win streak, are playing with confidence again, thanks to their high-powered offense and Matt Ryan's putting up MVP-type numbers. They accumulated 491 yards against a Redskins defense that had allowed 322.4 yards per game entering the contest. If the offense keeps clicking, the Falcons certainly should be in the playoff hunt. -- Vaughn McClure
The Redskins' three-game win streak is over. The good news for Washington's defense is it has played well most of the season -- save for two 24-point losses. If the Redskins can make teams one-dimensional, they'll be OK. They failed to do that vs. the Saints or the Falcons this season. They travel to Tampa Bay in Week 10. -- John Keim
Chicago Bears 41, Buffalo Bills 9
The Bears' defense came up with four takeaways and two touchdowns in a game it had to win. Although Khalil Mack's return to Buffalo ended up a non-story, the Bears' defense had its second consecutive solid performance without its star pass-rusher. With Mack presumably back in the fold soon, the Bears are a dangerous team with three straight division games on the horizon. -- Jeff Dickerson
Nathan Peterman threw three more interceptions Sunday but did so on 49 passes, lowering his career interception rate (including playoffs) from 11.9 percent to 9.8 percent. He wasn't at fault for at least one of his interceptions -- a pass that newly signed receiver Terrelle Pryor bobbled -- and it would be generally unfair to pin all of the Bills' offensive struggles on the quarterbacks. Any discussion about Buffalo's inept offense should include LeSean McCoy, who has rushed 24 times for 24 yards the past three games, raising questions about whether the Bills made the right move in keeping him at the trade deadline. -- Mike Rodak
Miami Dolphins 13, New York Jets 6
The Dolphins didn't fix their offensive problems but did show signs that their defense could get healthy against struggling opponents. Defensive coordinator Matt Burke challenged his players to follow the scheme and stop freelancing, and they did, but the disappearance of Reshad Jones raises more questions. It's too early to write off the Dolphins' playoff hopes, even though their schedule gets tougher with a trip to Green Bay next week. -- Cameron Wolfe
Next week's matchup against the Bills should be a rip-roaring game. Will anybody score? The Jets have scored only 33 points the past three games, including a six-point stinker on Sunday. Sam Darnold (four INTs) is regressing, as his rookie growing pains have reached acute status. -- Rich Cimini
Los Angeles Chargers 25, Seattle Seahawks 17
The Chargers pushed their win streak to five games, but the Bolts have not resolved their kicking woes. Caleb Sturgis returned to the lineup after missing two games with a strained quad and missed two extra points and a 42-yard field goal, hooking all three wide right. Sturgis has missed extra points in four consecutive games and field goals in three straight games. The Chargers need to solve their kicking woes next week in a winnable game against the Raiders. -- Eric D. Williams
The Seahawks' margin for error gets a little smaller, and their road to the playoffs gets a little tougher after their loss to the Chargers. It was reminiscent of their 0-2 start to the season with the way they committed drive-stalling penalties on offense and allowed big plays on defense. They're 4-4 at the midway point and play the Rams next week in Los Angeles, continuing the most difficult stretch of their schedule. -- Brady Henderson
Houston Texans 19, Denver Broncos 17
It wasn't pretty, but the Texans found a way to win their sixth consecutive game after starting 0-3. Despite inconsistency on offense, the Texans head into their bye week 6-3 with at least a one-game lead in the AFC South. -- Sarah Barshop
The injury-riddled Broncos head into their bye week at 3-6 with an offensive line that won't get any better, as center Matt Paradis suffered a fractured right fibula. The Broncos have seven games left to rescue their season, but it won't be easy with the 8-1 Chiefs and 6-2 Chargers in front of them. -- Jeff Legwold
New Orleans Saints 45, Los Angeles Rams 35
The Saints cemented themselves as the team to beat in the NFC by winning their seventh consecutive game. Obviously, they have concerns with their pass defense, which could be their Achilles' heel (Jared Goff threw for 391 yards and three touchdowns), but the offense once again proved that it has more than enough firepower, with Alvin Kamara scoring three TDs, Drew Brees throwing four touchdown passes and Michael Thomas gaining a franchise-record 211 receiving yards. The Saints have shown they can win slugfests on the road, at Baltimore and Minnesota, and a track meet at home. -- Mike Triplett
The Rams' bid for a perfect season came to an end Sunday, when the defense allowed a season-high 487 total yards. The Rams overcame a 21-point deficit to tie it in the second half but could not find a way to close out the Saints on the road. Michael Brockers and John Johnson III said now the pressure is off, and moving forward, they no longer have to be concerned with all the talk of perfection. -- Lindsey Thiry
San Francisco 49ers 34, Oakland Raiders 3
Whether Nick Mullens' debut was more a product of his performance or that of the horrible Raiders defense doesn't really matter at this point, though there's probably a little of both, with credit to Kyle Shanahan for an excellent game plan. What does matter is the Niners have been losing games in repeated, frustrating fashion, and there's a real case to be made that Mullens should start against the Giants on Nov. 12. -- Nick Wagoner
Showing no signs of life, and with Derek Carr pulled from the game for his own safety, the Raiders were absolutely humiliated by their Bay Area rivals behind an undrafted rookie quarterback making his first career start. But they might have won ... the derby for Nick Bosa in next year's draft. If you cannot get up for this game, the final Battle of the Bay, then who, exactly, are you going to get up for in the season's final eight games? Yes, 1-15 is out there, as is that No. 1 overall pick. With Raiders nemesis Philip Rivers and the Chargers -- along with a potentially healthy Joey Bosa rushing the quarterback -- on the horizon, this figures to get even uglier. -- Paul Gutierrez