All 16 teams in the NFC will take the field in Week 9. And that includes a division in which all four teams are at least two games above the .500 mark.
The Minnesota Vikings (6-1), Chicago Bears (6-2), Detroit Lions (5-2), and Green Bay Packers (5-3) own an impressive 22-8 combined win-loss mark. Could all four teams wind up in the playoffs by the conclusion of the regular season?
The week begins in Baltimore on Thursday night, and ends with a battle of first-place teams in the Twin Cities.
Take a look at 5 key statistics that highlight the NFL Week 9 games
5
Last season, first-time NFL head coach Liam Coen took over a Jacksonville Jaguars’ club that finished 4-13 in 2024 and led the team to a 13-4 mark and a division title. This season, Coen’s club is off to a 5-2 start and comes off a 42-7 home win over the Colts. The Jaguars own the NFL’s top scoring differential (plus-85) and have as many victories as the Houston Texans (2-5), Colts (2-6) and Tennessee Titans (1-7) combined. Those three clubs own a composite 5-18 win-loss record and a combined minus-121 point differential.
2
Speaking of the AFC South, the aforementioned Indianapolis Colts are in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Only two teams are giving up more total yards per game. The franchise has already moved off stars such as left guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner via the trade route. It wasn’t that long ago that Shane Steichen’s club was off to an 8-2 start in 2025. Since then, the Colts own a 2-13 combined record. They lost their final seven games a season ago and are off to a 2-6 start in 2026.
53
Only three teams have given up more total yards per game, and no club is allowing more yards through the air per outing. After a rough start defensively, the Detroit Lions have settled in a bit after opening 2-2. In those contests, Dan Campbell’s club allowed a whopping 127 points—30-plus points in three of those games. However, the club has surrendered a combined 53 points in their last three games—all victories. The Lions allowed season lows in yards (266) and points (15) in Sunday’s win over the first-place Vikings.
14
The reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks have already lost one more game than they did all of last season. After a 2-0 start, Mike Macdonald’s club has dropped four of its last six contests. On Monday night at Lumen Field, the ‘Hawks were overwhelmed by the visiting Chicago Bears, 34-17. Turnovers were an issue a year ago in the regular season for the club and that continues to be the case. They gave up the football 28 times in 17 outings in 2025. Eight games into this season, the Seahawks have 14 giveaways.
534
The Arizona Cardinals won just three games in 2025, and have now equaled that total thanks to last Sunday’s wild 33-30 overtime road victory over the Cowboys. Mike LaFleur’s team has allowed an NFL-high 238 points, and given up 30-plus points in six of their eight outings. The big news in the desert this week is that quarterback Gardner Minshew takes over for Jacoby Brissett. But keep an eye on that point total as the year unfolds. The 2024 Carolina Panthers gave up an NFL single-season record 534 points.
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