2026 NFL season, Week 9: What We Learned from Sunday's games
By Google News Sports ·
Around The NFL breaks down what you need to know from Sunday's action in Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season.
Catch up on each game's biggest takeaways using the links below: Madrid Cincinnati Bengals 34, Atlanta Falcons 17 Early Window Denver Broncos 26, Carolina Panthers 21 Dallas Cowboys 27, Indianapolis Colts 23 Kansas City Chiefs 35, New York Jets 12 Detroit Lions 19, Miami Dolphins 9 New Orleans Saints 23, Cleveland Browns 22 (OT) New York Giants 19, Philadelphia Eagles 11 Los Angeles Rams 20, Washington Commanders 13
Late Window Houston Texans at Los Angeles Chargers Las Vegas Raiders at San Francisco 49ers Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks Sunday Night Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears Jeremy Bergman's takeaways: Cincy's stars sizzle in España.
Few teams have had better 10-quarter stretches than the Bengals over the past three weeks. Since being shut out in the first half against Baltimore in Week 7, Cincinnati has responded with 112 points over two-and-a-half games. Leading the way is Joe Burrow, staking a strong claim in the MVP race.
Burrow was lethal again on Sunday in the first half, leading Cincy's offense to four scoring drives on 9.3 yards per play and completing 82% of his passes for 239 yards. Eight of those completions went to Ja'Marr Chase, who set a career high with 142 yards in the first half (finishing with 155 and a score on 10 catches), showcasing his dynamic ability on an international stage for the first time.
Tee Higgins boxed out C.J. Henderson and Atlanta's defensive backs for two TDs. Even Chase Brown (season-high 6.3 YPC) and Cincinnati's anemic run game (season-best 123 yards) showed some explosion. After Sunday's romp, Cincinnati has now won four straight games with at least 30 points scored for the first time in franchise history.
If the Bengals are capable of this type of production weekly, do they even need to swing big for a piece, possibly at running back, at the trade deadline? That's a question for Tuesday. Maybe Atlanta will have an answer for Cincy's offensive onslaught by then. Another big Bijan day undone by Atlanta errors.
A week after losing to a Tampa team that didn't complete a pass, the Falcons found a more traditional way to fall Sunday morning: play leaky defense, commit penalties, repeat. In pristine, climate-controlled conditions inside Madrid's Bernabéu, there were no excuses for Atlanta's performance. First, the positives.
Michael Penix Jr. threw three fewer interceptions than he did a week prior and scrambled for a career-high 50 yards, looking svelte and nimble on the Spanish pitch. Bijan Robinson, who loves an exclusive window, rushed for 100 again, totaling 147 yards from scrimmage and one TD on the day. The elusive dynamo was right at home at the home of Real Madrid's galácticos.
But Jeff Ulbrich's defense was a sieve against the NFL's hottest attack, allowing 7.1 yards per play and forcing just two punts on the day. Atlanta also committed 12 accepted penalties for 88 yards, repeatedly setting back the offense. The Falcons O-line committed two fouls in the red zone on their second drive, leading to the first field goal of a touchdown fight.
Its most critical error, though, came at the start of the fourth quarter, when down two TDs at the Bengals' 10-yard line, Atlanta was called for offensive holding on a third-and-2 incompletion. Cincy accepted the penalty and forced a fourth-and-12. Settling for cutting a two-score lead to a…
Originally published by Google News Sports
