Cover 32: J.J. McCarthy, Vikings alive in NFC North race, plus game balls, biggest gaffes from Week 9

If you simply pay attention to the standings, you may whistle past the NFC North and think that it's status quo. After all, the teams are in the same position coming out of Week 9 as they were coming into it, but don't be deceived. The division has been turned on its head thanks to the events of Sunday, and we're in for a wildly intriguing second half. 

Why, you ask? Well, the Minnesota Vikings are now firmly in the mix. The club went into Ford Field and took down the Detroit Lions, 27-24. On top of simply notching a divisional win, the key development in this game and what makes the victory hold bigger ramifications for the second half was the return of J.J. McCarthy. 

Coming into the game, I was skeptical about what McCarthy would look like. Before going down with a high ankle sprain in Week 2, the 2024 first-round pick looked like a quarterback who had little experience on his résumé. Outside of a fourth-quarter comeback against Chicago in Week 1, the offense was choppy with McCarthy under center in the early goings. In Week 9, however, the unit flowed much more effectively, and McCarthy looked comfortable at the helm. 

His stat line wasn't eye-popping as he completed 14 of his 25 passes for 143 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. He also rushed for 12 yards and a touchdown, while being sacked five times (nine total quarterback hits). And that's sort of what makes Minnesota's potential so fascinating. 

J.J. McCarthy

MIN • QB • #9

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They simply need average quarterback play to be competitive, and McCarthy can provide that. Over the last two weeks, Minnesota was falling flat, in part, because Carson Wentz was hobbled. As he played through injury, Wentz had more interceptions (3) than touchdowns (1), and averaged a 65.9 passer rating, so it should come as little surprise that they dropped both of those contests post-bye. With a healthy McCarthy reinstalled, the offensive ceiling has risen, which creates a path for Minnesota in the NFC North race. 

Despite sitting in last place at 4-4, the Vikings are just a game and a half back of the Green Bay Packers for first place, with both matchups still on deck. Currently, Minnesota owns the best in-division record at 2-0. More specifically, those division wins both came on the road (at Chicago in Week 1 and at Detroit in Week 9), so three of their four remaining games against NFC North opponents will take place at U.S. Bank Stadium. 

Moreover, Minnesota possesses the easiest remaining strength of schedule in the NFC North. 

Already, we've seen that McCarthy can take down the Bears and Lions in their own building. While the jury is still out on whether or not they can also hang with Green Bay, the Packers have shown us that they are susceptible after losing to the Carolina Panthers at home on Sunday. They also may be going the rest of the season without star tight end Tucker Kraft, who was carted off with a knee injury. 

This is a long way of saying that Minnesota has a far better chance of catapulting to an NFC North crown than its current +1400 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook suggest.

Game balls

Josh Allen

BUF • QB • #17

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• Week 9 stats: 23 of 26 passing, 273 yards passing, 1 TD; 6 carries, 19 yards rushing, 2 TDs

Allen flexed his MVP muscles in a 28-21 win over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Not only was he efficient throwing the football, but he continues to be a mismatch in the red zone as a rusher. Allen now has surpassed Cam Newton for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (including playoffs) in NFL history. 

Sam Darnold

SEA • QB • #14

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• Week 9 stats: 21 of 24 passing, 330 yards passing, 4 TDs, 1 INT

Once again, Darnold was dialed-in and the Seahawks quarterback continues to post eye-popping stat lines. In the first half against Washington, Darnold completed all 16 of his pass attempts for 282 yards and four touchdowns, giving him a perfect passer rating. Per CBS Sports Research, Darnold is the only QB in the last 35 seasons with 100% completion rate, at least 250 yards passing and four passing touchdowns in a half. 

Christian McCaffrey

SF • RB • #23

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• Week 9 stats: 28 carries, 106 yards rushing, 1 TD; 5 catches, 67 yards receiving, 1 TD

Another week, another dual-threat outburst from McCaffrey. He continues to be the engine that makes the Niners run, leading the team both in rushing as well as receiving during the 34-24 win over the Giants. No matter who is under center and what other weapons are around him, McCaffrey routinely produces at an elite level. He now leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage and just enjoyed his 16th career game with a rushing and receiving touchdown, passing Marshall Faulk for the most in NFL history. 

Maybe the craziest aspect of McCaffrey's afternoon, however, was his receiving touchdown. Someone may want to inform the Giants to cover No. 23. 

Drake London

ATL • WR • #5

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• Week 9 stats: 9 catches, 118 yards receiving, 3 TDs

The Falcons were on the losing end, but it wasn't because of London. The Falcons wide receiver turned in a monster performance that didn't just include three receiving touchdowns, but the scores were tallied by way of circus catches. London one-handed his third touchdown while also toe-tapping his feet. This was the first three-touchdown reception day for the Falcons since Cordarrelle Patterson in 2021.  

Kyle Monangai

CHI • RB • #25

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• Week 9 stats: 26 carries, 176 yards; 3 catches, 22 yards receiving

With D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson both sidelined, Monangai took on the major workload in the Bears backfield. The 2025 seventh-round pick took that opportunity and ran with it (literally). The Rutgers product recorded the second-most rushing yards in a game by a rookie in team history. Monangai was also the first Bear with 100-plus first-half rushing yards in his first career start since Matt Forte in 2008. 

Rico Dowdle

CAR • RB • #5

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• Week 9 stats: 25 carries, 130 yards rushing, 2 TDs; 2 catches, 11 yards

Dowdle took back his starting role within the Panthers offense as Chuba Hubbard (five carries) worked as the backup. With the lion's share of touches, Dowdle resumed his explosive run with Carolina and was a key factor in the team's upset win over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. This was Dowdle's first career game with two rushing touchdowns. The veteran back did have a mental error where he got flagged for excessive celebrations, which led to a missed PAT, but it did not ultimately come back to bite him. 

Brock Bowers

LV • TE • #89

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• Week 9 stats: 12 catches, 127 yards receiving, 3 TDs

Welcome back, Brock Bowers! The star tight end had missed the last three games due to a knee injury and looked like his old self in Week 9. While it came in a losing effort, Bowers was a monster as Las Vegas forced overtime and nearly pulled off the upset over the Jaguars. He became the first player in Raiders history with 12 catches, 125 yards and three receiving touchdowns in a single game. 

Colston Loveland

CHI • TE • #84

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• Week 9 stats: 6 catches, 118 yards receiving, 2 TDs

Loveland enjoyed his best day as a pro in Week 9, and the rookie first-rounder scored the game-winning touchdown after ripping off a 58-yard catch and run to the end zone. 

Notable Week 9 gaffes

Bengals defense collapses ... AGAIN!

Trailing 41-27 with less than three minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the Cincinnati offense miraculously clawed back and found itself with a 42-41 lead with less than a minute to play in regulation. Despite all that momentum, the defense once again proved to be its Achilles' heel. With 25 seconds left on the clock, Caleb Williams connected with Colston Loveland for a 58-yard touchdown to snatch the victory out of the Bengals hands. 

Cincinnati has now allowed 300 points this season, which is the most through nine games in franchise history. They are also the first team in NFL history to allow at least 27 points and 350 total yards in eight-straight games within a single season. No matter how well Flacco has been able to stabilize the offense, the defense is what will keep the Bengals ceiling low. 

Zac Taylor's challenge results in a Bears touchdown

It may seem like we're piling on with the Bengals, but it wasn't pretty in Week 9. While the defense was being gashed, their coach didn't do them any favors either. With under five minutes to play in the fourth quarter, Taylor challenged a 16-yard gain by DJ Moore. He was initially ruled down at the 1-yard line, but Taylor challenged, thinking he fumbled into the back of the end zone, which would've resulted in a touchback. Instead, the replay showed that not only did Moore not fumble, but he actually scored on the play, so it was reversed for a touchdown.

Two fourth-quarter miscues help Falcons fall to Pats

Atlanta momentarily had New England on the ropes. Michael Penix Jr. led a 12-play, 85-yard touchdown drive, finding Drake London for a score on fourth-and-goal with just under five minutes left to play in regulation. That cut the Patriots lead to 24-23 with the PAT upcoming. Instead of knotting the game, however, Falcons placekicker Parker Romo -- who was with the Patriots this summer -- missed the extra point. 

While that miss kept the Patriots with a slim lead, the Falcons defense forced a three-and-out, giving the offense the ball back with 3:30 left to play. On that drive, Michael Penix Jr. seemed to be surprised by a second-and-10 snap, the Patriots immediately had pressure in his face, and he threw the ball to the turf. Penix appeared to think that New England had committed a penalty and threw the ball to the turf within the tackle box on a perceived dead play. However, there was no penalty on the Patriots, and Penix was then flagged for intentional grounding. That set up and third-and-20 situation from their own 42-yard line and an eventual punt. 

Two-minute drill

Here are some of my quick-hitting takeaways/notes from Week 9:

• The Green Bay Packers may have been caught looking ahead to the Philadelphia Eagles showdown next week, and the Carolina Panthers made them pay. That's now three games this season where the Packers have played down to their competition and have failed to win because of it.
• Matthew Stafford's four-touchdown day should only have his MVP drum beat louder. 
• I believe Rashid Shaheed has played his last game for the New Orleans Saints. After catching five passes for 68 yards on Sunday, his trade stock should only grow leading up to the Nov. 4 deadline. 
• Drake Maye now has recorded eight-straight games with at least 200 yards passing and a 100 passer rating (tied for the second-longest streak in a season in NFL history). 
• The Broncos continue to have a knack for the comeback and have now won six straight to move to 7-2. They are tied for the most game-winning drives (four) in the NFL this season. 
• Your antenna should be raised slightly after seeing Daniel Jones record five turnovers on Sunday.
• Can't underscore how important a win it was for Pittsburgh, especially with the Ravens winning with Lamar Jackson back. Keeps them with a little breathing room. 
• Jacksonville may be 5-3 and in the playoff mix, but they are not a true threat in the AFC. 
• Kansas City is now in third place in the AFC West, looking up to both the Broncos (7-2) and Chargers (6-3). 
• Josh Allen is now 5-5 against Patrick Mahomes in their careers (including playoffs). While no other QB has more than three wins against Mahomes, Allen's 0-4 playoff record against his main rival remains the key sticking point in this head-to-head even after this latest victory. 
• Jayden Daniels' injury was gruesome, and it's fair to ask why he was even out there with eight minutes left in what proved to be a blowout Commanders defeat.