The NFL trade deadline is less than a week away, so a flurry of impactful moves could be on the way as Super Bowl contenders gear up for the stretch run. Even if the biggest transactions are already complete, this year's deadline will go down as a significant one, because the Chicago Bears proved in Week 8 how the acquisition of one star can flip a season. Jeffery Simmons elevated their defense in his first game following last week's blockbuster trade and rounded the Bears into an even more legitimate championship hopeful.
The Baltimore Ravens just made a move themselves at quarterback, but it doesn't come close to lifting the team the way Simmons does. Their top two options sustained injuries last week that could hold both of them out for the year, so in order to remain competitive in the AFC North, Baltimore brought in Arizona's Jacoby Brissett. There are several other teams to monitor as well ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline.
Week 9 is light on showdowns between top-tier contenders, but there are still a few contests — like the "Monday Night Football" battle featuring the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings — that will potentially reshape the title race.
Here are the latest trends in the Super Bowl hunt heading into Week 9.
Super Bowl odds entering Week 9
Odds via DraftKings, +2000 or better
- 49ers: +580
- Bills: +600
- Bears: +780
- Jaguars: +950
- Chiefs: +1000
- Rams: +1100
- Seahawks: +1250
- Bengals: +1400
- Broncos: +1600
- Patriots: +1900
- Lions: +1900
Stock up: Jeffery Simmons trade legitimizes Bears
A single move ahead of the NFL trade deadline elevated the Bears out of the pack of ordinary Super Bowl contenders and into the top tier of championship hopefuls. They suddenly own the third-shortest odds to roll through the postseason.
While the San Francisco 49ers are still the team to beat in the NFC until proven otherwise, the Bears' momentum is even more palpable, and it is beginning to feel like the conference runs through Chicago. Monday's 34-17 win on the road over the Seattle Seahawks might have been a passing of the torch from last year's champions to the best team of 2026.
Simmons unlocked all kinds of possibilities when he arrived by way of the Tennessee Titans. The three-time All-Pro defensive tackle recorded his first tackle as a Bear on the game's first play from scrimmage and earned his first sack on the following series. He dominated from start to finish and added another tackle for loss and a pass breakup in the fourth quarter. This is a new kind of weapon on the defensive front and one that gives coordinator Dennis Allen the freedom to blitz less frequently and still get pressure on the quarterback. That is an invaluable opportunity for a team that previously relied on the blitz at one of the NFL's highest rates.
The only weakness on this Bears team now resides in the secondary, and Simmons' arrival should mask it to a noticeable extent. Everything else about the Bears is championship-caliber. Ben Johnson's offense might finish the year as the highest-scoring operation in the league, Caleb Williams is on an MVP trajectory, Luther Burden III is breaking out in real time and the run game remains prolific with D'Andre Swift leading the charge. Now, the defense should be capable of at least holding up its end of the deal, if not outright leading the charge in some games.
The NFC North is anyone's division. Chicago now boasts the second-best offense and second-best defense, and as a newly minted well-rounded team, that might be enough to take command and secure a top-four seed in the postseason. And with the best defensive lineman in the world and a burgeoning superstar at quarterback, the No. 1 seed is now in play, too.
Stock down: Quarterback injuries tank Ravens' season
Year after year, the Ravens feel the wrath of injuries at the most important position. Lamar Jackson has only played two full seasons since 2021, and the contrast in record with and without him is appalling. Now that he is slated to miss extended time with his second injury of the year — a thumb issue that requires surgery — this season is trending in the same direction as 2021, 2022 and 2025 when his absences prevented Baltimore from vying for a championship.
What's more, backup Tyler Huntley is done for the season with turf toe, which leaves undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano as the starter for Week 9. The trade set to bring Jacoby Brissett to town does raise the floor quite a bit, but there is no getting back to the ceiling Jackson provides.
Fagnano was the emergency third quarterback in Week 8 and was thrust into the first action of his young career when both signal-callers ahead of him departed with injuries in the first half of the loss to the Bills, and the UConn product is now tasked with keeping the offense afloat on "Thursday Night Football." The Ravens also signed Kedon Slovis off the Packers' practice squad and added Austin Reed to their own practice squad, making him the likely third quarterback against the Jaguars on "Thursday Night Football."
Once Brissett arrives, it will be his show. But he was just benched in Arizona last week, so the Ravens cannot bank on him delivering enough of an upgrade over the other bleak options to keep the season alive.
Ravens depth chart changes
| Role | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 (projected) |
|---|---|---|---|
Starter | Lamar Jackson | Joe Fagnano | Jacoby Brissett |
Backup | Tyler Huntley | Kedon Slovis | Joe Fagnano |
Emergency | Joe Fagnano | Austin Reed (projected) | Kedon Slovis |
Less than one half of football entirely changed the outlook for Baltimore's season. The injuries in the opening minutes of the matchup against Buffalo relegated the Ravens from Super Bowl contention to a potential last-place finish in their own division. Their odds to win it all plummeted to +10000.
Unless Jackson can recover quickly from his surgery and limit his injured reserve stint to four games or only slightly more, this will likely be a lost season. And with the potential for him to miss the rest of the year, Brissett possibly overseeing a decent offense is the only real source of optimism in Baltimore.
Long shot of the week: Steelers (+5000)
The balance of power shifted immensely in the AFC North over the last week. The Ravens' quarterback injuries cleared the path forward for the other three teams, and the Steelers' head-to-head win over the Browns prompted a shakeup at the top with Pittsburgh securing sole possession of first place. After their Week 9 bye, the Steelers will have an opportunity to build separation in a second showdown with the Bengals. They beat Cincinnati in their first matchup.
The reunion between Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy injected new life into the offense ahead of the season, and the results are playing out on game days. The passing attack is effective even without a full-strength wide receiver room, and Jaylen Warren leads an invigorated run game that ranks third in the league in EPA per rush. And on the other side of the ball, first-year defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is easily among the best new assistant coaches in football. His unit ranks in the top eight in scoring defense (No. 3), total defense (No. 6), run defense (No. 3), third-down defense (No. 8), red-zone defense (No. 2) and takeaways (No. 3).
Sunday's win over Cleveland was the greatest example yet of how everything has come together in 2026. The 27-6 triumph gave the Steelers their largest margin of victory of the season, while the six points they allowed were their fewest of the year.
Week 9 games to watch
Broncos at Panthers
Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS, stream on Paramount+
This is a get-up-off-the-mat game for the Panthers, who lost their last two contests by a combined 38 points but were fortunate to find a one-score margin in their last outing. Bryce Young's early-season success is a thing of the past, as it seems opponents have cracked the code on stopping his breakout. The Broncos pose another stiff challenge. Denver, meanwhile, is the significantly stronger Super Bowl contender of the two and rides a four-game win streak into this cross-country trip. Sean Payton's squad is 15-0 in one-score games dating back to the middle of last season and is 5-0 in games decided by seven points or fewer this year alone. How sustainable is that? Apparently quite sustainable.
Packers at Patriots
Sunday, 4:25 p.m., Fox, stream on Fubo
The quarterback showdown between Drake Maye and Jordan Love is the best Week 9 has to offer. Between them, there are just over 4,200 yards and 31 touchdowns on the season, and they carry identical records into their showdown. Every time the Patriots have won a game, the Packers have too. Both teams suffered their three losses in the same weeks, too. That means both are playing their best football right now with four wins in the last five weeks.
Bills at Vikings
Monday, 8:15 p.m., ABC, stream on Fubo
Minnesota's league-leading defense will be put to the test for the second consecutive week. Last time out, it faced the NFL's top offense and held it to 19 points. This time, it meets the second-best unit with Josh Allen coming to town. If the Vikings could limit the Lions to just two touchdowns, then they should feel confident about their ability to contain Allen and his group. The bigger question is whether Kevin O'Connell's offense can do enough to take advantage. The unit has been lifeless even in its most favorable matchups, so a banged-up Kyler Murray (hamstring) may not be entirely trustworthy against the Bills and their less-than-perfect defense.
