Things can change quickly in the NFL, particularly in the second half of a season. But based on what we saw in Week 9, the Green Bay Packers have to be considered genuine Super Bowl contenders.
They travelled to Foxboro to face a New England Patriots team that, like Green Bay, had won four of its previous five games. What promised to be a closely fought contest turned into a rout, with the Packers running out 45-27 winners.
Jordan Love, who went into the game leading the NFL in passing yards, was outstanding from start to finish. He threw for 372 yards and three touchdowns, with his two leading receivers, Christian Watson and Matthew Golden, both surpassing 150 receiving yards. For the first time this season, the Packers also looked genuinely more balanced offensively, rushing for more than 120 yards.
Perhaps most impressive was the confidence with which Green Bay attacked All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez. They went after him time and again, with Love showing absolutely no fear. He was calm, composed and exuded the sort of confidence you associate with a quarterback capable of leading a team to a Super Bowl. We should put Love in the NFL Most Valuable Player conversation.
The Packers are dangerous defensively, too. They made an early statement by intercepting Drake Maye, the first of three interceptions thrown by the Patriots quarterback on the night. He did not have a good evening with Patriots legend Tom Brady looking down from the TV booth, assessing his every move. Green Bay finished with four takeaways, ensuring New England was never able to establish any sustained momentum.
For Maye, this was a disappointing step backwards. It was a reminder of the early stages of the 2026 season, when, by his own admission, he struggled to get out of his own way.
Ultimately, what had been expected to be an evenly matched contest became a one-sided affair. That was largely down to Love and his outstanding receiving tandem of Watson and Golden.
It wasn’t that long ago that we were watching the Packers and wondering how they could make the most of having five different receiving options without a genuine number one target. Now, they may have two players capable of filling that role.
That’s an exciting development for a Green Bay team that is firmly in the NFC playoff picture, despite currently sitting bottom of the NFC North. If Love continues to play at this level and the Packers can maintain this offensive balance, they will be a dangerous opponent for anyone come January, and potentially into February given what we saw in Foxboro.
Who’s Hot…
Kenneth Walker… Week 9 featured a Sunday where star players showed up to remind us that they are so often capable of making the kind of big plays that can take over a game. That was the case for the Kansas City Chiefs as they rolled to a 35-12 win against the New York Jets, snapping a two-game losing streak in the process. Patrick Mahomes played a clean game at quarterback as he hit on 23 of 31 attempts for 242 yards, two touchdowns and no picks. But the engine of the KC attack was Walker, who had been quiet in his previous two outings. Walker rushed for 102 yards and one touchdown and added two scores through the air. There are more famous names on the Kansas City roster (that guy at tight end has quite the following these days), but no one is as important to this team’s playoff charge as the reigning Super Bowl MVP who was acquired in 2026.
Joe Burrow… The Cincinnati Bengals improved to 6-2 with a relatively comfortable 34-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid, Spain. And it’s fair to say that quarterback Joe Burrow is in his groove and staking a serious case to be named the NFL’s MVP in 2026. That won’t matter to Burrow. He has bigger fish to fry. He’s finished as runner-up in one Super Bowl and he will want to go one step further and lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy in Los Angeles in February. Why not? He was excellent again on Sunday afternoon, completing 24 of 29 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns. When it comes to how important he is to his team, I think Burrow is one of two in the NFL; with the other being Josh Allen, of the Buffalo Bills. With Burrow at the helm, the sky is the limit for the Bengals.
Myles Garrett… It was still a little too difficult on offense at times on Sunday, but the Los Angeles Rams’ 20-13 win over the Washington Commanders featured a player they had astronomically high hopes for coming into 2026. Myles Garrett played for the first time since a Week 1 knee injury flared up in Australia. And boy was he worth the wait! Garrett recorded three sacks and forced a fumble, reminding us all of his ability to take over games as the best defender in the league. How much better can he be as he gets fully up to speed alongside Aaron Donald? That prospect is mouth-watering. But even amid the positivity of a third straight win to improve to 5-4, the Rams found adversity. Star receiver Puka Nacua hurt his knee on the final play of the game and while the Rams don’t believe he tore his ACL (which would be season ending), they are concerned enough to conduct more tests on Monday. Stay tuned!
Who’s Not…
The Los Angeles Chargers… I’m just going to go ahead and leave the Chargers in this spot until they shock me and win a football game. The 0-8 Chargers were never in the contest during Sunday’s 44-22 loss to the Houston Texans that was only made to look slightly less embarrassing because of two garbage time touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The Chargers allowed CJ Stroud to throw five touchdown passes and that was bad enough, but their real crime this season is the fact that the combination of Jim Harbaugh and Mike McDaniel have conspired to, somehow, break a Pro Bowl stud of a quarterback in Justin Herbert. On Sunday, that demolition started up front as LA’s leaky line allowed their star man to be sacked eight times. It’s hard to believe this team has been in the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. They are just playing terribly this season and heads are surely going to roll soon.
The Miami Dolphins’ Offense… I’m not even mad about this one because the 1-7 Dolphins are laying the foundations for future success and it is becoming clear that the defense is well ahead of the offense in that rebuilding process. During Sunday’s 19-9 home loss to Detroit, Miami’s D showed real grit and determination in holding the league’s top-ranked attack to just one touchdown. But the Dolphins just don’t have enough firepower on the other side of the ball. Malik Willis (128 yards, no touchdowns and one interception) is likely not going to be the quarterback whenever the roots of this rebuild flourish into life anyway, so there is no sense of panic in South Florida right now. This is about what we all expected if we are to be brutally honest.
The Fast Five…
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Jonathan Taylor is on his way out of Indianapolis. By the time you read this, the star running back might already have moved ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline. How do I know? The Colts scored a short yardage rushing touchdown with Seth McGowan in Sunday’s home loss to Dallas. That has long been the domain of Taylor, but the Colts have put their Pro Bowler on ice ahead of a potential deal.
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The San Francisco 49ers reminded us all of their Super Bowl credentials with a “take care of business” win over the Las Vegas Raiders, comfortably recording a 38-17 victory. It felt like the Niners hardly needed to find third gear. Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and a handful of different defenders stepped up at times to show the mettle of this 7-1 team.
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It is rarely pretty but the Denver Broncos find a way to get the job done. They secured another one-score victory on Sunday as they held off the Carolina Panthers in a 26-21 win. The victory keeps Sean Payton’s side top of the AFC West and they were the first team in the NFL to reach seven victories this season. Is it sustainable? I’m still not sure. But I do know this team will be battle-hardened and know what it takes to win come playoff time.
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Welcome back, Charlie Smyth. The Irish kicker landed three field goals and an all-important overtime extra point as the New Orleans Saints recorded a 23-22 extra period victory over the Cleveland Browns. Let’s hope Charlie gets an opportunity to keep delivering for the remainder of this season and for years to come.
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Given it was one of their worst showings of the season on Sunday night, Chicago’s 27-24 victory over Tampa Bay was hugely encouraging. The Bears committed five turnovers and could hardly have played worse. Caleb Williams threw four picks but admitted he doesn’t “get gun shy.” He connected with Rome Odunze on the final drive to set up Cairo Santos’ winning kick as time expired. It was not pretty, but it showed how much room for error these talented Bears can have at times.
Fact of the Week
The Jacksonville Jaguars defeated the Baltimore Ravens 33-10 in Week 9 on Thursday Night Football to improve to 6-2 in 2026. It was their fourth win by 20-plus points in 2026, while no other team even had three such wins entering Week 9 Sunday. It was also the fourth time the Jaguars held their opponent to 10 points or fewer in 2026, the most such games in the NFL.
Final Thought…
I’m writing this column as I soar over the Atlantic ocean en route to Minneapolis and a Monday Night Football meeting between Josh Allen, of the Buffalo Bills, and a Minnesota Vikings defense that is the most creative and baffling in the league. I may only have had three hours’ sleep, but I’m ready for this one. It should serve as a reminder that American football can be the ultimate chess match. But it also serves as notice that this is a “what have you done for me lately?” league. Minnesota suffered just their first defeat of the season last week and this is a battle of 6-1 teams. Yet there are a lot of questions now being asked about the legitimacy of the Vikings, primarily because of their offensive woes having scored just 11 touchdowns in seven games this season. Can Carson Wentz pick up the slack? How will Josh Allen fare against Brian Flores’ defense? I cannot wait to watch and find out the answers to those particular questions.