The Week 9 NFL schedule for the 2021 season is stacked with great matchups, and we have you covered with what you need to know heading into the weekend.
Additionally, ESPN Stats & Information provides a big stat to know and a betting nugget for each contest, and our Football Power Index and a game projection.
Let’s get into the full Week 9 slate, including an Aaron Rodgers-less Packers-Chiefs game, the Cardinals looking to bounce back against a division foe, Myles Garrett vs.
What to watch for: How will Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott fare after missing a game? He was held out last week because of a calf strain, but remember that he threw for 403 yards and three touchdowns in the season opener after missing most of training camp.
The Broncos will need to defend far better in their nickel package on defense, and their own offense will have to be something more than the stuck-in-neutral group it has been for much of the year.
Lamb is attempting to become the first Cowboys player with 100 receiving yards in three straight games since Terrell Owens did it in 2007, while Cooper is seeking back-to-back 100-yard games for the first time since he was with the Raiders.
From wide-eyed rookie to Super Bowl MVP, Miller an all-time member of the Broncos …
What to watch for: How will Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey contain Vikings receivers Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen? Humphrey is a two-time Pro Bowl corner, but he’s coming off one of his worst games, giving up 227 yards in coverage .
The Vikings might lose this one, but the offense will actually take chances and look like it can contend with one of the top teams in the NFL.
Stat to know: The Ravens’ 149.4 rushing yards per game rank third in the NFL this season, and their 106.6 rushing yards before contact per game rank first.
The Browns are the best rushing team in the NFL at 5.16 yards per carry, but the Bengals have a top-five rush defense and boast a front anchored by defensive tackle D.J.
Bold prediction: The Bengals will load the box and hold running back Nick Chubb to fewer than 50 yards rushing, taking advantage of the turmoil surrounding the Browns’ passing game.
Teddy Bridgewater, Tua Tagovailoa and Tyrod Taylor all threw for 300-plus yards against the Jags, so watch for Allen, Stefon Diggs, Emmanuel Sanders and Cole Beasley to have big days.
Bold prediction: Allen will have at least two rushing plays of 10-plus yards in Jacksonville and score on a run as well.
What to watch for: How will the run game play out? Both teams will want to take away the run and force the quarterback to beat them.
Bold prediction: Panthers cornerback Stephon Gilmore will pick off Jones in his first game against his old team, and the kickers — New England’s Nick Folk and Carolina’s Zane Gonzalez — will ultimately be the top storyline in a low-scoring game.
Stat to know: Patriots running back Damien Harris has four straight games with a rushing TD, the longest streak by a Patriots player since Rex Burkhead scored in four straight in 2017.
What to know for fantasy: That’s now four straight games without a score for Panthers receiver DJ Moore, but he has seen at least seven targets in every single game, including five games with 10-plus looks.
But now they need to prove they can keep doing so without starting QB Jameis Winston after his season-ending ACL tear.
Bold prediction: Saints running back Alvin Kamara will finally have a receiving touchdown against Atlanta — and he’ll add two rushing TDs as well.
Stat to know: New Orleans defensive end Cameron Jordan has two straight games with a sack, and he has 21 sacks in his career against Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan — the most sacks for a player against a single QB since sacks became official in 1982.
What to know for fantasy: In Week 3 of 2018, Ryan went off against the Saints, racking up 40.2 fantasy points and averaging 1.0 fantasy points per pass attempt.
Ryan says team can be inspired by Braves’ run to World Series title …
What to watch for: If the Giants’ offense is going to have any success without some of its top playmakers, it is going to have to find a way to slow Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, who is among the league leaders with a 16.5% pressure rate and 36 pressures.
Jacobs came out of the Raiders’ pre-bye win against the Eagles with a team-described chest injury, but his current rushing high is just 53 yards, and he is primed to eclipse that on Sunday.
What to watch for: The Dolphins rank 30th in yards per game and dead last in yards allowed — but the Texans are 31st in yards per game and 30th in yards allowed.
Yes, they’re playing a team that is also 1-7, but in Houston’s seven straight losses, the team has barely been competitive.
What to watch for: The Eagles finally dedicated themselves to the ground game last week against the Lions and rumbled for 236 yards and four touchdowns on 46 carries in a 44-6 romp.
Bold prediction: Chargers defensive end Justin Jones will get his first two sacks of the season — more than he had in his entire career .
The Niners, meanwhile, expect to have kicker Robbie Gould and tight end George Kittle back from their injuries, and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will be available this time around.
The Chiefs allowed a higher QBR than the league average of 51.6 against the five top QBs they faced this season — but they allowed a QBR of well below league average against Jalen Hurts, Taylor Heinicke and Daniel Jones.
Bold prediction: Love will play better than you think, throwing for a TD and rushing for another.
What to watch for: The Rams proved ahead of the trade deadline that they’re once again all-in on a Super Bowl run, adding outside linebacker Von Miller to a defense that already included Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey and Leonard Floyd.
But through eight games, Landry has 8.5 sacks, the most over such a span by any Titans player in franchise history.
But to force him into bad throws, the Steelers will have the added challenge of keeping Fields, who rushed for 103 yards against the 49ers, in the pocket and preventing him from using his legs.
Two hundred-plus passing yards is super bold for the Bears, who rank at or near the bottom in virtually every passing category.
What to know for fantasy: Pittsburgh receiver Chase Claypool underwhelmed last week, and yet his WR38 finish is better than anything Bears receiver Allen Robinson II has offered up this season.