What to watch as the NFL season crosses the halfway point

We’ve crossed the halfway point of the NFL season, and the race to separate contenders from pretenders is heating up.

From Joe Burrow taking his hot streak to Spain to Josh Allen facing Minnesota’s stingy defense, here are five things to know for Week 9.

Ananda Manjón/Europa Press/AP

We turned the clocks back last Sunday and gained an extra hour of sleep. Wouldn’t that have been the perfect morning for an international NFL game? West Coast fans, especially, could have used the assist.

Instead, the overseas action returns this Sunday, with the Cincinnati Bengals facing the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid. The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu will host its second regular-season NFL game after the Miami Dolphins beat the Washington Commanders 16-13 in overtime there last November.

International games don’t always deliver marquee offenses, but Spanish fans should get a good look at one of the league’s hottest quarterbacks. Joe Burrow has thrown 13 touchdown passes during Cincinnati’s three-game winning streak, pushing himself into the MVP conversation.

Atlanta, meanwhile, could use a fresh start – and a dry football – after being shut out in a rain-soaked loss at Tampa Bay. The Falcons should find more opportunities against a Bengals defense that just surrendered 36 points to Tennessee.

With Burrow rolling and Cincinnati still struggling to get stops, this one has the ingredients for an entertaining morning. Kickoff is at 9:30 a.m. ET.

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Being a Dallas Cowboys fan is tough. Just when Philadelphia’s injuries appeared to give Dallas an opening in the NFC East, the Cowboys found another painful way to lose. They led Arizona 24-10 with about 11 minutes remaining Sunday, only to unravel in a 33-30 overtime defeat.

Even a second chance wasn’t enough. Chad Ryland missed an extra point that would have put the Cardinals ahead with six seconds left in regulation, but Dak Prescott and the Cowboys still couldn’t turn that reprieve into a victory.

Dallas entered the game 69-0 when leading at home by at least 14 points in the fourth quarter. There goes that perfect record.

Afterward, owner Jerry Jones defended head coach Brian Schottenheimer, saying others had let the coach down. Wherever the blame lands, the Cowboys are 3-5 and running out of room for these kinds of mistakes.

The good news? The NFC East remains within reach, and Dallas’ next four games are against the Colts, 49ers, Titans and Eagles. Winning three would get the Cowboys back to .500 at 6-6.

That’s an attainable goal. With this team, though, nothing feels guaranteed.

Minshew Magic is back!

As Adam Rank put it on X : “Gardner Minshew is like the McRib. He exists for just a limited amount of time. But while he’s here, it’s spectacular.”

The veteran quarterback came off Arizona’s bench late in the third quarter Sunday and promptly turned a forgettable afternoon into one of the season’s wildest comebacks. Minshew threw for 188 yards and three touchdowns, rallying the Cardinals past the Cowboys in overtime.

His reward? Head coach Mike LaFleur named him the starter moving forward.

Minshew has been delivering these moments since his rookie season with Jacksonville in 2019, when he threw 21 touchdown passes against just six interceptions. The signature mustache, aviator sunglasses and occasional late-game magic have helped make him a fan favorite wherever he lands. The Cardinals will be the sixth team for which Minshew has started.

But can he turn another memorable cameo into a sustained run?

His first assignment is a tough one: A trip to Seattle, where the Seahawks will be eager to respond after giving up 34 points to Chicago on Monday night.

On Sunday, the Buccaneers pulled off the unthinkable: Winning an NFL game without completing a pass.

With rain pouring down in Tampa, the Bucs leaned on their running game and bulldozed Atlanta for a franchise-record 324 rushing yards in a 16-0 victory. They became the first NFL team to win without a completion since the Buffalo Bills in 1974.

Baker Mayfield finished 0-for-3 and somehow still posted a higher passer rating than Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who threw four interceptions.

Tampa Bay will almost certainly need more from its passing game Sunday night in Chicago. The Bears looked like legitimate Super Bowl contenders in their 34-17 win over Seattle on Monday, handing the Seahawks their first loss by multiple scores since 2024.

Chicago’s 6-2 record is its best eight-game start in 14 years, and Ben Johnson’s offense is thriving. In the four games Caleb Williams has started and finished this season, the Bears have scored 59, 30, 31 and 34 points.

Jeffrey T. Barnes/AP

Monday night brings a clash of styles — and a fascinating test for two contenders.

Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills arrive in Minnesota averaging a league-best 33 points per game. Brian Flores and the Vikings’ defense are allowing a league-low 13.

Something has to give.

Both teams enter at 6-1, with Minnesota looking to bounce back after Detroit handed the Vikings their first loss of the season.

The matchup to watch is Allen against Flores’ pressure packages. Can the Vikings disguise their looks, get home with the blitz and force mistakes? Or will Allen escape the rush and punish Minnesota with the kind of big plays that can wreck even the best defensive game plan?

It’s a terrific chess match to close the week – with two teams hoping it’s a preview of much bigger games to come.

NFL赛季已经过半，各队争夺冠军的竞争也日趋激烈。

从乔·伯罗将火热状态延续到西班牙，到乔什·艾伦面对明尼苏达严密的防守，以下是第 9 周你需要了解的五件事。

阿南达·曼洪/欧洲出版社/美联社

上周日我们把时钟拨慢了一小时，多睡了一个小时。如果那天早上能看一场国际NFL比赛，那该多完美啊！尤其是西海岸的球迷，他们肯定很需要这额外的睡眠时间。

取而代之的是，海外赛事将于本周日回归，辛辛那提猛虎队将在马德里迎战亚特兰大猎鹰队。圣地亚哥·伯纳乌球场将迎来其第二场NFL常规赛，去年11月迈阿密海豚队曾在此加时赛中以16-13击败华盛顿指挥官队。

国际比赛未必总能奉献精彩的进攻表演，但西班牙球迷应该有机会好好欣赏一下联盟中最炙手可热的四分卫之一。乔·伯罗在辛辛那提猛虎队的三连胜期间已经传出13次达阵，让自己跻身MVP的有力竞争者之列。

与此同时，亚特兰大猎鹰队在坦帕湾遭遇雨战失利后，急需一场新的开始——以及一场干燥的比赛。面对刚刚被田纳西泰坦队攻入36分的辛辛那提猛虎队防守，猎鹰队应该能找到更多得分机会。

伯罗状态火热，而辛辛那提队防守依然漏洞百出，这场比赛极有可能成为一场精彩的早间赛事。比赛将于美国东部时间上午9:30开球。

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做达拉斯牛仔队的球迷真不容易。费城老鹰队的伤病似乎给了达拉斯在国联东区夺冠的机会，但牛仔队却又以一种令人痛心的方式输掉了比赛。周日对阵亚利桑那红雀队的比赛中，他们在比赛还剩大约11分钟时以24-10领先，最终却在加时赛中以30-33惜败。

即便有了第二次机会，也无济于事。查德·莱兰德在常规时间还剩6秒时错失了一记附加分，否则红雀队就能反超比分，但达克·普雷斯科特和牛仔队仍然没能将这难得的机会转化为胜利。

达拉斯队此前在主场第四节领先至少14分的情况下，战绩为69胜0负。完美纪录就此终结。

事后，老板杰里·琼斯为主教练布莱恩·肖滕海默辩护，称是其他人辜负了教练。无论责任归咎于谁，牛仔队目前的战绩是3胜5负，他们已经没有犯这种错误的空间了。

好消息是？NFC东区冠军仍然触手可及，达拉斯牛仔队接下来的四场比赛将分别对阵印第安纳波利斯小马队、旧金山49人队、田纳西泰坦队和费城老鹰队。如果能赢下其中三场，牛仔队的战绩将回到6胜6负，胜率达到50%。

这是一个可以实现的目标。不过，对于这支球队来说，一切都感觉没有保障。

Minshew Magic 回归啦！

正如亚当·兰克在X杂志上所说：“加德纳·明休就像麦乐鸡汉堡。他的存在时间有限。但他在的这段时间里，精彩绝伦。”

这位经验丰富的老将四分卫在周日第三节末段替补登场，迅速将一场原本令人失望的比赛扭转为本赛季最惊心动魄的逆转之一。明休传球188码，完成三次达阵，带领红雀队在加时赛中战胜牛仔队。

他的回报是什么？主教练迈克·拉弗勒尔宣布他将成为球队的首发球员。

自2019年在杰克逊维尔美洲虎队的新秀赛季以来，明休就一直为球迷带来精彩瞬间。那个赛季他传出21次达阵，仅有6次被拦截。标志性的胡子、飞行员墨镜以及偶尔在比赛最后时刻的神奇表现，让他无论效力哪支球队都深受球迷喜爱。亚利桑那红雀队将是明休效力的第六支球队。

但他能否将又一次令人难忘的客串演出变成一段持续的辉煌呢？

他的第一个任务就十分艰巨：前往西雅图，海鹰队在周一晚上被芝加哥队攻下 34 分后，渴望做出回应。

周日，坦帕湾海盗队完成了不可思议的事情：在没有完成一次传球的情况下赢得了一场 NFL 比赛。

坦帕大雨倾盆，海盗队依靠强大的地面进攻，以16比0大胜亚特兰大猎鹰队，创造了球队单场冲球码数324码的纪录。他们也成为自1974年布法罗比尔队以来，首支在没有一次传球成功的情况下赢得比赛的NFL球队。

贝克·梅菲尔德3次传球全部失败，但他的传球评分却比猎鹰队四分卫迈克尔·佩尼克斯二世（被拦截4次）还要高。

坦帕湾海盗队周日晚在芝加哥的比赛中几乎肯定需要提升传球进攻的表现。芝加哥熊队周一以34比17战胜西雅图海鹰队，展现出了争夺超级碗的实力，这也是海鹰队自2024年以来首次遭遇多场大比分失利。

芝加哥熊队目前以6胜2负的战绩开局，这是他们14年来最好的八场开局，本·约翰逊的进攻体系也运转良好。本赛季卡莱布·威廉姆斯首发并打满全场的四场比赛中，熊队分别拿下59分、30分、31分和34分。

杰弗里·T·巴恩斯/美联社

周一晚将上演一场风格迥异的较量——对于两位竞争者来说，这将是一场精彩的考验。

乔什·艾伦率领的布法罗比尔队来到明尼苏达，他们场均得分高达33分，位列联盟第一。布莱恩·弗洛雷斯执教的维京人队防守组场均失分仅为13分，同样是联盟最低。

总得有所改变。

两队目前战绩均为 6 胜 1 负，明尼苏达维京人队希望在底特律雄狮队送给他们本赛季首败后重振旗鼓。

最值得关注的对决是艾伦对阵弗洛雷斯的施压战术。维京人能否巧妙地隐藏战术，通过突袭迫使对手犯错？还是艾伦能够摆脱冲锋，用那些足以摧毁最强防守计划的大码数进攻惩罚明尼苏达？

这是一场精彩的国际象棋比赛，为本周画上了圆满的句号——两支队伍都希望这场比赛预示着未来更重大比赛的到来。