Lamar Jackson is back and the Chiefs visit the Bills: Five things to know about Week 9 in the NFL

By Andy Scholes, CNN

(CNN) — Hard to believe we’ve already reached the halfway mark of the NFL season. Week 9 brings the return of Lamar Jackson, another Mahomes–Allen duel, and hopefully a few games that actually keep us on the edge of our seats. Here are five things to know about Week 9:

Lamar’s finally back

Let’s try this again. Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is set to start Thursday night in Miami against the Dolphins.

Jackson practiced last week, and many expected him to suit up against the Chicago Bears, but the team opted to give his hamstring one more week to heal. Jackson now says he’s “100 percent healthy,” and the Ravens are banking on that being true.

At 2-5, Baltimore is in dangerous territory – only two teams in NFL history have reached the postseason after starting 2-6. After their slow start, Jackson and the Ravens have almost no margin for error the rest of the way.

Chiefs-Bills showdown

No matchup in football has delivered more drama over the past five seasons than the Kansas City Chiefs vs. the Buffalo Bills. Sunday’s clash will mark the 10th meeting in six years between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. It’s become must-see TV anytime these two square off and is undoubtably the league’s best quarterback rivalry.

Allen owns a 4-1 record against Mahomes in the regular season, but Mahomes is undefeated where it counts – he’s 4-0 in the postseason. After a sluggish start, Kansas City’s offense is back in sync, averaging 30.8 points over its last five games, fourth best in the NFL.

Buffalo’s defense dominated in last week’s 40-9 rout of the Carolina Panthers but suffered another setback, losing Ed Oliver to a torn bicep. Will we get another epic shootout? This latest installment of Mahomes vs. Allen headlines Sunday’s CBS slate, kicking off at 4:25 p.m. ET.

Can we get a close game, please?

Here’s hoping Chiefs-Bills gives us a thriller because Week 8 was a snooze fest.

It was the first NFL Sunday since 1970 with one or fewer games decided by single digits (with a minimum eight games). The lone nail-biter came in the New York Jets’ 39-38 comeback win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Week 9 features more big spreads, but in the NFL, these things tend to even out. Here’s to some games that actually go down to the wire.

Don’t expect points in Houston

If you like fireworks and 40-point shootouts, you might want to skip the Denver Broncos going to Houston to play the Texans.

Both defenses are elite. Houston leads the NFL in yards allowed (266.9) and points allowed (14.7) per game. Denver, meanwhile, tops the league in sacks with 36. The over/under is set at just 39.5 – one of the lowest totals all season.

The Texans, sitting at 3-4, can’t afford many more losses if they hope to chase down the 7-1 Colts in the AFC South.

Kyler owns Arlington

Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray is officially questionable for Monday night’s showdown with the Dallas Cowboys because of a foot sprain, but don’t expect him to sit this one out – AT&T Stadium is basically his personal playground.

Murray has never lost there – 5-0 in high school at Allen High (with three state titles), 1-0 at Oklahoma (Big 12 Championship) and 2-0 as a pro against Dallas.

The stakes are high again. At 2-5, the Cardinals are clinging to postseason hopes. Fall to 2-6, and those hopes all but disappear.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.