NFL Week 9: Bills beat Vikings 23–6 to join 49ers at the top
NFL Week 9: Bills beat Vikings 23–6 to join 49ers at the top
Buffalo beat Minnesota 23–6 on 9 November 2026 to join San Francisco atop the league at 7–1. Josh Allen’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Keleki Latu put Buffalo ahead, while Carson Wentz committed 3 turnovers. Chicago beat Tampa Bay 27–24, New Orleans edged Cleveland 23–22 in overtime, and Green Bay beat New England 45–27. Cincinnati beat Atlanta 34–17; San Francisco beat Las Vegas 38–17; Detroit beat Miami 19–9; Denver beat Carolina 26–21; Kansas City beat the New York Jets 35–12; Jacksonville beat Baltimore 33–10; Seattle beat Arizona 17–3; the Los Angeles Rams beat Washington 20–13; the New York Giants beat Philadelphia 19–11; and Dallas beat Indianapolis 27–23.
The Buffalo Bills beat the Minnesota Vikings 23–6 to complete Week 9, joining the San Francisco 49ers with the league’s best record. Buffalo’s start also matched its best through eight games since 1993.
Allen found Latu in the end zone with 44 seconds left before halftime for the tight end’s first NFL touchdown. Allen finished with 234 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. Running back James Cook III carried 31 times for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Allen also reached 322 regular-season touchdowns, tying Peyton Manning for the most by a player in his first 10 NFL seasons. Allen is halfway through his ninth season.
Wentz completed 8 of 25 passes for 81 yards and threw two interceptions. His third turnover came in the first quarter when an overthrown backward pass became a lost fumble. Minnesota failed to score a touchdown for the third time this season.
With Minnesota down three scores late in the fourth quarter, coach Kevin O’Connell replaced Wentz with Max Brosmer. Buffalo held possession for 42:32 to Minnesota’s 17:28. Bills coach Joe Brady’s game plan relied on quick outlet throws and heavy use of Cook.
His 2.3 QBR, a measure of quarterback performance, was the lowest by any quarterback this season and the lowest by a Minnesota quarterback since Tarvaris Jackson’s 1.8 in 2006, according to ESPN. Minnesota fell to 6–2 after starting 6–0.
Chicago takes division lead; Saints win in overtime
Chicago moved atop the NFC North at 7–2 after beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27–24 for its fourth straight win. Cairo Santos made a 38-yard field goal as time expired after Chicago had surrendered a 14-point lead and committed 5 turnovers.
Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams threw a career-high four interceptions. Tampa Bay blitzed him on 66% of his dropbacks, the third-highest rate of his career, producing three interceptions; both of his touchdown passes also came against the blitz. He had opened with consecutive touchdown drives for a 14-point first-quarter lead.
Pittsburgh, Detroit, the Rams, Arizona, Chicago, Green Bay, Buffalo, Jacksonville, Cincinnati, New England, Tampa Bay and Washington also won. Las Vegas beat the Jets 38–33 behind 4 Kirk Cousins touchdowns, ending a four-game skid and reaching 4–4 for its first record of .500 or better through eight games since 2021.
On Chicago’s penultimate possession, receiver Luther Burden III lost a fumble and sustained a concussion in a helmet-to-helmet hit. Bucky Irving’s six-yard touchdown run and Baker Mayfield’s two-point conversion tied the game 24–24. Chicago’s final drive began with 2:51 left and all three timeouts; Williams found an open Colston Loveland for 38 yards to set up Santos' kick.
It was the first time this season Chicago needed Williams to lead a winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime, after six such drives in 2025. The Bears have not trailed during their four-game winning streak. According to ESPN Research, they are the third team in 20 seasons to win without trailing despite at least five turnovers.
The New Orleans Saints beat the Cleveland Browns 23–22 in overtime. Cleveland quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw two touchdown passes and led a late field-goal drive to force the extra period. After New Orleans scored first in overtime, Sanders found Harold Fannin Jr. for a 39-yard touchdown, but his pass on the two-point attempt to win fell incomplete.
In the second half, Sanders completed a 60-yard pass to rookie Denzel Boston and a 64-yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie KC Concepcion, putting Cleveland ahead 13–9 late in the fourth quarter. New Orleans scored on the first possession of overtime, leaving Cleveland a chance to answer. The Saints improved to 3–5 and the Browns fell to 5–4.
Sanders completed 19 of 31 passes for 297 yards in his first start of the season. Deshaun Watson was inactive after missing two days of practice while in the league’s concussion protocol; Watson returned to practice Friday and cleared the protocol Saturday, but Sanders took all the first-team practice repetitions.
The Denver Broncos’ 26–21 win over the Carolina Panthers was their 16th consecutive regular-season victory in a one-score game, an NFL record. The Kansas City Chiefs beat the New York Jets 35–12 as Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce reached 9,360 passing yards together, the most for a quarterback–tight end pair, surpassing Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates’ 9,352 yards.
Green Bay beat last season’s Super Bowl finalist New England 45–27 to move to 6–3. Jordan Love passed for 372 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another. The Patriots had not allowed as many points at home since 1970, while Christian Watson and Matthew Golden became the first Packers since 1942 each to gain more than 150 receiving yards and score a touchdown in the same game.
Detroit beat Miami 19–9, leaving the Lions at 6–2 alongside Minnesota and behind Chicago in the NFC North; Miami fell to 1–7. Detroit has won three straight since its Week 6 bye without exceeding 20 points, holding Green Bay to 17, Minnesota to 15 and Miami to three field goals after allowing at least 21 points in each of its first five games.
Cincinnati beat Atlanta 34–17 in Madrid, moving to 6–2 and a share of the AFC North lead with Pittsburgh; Atlanta fell to 3–6. Joe Burrow completed 24 of 29 passes for 271 yards and Ja’Marr Chase had a season-high 155 receiving yards. Cincinnati scored more than 30 points for a fourth straight game, tying a team record. According to Guardian Sport, Chase joined Randy Moss as the only NFL players with at least seven touchdown catches in each of their first six seasons.
San Francisco beat Las Vegas 38–17 to reach a league-best 7–1, while defending champion Seattle beat Arizona 17–3 to move to 5–4. The Los Angeles Rams also stand at 5–4 in the NFC West after a third straight win, 20–13 over Washington, which fell to 2–5–1.
Rams edge rusher Myles Garrett recorded three sacks in his first game back after mid-September knee surgery, his first since his June trade to Los Angeles. Two came in the fourth quarter; his first stripped Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels of the ball in the second. ESPN reported that Garrett’s 128.5 career sacks tied Jared Allen for the second most in a player’s first 10 seasons since sacks became official in 1982.
The New York Giants beat Philadelphia 19–11, ending a 13-game losing streak in Philadelphia and leaving the Eagles at 2–7 after a seventh straight defeat. The Giants lead the NFC East at 5–2–1; Dallas is 4–5. New York recorded seven sacks, its most since Week 13 of 2024, including three by rookie linebacker Arvell Reese.
ESPN reported that Philadelphia ranked 30th in points per game (16.4), expected points added (−47.28) and first downs per game (15.8), and 28th in offensive efficiency (31.53). The Eagles replaced quarterback Tanner McKee with Joe Milton and had played much of the season without Jalen Hurts, Lane Johnson and DeVonta Smith. Coach Nick Sirianni did not rule out staff changes during the bye, but said he would review the team starting with himself and would not make a change simply because of the record.
Dallas beat Indianapolis 27–23, leaving the Colts at 2–7. Javonte Williams' one-yard touchdown run with 1:08 left put Dallas ahead, and Caleb Downs intercepted Daniel Jones to secure the win. Denver’s fifth straight victory kept it atop the AFC West at 7–2. Bryce Young’s third-quarter touchdown pass to Darren Waller had put Carolina ahead; after Devon Key’s interception, Jonah Coleman’s nine-yard touchdown capped a 14-play, 80-yard drive to put Denver back in front. Bo Nix’s 26-yard touchdown pass to Pat Bryant extended the lead to 26–14 with 5:41 left, and Nick Bonito knocked the ball loose from Young with 1:18 remaining and Denver ahead 26–21.
Kansas City improved to 6–2 and the Jets fell to 2–7. Kenneth Walker’s two-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter was his third touchdown of the game.
Jacksonville opened the round on 5 November with a 33–10 win at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium, leaving the Jaguars at 6–2 and the Ravens at 4–5. Trevor Lawrence connected with Parker Washington for a 50-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the second quarter. It was Jacksonville’s 11th offensive touchdown of at least 20 yards this season, the NFL’s highest total according to ESPN Research. The Jaguars surpassed 30 points for a third straight game and fifth time this season; their preceding games included a Week 6 loss to Houston at Wembley and a 42–7 home win over Indianapolis.
Jacksonville forced three turnovers, including two interceptions of Joe Fagnano, and Cam Little tied his career high with four field goals. Fagnano completed 10 of 18 passes for 60 yards and two interceptions in his first start. The undrafted rookie started because Tyler Huntley had a turf-toe injury and Lamar Jackson had a right thumb injury. ESPN reported that Jackson was placed on injured reserve on 5 November and would miss at least three games. Baltimore cornerback Nate Wiggins was inactive with an illness.
Baltimore lost a fourth straight game and, for the first time in its history, three consecutive games by at least 20 points. Under first-year head coach Jesse Minter, the Ravens also scored fewer than 14 points in three straight games for the first time in franchise history. Fagnano played college football at Maine and UConn before signing with Baltimore on 28 April 2026 after going undrafted. BBC Sport reported that Baltimore subsequently completed a trade for Arizona quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
What comes next
Minnesota next plays the Green Bay Packers before traveling to face San Francisco in Mexico City. The Cincinnati Bengals face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Sunday’s primetime game.
The Jacksonville Jaguars host the Tennessee Titans on 15 November, and the Baltimore Ravens host the Los Angeles Chargers on 16 November.
Dallas’s win over Philadelphia moved it into second place in the NFC East. Javonte Williams ran for a career-high 155 yards, while Dak Prescott threw three touchdown passes, each leading to a six-point score.
Atlanta beat San Francisco 29–20, and Seattle beat Kansas City 20–3, ending both teams’ unbeaten starts. Minnesota beat Indianapolis 16–10 to remain the NFL’s last unbeaten team. Cincinnati beat Baltimore 35–13, Detroit beat Green Bay 20–17 and Pittsburgh beat New Orleans 16–10 in the league’s first game in France. The Rams beat the Raiders 35–21, Denver beat Arizona 30–16, Tampa Bay beat Carolina 43–13, the Giants beat Houston 27–21 in overtime and Miami beat the Jets 28–25.
