NFL Week 9 preview: 5 games you can’t miss this weekend
For only the second time, gridiron football is heading to the Bernabeu, the home of Real Madrid, for the fifth and penultimate European game of the NFL 2026 season, with a Bengals vs Falcons game that could go either way in the best way possible.
There’s also a heavyweight 6-1 vs 6-1 showdown to look forward to, as the Bills and Vikings face off under the Monday night lights. That comes after a loaded late Sunday window headlined by the Packers’ meeting with the Patriots, both teams having made serious improvements over recent weeks.
Scroll down for our pick of the top five NFL Week 9 games – and who’s showing them.
Bengals vs Falcons
- Sunday, 9.30am ET, NFL Network/ESPN Unlimited (US)
This is a mismatch on paper, with the 5-2 Bengals coming off a sensational Joe Burrow performance and the 3-5 Falcons reeling from one of the worst displays we’ve seen all season, but this Atlanta team is effectively purpose-built to beat Cincinnati. Bijan Robinson has gained more yards than any other running back, and the Bengals are allowing 4.8 yards per carry – the fourth-worst number in the NFL. The Falcons are also struggling to stop the run, but the Bengals’ ground game is the third-worst in the league. Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, however, are in red-hot form.
Raiders at 49ers
- Sunday, 4.05pm ET, CBS/Paramount+ (US)
The Battle of the Bay may have been consigned to history but the ill will between the Raiders and 49ers hasn’t dissipated, and this meeting has been nearly four years in the making. San Fran are amongst the Super Bowl favourites, but they were atrocious two weeks ago, giving up four turnovers in their first defeat of the season. However, they’ve had a bye to set things right. The Raiders’ passing game under Kirk Cousins is the third-best in the league, but the Niners are no pushover. Unfortunately for Las Vegas, their hapless rushing game means there’s no Plan B.
Packers at Patriots
Both the Packers and Patriots seem to have put their early woes behind thanks to their defenses, which have come on leaps and bounds. In New England’s case, the form of Drake Maye has been a crucial factor too. After an abysmal start to the campaign, he’s now thrown three touchdowns in five straight games. Green Bay’s Jordan Love, meanwhile, leads all quarterbacks for yardage this season. Matt LaFleur’s men have a marginally better pass defense, but this is likely come down to very fine margins.
Buccaneers at Bears
- Sunday, 8.20pm ET, NBC/Peacock (US)
The Bears just underlined their Super Bowl credentials by trouncing the reigning champion Seahawks, while the Buccaneers have completed a shocking seven throws across their past two games, but Tampa Bay’s bonkers gameplan is working. They won both of those games, putting up 59 points and conceding just 13, while shutting out the Falcons, with running backs Bucky Irving and Kenneth Gainwell delivering relentless one-two punches. Keeping Caleb Williams off the field will be vital, but then again Chicago’s rushing offense is second only to Tampa Bay’s.
Bills at Vikings
- Monday, 8.15pm ET, ESPN, ABC, NFL Network/ESPN Unlimited (US)
The NFL’s top-scoring offense and meanest defense collide in a MNF blockbuster, but they’ll be sharing the stage with a clownshow. The Bills and Vikings are both at 6-1, but Buffalo’s pass defense is the third-worst in the league, and Minnesota’s passing offense the second-worst. The Vikings were the NFL’s last remaining unbeaten team until last weekend, when Kyler Murray’s deficiencies finally caught up with them, much to the chagrin of Justin Jefferson. The prospect of Josh Allen and James Cook going at this Minnesota defense, however, is mouthwatering.
Use a VPN to watch NFL Week 9 live streams
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