Week nine in the 2025 NFL season brings us to the halfway point of the regular season. After the first half, we still have no idea who the top teams in the league are.
Let’s look back at the action, and maybe answers will arise
Allen Beats Mahomes (again)
This week, we had another installment in one of the biggest new rivalries in the NFL. Patrick Mahomes and his Kansas City Chiefs faced Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. While Mahomes had the advantage in the postseason, Allen has been able to win most of their regular-season encounters. This year’s meeting will likely have postseason ramifications, with a defeat for the Chiefs only making their underperformance this year even worse. Who would win?
The Bills had the first possession of the game and were able to get the first points from it. Starting from their 16-yard line, Allen and company were able to move the offense down to the Chiefs’ 3-yard line. Here, he found Dalton Kincaid for the touchdown pass, giving Buffalo the early lead. In response to this, Kansas City was unable to do anything with its first possession.
The Chiefs were able to level the scores to open the second quarter. Mahomes brought the offense down to the Bills’ three-yard line before Rashee Rice would find the endzone for the rushing touchdown to tie the game. On their next drive, they were able to take the lead through a 46-yard field goal from Harrison Butker.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut, this lead did not last long. On the next drive of the game, the Bills would find themselves deep in the Chiefs’ red zone thanks to a 47-yard pass from Allen to Kincaid. Then, at the three-yard line, Ty Johnson found the endzone for a rushing touchdown for Buffalo. This required lead would be extended on the Bills’ next drive when Allen found the endzone for a one-yard rushing touchdown.
Kansas City tried to reduce the Bills’ lead before halftime, but the best they could do on their final drive was a 19-yard field goal from Butker on a drive that stalled on the one-yard line.
This meant that as the teams returned to the locker rooms, the Bills had a 21-13 lead over the Chiefs.
The second half did not start well for either team, with the first three drives of the half ending in punts. However, the Bills were able to break this streak near the end of the third quarter, when the offense found itself down at the Chiefs’ one-yard line. Here, Allen would again find the endzone for the rushing touchdown to potentially put the game out of reach for the Chiefs if they did not score quickly.
Luckily for Kansas fans, Mahomes and company were able to find the endzone at the beginning of the fourth quarter to keep themselves in the game. Kareem Hunt scored a two-yard rushing touchdown, and the Chiefs were successful with their two-point conversion to make it a one-possession game.
Embed from Getty ImagesBut then, the Chiefs made a mistake at the worst possible time. A deep pass from Mahomes was intercepted by the Bills’ offense with four minutes left to play. On the following drive, the Bills took over three minutes off the clock in a drive, then ended in a missed field goal that could have sealed the game. This gave Kansas one more chance to find the endzone. However, they were unable to do this.
The Buffalo Bills had defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 28-21.
This is another win for Allen over Mahomes, but this one could be one of the biggest in terms of consequences for the losing team. The defeat means that the Chiefs now have a 5-4 record for this season, and are now the third-best team in the AFC West. While the postseason is still a possibility for the Chiefs, they are going to need to have a near-perfect second half of the season if this is going to happen. With the win, the Bills keep up with the New England Patriots in the AFC East and improve to a 6-2 record.
Next week, the Bills face the Miami Dolphins, while the Chiefs are on a bye week.
Da Bears beat the Bengals
The Chicago Bears have been able to keep themselves in the race for the NFC North title. They entered their clash with the Cincinnati Bengals at 4-3 and hoped to secure another win. The Bengals have seen an improvement since Joe Flacco became their starting quarterback, and a win here would keep their slim playoff hopes alive going into the second half of the season.
The game would have its first score on its first play, as Charlie Jones would return the Bears’ kickoff to the endzone to give the Bengals the early lead. The Bears would then have possession and would be unable to replicate this immediate success. However, they were able to find the endzone. Led by quarterback Caleb Williams, the Bears’ offense slowly made their way down to the Bengals’ two-yard line. From here, Williams found DJ Moore for the touchdown.
Embed from Getty ImagesCincinnati was able to retake its lost lead on its next drive. The offense would stall at the Bears’ 23-yard line, setting up Evan McPherson with a 41-yard field goal attempt, which he was successful with. But, this regained lead did not last long, as Williams found Olamide Zaccheaus for a 15-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the second quarter to hand it back to the Bears.
A pair of field goals from McPherson and Santos near the end of the second quarter would keep the Bears’ lead at four points. But, with under two minutes to go in the half, Flacco found Tee Higgins for a 44-yard touchdown pass to give the Bengals the lead going into the halftime break.
This meant that as the teams returned to the locker rooms, the Bengals had a 20-17 lead over the Bears.
Chicago had the first possession of the second half and would open the half by retaking their lead. Williams found ColstonLoveland for the five-yard touchdown pass. However, the Bengals would immediately respond to this with Flacco finding Higgins for a seven-yard touchdown pass. But, this lead would be short-lived, as Brittain Brown would score a 22-yard rushing touchdown to give the Bears a four-point lead going into the final quarter.
Embed from Getty ImagesBoth teams have been almost flawless in this game, but it would be the Bengals who made a massive mistake at the worst possible time. Near the 50-yard line, Flacco was sacked and then fumbled the ball, which was scooped up by the Bears. A few plays later, Chicago would be adding to their lead. Luckily, it was only a field goal.
But, on the Bears’ next drive, the endzone would be found with Moore scoring a 17-yard touchdown pass to widen their lead. An intercepted pass from Flacco on the Bengals’ next drive looked like the game was put to bed.
However, this would not be the case. With under two minutes to go on the clock, Flacco found Noah Fant for a 23-yard touchdown pass. This was paired with a successful two-point conversion to make it a one-possession game. Cincinnati then regained possession via an onside kick, and Flacco and company were able to quickly make it down to the Bears’ nine-yard line. Here, Flacco found Andrei Iosivas for the touchdown to give the Bengals a one-point lead with one minute left on the clock.
The Bears had one attempt to find the endzone and win the game. With 17 seconds left in the game, Williams found Loveland for a 58-yard touchdown pass. A failed two-point conversion gave the Bears a five-point lead, but enough time for the Bengals to ruin their win,
Luckily for Chicago, the Bengals did not find the endzone on this drive, meaning that they had defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 47-42.
This was a high-scoring thriller that could have gone either way. On this occasion, the Bears did enough for the win, and improved to 5-3 for the season, keeping them in what is going to be a close battle for the NFC North. The Bengals fall to 3-6 with defeat.
Next week, Chicago faces the New York Giants, while the Bengals are on their bye week.
Welcome Back, Lamar Jackson
The Baltimore Ravens have not had the best first half of the season. This was mostly due to the absence of quarterback Lamar Jackson. This week, Jackson returned to action, with the Ravens facing a Miami Dolphins side that last week easily beat the Atlanta Falcons, but struggled for most of the season. Can Jackson begin a revival for the Ravens?
The Dolphins had the first possession of the game and were able to get the first set of points from it. Aided by a long kickoff return, the Miami offense, led by Tua Tagovailoa, was not able to go much further, stalling at the Ravens’ 31-yard line. A 49-yard field goal from kicker Riley Patterson was enough to give them the three points.
However, the Dolphins’ next drive was not as successful. On the edge of their own red zone, Tahj Washington fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Ravens defense. Then, a few plays later, Jackson found Mark Andrews for a two-yard touchdown pass to give the Ravens the lead.
Embed from Getty ImagesThis lead was extended on their next drive, with Jackson finding Andrews for a 20-yard touchdown pass. A few plays later, the Dolphins looked like they were going to challenge for the endzone, but would eventually stall at the Ravens’ 25-yard line. A Patterson field goal from 43 yards out would give Miami something from this drive.
At halftime, the Ravens had a 14-6 lead over the Ravens.
Baltimore had the first possession of the second half and would be able to further their lead from it. Jackson would find Charlie Kolar for a three-yard touchdown to give Jackson his third touchdown upon return. He would throw for his fourth of the game on his next drive, where he found Rashod Bateman for a nine-yard touchdown pass.
Embed from Getty ImagesThese scores put the game out of reach for the Dolphins, whose offense could not get anything going. When they did, a fumble or interception cost them possession.
This meant that the Baltimore Ravens had defeated the Miami Dolphins 28-6.
While this was not the most exciting game, and the Dolphins’ struggles were a key reason for this, Lamar Jackson was able to return in a successful way. Overall, he threw for 204 yards and four touchdowns in this game, and has given the Ravens fans hope that maybe this season is not over just yet. They improve to 3-5 for the year, while the Dolphins fall to 2-7.
Next week, the Ravens face the Minnesota Vikings while the Dolphins face the Buffalo Bills.
What happened in the other games?
The Detroit Lions’ status as one of the best teams in football could be in doubt after this week’s performance against the Minnesota Vikings. Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy had a game to remember, throwing for two touchdowns in their 27-24 win. This keeps the NFC North extremely close, with all four teams within a game of each other.
Staying in the NFC North, the Green Bay Packers met the Carolina Panthers in a game that went down to the wire. Carolina was able to stay in the game thanks to a strong performance from running back Rico Dowdle. Then, a 49-yard field goal from Ryan Fitzgerald as the game ended gave the Panthers a surprise 16-13 win over the Packers.
Embed from Getty ImagesJustin Herbert’s good season continued as the Los Angeles Chargers faced the struggling Tennessee Titans. This game went as expected, with the Chargers recording a 27-20 win over the one-win Titans.
The New England Patriots hoped to keep their lead at the top of the AFC East this week in their game with the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons tried to stage a late comeback, but a missed PAT from Parker Romo would prove costly, as the Patriots held on for a 24-23 win.
The Indianapolis Colts faced a challenge this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. In this game, we saw the return of the New York Giants’ version of Daniel Jones. He threw for three interceptions, and the Colts were turned over six times. The Steelers were able to do enough to get the 27-20 win, but will this be the turning point in the Colts’ season?
The Denver Broncos faced the Houston Texans this week, in a game that C.J. Stoud missed most of due to a concussion. Coming into the fourth quarter, the Texans held an eight-point lead. But another fourth-quarter comeback from Denver (capped off by a game-winning field goal from Will Lutz) gave the Broncos an 18-15 win, keeping them in the lead of the AFC West and likely one of the best teams in football at the moment.
History was made in the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Las Vegas Raiders. Jags kicker Cam Little made the longest field goal in NFL history, with a 68-yard field goal. Away from that, this game went to overtime, and a failed two-point conversion gave the Jags a 30-29 win, keeping them in the race with the Colts for the AFC South.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Los Angeles Rams faced the New Orleans Saints in Tyler Shough’s NFL debut for the struggling team. He had an OK debut, throwing for one touchdown and 176 yards. However, it was not enough. Matthew Stafford threw for four touchdowns in the Rams’ 34-10 win.
The Seattle Seahawks faced the Washington Commanders in a game that was overshadowed by the gruesome injury to Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. The Seahawks easily won this game 38-14.
Jacoby Brissett took the reins for the Arizona Cardinals this week as they faced the struggling Dallas Cowboys. Brissett threw for two touchdowns in the Cardinals’ 27-17 win over the Cowboys.
Embed from Getty ImagesAnd finally, the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers faced off this week, with both teams going through an injury crisis. The 49ers have been able to adapt to this a lot better, with Christian McCaffrey having a strong game in San Francisco’s 34-24 win over the Giants, whose fans are waiting for the firing of both coach and general manager.
So, that was a look back at week nine in the 2025 NFL season. As for who is the best team in the league right now: answers on a postcard, please. Next week, the Patriots face the Buccs. Eagles face the Packers, and Daniel Jones returns to Germany (where his Giants’ career ended) as the Colts face the Falcons in Berlin.