NFL 2026-2027: Week 9

The Game Room
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Week 8 results:

Packers 27, Panthers 19
Bills 36, Ravens 10
Bengals 43, Titans 36 (OT)
Cardinals 33, Cowboys 30 (OT)
Lions 19, Vikings 15
Raiders 38, Jets 33
Steelers 27, Browns 6
Bucs 16, Falcons 0
Jaguars 42, Colts 7
Rams 24, Chargers 9
Broncos 28, Chiefs 24
Patriots 24, Dolphins 19
Commanders 27, Eagles 10
Bears 34, Seahawks 17

Here are this week’s lines. All spreads taken from DraftKings on Tuesday the 3rd at 9:00 am CT.

Thursday night:
Jaguars @ Ravens (+9.5)

Sunday early thirty:
Bengals vs Falcons (+3) Game played in Madrid

Sunday early:
Cowboys @ Colts (+6)
Jets @ Chiefs (-9.5)
Lions @ Dolphins (+7)
Browns @ Saints (-2.5)
Giants @ Eagles (+3.5)
Rams @ Commanders (+5.5)
Broncos @ Panthers (+2.5)

Sunday late:
Texans @ Chargers (+4.5)
Packers @ Patriots (-2.5)
Raiders @ 49ers (-10)
Cardinals @ Seahawks (-10.5)

Sunday night:
Bucs @ Bears (-6)

Monday night:
Bills @ Vikings (+3.5)

Byes:
Titans, Steelers

After 8 weeks, there are no undefeated teams
The Chargers are 0-7 and the only winless team.

Division leaders in the AFC are the Bills, Steelers, Jaguars, and Broncos.
Division leaders in the NFC are the Giants, Vikings, Panthers, and 49ers.

Link to standings.

NFL 2026-2027: Week 8
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Two late games in a row for the Pats, I much prefer the early game so I can get things done on Sunday.

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I’ve wondered about that scheduling. When the Brady-led Pats were at the top of the heap, having them in the late game made some sense to get the ratings for whichever network was televising them that day. But now? Not sure why they continue to play in the later time slot, particularly with colder weather approaching.

4

Tom Brady

The networks, to a large extent, choose which games get the late slot. Fox usually has the NFC games, but they have an opportunity for a inter-conference game hosted in Foxborough. Fox can advertise the heck out of Tom Brady’s “return”.

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Good point, although I still wonder why the Pats game in Miami last Sunday was in the later timeslot.

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They still are the defending AFC champs.

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Also, last week’s game was on CBS and not on FOX, which has both the Patriots and the Dolphins against NFC North teams this week.

I’m not sure how much either network cares about what the other was doing the previous week on the late afternoon slot.

The NFL might care, but I doubt it. I imagine they pay quite a deal of attention to the big primetime slots, though.

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The times of games are set when the schedule is released (although they can be flexed). I think last weeks game being in the late slot was more that the NFL tries not to schedule all three Florida teams for the same timeslot.

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Also, the 49ers were on bye and the Seahawks had the Monday night game. Very slim pickings for the late Sunday games.

10

Some can, but it’s nearly always reserved for late in the season, when it becomes clear which games are of particular importance. I don’t believe that there is any flexing allowed at this point in the season, except for when weather or other issues causes an unexpected challenge in playing a game at a particular date/time/location.

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On a somewhat-related note, is there a reliable website that shows the viewership/ratings for each NFL game each weekend? Given that the Chiefs were in Denver on Sunday, I would have to think that the Pats/Fins game (both on CBS, I think) would have a rather low number of eyes watching it.

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I’m not aware of a site that gives ratings by game, but 506 Sports shows which game is being televised in each market. Not surprisingly, the NE/Mia game was only being shown in New England, and Miami; the rest of the U.S. saw KC/Den.

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Any games can be flexed between the early and late afternoon slots at any point in the season. It happens commonly but not frequently. So far this season, it’s happened once, with the Bears/Packers game in Week 5 moving from the late afternoon to early kickoff, presumably so Fox could highlight the SF/Seattle game that week (it was warm and sunny that day, so definitely not weather related).

There are more specific rules for which games and how many games can be flexed into/out of the Sunday night, Monday, and Thursday slots.

This week, there actually are flexes for the first time since week 5, but across networks and not to different start times. Two of the previous CBS games, one early afternoon and one late afternoon, are moving to Fox, leaving CBS with only the Houston @ San Diego game in the later afternoon slot.

https://www.nfl.com/legal/flexible-scheduling-procedures

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I stand corrected, thank you!

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Dang! I just posted “Houston @ San Diego”. I don’t know if I ever will think of them as the “LA Chargers” without conscious effort

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If it’s any consolation, I just read your post and totally missed that!

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My Buccaneers are averaging 31 passing yards over the last two weeks (64, -2) and yet have dominated both games. I can’t imagine this is sustainable but it’s amazing.

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It’ll help they’re not playing a division game and playing at Soldier Field, instead.

I’m still ambivalent about just how good Chicago really is (yes very good, but how good?), but it’s nearly a guaranteed lock they’re not going to be beat, much less dominated, by a team that can’t throw for 100 yards over the course of 60 minutes.

19

There was a news story on WBBM (the Chicago all-news station) today, about Bears fans already starting to think about traveling to the Super Bowl.

I get that the Bears have been average-to-lousy for most of the last several decades, and that there is a lot of eagerness in this city to have hope for this team, but that all feels just a wee bit early to be thinking about that.

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The irony is that they are succeeding most when Baker isn’t cooking.

The new member of your defense should make you very hopeful. What a monster.