
Now that most of the NFL Week 9 schedule is in the books, it is time to take a look at some of the biggest winners and losers around the NFL. There were big upsets, big comebacks and some big performances that stood out in both positive and negative ways.
Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears: Consistency has been a big problem for Williams through his first year-and-a-half in the NFL, but every once in a while you seem games like this where you realize why he was the No. 1 overall pick in his draft class. He completed 20-of-34 passes for 280 yards and three touchdowns (including the game-winning touchdown), rushed for 53 yards and also caught two passes for 22 yards and a touchdown. He literally did everything for the Bears on offense.
Alex Highsmith, OLB, Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers defense has not met expectations this season, and they desperately needed a game like they one they had on Sunday where they forced six turnovers and mostly limited the Indianapolis Colts offense. Highsmith was one of the stars of the day with two sacks, three tackles for loss, forced a fumble and also defended a pass.
Rico Dowdle, RB, Carolina Panthers: The Panthers scored the upset of the week, stunning the Green Bay Packers by a 16-13 margin. Dowdle continues to be one of the best free agent finds of the offseason, rushing for 130 yards on 25 carries and scoring two touchdowns.
Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers: McCaffrey is always the 49ers' biggest playmaker, and he was a force again on Sunday rushing for 106 yards on 28 carries and adding another 67 receiving yards on five catches. He also scored two touchdowns in their 34-24 win over the New York Giants.
Cam Little, K, Jacksonville Jaguars: When you make an NFL record, 68-yard field goal in a game your team wins by one point, you are definitely one of the NFL's biggest winners for the week.
CAM LITTLE JUST KICKED THE LONGEST FG IN NFL HISTORY! 68 YARDS! pic.twitter.com/WGZb6O9xhX
— NFL (@NFL) November 2, 2025
Parker Romo, K, Atlanta Falcons: Romo was the anti-Cam Little on Sunday, missing a potential game-tying extra point in the final five minutes of regulation, sending the Falcons to a tough 24-23 loss against the New England Patriots.
Daniel Jones, QB, Indianapolis Colts: Jones has been one of the biggest surprises in the NFL this season, and his ability to protect the football has been one of the driving forces behind both his and the Colts' success. All of that disappeared on Sunday as Jones turned the ball over five times, fumbling two times and being intercepted three times. That is not winning football against any team.
Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs have the Buffalo Bills' number in the playoffs. The Bills have the Chiefs' number in the regular season. Buffalo's defense did a number on Mahomes on Sunday, holding him to under 50% completions for the first time in his career, sacking him three times, hitting him 15 times and intercepting him one time. You will not see him in this section very often. It is deserved on Sunday.
Cincinnati Bengals defense: This entire unit is just a sad state of affairs and is in desperate need of a complete and total overhaul. The Bengals offense has scored 39 and 42 points the past two weeks and lost both games because of their defense's inability to get any stops, especially late.
Houston Texans offense: Entering play on Sunday the Texans' offense seemed to be making some strides and had put together a strong stretch of games. Then it all went away on Sunday in an 18-15 loss to the Denver Broncos that saw starting quarterback C.J. Stroud get hurt and the offensive line again struggle to pass protect and open running lanes.
More must-reads:
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