Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season is almost over, with the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings still on deck for “Monday Night Football.” Sunday offered plenty of excitement despite what seemed, on paper, to be a pretty disappointing schedule.
Besides our MNF game, we also have the NFL trade deadline, which is set for Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. ET.
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The Jacksonville Jaguars kicked off the NFL trade news cycle for the week with a dramatic move to bolster the secondary, sending a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates III.
The Colts also remain a team to watch ahead of the trade deadline, with star running back Jonathan Taylor at the heart of it all. He offered words of appreciation to fans after Sunday’s loss, in case it was his final game against Indianapolis, saying, “This place helped me become the man I am today.”
On the injury front, all eyes will be on Los Angeles Rams All-Pro wide receiver Puka Nacua, who injured his knee on his final offensive play of Sunday’s win over the Washington Commanders. He will reportedly undergo an MRI on Monday as the team seeks more information on the injury, although the team does not believe he suffered a torn ACL.
Follow Yahoo Sports for the latest NFL news, injury updates and more following Week 9.
Chris Cwik
Chicago Bears wideout Luther Burden is in concussion protocol following a hit to the head late in the team’s Week 9 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The hit came late in the fourth quarter, as Burden attempted to take a downfield screen for a first down. He fumbled on the play, turning the ball over.
With the concussion protocol expanded, his status for the Bears’ next game is uncertain. Burden, however, will be helped by the Bears having a bye in Week 10, giving him an extra week to recover from his injury before Chicago takes the field again.
Jason Owens
Myles Garrett is back for the Los Angeles Rams and doing Myles Garrett things. In his first game back from injury, he recorded three sacks and a forced turnover in a 20-13 win over the Washington Commanders.
The All-Pro passer and two-time Defensive Player of the Year played in just one game in his first season with the Rams before landing on injured reserve. He was ineffective without tackles in the Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, and it appeared he was playing injured.
Garrett required arthroscopic surgery to treat swelling and irritation in his left knee that had persisted during training camp. At first glance, the operation and the time off have done him good.
When Garrett returned to the court Sunday to face the Commanders, it took him less than half a game to create his first turnover with his new team.
Read more about Garrett’s return to the Rams in Week 9.
Jason Owens
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes left Sunday’s game against the New York Jets with an injury fear after a blow to his throwing elbow, but was able to return to help lead a 35-12 victory.
The hit came in the second quarter on a sack that forced a fumble. Mahomes’ right elbow bent awkwardly on the bag and he fumbled the ball. He was clearly in pain after the hit and walked toward the sideline holding his right arm. The Jets gained possession of the ball after recovering the fumble.
But Mahomes was able to throw to the sideline and returned to the field before the end of the half after the Chiefs regained possession.
Mahomes appeared unaffected by the injury scare and finished the day completing 230 of 31 passes for 278 yards (7.8 yards per attempt) with 2 touchdowns and no turnovers.
“If I’m able to play, I’m going to play,” Mahomes said after the game. “It scares you in the moments when you feel pain in certain areas of the body, so obviously I didn’t feel good. I was able to work a little bit, especially at halftime, and I was able to play the rest of the game.”
Mahomes said he felt good after the game. “I’m sure I’ll be sore tomorrow, but we’re going to go out there and work on it.”
Chris Cwik
Former first-round pick Will McDonald IV is fed up with his role with the New York Jets. The fourth-year pro has not received as much playing time as expected this season and has reportedly requested a trade from the franchise, according to NFL Network.
The Jets, however, have signaled to teams that they have no plans to trade McDonald.
In his fourth season, McDonald made seven tackles and three sacks in limited playing time.
Kate Magdziuk
Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him out of Week 9, and now his replacement, Drew Lock, is even more banged up than he entered the week.
According to head coach Mike McDonald, Lock suffered an oblique injury while starting in Darnold’s place in Week 9 — on top of the serious case of tendinitis he’s already dealing with in his throwing elbow.
We’ll have to closely monitor the statuses of Darnold and Lock heading into Week 10, when Seattle travels to face the Las Vegas Raiders before the Week 11 bye.
If neither quarterback could go, it would be third baseman Jalen Milroe.
Chris Cwik
The Atlanta Falcons have apparently decided to play for the future. A day after their 34-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid, the Falcons reportedly traded safety Jessie Bates III to the Jacksonville Jaguars for two draft picks, according to ESPN.
Jacksonville will give up a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick in exchange for Bates.
Bates, 29, is off to another great start in 2026. In nine games, he has recorded 60 tackles and three forced fumbles. He’ll bring those skills to an already dominant Jaguars defense that allows the second-fewest points per game.
Yahoo Sports Team
Los Angeles Rams star wide receiver Puka Nacua suffered a knee injury late in their 20-13 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
Nacua is expected to undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, although the team does not believe he suffered a torn ACL.
Other details, including how long he might be out, are not yet known.
Nacua caught a short pass with about 90 seconds left at Northwest Stadium, but was brought back well before the line for the win. It didn’t appear that anything went wrong in the moment, and Nacua got up and left the field normally after being tackled.
Nacua had 150 yards and a touchdown on 14 catches in Sunday’s win. It was his third outing this season with at least 125 receiving yards, and he has now scored a touchdown in four of his last five games.
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