Chiefs and Lions on Super Bowl collision course? Improvement from Bryce Young? Chargers showing promise? NFL Week 9 takeaways
The Chargers are 5-3 in Harbaugh's debut season with the team.
(CNN) — Week 9 saw the NFL season reach its halfway point with many teams taking shape and others still looking for answers.
There were overtime thrillers, upset victories and favorites stamping their mark.
Here are the main takeaways from the past week in the National Football League.
Chiefs and Lions on Super Bowl collision course?
There have been two obvious best teams in the NFL through nine weeks: the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions.
The Chiefs remain the only undefeated team in the league following their overtime victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday, improving to 8-0.
The Lions, meanwhile, overcame a big test of their mettle, traveling to a wet and windy Lambeau Field – the first time they’ve played outside all season – and dominating their NFC North rivals Green Bay Packers to move to 7-1.
The Chiefs have yet to be convincing on offense this season, but they have seen injuries and the addition of new players – midseason trade acquisition DeAndre Hopkins scored two touchdowns against the Bucs – while maintaining a perfect journey towards their third-straight Super Bowl title.
There was an injury scare on Monday when quarterback Patrick Mahomes appeared in serious pain after rolling his ankle, though he later returned to the game.
On the other hand, the Lions have stormed through their opening games, with their physical style of play proving too much for opponents.
The multitude of options Detroit has to attack teams – whether it be QB Jared Goff’s connection to a plethora of receivers or the double-headed running back tandem nicknamed “Sonic and Knuckles” – means they are almost unstoppable at times.
Both teams lead their respective conferences after Week 9 – Kansas City in the AFC and Detroit in the NFC – putting them in prime position at the halfway mark of the season to make Super Bowl runs.
What makes a Chiefs vs. Lions clash at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans such a tantalizing possibility is the two respective histories.
Under head coach Andy Reid, the Chiefs been the gold-standard for success in recent years, winning three championship titles and cementing themselves as the team to beat.
The Lions have been the opposite, as they have suffered heartbreak after heartbreak until head coach Dan Campbell transformed them into an NFL juggernaut.
A game between the two teams in February at the Superdome would offer a glimpse into what the changing face of the NFL could do against the established superpower.
Improvement from Bryce Young?
Through one and a half seasons in the NFL, there’s not been much to shout about for Bryce Young.
The 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick led the Carolina Panthers to a league-worst 2-15 record in his rookie season, before being benched after two heavy losses to open the 2024 campaign.
However, Young returned to the Panthers’ starting line-up in Week 8 following a thumb sprain sustained by Andy Dalton in a car accident, and that time on the sidelines seems to have served the 23-year-old well.
Although he threw two interceptions in the Week 8 loss to the Denver Broncos, Young remained composed – something he failed to do in his rookie season – and he produced some plays which showed why he was such a high draft pick out of Alabama.
And in Week 9, Young had his best showing in the NFL so far, leading Carolina to a 23-22 win over the New Orleans Saints – the team’s first win with Young as the quarterback since Week 15 last year.
It’s still not perfect from Young, but he has shown definite improvements to give the Panthers some signs of hope going forward. After the victory, Panthers head coach Dave Canales said the QB’s performance was solid.
“He came up big in some critical moments, you know,” Canales said, “and gave us an opportunity a couple of times.
“So, again, just proud of the step that he took, just taking all the things we’re asking him to do, getting us to the right place at the right time. So, a great step.”
The Panthers invested a lot in trading up to acquire Young in last year’s draft and so far, it has been a failed endeavor. But this recent performance showed some reason for optimism.
“I’m really happy for Bryce, and I told him that before we went out there to win, that winning drive: ‘Hey, you’ve been a winner for a long time. So let’s win, let’s do it,’” guard Robert Hunt said after Sunday’s game. “And he said: ‘Yeah, I’ve got your back,’ and we had his … I’m really happy for the kid.
Chargers flying under the radar?
The Los Angeles Chargers were one of the stories of the offseason following their appointment of Jim Harbaugh as head coach.
After years of disappointment under previous coach Brandon Staley, Harbaugh was seen as the key cog in bringing success to a talent-filled roster in Los Angeles, fresh from winning a national championship title with Michigan.
However, after a 3-3 start and some injuries to key players, their season hung in the balance. Would this be a lost first season for the Chargers under Harbaugh or could they get things back on track?
Since that point, they have won back-to-back games, both in convincing fashion and both showing why they could be a playoff contender.
The Chargers beat the Saints and Browns by a combined margin of 35 points. The team’s defense is playing some of the best in the NFL at the moment and quarterback Justin Herbert also looks back on top form.
The 26-year-old has thrown four touchdown passes and no interceptions during this two-game span and seems to be building connections with second-year receiver Quentin Johnston and rookie Ladd McConkey.
Johnston – who had a disappointing rookie season – had a career-high 118 receiving yards and a touchdown in the win over the Browns, while McConkey has had 175 yards and two scores over the two weeks.
Paired with this, the Chargers defense has also been playing better of late, sacking Browns QB Jameis Winston six times on Sunday and forcing three second-half interceptions.
Harbaugh described the game against Cleveland as the Chargers’ best win of the season.
“It was just a great team win,” he told reporters. “That’s the way it feels to me. Really good. So many good things. Winning football in special teams, winning football on offense and winning football on defense.”
The Chargers have three-straight home games coming up next – two of which are in primetime against other AFC playoff hopefuls the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens.
And after this stretch, we’ll know more about where Los Angeles’ season lies.
Full Week 9 scores
Away @ home (winners in bold)
Thursday
Houston Texans 13-21 New York Jets
Sunday
Dallas Cowboys 21-27 Atlanta Falcons
Denver Broncos 10-41 Baltimore Ravens
Miami Dolphins 27-30 Buffalo Bills
New Orleans Saints 22-23 Carolina Panthers
Las Vegas Raiders 24-41 Cincinnati Bengals
Los Angeles Chargers 27-10 Cleveland Browns
Washington Commanders 27-22 New York Giants
New England Patriots 17-20 OT Tennessee Titans
Chicago Bears 9-29 Arizona Cardinals
Jacksonville Jaguars 23-28 Philadelphia Eagles
Detroit Lions 24-14 Green Bay Packers
Los Angeles Rams 26-20 OT Seattle Seahawks
Indianapolis Colts 13-21 Minnesota Vikings
Monday
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-30 OT Kansas City Chiefs
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