Steelers Week 9 NFL matchups preview, Digi Mart USA News: The Steelers’ bye week offers an opportunity for some advanced scouting before their next game on Nov. 15 at Cincinnati. Fans who want to watch early will need to get up early, as the Bengals take on the Falcons in Spain.
Bengals (5-2) vs. Falcons (3-5), 9:30 a.m., Madrid, NFLN: The Bengals rank second in the NFL with an average of 29.4 points per game and have converted 52.9 percent of their third downs, the best success rate in that category in the NFL since the 2011 Saints (56.7 percent).
Quarterback Joe Burrow leads the league in completion percentage (73.0 percent), passing yards per game (302.1) and touchdown passes (20). Wide receiver Tee Higgins is averaging a career-high 103.7 receiving yards per game and a career-high 16.9 yards per reception, and Burrow’s passer rating when targeting Higgins is 132.3.
For Atlanta, running back Bijan Robinson leads the NFL in rushing yards with 780, ranks fourth in yards from scrimmage with 983 and third in average yards per touch (minimum 75 touches) at 5.6. The Falcons averaged 40.0 points per game and won their first two games in which Michael Penix Jr.
started at quarterback, but they have lost three of their last four. Atlanta became the first team shut out in 2026 when it lost 16-0 at Tampa Bay last Sunday, Kevin Stefanski’s first shutout loss as an NFL head coach.
Browns (5-3) at Saints (2-5), 1 p.m., CBS Cleveland: The Browns are the only team above .500 with a negative point differential (-34). Cleveland has the easiest remaining strength of schedule in the AFC North, with a .470 opponents’ winning percentage, followed by Pittsburgh (.471), Cincinnati (.493) and Baltimore (.522).
Cleveland’s 1,486 receiving yards from players age 23 or younger are nearly 500 more than any other NFL team, with the Raiders second at 994. That figure represents 82.2 percent of the Browns’ receiving yards as a team, the second-highest share from players 23 or younger in the Super Bowl era (1978 Jets, 84.4 percent).
New Orleans has the fourth-worst scoring defense in the NFL, allowing 29.7 points per game, and is one of two teams to allow at least 300 total net yards in every game this season (the Cowboys are the other). Quarterback Tyler Shough is tied with Green Bay’s Jordan Love for the most pass attempts per game in 2026 (39.0).
Shough is tied for ninth in the NFL with 15 offensive touchdowns but has the worst touchdowns-giveaways ratio (15:9) among the 11 quarterbacks with at least 15 offensive touchdowns this season. Wide receiver Chris Olave has fewer than 60 receiving yards in each of his last three games, after leading the NFL in receptions (35) and receiving yards (491) in the season’s first four weeks.
Packers (5-3) at Patriots (5-3), 4:25 p.m., FOX: Green Bay has the third-best scoring defense since Week 4, allowing 14.6 points per game. The Packers are also second in takeaways (13) and second in sacks (15) in that span.
Quarterback Jordan Love leads the NFL with 2,246 pass yards entering Week 9, has multiple touchdown passes in seven of his first eight starts and has thrown at least one interception in six of eight games. Green Bay is averaging an NFL-worst 60.6 rushing yards per game and 2.9 yards per carry, the fewest by a team in a season since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger.
New England has 12 players with 100-plus yards from scrimmage, three more than any other team, and an NFL-best eight players with 200-plus yards from scrimmage. Quarterback Drake Maye leads the NFL with a 122.2 passer rating since Week 4 and has posted a passer rating of 110-plus in four consecutive starts, the league’s longest active streak.
Maye has also produced three-plus offensive touchdowns in five straight games. The Patriots have the third-best scoring offense (29.6 points per game) and have averaged the most yards per play (6.4) in the NFL since Week 4.
Bills (6-1) at Vikings (6-1), 8:15 p.m. Monday, ESPN: Buffalo is averaging an NFL-leading and franchise-record 33.3 points per game and is 3-0 on the road.
Quarterback Josh Allen has 11 passing touchdowns and nine rushing touchdowns, making him the first player in NFL history with eight-plus of each in his team’s first seven games of a season. Running back James Cook has 707 rushing yards (fifth in the NFL) and seven rushing touchdowns (eighth) and has run for a touchdown in six consecutive games.
Minnesota is averaging an NFL-best 13.3 points per game allowed and ranks first in passing yards allowed per game (154.9) and red zone defense, with opponents scoring touchdowns on 25.0 percent of their opportunities. The Vikings are second in sacks (25), yards per play allowed (4.7), yards per game allowed (271.6) and third-down conversions allowed (29.7 percent), and they are 3-0 at home.
Minnesota’s 16.8 points per game since Week 2 ranks 30th in the NFL. Wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison both have career-low averages in receiving yards per game (Jefferson 55.8, Addison 41.5).
