The Bears dropped another game as the offense struggled to get going, the Dolphins got in the win column and Buffalo moved to 6-2. Meanwhile, the Chiefs got a big victory without quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and the Steelers inched by the Colts to get back to .500 on the season.

All that and more in Week 9's biggest takeaways from NFL Nation.

Jump to a matchup:
MIN-KC | CHI-PHI | IND-PIT
TEN-CAR | WSH-BUF | NYJ-MIA
JAX-HOU | SF-ARI

Kansas City Chiefs 26, Minnesota Vikings 23

The Chiefs might eventually look back at Sunday's win as the one that allowed them to reach their goals. From this vantage point, this victory looks like it saved their season. The Chiefs raised their record to 6-3 just as it appears they will get reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes back in their lineup for next week's game against the Titans. -- Adam Teicher

Next game: at Tennessee (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

Kirk Cousins completed 50% of his passes and had a career-high 12 overthrows, but the Vikings' loss doesn't rest entirely on the QB's shoulders. "I don't think we helped him a lot today," coach Mike Zimmer said. Three flags in the third quarter -- all on the Vikings' offensive line -- killed drives and resulted in a 16-point swing for Kansas City upon getting the ball back. Cousins was 0-for-9 when passing under duress, according to ESPN Stats & Information, the worst mark of his career. And he's now 0-10-1 when trailing in the fourth quarter. Up next for the Vikings are the Cowboys, key for two teams in the playoff hunt. -- Courtney Cronin

Next game: at Dallas (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday)

Philadelphia Eagles 22, Chicago Bears 14

Fueled by their success on the ground, the Eagles responded to consecutive blowout losses with back-to-back wins. Eagles running back Jordan Howard made a statement against his former team on Sunday, rushing for 82 yards and a touchdown. Now the Eagles (5-4) have home games against the Patriots and Seahawks coming out of the bye, but their finishing schedule is favorable after that. It's a two-horse race between the Eagles and the Cowboys (4-3) for the NFC East crown, and Philly plays four of its next six games at home, including a Week 16 game against Dallas. -- Tim McManus

Next game: vs. New England (4:25 p.m. ET, Nov. 17)

Bears coach Matt Nagy will need to spend the offseason re-imagining the offense. Everything is broken. The Bears gained nine total net yards in the opening 30 minutes against the Eagles and finished 2-of-10 on third down. Chicago didn't even get a first down until under a minute left in the first half. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky made a couple nice plays after halftime, but he's still struggling overall. The entire offense is in desperate need of an overhaul. -- Jeff Dickerson

Next game: vs. Detroit (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

Pittsburgh Steelers 26, Indianapolis Colts 24

After starting 0-3, the Steelers have won four of their last five games to pull to .500 at the midway point. The record-evening win came against a quality opponent in the Colts, who came into Heinz Field with a 5-2 record. "Everyone believes in each other," running back Jaylen Samuels said. "When something goes bad, we pick each other up, and we just keep going, and it's good to be 4-4, .500." Fueled by a pass rush that collected five sacks and three takeaways, the Steelers are in the playoff hunt in a season that had seemed to derail early. -- Brooke Pryor

Next game: vs. L.A. Rams (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday)

Coach Frank Reich described starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett's left knee injury as being "MCL-ish." He said, "It looks at this point like a sprain. I think we'll have to see how it responds." Brissett suffered the injury in the second quarter when guard Quenton Nelson was pushed back into him. Veteran Brian Hoyer, whom the Colts signed after the retirement of Andrew Luck, replaced Brissett and finished 17-of-26 for 168 yards, three touchdowns and one interception that was returned for a touchdown. Hoyer will start against Miami in Week 10 if Brissett has to miss time. -- Mike Wells

Next game: vs. Miami (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday)

Carolina Panthers 30, Tennessee Titans 20

Carolina rebounded in a big way. It took the Panthers eight games to get a win after their embarrassing loss to Pittsburgh last season. It took them one week this time around after their embarrassing loss to San Francisco last week. Sunday's victory highlighted the resiliency of the Panthers, who have won five of six games since losing starting quarterback Cam Newton, whose future is more uncertain than ever. It also highlighted the importance of running back Christian McCaffrey, who continued his MVP march with three touchdowns and 166 yards from scrimmage. "Everyone wants to mope around and be sad after a loss,'' safety Tre Boston said. "We knew what we had to do.'' -- David Newton

Next game: at Green Bay (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday)

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Christian McCaffrey is unstoppable against the Titans, finishing with 146 rushing yards and three total touchdowns in the Panthers' win over the Titans.

The Titans reverted back to the ineptness on offense that troubled them before their two-game win streak. Their decision to give Derrick Henry only two carries in the first half was mind-boggling, considering how the Panthers were giving up 135.1 rushing yards a game entering Week 9. This is the second week in a row the Titans failed to take advantage of a weakness in the opposing team's defense. They still managed to score 20 points and gain 431 total yards on offense, but they'll need much more than that next week against the Chiefs, especially if Patrick Mahomes returns from injury. -- Turron Davenport

Next game: vs. Kansas City (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

Buffalo Bills 24, Washington Redskins 9

The Bills returned to complementary football. While their defense figured out how to stop an underrated Washington rushing attack led by Adrian Peterson, the Bills' offense gave it plenty of room to work with in the first half, scoring on all three of its drives. That did not go unnoticed by Buffalo safety Micah Hyde, who said the offense's ability to sustain drives and add to the lead gave the defense time to make adjustments. It's a trend he hopes continues next week when the Bills face the Browns in Cleveland. "When you're sitting on the sidelines for seven, eight minutes at a time -- that's pretty awesome," Hyde said. "I don't have to pay anything to have a front-row seat every week." -- Marcel Louis-Jacques

Next game: at Cleveland (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

The Redskins have a decision to make at quarterback, but there's only one choice that makes sense: sticking with Dwayne Haskins. That's not because he was great in his start against Buffalo but there was growth in some areas. Also, the Redskins (1-8) have nothing to lose, as Case Keenum wasn't exactly on fire in his starts and they seemingly refuse to go back to Colt McCoy. One player said after the game that the team would understand if they stuck with Haskins -- even if the feeling is that he still has a ways to go. Interim coach Bill Callahan was non-committal about who would start the game after the bye. -- John Keim

Next game: vs. N.Y. Jets (1 p.m. ET, Nov. 17)

Miami Dolphins 26, New York Jets 18

It felt like a postgame scene from a playoff victory for the Dolphins after the win over the Jets. Miami lacks talent, but it doesn't lack heart or fight. The Dolphins have shown that over the past month, and they were finally rewarded with a victory. To see the love the players gave coach Brian Flores after his first victory shows this could be an important step in their long-term rebuild. -- Cameron Wolfe

Next game: at Indianapolis (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday)

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Miami's DeVante Parker reels in a one-handed catch for a 17-yard touchdown, then stares down Jets CB Nate Hairston.

It was one of the most embarrassing losses in franchise history. The Jets are faced with three questions for the second half of the season: Can quarterback Sam Darnold be fixed? Will the team fracture? And will coach Adam Gase keep his job? The latter question will hinge largely on the first two. The Jets (1-7) are a dumpster fire, headed toward a one-, two- or three-win season. -- Rich Cimini

Next game: vs. N.Y. Giants (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

Houston Texans 26, Jacksonville Jaguars 3

The Texans' defense stepped up without J.J. Watt, who is out for the season because of a torn pectoral muscle. Houston kept the Jaguars out of the end zone and held running back Leonard Fournette to 40 yards on 11 carries. After the game, Texans safety Justin Reid said an important part of the game plan was to keep the ball out of Fournette's hands and force the Jags into passing situations. The Texans' banged-up defense -- especially the secondary -- will get a chance to rest going into the bye week at 6-3. -- Sarah Barshop

Next game: at Baltimore (1 p.m. ET, Nov. 17)

Gardner Minshew II's three turnovers will make coach Doug Marrone's decision on which quarterback to start in their next game easier. Despite facing a Texans defense that was missing three key starters -- Watt, cornerback Bradley Roby and safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. -- Minshew and the offense managed one field goal in 11 possessions. He threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles in his worst game since he replaced Nick Foles (broken collarbone) in the season opener. It all fell apart against the Texans, and Marrone should be going back to Foles. -- Mike DiRocco

Next game: at Indianapolis (1 p.m. ET, Nov. 17)

San Francisco 49ers 28, Arizona Cardinals 25

Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo can pick up the offense when the run game and the defense have an off night. The 49ers' latest path to victory might have been their most important. Through seven games, San Francisco didn't need Garoppolo to carry it to victory -- but it did Thursday. And Garoppolo delivered what coach Kyle Shanahan called his "best game yet, probably." The 8-0 Niners continue to find new ways to win, the mark of a team that has a chance to make a run deep into the postseason. -- Nick Wagoner

Next game: vs. Seattle (8:15 p.m. ET, Nov. 11)

The Cardinals can take some solace in knowing they came back on one of the best teams in the NFL, but a loss is a loss. What Thursday's game did was potentially create a running back controversy. Kenyan Drake had his best game since late in 2017 and proved he's an ideal fit in Kliff Kingsbury's offense. But Kingsbury is also "hopeful" running back David Johnson can play in Week 10. They can coexist, but to what degree? -- Josh Weinfuss

Next game: at Tampa Bay (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)