Every weekend in the NFL, elements that draw our attention relate to the forces present, the records that are within reach, or certain historical milestones. For the ninth week of activity, here are five elements to look out for.
1. A premiere in Frankfurt
Last season the NFL had great success in Germany, in Munich. AFP
After the final experience in Munich last year, the NFL meets Germany again this Sunday in a new market, Frankfurt. On this occasion, the Germans will be well served with the duel between Dolphins and Chiefs. The game will be played at Deutsche Bank Park, a 48,500-seat soccer stadium. All tickets sold out within 15 minutes on June 27th and, in a sign of the NFL’s growing popularity in Germany, more than 1.4 million fans were online when tickets went on sale. Judging by the festive atmosphere that was punctuated by songs in Munich a year ago, the stadium, which is not the size of NFL stadiums, will be no less noisy.
2. Big Sunday!
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys face Darius Slay Jr. and the Eagles. Getty Images via AFP
No fewer than three confrontations this week feature teams with two or fewer defeats. The Dolphins (6-2) and Chiefs (6-2) clash, as do the Ravens (6-2) and Seahawks (5-2) and the Eagles (7-1) and Cowboys (5-2). 2). This is the first time since Week 9 of 2020 that at least three such games will be featured in Week 9 or later. Get out the popcorn!
3. Two more recruits
Clayton Tune will be the Cardinals’ starting quarterback. Getty Images via AFP
Due to Kirk Cousins’ injury, Jaren Hall, a fifth-round pick last April, will serve as quarterback for the Vikings against the Falcons. The Cardinals will also have another fifth-round pick, Clayton Tune. This means nine first-year quarterbacks have started at least one game this season, matching the mark set in 2019. With nine weeks left to play, there is a risk that this mark will fall. This week alone there are no fewer than seven rookie quarterbacks in action, something that hasn’t happened in a single weekend since 1970.
4. A world full of differences
At the end of their duel, the Bills and Bengals will already have four defeats on their record. Getty Images via AFP
The end of the ninth week of activity marks the halfway point of the season. At this point there is a huge difference between the teams that have two, three or four defeats on their record. Since 1990, 84.8% of teams that finished Week 9 with two losses on their record went on to qualify for the playoffs. There are 63.4% of teams that finished Week 9 with three losses and still qualified. For teams with four losses, this percentage drops dramatically to 33.5%.
5. New raiders?
Antonio Pierce is the Raiders’ interim coach. Photo credit: (required): Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com
We’ve known since Wednesday that Antonio Pierce will be the Raiders’ interim coach following the firing of Josh McDaniels. So what do we know about him? Pierce had a nine-year career as a linebacker in the NFL from 2001 to 2009. He began coaching at the high school level from 2014 to 2017 before making the jump to the NCAA at Arizona State University in 2018. In 2021, he gained prominence by becoming the program’s defensive coordinator. He joined the Raiders last year as linebackers coach, a position he held until this week’s events. His debut will be against the Giants, the team with which he won the Super Bowl in 2007.