NFL Week 9 Winners and Losers: Puka Nacua saves the Rams, who need to add someone to help him

Puka Nacua is great. He is doing things early in his career that have never been matched before. The fatal flaw for the Los Angeles Rams might end up being that Nacua is all they have in the passing game. Nacua was phenomenal again on Sunday in a grind-it-out 20-13 win over the Washington Commanders. He had 14 catches for 150 yards on 19 targets with the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. Nacua also ran it twice for 20 yards. Nobody else on the Rams had more than 20 yards receiving. Nacua had 150 yards and everyone else combined had 78. That’s not an ideal formula, no matter how incredible Nacua is as a player. The Rams weren’t completely whole on Sunday. They played without cornerback Trent McDuffie and tight end Terrance Ferguson, among others. Davante Adams is out with a hamstring injury and could be out until late in the season, which is why the Rams have so few options at receiver. But they did have Myles Garrett back. And Garrett, like Nacua, was great. He had three sacks, including a big 12-yard sack with with the game still in doubt late in the fourth quarter. Los Angeles’ defense held on, getting a stop on the final play in their own territory. The Rams still had key players out, but every team in the NFL is dealing with some injuries. The San Francisco 49ers, who lead the NFC West, can attest to that. The Rams just haven’t been what everyone thought they would be yet, even though they are getting wins against overmatched teams. But they are 5-4, which is why the trade deadline is very important for them. Los Angeles has already sold some of its future on trades for Garrett and McDuffie, and it’s a team that probably needs another move or two to get back to the status of Super Bowl favorite. Particularly at receiver. Nacua needs some help. In the third quarter Stafford forced a pass into Nacua despite Nacua being bracketed closely. Safety Nick Cross had an easy interception. It was a clear case of Stafford forcing it to his only receiver option, no matter what. It was Stafford’s ninth interception this season, surpassing last year’s total already. That type of play showed why the overreliance on Nacua in the passing game needs to be addressed. Nick Cross picks off Stafford!LARvsWAS on FOX/FOX OneStream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/S8wex6qoAy— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026It doesn’t help that Stafford is dealing with an elbow injury. He has not been able to complete passes downfield in Los Angeles’ past few games. It could be argued that the Rams having one option at receiver and playing three tight ends more than half of their plays is what’s sapping the offense of its explosiveness, but Stafford’s elbow doesn’t help either. Their longest play on Sunday, against a bad Commanders defense, was 21 yards. Perhaps Adams returns from a serious injury and fills the need the Rams have, but that’s a gamble for a receiver who will turn 34 on Dec. 24. It also assumes Nacua, who has a long history of injuries and is taking a lot of punishment with all of the touches he’s receiving, stays healthy all season. If Nacua goes down, the Rams’ passing game will be in real trouble. The Rams can celebrate their third straight win after a disappointing 2-4 start. But it’s clear that they need to be making calls before Tuesday’s trade deadline if they want to reach their peak this season. Here are the rest of the winners and losers from Week 9 of the NFL season: WINNERSThe Broncos and their good fortune: The Denver Broncos are catching every break this season. And they simply can’t lose in one-score games. The Broncos were trailing 14-13 and the Carolina Panthers had first-and-goal at the 1-yard line when they got one of the most fortunate interceptions you’ll see, and it turned the game around. The Panthers decided to pass on first-and-goal and a pass that was heading for the ground was tipped in the air by tight end Tommy Tremble. Broncos safety Devon Key made a great play to realize the ball was still live and pluck it out of the air before it hit the ground. A challenge and a review showed it was a clean interception. That was a big turning point in a 26-21 Broncos win. Perfect place at the perfect time!Devon Key with an improbable INT for the @Broncos!DENvsCAR on CBS/Paramount+Stream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/AnjjfvlHFi— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026The Broncos got going after that. They scored two straight touchdowns to take a two-score lead. But Denver doesn’t play easy games. The Panthers scored and then forced a punt after a pitch to Broncos running back Jonah Coleman was fumbled for a big loss. But Denver hit Bryce Young, who fumbled, and Denver recovered with 1:15 to go. It was another win for the Broncos in a one-score game, their 16th in a row in one-score games. That sets an NFL record which they tied last week when they held on in the final seconds against the Chiefs. The Broncos are 7-2, and piling up wins in close games. Per usual, they had some serendipity on their side. Jameis Winston: Winston didn’t start on Sunday but came up with the key drive the New York Giants needed to get past the Philadelphia Eagles. Winston came in when J.J. McCarthy briefly left the game after taking a hard hit to his shoulder. Winston got one full drive and made it count. On the drive he completed 6-of-7 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown to Isaiah Likely. Winston also ran for 11 yards. Offense was a struggle for the Giants all game but Winston did his job. It was the Giants’ only touchdown in a 19-11 win, their first road win at Philadelphia since 2013. They improved to 5-2-1. Isaiah Likely WIDE OPEN TD to give the Giants the lead!NYGvsPHI on FOX/FOX OneStream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/sVIaeJ0wU4— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026Winston was benched for McCarthy as the Giants chase a division title in the terrible NFC East. But he might have been their most important player on Sunday, coming through when nothing else was working for New York’s offense. Kenneth Walker III: After a couple of quiet games against very good defenses, Walker got an easier assignment on Sunday. And he took advantage of it. Walker scored two touchdowns on catches and another on the ground as the Chiefs’ offense broke out in a 35-12 win over the New York Jets. He rushed for 102 yards and had another 41 receiving. It hadn’t been easy for the Chiefs on the road against the Seahawks and Broncos the past two weeks, and Walker in particular was stymied. He was on a blistering pace early in the season but had just 105 rushing yards and no touchdowns the past two weeks. On Sunday he was back to his form of the first few weeks when he was getting buzz as a potential MVP candidate. The Chiefs are 6-2, and still very much in the mix for an AFC West title as long as Walker continues to play well. Mahomes finds K9 to put KC on the boardNYJvsKC on CBS/Paramount+Stream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/hAix4Ift59— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026Joe Burrow for MVP: The Atlanta Falcons were one of Burrow’s toughest matchups in November. All he did was to 18 of 22 for 239 yards with two touchdown passes and one rushing TD. And that was just the first half. Burrow’s MVP push continued on Sunday in Madrid, Spain, as he threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons. He probably could have put up even bigger numbers but the Bengals were up by double digits for most of the second half. The NFL Network broadcast repeatedly talked about how Burrow told them in production meetings how confident he feels and how healthy he is. It shows. Second touchdown of the day for @teehiggins5CINvsATL on NFL NetworkStream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/2V6JPwV4cm— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026The Bengals are 6-2 and in good shape to win the AFC North, which is usually a prerequisite for winning MVP. He is putting up monster numbers. He hasn’t won before and there will be some sentiment to recognize him with his first MVP award as he turns 30 years old. By the end of November he could be the clear favorite, though Josh Allen, Brock Purdy and Caleb Williams are also in the race. But Burrow is looking like the league’s MVP. LOSERSMalik Willis: The whole season is a tryout for Willis, who has to prove he’s worthy of being the Miami Dolphins’ quarterback of the future. Sunday wasn’t a good day for him. Facing a Detroit Lions defense that isn’t good and was down multiple starters due to injury, the Dolphins never reached the end zone. Willis was inaccurate on many passes. The Lions were surprisingly quiet on offense too but it didn’t matter. Miami couldn’t score enough to keep up and lost 19-9. Willis was 13 of 25 for 128 yards and an interception against a Lions defense that was 29th in yards per game allowed coming in. Willis has had some decent moments, and he has to be graded on a curve because of the lack of talent around him. But he wasn’t good enough on Sunday. Shedeur Sanders, but maybe Deshaun Watson: Sanders couldn’t come up with the two-point conversion he needed to close out the win over the New Orleans Saints. But he might have given the Browns a reason to consider a quarterback change. Sanders, who threw a go-ahead 64-yard touchdown to K.C. Concepcion late in the fourth quarter and also led a game-tying field goal drive in the final seconds of regulation, hit tight end Harold Fannin Jr. for a 39-yard touchdown in overtime after the New Orleans Saints scored first, with Fannin making a great play after the catch. But the Browns threw incomplete on the two-point conversion that would have won the game (there was also a holding call on the Browns) and the New Orleans Saints held on to a 23-22 win. The loss stung but Sanders played well, as Watson sat out due to being in the concussion protocol during the week. Watson has mostly played poorly and the Browns have been winning in spite of it. Sanders had 297 yards and two touchdowns against the Saints with multiple clutch drives. It will at least be worth considering a change after that. Sauce Gardner: Gardner’s presence on the Indianapolis Colts is a constant reminder of the collapse of the franchise. Last season, when the Colts were 7-2, Indianapolis traded two first-round picks and receiver Adonai Mitchell for Gardner, an elite cornerback. But Gardner has been mostly hurt with the Colts, who have fallen apart since the middle of last season. And on Sunday, with a chance to beat the Dallas Cowboys, Gardner got beat for the biggest play of the game. Ryan Flournoy, playing a bigger role with George Pickens out, beat Gardner for a 46-yard catch late in the game when the Colts led 23-20. That set up a go-ahead rushing touchdown from Javonte Williams and the Cowboys defense closed out the win when rookie safety Caleb Downs picked off Daniel Jones, who had another rough day. Dallas held on for a 27-23 win. DAK TO FLOURNOYCOWBOYS IN THE RED ZONEDALvsIND on FOX/FOX OneStream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/fDDObDvGPq— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026The Colts’ fall is far from Gardner’s fault, but he hasn’t helped and the Colts paid way too much for him. Him giving up the game-changing catch to Flournoy was just another reminder of how costly that trade was.