Eric Williams

NFL Reporter

Big players make big plays in big games. And in Week 9, the best players in the league stepped up to lead their teams to important victories that kept them moving toward the postseason.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow showed his trademark playmaking ability, finishing with 251 yards and five touchdowns in a blowout win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The victory helped the Bengals improve to 4-5 and only a half-game out of the last playoff spot in the AFC.

[READ MORE: 2024 NFL Playoff Picture: Falcons, Chargers see fortunes rise; Packers fall back]

Lions quarterback Jared Goff continued his historic run, completing 81.8% of his passes for 145 yards and a touchdown in Detroit’s impressive win against the Green Bay Packers in rainy conditions at Lambeau Field.

The ultra-efficient Goff now has an 82.8 completion percentage over a six-week period, eclipsing Peyton Manning for the best such stretch in league history. Goff has thrown more touchdowns (28) than incompletions (24) during his impressive streak. His execution has put Detroit in the top spot in the NFC with a 7-1 record.

And down in the desert, running back James Conner helped to lead the Arizona Cardinals to a win over the Chicago Bears and the top spot in the NFC West. Conner finished with 107 rushing yards in a 29-9 victory over the Bears.

Let’s take a closer look at who’s hot and who’s not in this week’s NFL Heat Index.

WHO’S HOT

Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Lions

Brown let his sweatshirt do the talking before the game as he stepped off the bus and entered Lambeau Field.

“Green Bay sucks.” 

If you wear something like that into enemy territory, you better back it up. Brown did, finishing with seven catches for 56 yards and a touchdown in his team’s big win over the Packers. In the process, Brown tied a franchise record shared by Herman Moore and Leon Hart with his sixth straight game with a receiving touchdown. 

Brown also continued an impressive streak of catching 30 straight targets from Goff dating back to Week 3. His performance on Sunday earned him recognition as Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game.

Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game: Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown | Week 9 DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE

Saquon Barkley, RB, Eagles

In his first season with the Eagles, Barkley has taken over as the engine of Philadelphia’s offense and is one of the frontrunners for Offensive Player of the Year. In a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Barkley finished with 199 scrimmage yards and two scores.

He also executed one of the most astonishing running moves in NFL history, jumping backward over Jacksonville defender cornerback Jarrian Jones after spinning to evade linebacker Devin Lloyd. 

“It was the best play I’ve ever seen,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. 

We agree. 

Bryce Young, QB Panthers

It’s not about the numbers Young produced, it’s about the vibes. Benched due to poor performance earlier this year, last year’s No. 1 overall pick helped Carolina finally get back in the win column with a victory over the New Orleans Saints. 

Young snapped a personal six-game losing streak, the longest among all quarterbacks. He finished 16-of-26 for 171 yards, with a touchdown and an interception. But more importantly, Young helped the Panthers snap a five-game losing streak.

Tyler Bass, K, Bills

Buffalo’s kicker hit a career-best 61-yard field goal in the final seconds for his team’s seventh victory of the season. Bass made up for a missed extra point and field goal attempt earlier in the game with the winning kick. 

In the postseason last year, Bass missed a 44-yard field goal that would have tied the Chiefs, and he had struggled from that distance this year, missing 4-of-7 kicks from 40 to 49 yards.

So, the 61-yarder was a confidence builder for Bass. 

Mike Gesicki, TE, Bengals

Cincinnati’s pass-catching tight end finished with five catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns in his team’s runaway win over the Raiders.

Gesicki became the first Cincinnati tight end with 100 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in a game since Tyler Eifert accomplished that feat in 2015, also against the Raiders. The scores provided another opportunity for fans to see Gesicki’s cringy touchdown dance as he attempted to do his version of the “griddy.” 

WHO’S COLD

Mike McCarthy, HC, Cowboys

With Dallas losing three straight and two games under .500 for the first time since 2020, it seems time to throw dirt on the Cowboys (3-5) and their postseason hopes. McCarthy has been unable to steer Dallas clear of a season that appeared headed off a cliff since owner Jerry Jones said the organization was “all-in” on chasing a Super Bowl.

Adding injury to insult, franchise quarterback Dak Prescott had to leave Sunday’s game due to a hamstring issue. He was replaced by Cooper Rush. 

Dallas gets a much-needed bye week, with the hopes of getting edge Micah Parsons and cornerback Daron Bland back from injury in Week 11. It’s fair to wonder if even the return of those frontline players can change the team’s outlook at this point of the season. 

C.J. Stroud, QB, Texans

Last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year is on a cold streak. Over the past three games, Stroud has completed just 52.3% of his passes for 562 yards and one touchdown for a 76.0 passer rating.

Houston has lost two of its past three, averaging just 19 points a game during that time. Stroud has had to deal with injuries along the offensive line and at receiver. Still, as one of the best signal-callers in the game, he must figure out how to elevate the offense when it’s not at full strength. 

Shane Steichen, Head Coach, Colts 

Steichen made the switch from developmental QB Anthony Richardson to 39-year-old backup Joe Flacco, but the results were not any better on Sunday. Flacco threw for 179 yards and failed to lead the Colts to an offensive touchdown as they lost to the Minnesota Vikings on the road.

At 4-5, the Colts are just two games out of first place in the AFC South behind the 6-3 Texans. But if Flacco doesn’t perform better, it might be best to play Richardson and continue his development for next season. 

Geno Smith, QB, Seahawks

Smith made some beautiful throws down the stretch, engineering a touchdown drive that pushed his team into overtime against the Rams. However, Smith also finished with three head-scratching interceptions and two botched snaps during regulation that led to Seattle’s fourth loss in five games.

Turnovers and sloppy play are why the Seahawks have dropped to the bottom of the NFC West under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald. Turning things around starts with better execution from Smith. 

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]

Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

Magomed Ankalaev claims he was ready to save UFC 310, but Alex Pereira wasn’t.

Ankalaev is eager to get his title shot against light heavyweight champion Pereira, to the point that he’s even willing to do it without a full camp. When welterweight champion Belal Muhammad was forced out of his title defense against Shavkat Rakhmonov, UFC 310 on Dec. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas lost it’s main event.

Both Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) and Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) hinted that they’d be ready to replace that fight, but Ankalaev says only he was.

“Fake news, I’m the only one who was ready for December but he deserve rest.”

https://twitter.com/AnkalaevM/status/1853269283264143518

Pereira has competed in three title fights in the span of six months, knocking out Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka, and most recently Khalil Rountree at UFC 307 in October.

He revealed in an interview with Brazilian podcast Podpah (h/t MMA Fighting) that his hand is still hurting him from his fight against Rountree.

“That fourth round, I was throwing jabs and hurting my hand,” Pereira said. “I swear. I was thinking, ‘My hand must be broken.’ It still hurts. Not all the time, no, but if I squeeze here, it hurts.”

Riding a 13-fight unbeaten streak, most recently defeating Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 308, Ankalaev jibed at Pereira for not accepting to fight him on short notice.

“Willing to fight everyone short notice but with me, he knows he have to be ready, he’s not stupid.”

https://twitter.com/AnkalaevM/status/1853312163781468188

Ankalaev also said that his title fight with Pereira could happen in the first quarter of 2025.

“I was offered three dates December, February, and March and I agreed to all three dates I have to win by KO I have no problem. It is condition.”

https://twitter.com/AnkalaevM/status/1853311478415122729

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 310.

The UFC is looking to get on the road more often in 2025.

For the past several years, a major talking point among MMA fans has been the rise of the UFC APEX. Built in 2019, the APEX became one of the UFC’s primary event venues during the COVID-19 pandemic as promotion continued to put on shows during the lockdown. However even after the lockdowns ended, the APEX remains a fixture of the UFC rotation to the dislike of some fans. But that may be changing soon.

This past Saturday, UFC Edmonton took place and per the promotion it broke the record for highest-grossing UFC Fight Night event in North American history. This comes on the heels of similar performances when the promotion visited other locations like Denver and Louisville earlier this year, and speaking with reporters after the event, UFC Vice President David Shaw told reporters that this continued success will lead to some changes for how often the UFC goes on the road in 2025.

“Yeah, there will be [more events on the road],” Shaw said. “There will be an increased number of events outside of the APEX relative to this year as we get into the 2025 schedule.”

This weekend marks the UFC’s 100th event in the APEX and will be the promotion’s 17th trip there this year. The promotion also used the APEX 17 times in 2023, down from the 21 times they held events there in 2022.

But while Shaw envisions a world where the UFC relies less heavily on the APEX, he also made it clear that things will not return to the pre-COVID era where every show was somewhere different.

“It’s tough for us to anticipate what two or three years down the road looks like, but it makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons,” Shaw explained. “There’s a lot of fighters in Vegas, it’s easy for us operationally, it’s simple from a budgetary perspective. The rigor and the pressure and how laborious it can be to be on the road… It’s tough.

“So I think having home games and being in the APEX where we can just turn off the lights and lock the door, it makes a lot of sense for us. So will we ever get back to pre-COVID or no APEX? I don’t think so. But I think we’re going to find the right balance for us.”

And according to Shaw, more road shows does not just mean more opportunity for American fans to attend events. With the UFC’s media rights deal ending next year, Shaw says that more international trips is part of the promotion’s longterm planning as well.

“Are there more plans? Yes. We’re going to be back in the U.K. next year,” Shaw said “… Then as we get through next year which is sort of the last year of our current media deal in the U.S. and we start to plan out what we want to do in 2026 and beyond in terms of the number of international events we can have, the intention is to be able to go back to Europe more often.”

Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis has lost his appeal against a five-game stadium ban.

The 57-year-old was found guilty of improper conduct for spitting on the floor as the match officials walked past following Forest’s 1-0 Premier League defeat by Fulham at the City Ground on 28 September.

In publishing its written reasons behind the decision, the commission said there was “no excuse” for such an “an egregious display of disrespectful behaviour” that could “fuel disrespect towards match officials”.

Marinakis, who has already served three games of the ban, denied the charge.

“An Appeal Board has dismissed an appeal by Nottingham Forest’s Evangelos Marinakis in relation to misconduct at their Premier League fixture on Saturday, 28 September against Fulham,” said the Football Association.

“It was alleged that the behaviour of Evangelos Marinakis around the tunnel area after full-time of that match was improper. He denied this charge, but it was found proven by an independent Regulatory Commission, and a five-match stadium/ground suspension was imposed.”

The incident occurred after Forest, who are third in the Premier League, lost to Fulham following a VAR-awarded penalty.

Referee Josh Smith, assistant referee James Mainwaring and fourth official Tim Robinson submitted written statements saying they saw Marinakis spitting on the floor in their direction as they made their way to the dressing room.

In his defence, Marinakis claimed that he had a hacking cough because he smokes two or three cigars a day and the incident was unintentional.

The commission rejected this defence, pointing to the fact none of the officials’ statements mentioned coughing and CCTV footage of the tunnel backed up that assertion.

It said it believed Marinakis “deliberately spat in a disrespectful and disgusting display of contempt towards the match officials”.

It concluded this was a case of serious misconduct that warranted a severe punishment to act as a deterrent.

Marinakis argued a ban from the tunnel and dressing room areas would suffice, but the commission disagreed given he is not required in those areas after games.

The punishment came after boss Nuno Espirito Santo was given a three-game touchline ban for his reaction to Morgan Gibbs-White’s red card at Brighton in October.

The head coach already had a one-game suspended ban, which was activated, for comments following Forest’s 2-0 defeat at Everton in April.

EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – Charles Jourdain beat Victor Henry with a second-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 246 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Take a look inside the fight with Jourdain, who snapped a two-fight skid with his second win in a row by guillotine choke – both of which have gotten him bonuses.

Charles Jourdain def. Victor Henry

Charles Jourdain

Result: Charles Jourdain def. Victor Henry via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 3:43
Updated records: Jourdain (16-8-1 MMA, 7-7-1 UFC), Henry (24-7 MMA, 3-2 UFC)
Key stats: Henry had four takedowns, but ultimately got caught in Jourdain’s masterful choke.

Jourdain on the fight’s key moment

Nov 2, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Charles Jourdain (red gloves) fights Victor Henry (blue gloves) in a bantamweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

“I just learned that I’m the first one that ever stopped Victor Henry, so I think that’s a very good way to start my career at bantamweight. … I’m like, ‘Man, he’s 37 – he’s got so many fights.’ So yeah: Hat’s off to me.”

Jourdain on finally going to bantamweight

“Immaturity, stupidity (is why I took so long). I don’t like when people are telling me to do stuff. I want to have my own experience. If you tell me fire burns, I’ll put my hand in it and I’m like, ‘Oh, you’re right.’ So I did a lot of stupid stuff. But now, I feel like the right place, and that’s a fantastic feeling.”

Jourdain on what he wants next

Nov 2, 2024; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Charles Jourdain (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Victor Henry (not pictured) in a bantamweight bout during UFC Fight Night at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

Advertisement

“I won’t drop names. I’m interested in anybody. But for now, I’m having a little boy and I’m going to take care of him in January. After that, I’ll be back in the octagon around May. Whatever UFC have in store for me, I’m not going to chase name. There’s a lot of very good fighters. There’s some very good veterans, as well. I grew up watching Jose Aldo and I see him fight, so that would that would be fun – but I’m in no position to call the ‘King of Rio’ right now.”

To hear more from Jourdain, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 246.

Awful officiating cast a pall over a submission finish in Kazakhstan this past weekend.

At a Dala Fighting Championship event in Astana on Saturday, Kazakh bantamweight Zhuman Zhumabekov locked in a Von Flue choke after executing a powerful slam and clearly had the fight wrapped up halfway into the opening round.

His opponent Abhilash Raut clearly goes limp with his eyes rolling back, but the bout was not waved off at that point due to the negligence of referee Baurzhan Zhumanov. Seemingly oblivious to Raut’s condition, Baurzhan Zhumanov actually appeared to call for Zhumabekov to continue to work on the ground, putting it on Zhumabekov to release the hold so the referee could see what had happened.

Watch the disturbing clip below.

An attentive Zhumabekov immediately looks to tend to Raut following the finish. Fortunately, Raut was able to stand on his own power and be part of the post-fight proceedings as he raised Zhumabekov’s hand and embraced him.

Watch the full fight, including the aftermath, below.