Patrick Mahomes took a worrying hit and stayed in the game. Week 9 was not short on drama. Shedeur Sanders finally found the end zone, the Cowboys needed a late interception to escape with a win, and the Giants handed the Eagles a frustrating defeat.

From overtime heartbreak in Cleveland to a fourth-quarter turnaround in Denver, the NFL’s halfway point delivered a Sunday that scrambled the playoff picture and left several teams with a lot to answer for.

Chiefs 35, Jets 12

With the Chiefs having recorded their second loss of the season just last week to divisional rival the Broncos, Patrick Mahomes surely knew how important it would be to stick it out for a win. And when the moment arrived, he stayed tough despite a hit.

With the Chiefs leading by 2 and less than two minutes left to halftime, Mahomes was brought down on a 2nd down. This year’s second overall draft pick, David Bailey, delivered the hit, which seemingly injured Mahomes’ right throwing arm. Still, Mahomes was not taking any chances.

Mahomes received brief medical attention on the sideline but did not miss a single offensive snap, returning to action immediately.

All in all, it was a successful outing for Mahomes, who connected 23-for-31 and threw two touchdowns over 242 yards.

Meanwhile, the rush game was led by Kenneth Walker III, who amassed 100+ rush yards for a touchdown. Emmett Johnson and Travis Kelce also secured rushing touchdowns for the team.

Panthers 21, Broncos 26

Late in the third quarter, Bryce Young surely thought he’d thrown a touchdown to tight end Tommy Tremble, but as he fell, the ball bounced off his hand to give Devon Key a touchback interception, right from the end zone. While many critics argued there was a clear DPI (defensive pass interference) on Tremble, who was tackled before even receiving the ball, the interception call stayed.

During the same game, the halftime entertainment was extended further for the fans as a Corgi invaded the field, displaying an impressive rush game. Eventually, it took about four staff members to stop the dog.

Eventually, Denver took control in the fourth quarter after entering the final 15 minutes trailing 14-13. Bo Nix sparked the turnaround, guiding a 14-play, 80-yard drive that Jonah Coleman finished with a 9-yard touchdown run. Nix then delivered the insurance blow, finding Pat Bryant for a 26-yard touchdown to stretch Denver’s lead to 26-14.

A late touchdown thrown by Bryce Young brought down the margin but that was about all it did.

Saints 23, Browns 22

It took until the final few minutes of the final quarter, but Shedeur Sanders did manage his first touchdown of the season. The pass allowed rookie KC Concepcion to complete a 64-yard touchdown as well, the first of his NFL career. But that was moments before New Orleans rained on their parade.

The Saints quickly responded, with Audric Estime punching in a 2-yard touchdown to restore their lead to 16-13. Cleveland refused to go away, though, tying the game with a 51-yard field goal with less than 10 seconds remaining.

Overtime brought another twist. Tyler Shough opened with a 15-yard pass to put New Orleans ahead 23-16, but Shedeur Sanders answered with a 39-yard strike to Harold Fannin Jr. The Browns needed just one more point to force another tie, but went for two instead. Sanders looked for Denzel Boston near the pylon, only for the conversion to fall incomplete and leave Cleveland short.

Colts 23, Cowboys 27

Early on, the Cowboys found themselves trailing, but Dak Prescott decided to spark things up with his trusted receiver CeeDee Lamb. The massive 44-yard touchdown allowed the franchise to enter halftime with hope of a comeback.

With just over a minute remaining in the third quarter, the Colts were trailing by 10 when Ashton Dulin’s 55-yard catch-and-run performance trimmed this lead to just three points. Moving forward, this even allowed them to equalize with over five minutes left on the clock with a field goal.

Much closer to the final whistle, though, with the score 27 to 23 in the Cowboys’ favor, it was rookie Caleb Downs’ interception with 35 seconds left that sealed the deal for the Dallas.

Eagles 11, Giants 19

It feels like the Giants had just signed J.J. McCarthy following Jaxson Dart’s injury, but his injury woes looked to have followed him to New York for a moment. On the sideline, as McCarthy was attempting to throw a ball, he immediately collapsed, holding his right abdomen area, going down on one knee.

His evening was overall a difficult one, as he was sacked five times over his 12 completions. Later, he did emerge from the locker room fired up. Meanwhile, even QB2 Jameis Winston was sacked after coming on for him later, pointing to O-line troubles.

Meanwhile, with seconds left to halftime, the Eagles decided to punt the ball from their end zone, and Braden Mann stepped up to blast an 86-yard punt, leaving the announcers wondering if this was the longest in football history.

All in all, while McCarthy had taken some time off, Winston threw the only touchdown of the day for New York, which would eventually seal their victory.

Commanders 13, Rams 20

At the Northwest Stadium in Summerfield, the scores were level as the fourth quarter began. But it was Puka Nacua’s night as he received the winning touchdown, thrown by the reigning MVP, and went on to cap off a 150-yard day for his team.

Meanwhile, Myles Garrett was there on the defense, ensuring his team performed with three sacks to his name. Despite the four sacks that this contributed to against QB Jayden Daniels, the latter still managed to throw a touchdown and amass 274 passing yards.

So far, Week 9 has delivered everything from comeback attempts and clutch defensive plays to individual milestones. With the season moving toward its decisive stretch, every win matters, and Sunday’s results could carry consequences well beyond the scoreboard.