Packers and Bengals earn emphatic wins in NFL week nine

The Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals both produced emphatic wins in week nine of the NFL season, as the regular season reached its halfway point.

Green Bay beat the New England Patriots 45-27 on the road, with quarterback Jordan Love throwing for 372 yards and three touchdowns and adding a rushing score. The Patriots, who reached last season’s Super Bowl, conceded their most points at home since 1970.

Cincinnati defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-17 in Madrid. Joe Burrow completed 24 of 29 passes for 271 yards and had a hand in four touchdowns. Ja’Marr Chase recorded a season-high 155 receiving yards as the Bengals scored more than 30 points for a fourth consecutive game, equalling a team record.

The result took Cincinnati to 6-2, level with Pittsburgh at the top of the AFC North. Green Bay improved to 6-3.

Elsewhere, the Chicago Bears beat Tampa Bay 27-24 with a field goal as time expired, despite quarterback Caleb Williams throwing a career-high four interceptions. Denver won 26-21 at Carolina, extending its run of victories in one-score regular-season games to 16, a new NFL record.

The San Francisco 49ers held the league’s best record at 7-1 after beating Las Vegas 38-17. The Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings were due to play on Monday, with the winner set to join them at 7-1 if the game did not end in a tie.

The week also brought a milestone for Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce. They became the NFL’s most prolific quarterback-tight end pairing by passing yards, reaching 9,360 in a 35-12 win over the New York Jets.