NFL Week 9 Delivers 13-Game Sunday as Browns Start Shedeur Sanders

Q: Did a bizarre fourth-quarter power outage in Madrid secretly overshadow Joe Burrow's dominant international MVP statement?

No. The power outage was a strange visual moment, but it did not truly overshadow Joe Burrow’s performance. The blackout in Madrid came with less than two minutes left, during a Samaje Perine run, and officials simply replayed the down after the lights quickly returned. Cincinnati was already ahead 34-17, so the interruption had no real effect on the outcome or the game’s main storyline. Burrow was clearly the defining figure. He went 24 of 29 for 271 yards, threw three touchdown passes and added a rushing score, leading Cincinnati to a fourth straight win and improving the Bengals to 6-2. On an international stage designed to showcase stars, he did exactly that. Burrow himself said he wanted to “put on a show,” and the production matched the quote. The broader evidence also supports that view. Most game coverage centered on Burrow’s MVP case, Cincinnati’s explosive offense, and the performances of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Chase had 155 yards and a touchdown, while Higgins caught two scores, reinforcing that the Bengals’ passing attack was the real headline. The outage did become a viral talking point because it was unusual and briefly confused viewers, much like other rare stadium-light incidents in sports. But it was a late-game novelty, not the substance of the day. In football terms, Burrow’s command of the game mattered far more than the brief darkness.

3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Nov 8

Thirteen NFL games filled Sunday’s Week 9 slate, opening with Bengals-Falcons in Madrid at 9:30 a.m. ET and closing with Bears-Buccaneers in Chicago.
Cleveland handed Shedeur Sanders the start against New Orleans, making the Browns-Saints matchup one of the day’s notable personnel storylines.
New England’s home game against Green Bay also stood out as a meeting of 5-3 teams with playoff implications.
Tuesday’s trade deadline added another layer to the day, with attention on whether potential trade candidates would see lighter workloads to avoid injury.