NFL Week 9 patience scale: Trust wearing thin with Cowboys, Falcons; cut Ravens some slack

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In The First Read, Jeffri Chadiha provides a snapshot of the hottest stories and trends heading into Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season, including:

But to kick things off, it’s time to identify which teams are losing trust and which clubs deserve some slack …

Week 8 was one of those times when the separation in the NFL was clear. There were blowouts all over the league, as some of the perennial contenders flexed their muscles in ways that shouldn’t be dismissed. We’ve spent the last few weeks talking about all the parity in the league. This was the week when we saw firsthand why some teams are likely to break away from the pack in the near future.

It would be easy to focus on those squads in this edition of The First Read. Instead, another route makes more sense at this time of year. We’re closing in on the midseason point, which means we’re about to have more debates about who to believe in and who to give up on. This particular writer is already thinking about those subjects, which is why this piece will center on certain teams that are hard to pin down.

Some of those squads are losing trust by the day. Others deserve a little bit of grace for what they’re dealing with. Here’s how they break down …

TEAMS WEARING OUT TRUST

There’s a real desire to want to fall in love with the promise of the Falcons. They possess so much talent on offense — even though quarterback   Michael Penix Jr.   and wide receiver   Drake London   were sidelined by injuries in Sunday’s 34-10 loss to Miami — and their defense has improved dramatically. But that loss to the Dolphins was mystifying on so many levels. Miami had one win coming into the contest and literally dominated the action. The Falcons didn’t score until five minutes remained in the game, and they let   Tua Tagovailoa   throw four touchdown passes after he threw six interceptions in his previous two games. This all begs the question of who the Falcons are. They were anemic offensively in the first three weeks. They looked like a playoff contender in beating up on the Buffalo Bills in Week 6. And now the Falcons have lost two straight winnable games, including a 20-10 defeat to the 49ers a week ago. A loss without your starting quarterback is one thing. A loss to a lousy team with a backup quarterback who was the starter at this point last year (   Kirk Cousins   ) doesn’t’ make much sense. The NFC has too many viable contenders for the Falcons to not be worried about their current 3-4 record. If they can’t find some consistency and more points, this team will be watching the playoffs once again.

 J.J. McCarthy  had better be something special when he returns to the Vikings’ lineup. The high ankle sprain that has sidelined him since Week 2 has been the biggest factor in this team’s current 3-4 record. Reports indicate that McCarthy will be back on the field this coming week against Detroit, but that can’t be that encouraging. The Lions have been one of the best teams in football all season, and the Vikings can ill afford to lose any more ground in the NFC North. One problem with Minnesota is that the defense isn’t as good as it was a year ago. It doesn’t have the ability to cover for an offense that has been middling at best with  Carson Wentz  under center. The other concern the Vikings must be mulling is how best to keep McCarthy on the field. He didn’t even make it to the regular season as a rookie after sustaining a torn meniscus in preseason. He had some positive moments when he was playing earlier this year but his statistics — two touchdown passes and three interceptions — suggest that more severe growing pains are coming. Unlike Atlanta, Minnesota also must be worried about every team in its division. The Bears have won four of their last five games, while the Lions and Packers are safe bets for double-digit victories. It would be great to see McCarthy step in and give Minnesota a huge boost for that reason. The Vikings landed in a decent hole without him, and it’s time to start digging out of it.

Last week was the time to talk about how entertaining the Cowboys can be. This is the week when it’s time to talk about how maddening this squad can be when matched against top teams. There was nothing fun about watching Dallas in a 44-24 loss to Denver. The Broncos proved why there was so much hype around them coming into this season. They looked as complete as any team all season. The Cowboys, on the other hand, still don’t have a win against a team that is currently above .500, and it’s difficult to know when that will happen. That prolific offense didn’t have the same success against a Broncos defense that once again ranks among the league’s best. That feeble defense did what it’s done too often this year, which is surrender explosive plays and fail to get critical stops. This was a game when the Cowboys — now 3-4-1 — could’ve made a huge statement about their ability to contend for a playoff spot despite obvious flaws. Instead, it turned into an indictment about where this season will end for them. Oh, they’re going to score a lot of points with all that talent on offense. They’re also going to take a lot of losses when the competition is more legit.

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