This is about the time on the NFL calendar when teams begin taking a hard look at themselves. With the arrival of Week 9, we're halfway through the regular season, and the Nov. 10 trade deadline is on the league's doorstep. 

That leaves every franchise facing the same question: What are we in 2026? Should we invest in the club we have or sell off pieces and begin building for a brighter tomorrow? The answer, of course, will vary from team to team. 

We could, however, start seeing some early indications of which way these clubs are leaning in response to that question as Week 9 unfolds. In our five predictions this week, three of them center around the trade deadline and/or facing the reality that 2026 is not their year and need to make moves to better themselves for 2027 and beyond. Meanwhile, there are a couple of other less existential developments that we wouldn't be shocked to see, including a rough showing from Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. 

We'll look to carry the momentum from a strong selection last week, where we accurately pinpointed a reduced snap share from Jonathan Taylor amid trade rumors and a strong performance from T.J. Hockenson. Below, you can find five storylines and/or individual performances that we wouldn't be shocked to see happen over the course of Week 9.  

Jonah Coleman silences Broncos trade chatter

The Broncos have been in the thick of trade rumors leading up to the Nov. 10 deadline as they've been a team eyed as a potential landing spot for some of the top available running backs. 

When you look at their 92.6 rushing yards per game average on the season, it makes sense why they'd possibly pursue the likes of Jonathan Taylor in Indianapolis, especially with the club sitting atop the AFC West and hoping to make another deep playoff run. However, that's a 10,000 ft. view of the situation in the backfield. If you zoom in, there's a possibility that the answer to their rushing woes is already on the roster. 

Rookie running back Jonah Coleman had a mini breakout performance in the win over Kansas City last week. In just his second game back from returning off injured reserve due to an ankle injury, Coleman saw a team-high 11 carries and rushed for 41 yards and a touchdown. He also caught four of his five targets for 63 yards, which included a pivotal 51-yard catch-and-run on the go-ahead touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. 

That flash could just be the beginning for Coleman, who should continue to break out this week against Carolina. The Panthers are surrendering 4.8 yards per carry so far this season, which is tied for the fourth-highest in the NFL. Their 140.7 rushing yards per game allowed is third-highest in the league, so this is quite the matchup for Coleman. If he takes advantage of it, he'd silence any need for the Broncos to make a move for a back before the deadline. 

Carson Beck makes his NFL debut vs. Seahawks

The Cardinals made an in-game switch from Jacoby Brissett to Gardner Minshew last week, which helped springboard them to a win over the Cowboys. Minshew threw three touchdowns in the comeback win, which helped him be named the starter for Week 9 against Seattle. It also paved the way for the organization to trade Brissett to the Baltimore Ravens. All of those moves have seen rookie quarterback Carson Beck quietly move up the depth chart. After initially serving as the emergency third quarterback, he's now the primary backup for Arizona. 

At some point, this ascension up the depth chart will continue for Beck to the point where he starts games for the Cardinals this season. After taking him atop the third round last spring, the organization has to see what they have in him before embarking on the offseason and possibly searching for another option under center. I wonder if Beck's debut could come as soon as this week during Sunday's divisional matchup with Seattle. 

Minshew slicing up a poor Cowboys defense is one thing, but he'll have a much more difficult challenge against a Seattle defense allowing the fewest total yards per game (250.0) through eight contests in team history. Their 4.2 yards per play allowed is also the fourth-fewest by any NFL team through eight games in the last 20 years. 

The Seahawks defense is also tied for the third-most takeaways in the NFL this season, so there's the possibility of things getting ugly for Minshew and the Cardinals offense. Does it get so ugly that Matt LaFleur makes another change in favor of Beck? I wouldn't rule it out. 

Jayden Daniels commits multiple turnovers vs. Rams

One of the underrated pieces of Washington's win over the Eagles in Week 8 was just how erratic Jayden Daniels was throwing the football. On the night, Daniels registered a 17.2% off-target throw rate, which is the third-highest single-game mark in his career (including playoffs). If that persists in this matchup against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, Daniels' currently immaculate interception rate could shatter. 

Coming into Week 9, Daniels, who has been limited to five games due to an elbow injury, has yet to throw an interception. He's just the sixth player in NFL history to have at least 240 yards of total offense per game and zero interceptions through five starts. In fact, Daniels hasn't even lost a fumble, so he has no turnovers whatsoever so far in 2026. Something tells me that changes in Week 9. 

The Rams are tied for the fifth-most interceptions (7) on the season and are coming off a Week 8 win over the Chargers, where they picked off Justin Herbert twice and forced a fumble (recovered). Oftentimes, turnovers come in bunches, and if Daniels' throws continue to be all over the place, it could cost him. If the Rams, who are a 5.5-point road favorite, build a lead and force Daniels and the Commanders into a pass-heavy game script, it only adds more opportunity for the secondary to create multiple turnovers and stain his currently pristine record.  

Bijan Robinson bounces back in a big way

Bijan Robinson enters Week 9 as the NFL rushing leader with 780 yards on the ground thus far. However, by looking at him over the last four weeks, you wouldn't really know it. Over the past four games, Robinson's rushing totals have taken a precipitous fall, averaging 4.4 yards per carry and 71.5 rushing yards per game. Those figures are well off the otherworldly pace he was on over the first four weeks of the year. 

Week 9 presents a great opportunity for Robinson to get back to something closer to the production we saw over the opening month. Entering this international matchup in Madrid, Cincinnati is allowing 122.3 rushing yards per game, which is just outside the top-10 in the NFL. When you dig a bit deeper into the numbers, however, they're even more advantageous for Robinson, with the Bengals allowing 4.8 yards per carry (tied for the fourth-highest in the league). In a surprisingly tight win over the Titans last week, Cincinnati let Tony Pollard rush for 117 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. 

Joe Burrow has been one of the hottest quarterbacks in the NFL over the past few weeks, and one of the ways the Falcons could look to cool him off is by taking a ground-and-pound approach to this game. They have a back capable of taking over in Robinson, and this matchup is the perfect opportunity to take that approach. Expect a huge day for No. 7. 

Chargers finally fire Mike McDaniel

Sunday goes one of two ways for the Los Angeles Chargers. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that they pull out their first win in this home matchup against the Texans, especially if Houston's defense continues to struggle. However, if it continues the way it has for LA and the offense can't muster anything close to a respectable unit, I think we've reached the point where McDaniel is let go. Yes, there were cases to make this move weeks ago, particularly during the club's Week 7 bye, but Jim Harbaugh elected to stick with his offensive coordinator. 

Coming out of the break, things didn't look improved whatsoever. In the Week 8 loss to the Rams, the offense continued to sputter. The unit ranks last in the NFL in points per game (14.1) and has the most total turnovers (17). They've also not scored a touchdown since the third quarter of Week 5. 

This season, the Texans defense hasn't been as ferocious as it was in 2025. They've allowed 30-plus points three times this season after doing so once in 2025 and have also allowed three 300-plus-yard passers after allowing zero last year. Even if Houston looks more like their 2025 version following the bye week, the optics of struggling against a beatable defense yet again will continue to bring things to a fever pitch with McDaniel. 

A loss would bring them to 0-8 on the season, and the club wouldn't play again until Nov. 16 when they are in Baltimore for a "Monday Night Football" matchup with the Ravens. That extended week could be another window for Harbaugh to make a change.