Caleb Williams threw four interceptions and still won. Minnesota’s defense made another good offense miserable and even chipped in six points — it didn't matter. Jordan Love kept going after Christian Gonzalez like New England had accidentally left a backup on the field.

That was Week 9 in a nutshell: weird, messy, and full of surprises. But underneath all the chaos, we also learned a little more about which teams can overcome their flaws and which ones can't avoid making the same mistakes.

Winner: Jordan Love and Those Two Receivers

Love completed 23 of 29 passes for 372 yards and three touchdowns in Green Bay’s 45–27 win at New England. His 153.2 passer rating was a career best in games with at least 15 attempts. He ran for a touchdown, too, because apparently throwing all over the Patriots wasn’t enough.

But here’s the number that really jumps out: targeting Christian Watson and Matthew Golden, Love went 17-of-18 for 335 yards and two touchdowns. Watson finished with 171 yards, Golden with 164. That’s two receivers winning downfield constantly, with Love putting the ball where they could make a play.

Green Bay’s won five of six. The running game still has plenty to prove, and Josh Jacobs leaving with a hand injury doesn’t help. But when both outside receivers can hurt you like this, you can’t build your whole game plan around taking away one guy.

Love looks pretty comfortable making defenses pay for whichever choice they make.

Loser: Christian Gonzalez’s Usually Safe Side of the Field

Boy, was this rough.

Fantasy Points Data charted Gonzalez allowing 10 catches on 12 targets for 187 yards, eight first downs, and a touchdown. That’s 15.6 yards per target and a 146.5 passer rating allowed. Golden caught all seven targets in Gonzalez’s primary coverage for 105 yards. Watson caught all three for 82 yards and the touchdown.

Ten throws to those two. Ten completions. Not exactly the kind of afternoon you want from your top corner.

There were coverage communication problems around him, too, so hanging every explosive play on one corner would be lazy. But New England’s best cover guy wasn’t giving the defense much of a safety net.

Drake Maye didn’t help matters with three first-half interceptions. He hesitated against changing coverage looks, and protection problems against schemed pressure gave Green Bay opportunities all afternoon. That’s the concern moving forward: good defenses can make him hold the ball, then punish him for holding it.

Loser: Whatever Minnesota’s Doing at Quarterback

Brian Flores has a defense good enough to make a playoff game miserable for somebody. Minnesota’s offense is making November miserable for their own defense.

Buffalo won 23–6, and the Vikings didn’t score after halftime. This was still a four-point game at the break, which means there was a chance to win it if the offense could’ve contributed, well, anything.

Carson Wentz wasn’t the fix. I understand why the crowd came alive when Max Brosmer got in and gave them a little something, but that excitement also tells you how low the bar had gotten.

I’d go back to Kyler Murray when he’s healthy and give the offense some continuity. That doesn’t mean he’s solved everything. It means cycling through quarterbacks clearly hasn’t solved anything either.

Minnesota came into Monday allowing a league-low 13.3 points per game while ranking 31st in passing offense. That imbalance was already there. Buffalo just made it impossible to ignore.

Winner: Chicago’s Defense, Loser: Tampa Bay’s Follow-Through

Chicago committed five turnovers and still beat Tampa Bay 27–24.

The ridiculous part is that on the four possessions after Williams’ interceptions, the Bears gave up three points and scored a touchdown of their own. Jaylon Johnson’s 67-yard pick-six flipped a game the offense kept trying to hand away. Williams eventually settled down enough to hit Colston Loveland for 38 yards on the winning drive.

Winning when your quarterback’s having that kind of night says a lot about the rest of the team.

For Tampa Bay, though, this one’s going to sting. Baker Mayfield kept battling, Bucky Irving helped pull them back into it. The defense gave the offense more chances than it should’ve needed. Then came the penalties, stalled drives, and Mayfield’s own interceptions. Five false starts on the road is a pretty good way to put yourself in a hole.

Winner: Cincinnati’s Offense, Wherever You Put the Stadium

Atlanta let Ja’Marr Chase get rolling early in Madrid and never really found an answer. Giving Burrow chances to throw to Chase against a linebacker in the red zone probably isn’t something I’d recommend trying again.

Chase finished with 155 yards. Tee Higgins had just 32, but two of his five catches were touchdowns. Just another reminder that his value isn’t only about how full his stat line looks.

Cincinnati’s 34–17 win was their fourth straight, and the Bengals have scored at least 31 points in all four. Now Cincinnati and Pittsburgh are both 6–2 heading into Sunday night’s matchup. That’ll tell us a lot more about this run than another week of asking whether Burrow’s playing well.

We already know the answer: He’s cooking.

Winner: Arvell Reese, Loser: Philadelphia’s Offensive Line

Reese had 12 tackles, three sacks, and a forced fumble in the Giants’ 19–11 win. He’s the first rookie since tackle tracking began in 1994 to put up at least 10 tackles and three sacks in the same game. His first sack came in 2.29 seconds, which was the fastest of the season.

Joe Milton had a few moments worth building on, but he also got sacked seven times. Saquon Barkley and Elijah Mitchell combined for just 28 rushing yards.

Jordan Mailata explained part of the run-blocking mess:

You can’t cut it back because there’s a guy unblocked.

That’s not something a quarterback change can fix. Philadelphia hasn’t scored a second-half touchdown since Week 6, and the protection and running game aren’t giving the new guy much room to change the conversation.

Winner: Shedeur Sanders’ Case for More Reps

Sanders threw for 297 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions in Cleveland’s 23–22 overtime loss at New Orleans. He had just 38 passing yards at halftime, but he started giving his receivers more chances downfield after. His late connection with Jerry Jeudy helped keep Cleveland alive in regulation, and Harold Fannin Jr.’s touchdown gave the Browns a shot in overtime.

There’s still plenty to clean up. The operation got messy at times, and scrambling can’t become the answer every time a play takes too long. Sanders can extend a play, but he shouldn’t have to be the one finishing it on the ground.

Tyler Shough deserves credit, too. His late throw to Chris Olave set up the go-ahead touchdown, and he found Juwan Johnson for the overtime score. Cleveland found something encouraging at quarterback. New Orleans found a way to win.

Losers: Washington’s Finishes and the Rams’ Injury Luck

I’m running out of patience with Dan Quinn’s late-game football. Washington had chances again, then ended the game by throwing short of a first down with three seconds left. At some point, when the same confusion keeps showing up, it becomes a coaching problem. You can’t keep explaining it away.

The Rams escaped with a 20–13 win behind Puka Nacua’s 150 receiving yards and Myles Garrett’s three sacks. Garrett looked like exactly the closer they needed.

Then Monday’s news changed the mood. Nacua suffered knee sprains and turf toe, and Sean McVay said an IR stint is likely. So the expectation is that he’ll miss at least a month.

Getting Garrett back helps. Losing the receiver who just carried your passing game makes it a whole lot harder to believe you’ve actually turned a corner.

Winner: Denver’s Progress, With a Little Restraint

I liked that Bo Nix was willing to push the ball downfield and attack beyond the sticks. Denver converted six of 10 third downs in their 26–21 win at Carolina.

That said, Devon Key’s end-zone interception and Nik Bonitto’s late strip-sack were huge. Nix also pointed out that Carolina's defense wasn't playing their best. That’s real progress.

Now let’s see how it looks when the pressure ramps up and the answers aren’t quite as easy to find.

All stats courtesy of Fantasy Points Data.

Want more NFL coverage? Head to Sports Pass for the latest. And for more stories that keep you informed and entertained, YourLifeBuzz has you covered.