Tom Brady and Drew Brees will break their own record for the oldest pair of starting quarterbacks in NFL history when the New Orleans Saints take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The previous record was set when the Saints secured a 34-23 victory over the Bucs in their season opener in September, and the veteran duo will have a combined aged of 85 years and 30 days when they face off again at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.
Tampa Bay could have a powerful new weapon in their arsenal this weekend, though, with free agent wide receiver Antonio Brown having reunited with former New England Patriots team-mate Brady and being available after serving an eight-game suspension for "multiple violations of the league's personal conduct policy".
We preview that matchup and the other stand-out games in Week 9.
FEATURED GAME
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Sunday, 8.20pm (all times Eastern)
- In games facing off against Brady, Brees has a 4-2 record and averaged 245.8 passing yards with a 14-1 touchdown-interception ratio. In the same games, Brady is averaged 294.8 passing yards but has only a 9-8 TD-INT ratio.
- Alvin Kamara (556) is the only running back leading his team in receiving yards this season. The Saints have never had a running back lead them in receiving yards, while the Buccaneers have just one such instance – Mike Alstott (557) in 1996.
- Brown, who has played just one game over the past 22 months, caught four passes for 56 yards and a touchdown in his last appearance on the field (Week 2, 2019).
OTHER KEY GAMES
Seattle Seahawks at Buffalo Bills - Sunday, 1pm
- After a four-touchdown performance against the San Francinsco 49ers, Russell Wilson has thrown multiple TDs in eight straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL and tied for the longest streak by a Seahawk all-time (Wilson has done this twice previously, Dave Kreig did it 1986-87).
Baltimore Raves at Indianapolis Colts - Sunday, 1pm
- The Ravens are leading the NFL in yards per carry (5.49) for the second straight season, while the Colts rank last (3.48). However, the Colts have not allowed an opposing player to rush for 75+ yards in their past 11 games, their longest such streak since 1988 (also 11).
Chicago Bears at Tennessee Titans - Sunday, 1pm
- Tennessee have just seven sacks this season, tied with the Las Vegas Raiders for the second fewest in the league. Chicago quarterbacks have been sacked 20 times this season, 10th most in the league, including a season-high five times against New Orleans on Sunday.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys - Sunday, 4.25pm
- The Cowboys have dropped three straight games, during which they’ve been outscored 86-22; Dallas have scored one touchdown and allowed 11 in that stretch. The minus-64 scoring margin is the third worst for the team in any three-game span dating back to 1963.
Miami Dolphins at Arizona Cardinals - Sunday, 4.25pm
- Kyler Murray threw for 360 yards and three touchdowns against Seattle before their bye week and rushed for another score, his seventh rushing TD of the season. The only other quarterback in the Super Bowl era to rush for seven TDs in their first seven games of season was Cam Newton in 2011 (7). No QB in that span has had eight rushing TDs in their first eight games of a season – Newton has six rushing TDs in six games in 2020.
ELSEWHERE...
Carolina Panthers at Kansas City Chiefs - Sunday, 1pm
- Travis Kelce recorded a season-high 109 receiving yards and added one receiving touchdown in the win over the New York Jets. Carolina are allowing 8.1 yards per catch to tight ends this season, lowest in the NFL.
New England Patriots at New York Jets - Monday, 8.15pm
- The Jets lost to the Chiefs 35-9 in Kansas City on Sunday and are now 0-8 for just the second time in franchise history – the 1996 team started 0-8 before winning in Week 9. New York have 29 points in their past four games, their fewest in a four-game span since scoring 25 in Weeks 10-13, 2005.