NFL Sunday starts early this week. The first kickoff of the day comes at 9:30 a.m. ET, when the Cincinnati Bengals face the Atlanta Falcons at the Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain. From there, the Week 9 slate rolls through 13 games across four windows, and it ends under the lights at Soldier Field a little after 11 p.m. ET.
You just need to know which game matters most in each window, and why. Here is the day in order, with kickoff times, TV channels and the one storyline that shapes each stop.
9:30 a.m. ET: Breakfast in Madrid
Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) at Atlanta Falcons (3-5), 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network, Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.
This is the seventh international game of the 2026 season, and it is Cincinnati’s first game overseas in seven years, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Atlanta is the designated home team, even though the game is being played in Real Madrid’s famous home stadium.
The storyline is simple. The Bengals arrive with one of the best records in the AFC, and they need a win to keep pressure on the top of their conference. The Falcons arrive after a strange and ugly week. Tampa Bay shut them out 16-0 last Sunday, and the Atlanta offense never got going. A big stage in Madrid is a good place to answer that, and a bad place to repeat it.
1 p.m. ET: A first start in Philly, a fire sale in Indianapolis
New York Giants (4-2-1) at Philadelphia Eagles (2-6), 1 p.m. ET, FOX, Lincoln Financial Field.
Start in Philadelphia, where the injury report is the story. Giants running back Cam Skattebo is listed as doubtful with a hamstring injury, according to USA Today. He hurt it late in the overtime win over Houston on October 25, sat out practice on Wednesday and Thursday, and returned on a limited basis on Friday. Skattebo leads the Giants with 418 rushing yards, and his backup, Tyrone Tracy Jr., is already on injured reserve. If Skattebo cannot go, Devin Singletary takes over the backfield. Coach John Harbaugh would not fully rule his starter out, so check the inactive list before kickoff.
The Eagles are just as thin. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith is out with a hamstring injury, and he will miss his fifth game in six weeks, the team said. Dontayvion Wicks is also out. On top of that, quarterback Joe Milton makes his first NFL start for an Eagles team that has lost six straight games. The one piece of good news for the home crowd is that running back Saquon Barkley has been cleared to play against his former team.
Dallas Cowboys (3-5) at Indianapolis Colts (2-6), 1 p.m. ET, FOX, Lucas Oil Stadium.
In Indianapolis, the biggest name might not be on the team much longer. The Colts have already traded DeForest Buckner and Quenton Nelson, and the future of running back Jonathan Taylor is the story hanging over this game ahead of the trade deadline on Tuesday. Taylor carried the ball only eight times in last week’s 42-7 loss to Jacksonville, according to DraftKings Network. Quarterback Daniel Jones is expected to start, even though his name has also come up in trade reporting this weekend. Dallas, meanwhile, needs a quick response after it blew a big second half lead and lost 33-30 in overtime to Arizona.
4:25 p.m. ET: The 49ers get two stars back
Las Vegas Raiders (4-4) at San Francisco 49ers (6-1), 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX, Levi’s Stadium.
The late window belongs to San Francisco, which owns one of the best records in the league at 6-1. The 49ers get two stars back. Running back Christian McCaffrey has been cleared to play after a mild hamstring strain he suffered in Week 7, and defensive end Nick Bosa returns for the first time since Week 2 after a calf injury, according to reports from ESPN and other outlets.
They will need both. The receiver room is close to empty. Mike Evans is out with an Achilles injury, Deebo Samuel is out with a hamstring injury, and Christian Kirk has been placed on injured reserve. Demarcus Robinson was activated from injured reserve on Saturday, and he is set for his first game action since a Week 2 high ankle sprain, according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. The question is whether a short handed passing game can do enough at home against a Raiders team sitting at .500.
8:20 p.m. ET: Two No. 1 picks under the lights
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5) at Chicago Bears (6-2), 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock, Soldier Field.
The nightcap is a first. Baker Mayfield and Caleb Williams have never faced each other, and they share an unusual path. Both won the Heisman Trophy playing for coach Lincoln Riley in college, and both were picked first overall in the draft, according to the Bears’ official game preview.
Chicago has won three straight games, and the last two came against the teams that played in last season’s Super Bowl. Tampa Bay has won two straight of its own, and it is doing it in the strangest way in the league. The Buccaneers own the top rushing offense in the NFL at 168.6 yards per game, and last week they beat Atlanta 16-0 while rushing for 324 yards and not completing a single pass. The Bears’ site notes that Tampa Bay is the first team since the 1974 Falcons to win a game that way. Something has to give at Soldier Field.
Thirteen games, four windows and one very long day. If you are still hungry for football after all of it, catch up on Saturday’s college action in our college football viewing guide, and follow every score the rest of the season in our Sports coverage.
Sources: sportradar NFL schedule and broadcast listings; Cincinnati Enquirer; USA Today; Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants official injury reports; ESPN; Athlon Sports; DraftKings Network; Chicago Bears official game preview.