NFL Week 9, trade deadline live updates: Latest news, rumors, grades and coverage maps

Time could be running out for a handful of projected contenders, whose early-season struggles have spilled over into the second quarter of the schedule and now have these teams in holes that could soon prove impossible to escape.

After showing a burst of life, winning two games to rebound from a 1-4 start, the Cincinnati Bengals got blown out at home by the Philadelphia Eagles last week. Now 3-5, they hope a date with the hapless Las Vegas Raiders enables them to take a step back in the right direction. Joe Burrow just can’t seem to get the support of a healthy arsenal or stout defense when he needs it most. Fortunately for the Bengals, who trail the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens in the AFC North, the Raiders are in even worse shape.

Meanwhile, divisional rival Cleveland also finds itself in do-or-die mode. At 2-6, a season turnaround and playoff push seems like a long shot. Jameis Winston has taken over at quarterback, however, and provided a spark last week in an upset of Baltimore. He will try to do so again Sunday when the Browns host the Los Angeles Chargers while going for their first two-game win streak of the season.

In the AFC East, 6-2 Buffalo hosts Miami and looks to take another step toward wrapping up the division before the regular season even reaches its final month. However, the Dolphins have their guy Tua Tagovailoa back at quarterback and they hope he can build on last week’s promising showing in a heartbreaking 28-27 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Pointing to the 2021 season, when the Dolphins rebounded from 1-7 to finish 9-8, Tagovailoa and his teammates refuse to give up hope. They believe that with a strong second half of the season, they can position themselves for a return to the playoffs. But without an upset of the host Bills on Sunday, such a quest will prove almost impossible.

And then there’s Dallas. At 3-4, the Cowboys certainly aren’t out of it mathematically. But their warts are plentiful, and solutions for their underachieving offense don’t seem readily available. Their defense could be getting some reinforcements soon, but Micah Parsons doesn’t seem healthy enough to return this week. So this week’s road trip to Atlanta, where the 5-3 Falcons aim to build on their lead in the NFC South, could prove most challenging for Dallas. Another loss could put Mike McCarthy’s team too far behind Washington and Philadelphia in the NFC East.