2025 NFL Week 9 Winners and Losers and Top Takeaways

Week 9 turned into comeback season for quarterbacks, with multiple starters re-entering the lineup after dealing with injuries.

Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens began Thursday Night Football. Bryce Young, Jayden Daniels, J.J. McCarthy, Kyler Murray, and Michael Penix Jr. are all on track to start after missing at least last week's contest for their teams.

The importance of the quarterback position has never been greater and serves as the starting point for winners or losers from the NFL's latest action based on the evaluations from B/R's analysts: Brent Sobleski, Gary Davenport, Kris Knox and Moe Moton.

Score: Ravens 28, Dolphins 6

Ravens Takeaway: Baltimore Surges at Right Time

The Baltimore Ravens felt desperate last week but managed a victory with Tyler Huntley leading the way as the starting quarterback.

With Lamar Jackson's return Thursday, Baltimore went from teetering on the edge to charging toward a potential division title.

At 3-6, the idea of a division crown may seem far-fetched, but the Ravens have won two in a row and face a favorable schedule in November against the Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Cincinnati Bengals. Those four opponents currently own a 9-22 combined record.

Depending on Sunday's outcome between the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore could be only one game behind the division leader going into its next full practice week.

Winner: QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Jackson couldn't have performed better during his return after missing the previous three games with a tweaked hamstring.

The two-time NFL MVP didn't show any type of rust. Instead, he completed 78.3 percent of his passes for 204 yards and four touchdowns. The quarterback looked crisp, played efficiently, made a few excellent throws and appeared to be the version that can lead the Ravens toward a far more promising second half of the season after the team began the campaign with a 1-5 record.

Dolphins Takeaway: Mistakes Doom Miami's Season

Miami's performance last week against the Atlanta Falcons was an aberration. The Dolphins are an undisciplined and erratic football team prone to mistakes.

During Thursday's matchup, they fumbled twice, committed three turnovers in total, missed a field goal, went two of 12 on third down and failed during a great scoring opportunity when quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and running back DeVon Achane weren't on the same page during a fourth-down, red-zone attempt.

Miami is among the league's worst squads. At this point, the major topic centering on the organization should be whether the team decides to eat Tagovailoa's contract for the 2026 season and simply move on after drafting a different quarterbacks.

Loser: Head coach Mike McDaniel

Does McDaniel even make it to the weekend as the Dolphins' head coach? It's a legitimate question that should be answered in short order.

Whether he does or not, it's quickly become obvious that he shouldn't be leading the team beyond this season. Miami has become progressively worse over the last two campaigns.

The constant mistakes and inability to legitimately compete against average-to-good opponents speaks volumes about the coaching staff and how prepared the team is (or isn't) on a weekly basis.

A full reset may well be on its way in Miami, and it's deserved.