NFL teams, or at least the 30 that aren’t on bye, have one last chance to make a big statement before the season reaches its halfway point.

The completion of Week 9 may lead to some eye-opening revelations around the league. With The league trade deadline approaches Tuesday.The front offices and coaching staff will have to make a final decision on whether they will sit tight on any major personnel moves or try to shake things up, either bringing in a key veteran or sending one in an effort to boost their draft capital. or help with your long-term capitalization outlook.

With that in mind, here are the bold Week 9 predictions from USA TODAY Sports’ NFL staff:

Jameis Winston will become the first quarterback this season to hit the Chargers for 300 yards

With Deshaun Watson out for the rest of the season (again) after rupturing an Achilles tendon, the Cleveland Browns offense has a new kind of life with Jameis Winston at quarterback. In his starting debut last weekend, Winston single-handedly earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors by throwing for 334 yards and 3 touchdowns without a pick (115.3 passer rating) to lead the way to an upset for the high-flying Baltimore Ravens. And suddenly, there are shades of last season, when another veteran quarterback, Joe Flacco, came off the bench and led the Browns to the playoffs. It’s too much to expect Winston to lead Cleveland to the playoffs, but it’s possible with a good run. And his presence, as was the case with Flacco in 2023, is a great contrast. Last season, Flacco went 4-1 as a backup starter and threw for 300 yards in each of his last four games. Now Winston begins what could be another 300-yard streak. It’s also worth noting that while the Browns are 5-1 under Flacco or Winston, they were 1-6 in Watson’s starts since the start of the 2023 season. And Watson not only failed to top 300 ; He didn’t even go over 200 in a game this season. Passing 300 yards against Los Angeles won’t be easy for Famous Jameis. The Chargers, eighth in the NFL in yards allowed, lead the league in scoring defense (13.0 points per game) and have not allowed a single 300-yard passer. Still.

—Jarrett Bell

Doug Pederson fired after another Jaguars loss

The Jaguars are depressing enough to trigger a flexible mid-season primetime scheduleas their matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles was scheduled to take place on “Sunday Night Football” before being replaced by the Colts-Vikings matchup. But facing the Birds late in the afternoon won’t delay a fate that likely includes a seventh loss of the season for Doug Pederson’s team.

Owner Shad Khan’s patience might not be enough to see him through Sunday night or Monday morning, and with Pederson holding the league’s most popular coaching position, his services may no longer be needed. Of course, Khan could always opt to let Pederson and his staff play the rest of the season, but if the race against the Eagles becomes lopsided, Pederson’s last opponent as Jaguars head coach could be the team that gives him gave his first headbutt. Coaching job in the NFL.

For good measure (and a real change in Jacksonville), general manager Trent Baalke should be right behind Pederson at the starting gate.

-Chris Bumbaca

Chargers trade for No. 1 wide receiver regardless of Week 9 outcome

The Chargers parted ways with their top two wide receivers from last season and then decided to draft tackle Joe Alt fifth overall in a receiver-rich draft class. Alt has been as advertised. The right tackle allowed no pressure on any of his 38 pass-blocking snaps against the Saints in Week 8, tied for the most no-pressure snaps allowed by a rookie tackle in the last three seasons, according to Next Gen Stats. However, the Chargers’ receiving corps leaves a lot to be desired. Ladd McConkey, a second-round pick, leads the team with 30 receptions and 376 receiving yards. But the Chargers lack a legitimate wide receiver I predict the Chargers will bolster their playoff push midseason by acquiring a wide receiver in a trade. Jets wide receiver Mike Williams, whom the Chargers released during the offseason after seven seasons, is one wide receiver the Chargers could look to reunite with before the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline .

—Tyler Dragon

Falcons rush for more than 200 yards and trample Cowboys

Atlanta nearly eclipsed this mark two weeks ago, when it rushed for 198 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries in a 38-20 victory over Carolina. And what’s the only defense that can match the Panthers in how often they’ve been attacked on the ground? That would be the Cowboys, who are also giving up 154.6 rushing yards per game. Even with Christian McCaffrey still sidelined and reserve Jordan Mason exiting the game, the San Francisco 49ers racked up 223 yards on 36 carries last week against Mike Zimmer’s group.

The matchup doesn’t get any easier Sunday, with Falcons running backs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier ranking seventh and fifth, respectively, in rushing success rate so far this season. The status of Pro Bowl offensive guard Chris Lindstrom is worth watching after he missed practice Wednesday due to a knee injury. But even if he sits out, Dallas is too overmatched at the line of scrimmage to keep this competitive, especially with Kirk Cousins ​​more than capable of keeping the Cowboys on their toes by taking advantage of any favorable looks given to Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Kyle Pitts in the passing game.

—Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz

This article originally appeared in USA TODAY: NFL Week 9 Predictions: Which Players and Teams Will Catch Your Eyes?