NFL teams — or at least the 30 that aren’t on the bye — have one last chance to make a major statement before the season hits the halfway mark.

END Week 9 may cause some eye-opening revelations around the league. With the league’s trade deadline looms on Tuesdayfront offices and coaching staffs will have to make a final call on whether to embrace any major personnel moves or try to turn things around, either by bringing in a key veteran or shipping one out in an effort to bolster their recruiting capital or helping with their long-term cap outlook.

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

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

With Deshaun Watson out for the season (again) after tearing an Achilles tendon, the Cleveland Browns offense has a new lease on life with Jameis Winston at quarterback. In his debut start last weekend, Winston earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors just by throwing for 334 yards and 3 TDs without a pick (115.3 passer rating) to lead the way to an upset of the from the 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. Winston is unlikely to carry Cleveland to the playoffs, but it is possible with a serious streak. And his presence, as was Flacco’s in 2023, is such a contrast. Last season, Flacco went 4-1 as a starter and passed 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 with Flacco or Winston, they were 1-6 in Watson’s starts since the start of the ’23 season. And not only did Watson fail to break 300; he hasn’t gone over 200 in a game this season either. Passing 300 yards against LA won’t be easy for Famous Jameis. The Chargers, ranked eighth in the NFL in passing yards, lead the league in scoring defense (13.0 points per game) and haven’t allowed a passer to pass 300 yards. Still.

— Jarrett Bell

Doug Pederson fired after another Jaguars loss

The Jaguars are sad enough to trigger a flexible mid-season scheduleas their matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles was scheduled to take place on “Sunday Night Football” before being replaced by Colts-Vikings. But the fight against 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 may not last until Sunday night or Monday morning, and with Pederson occupying the hottest coaching job in the league, his services may no longer be needed. Of course, Khan could always let Pederson and his staff play out the season, but if the contest against the Eagles gets lopsided, Pederson’s final opponent as head coach of the Jaguars could be the team that gave him his first nod … coaching job in the NFL.

For good measure (and a real change in Jacksonville), general manager Trent Baalke should be right behind Pederson through the exit door.

— Chris Cotton

Chargers trade for wide receiver no. 1, regardless of the result of week 9

The Chargers parted ways with their top two receivers from last season and then decided to take tackle Joe Alt fifth overall in a receiver-rich draft class. Alt was as advertised. The right tackle didn’t allow a pressure on any of his 38 pass-blocking snaps against the Saints in Week 8, tied for the most snaps without a pressure allowed by a rookie tackle over the past three seasons, according to Next Gen Stats. However, the Chargers’ receiving corps leaves a lot to be desired. Second-round pick Ladd McConkey leads the team with 30 catches and 376 receiving yards. But the Chargers lack a legitimate X receiver who can be the number one option, a major reason why the team ranks in the bottom half of the NFL in passing offense and red zone efficiency. I predict the Chargers build on their midseason playoff push by trading for a wide receiver. Jets wide receiver Mike Williams, who the Chargers released in the offseason after seven seasons, is a wideout the Chargers could look to reunite with before the NFL’s Nov. 5 trade deadline.

—Tyler Dragon

The Falcons rush for over 200 yards on the Cowboys

Atlanta nearly eclipsed that mark two weeks ago when it ran for 198 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries in a 38-20 win over Carolina. And what’s the only defense that can match the Panthers in how often it’s been tackled to 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 backup Jordan Mason leaving 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 on Sunday, with Falcons quarterbacks Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier ranking seventh and fifth, respectively, in rushing success rate so far this season. The status of Pro Bowl offensive tackle Chris Lindstrom is worth watching after he missed Wednesday’s practice with a knee injury. But even without him sitting, Dallas is too outmatched at the line of scrimmage to keep this competitive, especially with Kirk Cousins ​​more than capable of keeping the Cowboys on their toes, taking advantage of any favorable looks offered to Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Kyle Pitts in the passing game.

—Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL Week 9 Predictions: Which Players, Which Teams Will Turn Heads?