Atlanta Falcons

The Jaguars announced their trade for safety Jessie Bates on Monday.

Bates is headed to Jacksonville to strengthen a position that’s been hit by injuries this season. Eric Murray will miss the rest of the year with an elbow injury and Antonio Johnson missed Week 8 with an ankle injury before returning for last Thursday’s win over the Ravens.

“Jessie has been a proven playmaker on the defensive side of the ball for the last 8+ seasons,” Jaguars General Manager James Gladstone said in a statement. “His skillset complements our style of play and the person he is aligns with our culture. We look forward to integrating Jessie into our team as we prepare for the back half of the season.”

The Jaguars are sending a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder to the Falcons. The Falcons also agreed to pay the bulk of Bates’s salary for the rest of this season. Bates is set to be a free agent in March.

Bates was a second-team All-Pro for the third time in his career last season. He has one interception this season and had 14 in his three-plus years with the Falcons.

The Jaguars are making a move to bolster the back end of their defense.

According to multiple reports, they have agreed to trade for Falcons safety Jessie Bates. The Jaguars will send a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick to the Falcons in exchange for Bates.

Bates was named a second-team All-Pro for the third time in his career last season and he has 60 tackles, an interception, three forced fumbles and a fumble return for a touchdown in nine games this season. He is in the final year of the four-year contract he signed with Atlanta in 2023 and reports indicate the Falcons will pick up most of his remaining salary to facilitate the trade.

The Jaguars, who improved to 6-2 with Thursday’s win over the Ravens, lost safety Eric Murray to a season-ending elbow injury recently and Antonio Johnson has also dealt with injuries, so Bates gives them the stability and high-end play they need at the position.

Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase had a sensational first half as the Bengals jumped out to an early lead that they never relinquished, beating the Falcons 34-17 Sunday in Madrid.

The NFL’s early-morning kickoffs in Europe always draw mixed reviews from American fans, but this game saw some entertaining play from some of the NFL’s best offensive playmakers, particularly Chase and Falcons running back Bijan Robinson.

Chase caught 10 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown, doing almost all if it within the first 25 minutes of the game. In the second half, the Bengals didn’t need to throw to Chase much, and running backs Chase Brown and Samaje Perine were running out the clock for much of the fourth quarter. Tee Higgins was a smaller part of the offense, catching just five passes for 32 yards, but Higgins did score two touchdowns.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow completed 24 of 29 passes for 271 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Burrow also ran for a touchdown on a quarterback sneak.

Robinson was his usual excellent self, carrying 19 times for 100 yards and a touchdown and also leading the Falcons with six catches. But after a strong first drive, Michael Penix and the Falcons’ passing game couldn’t do much. Penix finished with just 162 passing yards, and his late interception sealed the loss.

The win improves the Bengals’ record to 6-2, and they’re in great shape in the AFC playoff race. The Falcons fall to 3-6.

Falcons running back Bijan Robinson is having a big game against the Bengals in Madrid.

With six minutes left in the third quarter, Robinson has 80 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards, and his one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter brought the Falcons to within one score as they trail the Bengals 24-17.

Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has been the story of the game so far, but Robinson is also playing very well, as two of the league’s best offensive playmakers are putting on a show for an international audience.

As is so often the case with international games played on soccer fields, the footing has been a concern. Several Falcons reportedly changed their cleats to get better traction, and Chase and Joe burrow were seen before the game taking a close look at what appeared to be an uneven part of the playing surface.

But the footing hasn’t slowed down Robinson or Chase.

Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase is having an eye-popping first half today in Madrid.

Chase caught eight passes for 142 yards and a touchdown in the first 25 minutes of play against the Falcons, helping the Bengals take a 21-10 lead over the Falcons.

It’s the most receiving yards that Chase has ever had in the first half of a game in his career.

The rest of the Bengals’ offense hasn’t done anything special, with a total of 91 yards on any play that isn’t a pass to Chase, but they haven’t needed to. Chase is taking over the game.

It’s going to be a long flight home from Spain for the Falcons’ defense if they can’t find a way to stop Chase from running free through their secondary.

The Bengals and Falcons are putting on a show for the fans in Madrid.

In the NFL’s showcase in Spain, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow hit wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase for a 47-yard touchdown to tie the score 7-7 in the first quarter.

Both teams scored on their opening possessions, the Falcons on a seven-play, 80-yard drive and the Bengals on a five-play, 75-yard drive.

It’s been an entertaining first six minutes of football at Bernabéu Stadium.

The Falcons’ offense made it look easy against the Bengals’ defense on today’s first drive in Madrid.

Bijan Robinson ran the ball three times for 42 yards, Michael Penix completed all three of his passes, and the Bengals committed two penalties on a seven-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a Penix one-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Woerner. It was Woerner’s first career touchdown.

The extra point made it 7-0 Falcons, in a game that’s a big one for both teams, who are in competitive division races.

The Bengals have struggled early in games recently, frequently falling behind in the first quarter and then coming back and winning. They’re going to need to do that again.

The eight-game suspension of Falcons defensive end James Pearce Jr. has ended. His second NFL season officially starts on Sunday in Madrid.

Pearce is active for the Week 9 game against the Bengals.

Pearce will play despite back tightness that made him a limited participant in Friday’s practice.

The inactives for the Falcons on Sunday include quarterback Andy Dalton (emergency QB), quarterback Jack Strand, receiver Zachariah Branch, cornerback Billy Bowman Jr., cornerback Robert Longerbeam, and defensive end Drake Jackson.

Bowman, who missed the last two games with a hamstring, was considered to be healthy and ready to return.

Also out are running back Brian Robinson Jr. and defensive end Samson Ekuban. Both were placed on injured reserve recently, taking them off the 53-man roster.

A first-round pick in 2025, Pearce had 10.5 sacks as a rookie, and he finished third in the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. Felony charges filed after he repeatedly rammed his ex-girlfriend’s car and resisted arrest triggered the eight-game suspension.

Falcons linebacker James Pearce is set to make his 2026 debut.

Pearce was suspended for the first eight games of the season as a result of a domestic violence arrest and the team officially moved him to their active roster on Saturday. Pearce had 10.5 sacks as a rookie and he’ll try to add to that total against Joe Burrow and the Bengals in Madrid on Sunday.

The Falcons also activated Yasir Abdullah from injured reserve, so they’ll have a couple of new options on the edge this weekend.

Wide receiver Beaux Collins came off of injured reserve as well and the Falcons signed running back Khalil Herbert off of the practice squad. He’s filled in for the injured Brian Robinson the last couple of weeks and will remain in that role with Robinson going on injured reserve due to a hamstring issue.

Defensive lineman Drake Jackson was elevated from the practice squad to round out the day’s moves.

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow had seven touchdown passes in his team’s first four games of the season. In the last three, he has had 13.

With four against the Dolphins, four against the Ravens, and five against the Titans, Burrow has the chance to become only the third quarterback in NFL history to throw four or more touchdown passes in four straight games.

Via NBC Sports research, the two others were Colts quarterback Peyton Manning in 2004 and Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino in 1984. Both won the league MVP award in their seasons of four straight four-or-more touchdown games.

Burrow’s odds of winning the MVP for 2026 are currently at +475, behind only Josh Allen and Brock Purdy.

Burrow currently leads the league with 20 touchdown passes. And the Bengals, after starting 2-2, are now 5-2.

They face the 3-5 Falcons on Sunday morning in Madrid at 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday.