Saints fire Dennis Allen, plus NFL grades from Week 9, Buccaneers vs. Chiefs picks and 'MNF' best bets

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter! 

I hope everyone is getting mentally prepared because we're less than 24 hours away from what could go down as the craziest day in American history ... and that's because the NFL trade deadline is tomorrow. 

The trade deadline used to be the first Tuesday after Week 8, but the owners, who clearly forgot to look at any sort of calendar, decided to move the deadline to the Tuesday after Week 9 this year. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you end up with a trade deadline on Election Day. Remember to vote. 

There will be a lot going on between now and 4 p.m. ET tomorrow when the deadline hits, and we'll be tracking it all in our live blog here, so be sure to check it out. In the meantime, though, there's plenty of chaos for us to cover today, like the Saints' decision to fire Dennis Allen. 

As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. Let's get to the rundown. 

1. Saints fire Dennis Allen: Four things to know

It's never easy to replace a legend and Dennis Allen found that out the hard way on Monday. Less than three years after taking over for Sean Payton in New Orleans, Allen has been fired by the Saints. Allen is the second coach to be canned this year, joining Robert Saleh, who was fired by the Jets. 

Here's what you need to know: 

1. Saints were in a freefall. Allen looked like an early Coach of the Year candidate when he got the Saints off to a 2-0 start, but it's been a total nightmare since then. The team has now lost seven games in a row and the final nail in the coffin clearly came on Sunday when New Orleans lost 23-22 to a Carolina team that has been one of the worst in the NFL this year. The firing means that Allen will leave New Orleans with an 18-25 record over two and a half seasons. 
2. Saints losing streak was unprecedented. Not only did the Saints start 2-0, but they won both games by at least 20 points. They're now the only team in NFL history to open a season with two wins of 20 points or more followed by seven straight losses. The losing streak is tied for the fourth longest in franchise history and is the longest since the Saints' 1980 team lost 14 games in a row. 
3. Allen fired midseason for the second time in his career. This isn't the first time that Allen has lost his job in the middle of the season. He also got canned by the Raiders following a Week 4 loss in 2014. In a twist, Derek Carr was Allen's quarterback both times he got fired. He might want to think about avoiding Carr going forward. Allen now has a coaching record of 26-53 and that .329 winning percentage is the third worst in NFL history for anyone who has coached at least 75 games.  
4. Interim coach has no head-coaching experience. With Allen out, the Saints will be handing the interim coaching job to special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi. The 54-year-old has been coaching in the NFL since 2010, but all of his experience is as a special teams coordinator. He's held that job with the Dolphins (2010-18) and the Saints, who hired him in 2019. The Saints only play one team with a winning record over their next four games, so Rizzi will have a chance to right the ship. 

We made a list of possible coaching candidates, and you can check that out here. You can also read our full story on Allen's firing here. 

2. NFL Week 9 winners and losers: NFC produces all our winners

You can't have a week of NFL action without having winners and losers, so we have some winners and losers. 

Cody Benjamin came up with this week's list and we're going to check out his winners below. 

WINNERS

• The Lions' NFC North lead (Lions beat Packers, 24-14). "Jordan Love suited up for the Packers, but it hardly mattered, as the gunslinger gifted Detroit a pick six. Meanwhile, Jared Goff remained ultra sharp as Ben Johnson's point guard, hitting Amon-Ra St. Brown for a beautiful sideline score. It's been apparent for weeks, but the Lions might be the class of the league."
• The Eagles' offensive talent (Eagles beat Jaguars, 28-23). "Nick Sirianni had another bout of questionable decisions, but his star power showed up against the Jaguars. Jalen Hurts once again had a crisp and agile performance, Saquon Barkley ran wild, and DeVonta Smith had one of the most athletic end-zone grabs of the year to lift the Birds to 6-2."
• Chuba Hubbard's agent (Panthers beat Saints, 23-22). "The Panthers upset the Saints behind the power of Hubbard's legs, which produced two touchdowns. And the veteran running back has quietly been the steadiest playmaker for an otherwise dismal Panthers offense. Due for 2025 free agency, he's on pace for career marks as their workhorse."

If you want to see Cody's list of losers, be sure to click here. 

3. NFL Week 9 grades: Rams earn 'B+' for big division win

Every Monday, we hand out grades, so that's exactly what we're going to do right now. Here's a look at the grades from two notable games that were played Sunday:

Bills 30-27 over Dolphins (Click here for full recap)

• Dolphins takeaway: The Dolphins offense went toe to toe with the Bills, but the defense disappeared in the second half, which is a big reason why Miami ended up losing. If the Dolphins defense could have gotten just one stop over the final two quarters, this game might have ended differently, but instead, the Bills were able to score on every possession they had in the second half. Offensively, the Dolphins only made one big mistake and that came on a Raheem Mostert fumble in the third quarter that led to seven points for Buffalo. Tua Tagovailoa was nearly perfect, but his effort went to waste. This loss stings because the Dolphins' chances of winning the AFC East have now gone down to nearly zero. Grade: B-
• Bills takeaway: If there's one team Josh Allen almost never loses to, it's the Dolphins and he kept that streak alive with another brilliant performance against Miami. After the Bills offense sputtered through the first half, Allen brought the unit back to life in the second half by throwing for 156 yards and three touchdowns. If the Bills have had one big issue this year, it's been their kicking, but Tyler Bass made them look smart for sticking with him. Although he missed an extra point in the game, he made up for it by nailing a 61-yard game-winner. With the win, Allen is now 12-1 in his last 13 games against the Dolphins. At 7-2, the Bills could have the AFC East wrapped up by Thanksgiving. Grade: B

Rams 26-20 (OT) over Seahawks (Click here for full recap)

• Rams takeaway: This was an old-fashioned heavyweight fight and the Rams didn't land the knockout punch until overtime, when Matthew Stafford connected with Demarcus Robinson for a game-winning 39-yard TD. It was an improbable ending for a Rams offense that only put up 28 yards in the fourth quarter. The Rams were only in a position to win because of a titanic performance from their defense that came up with three interceptions. The big one came from Kamren Kinchens, who ended up pulling off the longest play of the year in the NFL with a 103-yard pick six. That was one of the many highlights that came from a defense that sacked Geno Smith seven times. Two weeks ago, it looked like the Rams might be sellers at the trade deadline, but after this win, they're only a half-game out of first place in the NFC West and they look like a legitimate threat to win the division. Grade: B+
• Seahawks takeaway: Geno Smith is probably going to be kicking himself after this loss. The Seahawks QB was dialed in for most of the game, but he made two big mistakes in the second half. On two different drives, Smith was picked off after the Seahawks had driven inside of the Rams' 10-yard line, and one of those interceptions ended up being a pick six that put L.A. up 20-13. One reason the interceptions happened is because Smith was under constant pressure by a Rams defense that sacked him seven times. Despite the pressure, Smith still managed to throw for 334 yards with 180 of that going to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who also had two touchdown catches. The Seahawks had a chance to take the lead in OT, but Kenneth Walker III got stuffed on fourth-and-1 from the Rams' 16-yard line. Mike Macdonald went for the win and it's hard to fault him for coaching without fear in a situation where most teams would have kicked the field goal. Grade: B

As for the other 24 grades that I handed out in Week 9, you can check those out by clicking here. 

4. 11 crazy facts from Week 9: Derek Carr makes NFL history in an unfortunate way

Every Sunday night, I get an email from our research department here at CBS Sports, and every Sunday, that email always includes some amazingly wild facts about the games that were just played. 

With that in mind, here are 11 crazy facts about Week 9: 

1. Derek Carr makes unfortunate NFL history. With the Saints' loss to the Panthers, Carr became the first quarterback in NFL history to lose to 31 different teams. The only team Carr hasn't lost to is the Raiders, and he'll be facing them in Week 17. 
2. Saints invent new way to lose. Before Sunday, NFL teams were 138-0 in NFL history when they gained at least 425 yards, gave up under 250 yards and didn't turn the ball over. The Saints did all three of those things, but still managed to lose to Carolina. NFL teams are now 138-1 in that situation. 
3. Lamar Jackson is Mr. Perfect. Lamar Jackson finished with a perfect passer rating of 158.3 after going 16 of 19 for 280 yards and three touchdowns against the Broncos. That marks the fourth time that Jackson has finished a game with a perfect rating, which is the most in NFL history (minimum of 15 passing attempts per game). 
4. Oh Henry. With two touchdowns against the Broncos, Derrick Henry now has 101 for his career. That makes him just the fifth player in NFL history to rush for 100 touchdowns in his first nine seasons, joining three Hall of Famers -- LaDainian Tomlinson, Emmitt Sith and Jim Brown -- along with Shaun Alexander.
5. Bo Nix hits the rookie TD trifecta. With a receiving touchdown against the Ravens, Bo Nix is now the third QB in NFL history to record a passing TD, rushing TD, and receiving TD during his rookie season. Nix joins Kordell Stewart (1995) and Marcus Mariota (2015). 
6. Commanders are taking care of the ball. Through their first nine games, the Commanders have only turned the ball over three times, which is the fewest by a team in the first nine games of a season since 1933 when turnovers were first tracked (via Elias Sports Bureau).  
7. Commanders off to hot start. At 7-2, the Commanders are five games over .500 for the first time since 1996. That 22-year gap without getting five games over .500 is the second-longest in NFL history, trailing only the Arizona Cardinals, who went 32 years (1977-2009) without being five games over .500.
8. Joe Burrow is in a league of his own. With five touchdown passes against the Raiders, Joe Burrow has now thrown at least five touchdowns in two different games this year. For the season, that means Burrow has more five TD games (2) than every other QB in the NFL combined (1).
9. Goff's accuracy is off the charts. The Lions QB completed 81.8% of his passes on Sunday and he's now completed 82.8% of his passes over his past six games. That's the highest completion percentage by any QB in a six-game span in NFL history, blowing past Peyton Manning, who set the record in 2008 when he completed 78.3% of his passes during a six-game span. 
10. Cardinals end 101-year drought. The Cardinals had three different running backs score a rushing touchdown during the first half on Sunday against the Bears (Trey McBride, Trey Benson and Emari Demercado). That marks the first time the Cards have had three different players score a rushing TD in a first half since 1923. 
11. Rams rookie ties pick-six record. Kamren Kinchens made one of the biggest plays of Week 9 when he returned an interception 103 yards for a touchdown against the Seahawks. Not only was it the longest play of the NFL season, but it also tied the NFL record for longest pick six by a rookie, tying Pete Barnum, who originally set the record in 1926.

If you see any other fun facts, feel free to tweet them at me. 

5. Monday night preview: Picks and best bets for Buccaneers at Chiefs

The final game of Week 9 will be taking place in Kansas City where the Chiefs (7-0) will try to keep their perfect record alive. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently the only thing standing between the Chiefs and 8-0. The Bucs are currently in a rut with three losses in their past four games and it's been pretty ugly during that stretch: They've given up an average of 36 points per game in those losses.  

Here's one reason why each team should be feeling confident going into tonight:

• Why the Buccaneers can win: The Chiefs have been one of the best teams in the NFL this year at stopping the run, which means that if the Bucs are going to pull off the upset, it's likely going to take a huge game from Baker Mayfield. Despite not having Mike Evans or Chris Godwin, Mayfield still managed to throw for 330 yards and three touchdowns in a Week 8 loss to the Falcons. If he can get anywhere near those numbers again, that should put the Bucs in a position to possibly pull off the upset. 
• Why the Chiefs can win: On paper, this game is almost a perfect matchup for the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes gets to go up against a Buccaneers defense that's surrendering 255.4 passing yards per game this year, which is the fourth most in the NFL. No one is better at exploiting a weakness than Andy Reid, so it won't be surprising if he devises a pass-heavy game plan. If Mahomes carves up the Buccaneers' secondary and turns this into a shootout, it's tough to see Tampa Bay keeping up. 

You can get a full preview of the game from Jared Dubin by clicking here. 

If you're thinking about betting on the game, here are a couple of props. 

• ONE PLAYER PROP I LIKE: Kareem Hunt OVER 62.5 rushing yards (-115 at BetMGM): Hunt has played in four games this season for the Chiefs and he's averaged 77 rushing yards in those four games. If he hits that again tonight, that would put him way OVER this number and he'll be going up against a Buccaneers defense that surrenders 131.6 yards per game on the ground, so there's no reason to think he won't be able to hit it. Also, the Bucs will be so focused on stopping Patrick Mahomes that it should open things up for Hunt to have a big game. 
  
• ONE KICKING PROP I LIKE TONIGHT: Harrison Butker OVER 2.5 extra points (-115 at BetMGM): This prop basically boils down to whether you think the Chiefs will score three touchdowns in this game and after watching them over the past two weeks, I have to think the answer is yes. Since coming out of their Week 6 bye, the Chiefs have played two games and Butker has gone OVER this mark in both games, and I won't be surprised to see that happen again tonight. 

And in case you're wondering, my props are 23-16 on the season (11-7 on kicker props and 12-9 on all other props).

And finally, here are our picks for the game.

BUCCANEERS-CHIEFS PICKS
Prisco's pick: Chiefs 29-17 over Buccaneers (Week 9 record: 13-1 straight up)
My pick: Chiefs 27-20 over Buccaneers (Week 9 record: 12-2 straight up)
Dubin's pick: Chiefs 26-13 over Buccaneers (Week 9 record: 10-4 straight up) 

Over on our CBSSports.com picks page, all eight of our NFL experts are all taking the Chiefs to win, but only two of us are taking them to cover as an 8.5-point favorite.

6. Extra points: Raiders clean house with three firings

It's been a busy weekend in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.

• Raiders fire three assistant coaches. After getting blown out by the Bengals on Sunday, the 2-7 Raiders responded by firing three assistant coaches, including offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who was let go after just nine games with the team. The Raiders have also fired offensive line coach James Cregg and quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello. You can read more about the firings here. 
• Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb both dealing with injuries. The 2024 season keeps slowly going from bad to worse for the Cowboys. Prescott injured his hamstring and Lamb injured his shoulder. Although we don't know if either player will miss any time, Jerry Jones did say that he's "concerned" about Prescott's injury. You can read more about his injury here. 
• Browns expected to trade Za'Darius Smith to Lions. The Browns haven't traded away Za'Darius Smith yet, but apparently, it's only a matter of time before that's going to happen. According to PFT, the Browns are expected to send Smith to the Lions at some point before Tuesday's trade deadline. We have all the details here. 
• Michael Thomas rips Derek Carr. The former Saints receiver called out Derek Carr after he threw a high pass over the middle that led to an injury for Chris Olave. Thomas made sure to mention how coaches have been "fired" for trying to cover up all of Carr's flaws. It was a pretty crazy rant, and you can check out all of it here.  
• Injury roundup. There were a lot of injuries on Sunday, and we're tracking all of them here. If you click over, you'll read about Olave, who had to be taken to the hospital after taking a brutal hit against the Panthers. We covered every big injury from Week 9, and if you want to see who got banged up, once again, you can do that here.