NFL TV schedule, Week 9: Cardinals vs. Cowboys, Ravens vs. Steelers headline Sunday’s games

We're into Week 9 in the NFL, which means six teams will have their bye week instead of the two we've been seeing for much of the season. The Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Titans all have the week off, taking out an extra two games from the schedule this Sunday.

Even though there are just 10 games to watch this weekend, plus the Monday Night Football matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and New York Giants, there's no shortage of intriguing story lines, including a big-time NFC matchup between two six-win teams and the latest chapter of the Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning saga.

In one of the seven early games, the Arizona Cardinals (6-1) visit the Dallas Cowboys (6-2) in a battle for the best record in the NFC. Both teams are surprise top contenders this season, despite the latter fielding an historically bad defense a season ago and the former running through multiple quarterbacks thanks to injuries. But DeMarco Murray, who has already gone over 1,000 yards this season, has been sensational. He leads the NFL's No. 1 rushing offense, which will be up against Arizona's third-ranked rush defense (77.9 rushing yards allowed per game).

On the other hand, there are few matchups that -- to put it nicely -- probably aren't going to make the marquee. The Michael Vick-led New York Jets (1-7) will take on the Kansas City Chiefs (4-3) on the road, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-6) will face the Cleveland Browns (4-3). That one carries a little bit of significance, at least for the Browns, who are still right in the thick of things within their division.

In the afternoon, there's a pair of heavy-hitting games, with the New England Patriots (6-2) playing host to the Denver Broncos (6-1) and the San Francisco 49ers (4-3) at home against NFC West rival St. Louis Rams (2-5), their second time playing in less than a month. Obviously, Brady vs. Manning is the highlight of the day, as it is on any day such a matchup occurs. But both the Broncos and the Patriots have fielded solid defenses thus far this season as well, which adds a new wrinkle to games that are usually offensively charged.

The prime-time game between the Baltimore Ravens (5-3) and Pittsburgh Steelers (5-3) is definitely one to watch. All four teams are above .500 in the AFC North, with Cincinnati holding an edge due to its tie with the Panthers earlier in the season.