NFC Showdown, Brady-Rodgers, Steelers-Ravens Highlight Week 9 Slate
Week 8 Results: 13-1
Record this season: 77-44
Boy was it a good week picking games for the Sports Buzzer!!!
After a lackluster 9-5 Week 7, I got back on track in a big way with a 13-1 week that turned my disastrous season to that point into a salvageable and even successful season in some respects.
A record like last week’s is going to be harder to come by as their are a number of tight matchups expected.
The NFL Week 9 slate features must-see television in the later afternoon and on Sunday night.
The top two teams in the NFC collide as Drew Brees leads the 6-1 New Orleans Saints into battle with Todd Gurley and the 8-0 Los Angeles Rams at the Superdome.
In the night cap game, two of the greatest quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen will likely do battle for the last time as Tom Brady and the New England Patriots host Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers at Gillette Stadium.
Up to this point, it’s the most exciting slate of games this season and I look forward to seeing which contenders make statements.
With that said, here are my picks for Week 9 of the NFL season.
Oakland Raiders at San Francisco 49ers
With the Raiders lack of pass rush, even a quarterback like C.J. Beathard will excel at levels not usual of them. The 49ers have the better defense and better rushing attack and should thrive on a Thursday night stage at home vs their Bay area rivals.
Prediction: San Francisco 49ers 35 Oakland Raiders 27
Chicago Bears at Buffalo Bills
Derek Anderson left last Monday’s game with an arm injury which now shoehorns Nathan Peterman as starting quarterback this Sunday. Even without Khalil Mack to terrorize the Bills offense, the Bears are still plenty formidable on defense. Keep the interception ticker ready for this one.
Prediction: Chicago Bears 23 Buffalo Bills 7
Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns
The Kansas City Chiefs are plenty explosive, with the only negative of late being that Patrick Mahomes has tossed at least one interception over his last four games. He’ll likely throw another vs Cleveland’s defense, but Cleveland’s struggles vs the run should make this a noteworthy day for running back Kareem Hunt.
Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs 34 Cleveland Browns 16
New York Jets at Miami Dolphins
The New York Jets and Miami Dolphins have had their teams deal with significant injuries that have them looking behind the New England Patriots in the AFC East. The Jets have gone on to score 17, 13, and 10 points in their last three road games. Their road woes will continue here vs the Dolphins,
Prediction: Miami Dolphins 25 New York Jets 21
Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings in years past have struggled with the Detroit Lions and that may continue here if Minnesota is still ailing going into this game. The loss of Anthony Barr, Andrew Sendejo and Xavier Rhodes was noticeable last Sunday night vs New Orleans. If there’s a sign they’ll turn it around, it’s the fact that Detroit has allowed a 114.2 Passer Rating to opposing quarterbacks, second worst behind Tampa Bay.
Prediction: Minnesota Vikings 24 Detroit Lions 16
Atlanta Falcons at Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are leading the NFC East, but fans have had to hold their breath watching their offense put points on the board. The Redskins have averaged 20.9 PPG (25th in NFL) but face a team ranked 30th in defense and 20th vs the run. I also like the Redskins chances of slowing down Atlanta’s offense with their secondary which just added Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at the trade deadline.
Prediction: Washington Redskins 26 Atlanta Falcons 20
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers offense broke out last Sunday for a season-high 36 points. This Sunday they face a team with a formidable offense that’s going back to Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has 13 touchdowns to five interceptions on the year. Carolina’s pass rush has been inconsistent, but if the game turns into a shootout they’ll have the luxury of getting to face the NFL’s 29th ranked defensive unit.
Prediction: Carolina Panthers 29 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens
If Baltimore needs anymore motivation to end this recent funk they’ve found themselves in, they have it in the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh can look to gain control over this division having already defeated Cleveland and Cincinnati. They do have a loss to Baltimore at home, one they’ll one to get back, but here’s the key. Jimmy Smith is back for Baltimore and last time they faced Pittsburgh they held Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster to a combined 9 catches for 102 receiving yards on 22 targets while also holding Roethlisberger to a 72.5 Passer Rating.
Prediction: Baltimore Ravens 23 Pittsburgh Steelers 16
Houston Texans at Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are tough at home and this is a particularly tough road environment on young quarterbacks. The thought of Deshaun Watson having to rely on this offensive line on the road is a scary thought. The question becomes, Can Denver duplicate their stifling run defense from the past two weeks? I think so.
Prediction: Denver Broncos 20 Houston Texans 17
Los Angeles Chargers at Seattle Seahawks
How do you handle the noise factor in Seattle? Run the ball. That’s exactly what the Los Angeles Chargers have the capability of doing with Melvin Gordon in the backfield. It won’t be easy by any stretch considering this is a pick em matchup if there ever was one, but I’ll roll with the Chargers winning a close one away from home. After all, they’ve played the equivalent of seven road games this season with their home field disadvantage.
Prediction: Los Angeles Chargers 26 Seattle Seahawks 24
Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints
This is the if-they-don’t-lose-here-they-may-never-lose game for the Los Angeles Rams, but that has more to do with the Saints than it does with Los Angeles. Los Angeles has shown holes defensively, holes in which a team that can match their offensive firepower can fully exploit. Expect plenty of points and a key turnover created by the Saints defense at some point of this game.
Prediction: New Orleans Saints 38 Los Angeles Rams 33
Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots
We all want to believe this is as high octane of an offensive matchup as the one we saw a few weeks ago between Kansas City and New England, but that’s not the case. The Packers offense is not explosive, the offensive line has dealt with inconsistency and for as good as Aaron Rodgers is when fully healthy, as long as he’s wearing that knee brace he’s compromised in some degree. New England is 4-0 at home and typically dominate.
Prediction: New England Patriots 30 Green Bay Packers 23
Tennessee Titans at Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans are both coming off bye weeks, maybe more critical for Dallas as they had a bye week to incorporate a game-plan for newly acquired wide receiver Amari Cooper. The Titans can be had in the secondary despite being strong in the red zone. It’ll be up to Tennessee’s offense to figure out a Dallas defense thats surrendering the second fewest points in the NFL this season (17.6 PPG).
Prediction: Dallas Cowboys 24 Tennessee Titans 14
What are your thoughts on the NFL Week 9 games? Leave your comments below!