Week 9 NFL Predictions
We have past the halfway mark of
the season and teams are shaping up already. The Jets look lost. The Cardinals
are hot and cold. The Packers winning record deceives their performances and
the AFC North is the most over-rated division. What a world we live in. Just
goes to show that sports are incredibly unpredictable. Speaking of
unpredictable, did anyone think the World Series would be the Cubs vs Indians?
Regardless of who you wanted to win, great series! That’s what sports is all
about; Communities coming together to rally for teams.
Sanders went 5-7-1 last week
bringing him to 70-48-2 on the season.
Atlanta Falcons vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
I had this piece written but lost
the files do to me not saving it. I picked the Falcons to win only because they
are the best offense in the league and against a terrible defense the Bucs
have, they shouldn’t ever lose to them (even though they did Week 1).
Lions vs Vikings
A tough one to look at. The Lions
are a team that goes as Matt Stafford goes. When he is hot, the Lions are hot,
when he is average the Lions look average. While the Vikings have overall had
an impressive defense this season, it’s hard to tell if the dominant Vikings of
the first 5 weeks shows up, or the lazy defense of the past two weeks shows up.
The bigger question? Will the Lions take advantage of a falling Vikings D or
will the reeling Vikings offense take advantage of a weak Lions defense? This
game should come down to which offense performs better. I’ll give the Vikings
one more benefit of the doubt. After this, I’m concerned
Lions 20 Vikings 24
Eagles vs Giants
This should be one of the better
games today. The Eagles had a thriller of a game against the Cowboys last
Sunday and this game should be no different. However, I still think the Eagles
have shown to be the better team throughout the year. Although, it must be
considered that the Giants are coming off a bye week where they handed a loss
to the Rams with a clutch defensive effort. But that was also against the
Rams….
Eagles 21 Giants 20
Jets vs Dolphins
The Jets struggled to beat the
Browns. I’ll repeat that. A supposed playoff team struggled to beat a winless
team. That’s how much the Jets season is in the dumpsters but the Dolphins
still have hope and have improved each week. While they are bland, I think
bland can beat bad. Dolphins win it here to make the AFC Wildcard race even
more interesting
Jets 16 Dolphins 17
Jaguars vs Chiefs
The Jaguars have been reeling for a
while now and while the score of 22-36 looks like the Jaguars at least
displayed life, they did all of that when the game was already over. Not a good
formula to score points when the game looks hopeless and is hopeless. The
Chiefs on the other hand, are the quiet team in the competitive AFC West and no
one seems to be talking about them. They might spark the interest of fans with
another win here improving to 6-2. That’s right. The Chiefs are 5-2. Bet you
didn’t even know it.
Jaguars 21 Chiefs 27
Cowboys vs Browns
I have been optimistic about the
Browns in recent weeks as they are such an entertaining team to watch even
though they lose every week. However, against the Cowboys, they have no chance.
Dak Prescott cements himself as the starter (if that wasn’t done already) for
the rest of the year with this win to make Dallas improve to 7-1. I would like
to comment on Cody Kessler though. Yes, he is winless in his starts but he
doesn’t look like a bad QB either. Definitely room to improve and a good
cornerstone piece for a franchise that pressed the reset button to build on
this year.
Steelers vs Ravens
Time to nut up or shut up for both
teams. Both teams will be competing for the lead of the division this week. While I believe the Steelers will
win the AFC North, Baltimore has to prove they can stay competitive. This is it
for Baltimore, if they win, they are still in the thick of the playoff race. If
they lose here, it’s all but over for them as it’s hard to see a team
recovering from 3-5 when they are already struggling. Think I am crazy for
thinking Baltimore can win? All of their starters are coming back and Baltimore
is 3-0 this season when fully healthy. As all Ravens-Steelers games are, this
should be a low scoring affair.
Steelers 13 Baltimore 16
Saints vs 49ers
This can be kept short. The 49ers
have continuously looked like one of the worst teams in the NFL while the
Saints have been in an upward trend with an electric offense and a bend but
don’t break defense. The Saints should continue their upward trend and take
advantage of a poor defense.
Saints 31 49ers 23
Panthers vs Rams
The Panthers recovered from their
downward spiral with a win against the Cardinals last week and the Rams are
coming off a bye. But can the Panthers beat the Rams? It’s mind boggling to
think that this is a debatable question but it is. The Panthers defense looked
good last week and stopped David Johnson all while making crucial turnovers
when it mattered. The Panthers defense may not be the force it was last year,
but it’s become opportunistic and good enough to hold off a Rams offense led by
Case Keenum.
Panthers 24 Rams 17
Colts vs Packers
Is there a reason to believe a
Colts defense can hold off Aaron Rodgers and Co.? Call me crazy, but even
though the Packers have had two bad defenses to play against the past couple
weeks, they have looked like they are back in sync and put up 33 points against
the Falcons despite losing. That’s pretty good if you ask me. And Oh look!
Another bad defense for the Packers to take advantage of. Andrew Luck is doing
his best to lift the Colts up but there is just too much weight for him to
handle. And a matchup against he Packers offense? Yikes. Luck better be
prepared to score more than 30 points if he wants to win.
Colts 27 Packers 34
Titans vs Chargers
This will be a fun game. Both
offenses have been surprisingly exciting to watch with the resurgence of Murray
for the Titans and Rivers making magic out of nothing with his offense. So what
does that mean exactly? This game comes down to whichever defense bends less.
Hard to tell when both offenses look like they can win. This should come down
to the wire and I’m thinking both Murray and Gordon go for over 100 yards and
Mariota and Rivers both throw for over 250 yards and 2 TDs. Light it up boys!
Titans 24 Chargers 26
Broncos vs Raiders
I. Can’t. Wait. This should be a
game loaded with sparks. The Raiders defense is terrible but the offense is
amazing. The same goes for the Broncos but on reverse sides. The Denver defense
is amazing while the Broncos offense has been just average. And that’s how
Denver has gone 6-2. An amazing defense with an offense that does just enough.
The Raiders have been winning because Derek Carr has been performing like an
MVP in clutch situations but the problem is that the defense has been putting
them in that position in the first place. Carr has been clutch but the Denver D
has been clutch too. It should come down to a final drive between the Raiders
Plunder team led by Carr vs the Orange Crush led by Miller. Exciting stuff here
and intense storylines. I want to pick the Raiders but my gut feeling says
Denver because in recent years, matches like this have favored the defense. So
I’m going with history.
Broncos 24 Raiders 21
UPSET OF THE WEEK!!!
Bills vs Seahawks
The Bills are a decent team. Decent
enough to beat the Seahawks. I believe the Seahawks are the slightly better
team but I am picking the upset simply because I promise to have an upset pick
every week and this was the only one I could truly justify as an upset compared
to other matchups this week. As for how each team will fare, Buffalo’s WRs must
step up and give Tyrod Taylor some room to work with. For Seattle, the Legion
of Boom must give it their all and stop an offense that can get rolling and if
Buffalo can get rolling, they usually don’t stop to wait for you to catch up.
Also, Wilson has got to find a solid connection. His lost rapport with Baldwin
isn’t a good sign and CJ Prosise has to get some sort of running game going.
Bills 16 Seattle 13
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