Another week goes by and an unbeaten remains as the underdog Atlanta Falcons dispatched the Philadelphia Eagles with relative ease last week. A similarly turnover-plague team looks to ruin the perfect season this week as the Dallas Cowboys come into Atlanta. Should Dallas lose this game and the NY Giants win again then hopes of a division title in ‘Big D’ are pretty much shot.
The 6-1 Chicago Bears almost got bitten at home by Carolina and had it not been for 16 fourth quarter points the Bears would have dropped one to the lowly Panthers. Meanwhile, the NY Giants came within a fingertip of losing to the Dallas Cowboys as the ‘Boys mounted their own furious comeback only to fall long; out of bounds that is on the potential game winning drive.
The Monday night game is intriguing as the woefully lethargic Philadelphia Eagles limp into New Orleans in a bid to salvage their season. Should the Eagles win here and get back to an even .500 record then anything could happen the rest of the way; a loss and its curtains for Michael Vick and those playoff aspirations. If ever there was a game to rediscover the explosive offense it might be against the league’s second worst ranked defense in New Orleans.
Last week’s record was 9-5, which takes the overall record to 73-45. My lock pick of the week in Green Bay won their game as did my upset pick of the week in the underdog Atlanta Falcons.
Like last week there are some tight matchups on the schedule as well as some teams that are already playing for their playoff livelihood. Here we go, my week 9 NFL picks:
Kansas City Chiefs at San Diego Chargers
You know things are bad in Kansas City when the starting quarterback is out with an injury and the fans actually want Brady Quinn to get better so he can play. Regardless, Matt Cassell is back in under center and the Chiefs are no better for it. The Chargers had better figure things out quickly here as they have dropped three in a row. Their last win was against these very Chiefs back in week 4. Does anyone else think that Norv Turner is coaching like he wants to get fired? San Diego is still a better team and they are playing at home. PICK: CHARGERS
Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts
The verdict on Ryan Tannehill playing this Sunday is still out. Even with the uncertainty at the quarterback spot, the Dolphins are still 2.5 point favorites on the road. Not that Tannehill is setting the league on fire with his 4 touchdowns and 6 interceptions; however, he is getting them wins. We do know that rookie extraordinaire Andrew Luck will be playing. Luck has this team believing and fourth quarter comebacks are becoming the norm. I like the home team here in the upset. PICK: COLTS
Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns
Baltimore got an extra week off after that Texan size beating that Houston laid in week 7. The Browns on the other hand are riding a hot streak after winning two of their last three games. The Browns get credited for the win as San Diego beat themselves in essence last week; but Browns fans everywhere will take it. They won’t be so lucky this week as Baltimore doesn’t usually play sloppy Charger-style football. PICK: RAVENS
Buffalo Bills at Houston Texans
Both teams here are coming off their bye weeks. Week 7 saw the Bills lose a one point game to Tennessee while the Texans dismantled the Baltimore Ravens in a lopsided victory. In what amounts to three consecutive weeks at home for the Texans, they should be well rested and well prepared for this game. The Buffalo Bills are continuing to give up the most points against and the most run yards per attempt in the league. Not a good combination when you are going up against the high powered Texans offense. PICK: TEXANS
Chicago Bears at Tennessee Titans
The Bears almost gave one away last week to the Carolina Panthers while the Titans lost an overtime battle to Indianapolis. The Titans defense will be tested this week; they are currently the second-worst defensive team in the league as they give up 32 ppg. The Bears defense on the other hand are second best in the league as they give up a stingy 14 ppg and are averaging over two interceptions a game. Cutler and Co. should have their way in this matchup. PICK: BEARS
Denver Broncos at Cincinnati Bengals
The Broncos and Peyton Manning looked good in their home win against New Orleans. Manning threw for three touchdowns and no picks, while Willis McGahee ran for 122 yards and another score. The Broncos defense will bring too much pressure on Andy Dalton to allow for big plays to A.J. Green. The Broncos are only favored by three points in this game; it should be more like 13. PICK: BRONCOS
Arizona Cardinals at Green Bay Packers
There really weren’t a whole lot of positives for the Cardinals coming out of the MNF beat down by San Francisco. As a team they completely abandoned the run game and finished with a whopping 7 yards on 9 run attempts. If the Cardinals aren’t going to run the ball then defenses will just tee off on the quarterback; which is exactly what the Packers will be looking to do. Aaron Rodgers and the offense did not look sharp last week against Jacksonville as they managed just 238 yards of total offense; however, Rodgers still threw for two touchdowns and no interceptions. Defensively these two teams are fairly well matched, offensively the Cardinals are woeful. At the end of the day, you still need to outscore your opponent. PICK: PACKERS
Detroit Lions at Jacksonville Jaguars
The Lions pulled out a home win against the Seahawks as Matthew Stafford threw for over 350 yards and three touchdowns. The Jaguars are the worst team in the NFL and are currently ranked as the worst offense and 27th ranked defense. For the beleaguered Jags to host the explosive Lions it will make for a long Sunday afternoon. PICK: LIONS
Carolina Panthers at Washington Redskins
The Panthers pushed Chicago to the brink last week before they succumbed to the Bears. They didn’t play well particularly in the loss as Cam Newton threw for 314 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. RGIII had a rough day himself as the Pittsburgh defense held him to a completion rate of less than 50%. Washington is favored here by three points and I think that it will come down to those three points separating these two at the end. PICK: REDSKINS
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Oakland Raiders
The Buccaneers had a solid Thursday night win over the Vikings as Josh Freeman threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns while running back Doug Martin had 135 yards and a touchdown for the ground attack. The Raiders defense is not that good and Martin could have himself another big game. The Raiders took a road win in Kansas City against a poor Chiefs club. The saving grace for Carson Palmer and the Raiders is the poor play of Tampa Bay’s secondary that continues to give up huge passing games to opposing quarterbacks. Despite this I think the Raiders drop a close one. PICK: BUCCANEERS
Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks
In keeping with the Seahawks trend this year of not winning on the road this game should be all Seattle. The Vikings are going to be playing in the rainy North West on the road in front of a soaked but still raucous crowd. I think the weather and home crowd play a factor in this game and that the ‘Hawks eke out a close one. I don’t like to pick against the purple and gold but..PICK: SEAHAWKS
Pittsburgh Steelers at NY Giants
The Steelers offense looked sharp last week against Washington as Roethlisberger threw for 222 yards and three touchdowns while the ground game went for 140 yards. The Giants held on to win a closer-than-it-should-have-been game against the Cowboys. The G-Men ripped out to an early lead thanks to multiple Romo interceptions; however, they faltered late and almost let the Cowboys steal a win. The key to this game will come down to turnovers and nobody generates turnovers better than the Giants who are +13 on the year while the Steelers are only a +1. PICK: GIANTS
Dallas Cowboys at Atlanta Falcons
The woeful tale of Tony Romo continues to center around which quarterback will show up. Will we see the sharp passing Romo who can generate offense and keep the chains moving or will it be the pass-happy inconsistent turnover prone Romo who is just as likely to throw a pick six? The Falcons know that their stingy defense will be looking to add to their 10 interceptions this season and Matt Ryan will take care of the rest. The spread on this game is over 5 points; I think it will be closer, likely decided by a field goal. PICK: FALCONS
Philadelphia Eagles at New Orleans Saints
The Eagles are easily the biggest disappointment so far this season. They have been horrid on offense, coughing the ball up an astounding 17 times on fumbles so far. They have been scoring at the third worst clip in the league, posting a dismal 17 points per game. Michael Vick is struggling mightily yet despite the problems he still represents the best chance for the Eagles to get a win. The Saints defense has been as bad as the Eagles offense, so something has to give. I think what does give, is the home crowd getting behind their Saints as they always do and Drew Brees coming through as he always does. PICK: SAINTS
Lock pick of the week: Houston Texans, Arian Foster should have a monster game against the porous Buffalo Bills front line.
Upset pick of the week: Tampa Bay Buccaneers to beat the Oakland Raiders. Raiders are favored by 1.5 points but I think it will be a three point game in TB’s favor.