A solid Week 8 (12-4, 75%) puts me at 76-46 (62%) for the season. The league drops back to 14 games in Week 9 as the Broncos, Lions, Jaguars, and 49ers draw byes. There’s another international game on tap, too, this time in Germany. Here’s how I see Week 9 shaping up.
NOTE: This article was published initially on Tuesday, October 31. All games are scheduled for Sunday afternoon unless otherwise noted.
Pittsburgh 19, Tennessee 16 (Thursday night) – This would be a tough game to call, even if both starting quarterbacks were healthy. But the long-dormant Pittsburgh offense did show signs of life when Mitch Trubisky brought better athleticism and long-ball ability to the field in relief of Kenny Pickett last week. The Steelers are in the midst of a three-game homestand, and while they had little to no chance against red-hot Jacksonville, they should be able to outlast a mediocre Titans squad.
Kansas City 24, Miami 17 (Sunday morning, Frankfurt) – These two teams played the longest game in NFL history, going deep into a second overtime in a 1971 Christmas Day playoff game before the Dolphins finally won. Can you imagine the German crowd’s reaction if that were to happen again? It can’t because this is a regular-season game, but the Chiefs’ defense is playing better than it has at any time under Andy Reid – the loss in Denver notwithstanding – and it should be more than enough to slow down a Dolphins team that can only beat below-par squads. Plus, the Chiefs don’t figure to have five giveaways for a second straight week. Both teams go on their bye weeks following this one.
Baltimore 27, Seattle 24 – I can hardly blame CBS for grabbing this battle of first-place teams away from Fox in a cross-flex move. To me, this is a possible Super Bowl preview, and I picked the Seahawks and Kansas City in my season preview. These teams seem to be two of the most complete squads in the league on both sides of the ball. Seattle is one of those West Coast teams that doesn’t get bothered by flying east, but the Ravens have dominated NFC opposition in the Lamar Jackson era. Seattle has had trouble offensively since its bye – for example, it had to sweat out a win over Cleveland – so the Ravens get a slight edge in what should be one of the games of the year.
Arizona 18, Cleveland 15 – It’s time for another gut-punch home loss for the league’s most luckless team, the Browns. Almost no one anywhere is going to pick the Cardinals to win this game… except me. Even without Kyler Murray, who might return this week, Arizona has shown a feistiness and grit that has kept it in many of its games this year and that produced an upset win over Dallas last month. If the Ravens had been any more flat than they were last week, the Cardinals could have pulled out that one, too. But the Browns, as usual, are underperforming and disappointing, a combination that should permanently drop them under .500 soon.
New England 13, Washington 6 – I’m sure you can get a direct flight from Boston to Frankfurt, a trip the Patriots will take after this home game against the Commanders. But both of these teams’ quarterbacks, Sam Howell and Mac Jones, have had turbulent paths to fame. Jones is the veteran of the pair, and his long-term viability is still being questioned. Howell can’t seem to stay upright long enough – he’s the most-sacked quarterback in the league, with 40 through seven weeks. New England has sunk to the depths of the league, but it is still good enough to win this one.
Houston 27, Tampa Bay 19 – This is a case where I don’t feel the Thursday-night mini-bye helps a team; in this case, I mean the Buccaneers. They’ve been doing it with mirrors all season, and they predicably lost in Buffalo. I picked Houston, the home team in this game, to finish second in the mediocre AFC South this year, and they look to be on track to do just that.
Los Angeles Rams 29, Green Bay 16 – When Minnesota lost four of the first 11 Super Bowls, they did so by being shut out in the first half of all those games. Why bring this up? Because the present-day Packers have gone five straight games without a first-half touchdown for the first time in 35 years. Even though they get a home game this week, Green Bay can hardly afford to do that again–even against a Rams squad that could be without Matthew Stafford, who incurred a finger injury in Dallas last week. But the Rams, who have a bye after this game, have a more veteran squad than do the Packers, not to mention a deeper one.
New Orleans 37, Chicago 17 – Where did THAT come from? I’m talking about last week’s Saints offense against Indianapolis. The deep shots (they always take) finally connected against a fairly good Colts team, and it should continue at home when they take on the subpar Bears, a team that I thought was primed for a big improvement in 2023. But now Chicago is relying on Division II alum Tyler Bagent, who has shown a lot of both good and bad in his limited tour of duty so far.
Minnesota 23, Atlanta 20 – The Vikings’ losses have come by a combined 20 points, and their upcoming schedule is getting easier. My original pick to win the NFC North Division starts that cushion by traveling to Atlanta to play the most flawed first-place team in the league. However, the Achilles injury to Kirk Cousins complicates things, especially in the immediate future, with this road game at Atlanta. The Falcons, as I expected, lost at Tennessee because they’re not truly a first-place team or even a contender. But with Viking uncertainties at signal caller, this game will be closer than I would have thought.
Dallas 30, Philadelphia 27 – The Cowboys have won 11 straight home games, but that won’t help them in this Lincoln Financial Field showdown. I had thought the Eagles were about to go on a dominant run, but they still had to come from behind to take down a Washington team that can’t play with anybody. On the other hand, Dallas has yet to prove that it can beat a contending team. That said, if the Cowboys can avoid mistakes and use their weapons evenly enough (as they did against the Rams), it can pull out a dramatic win here. Dallas has a top-five offense in points and yards per game, while the Eagles are top-five in scoring and total defense.
Las Vegas 24, New York Giants 13 – The Giants couldn’t win with Daniel Jones or Tyrod Taylor. Now, both of them are hurt. The Raiders seemingly have only Jimmy Garoppolo and Maxx Crosby as marquee players, while the Giants have Saquon Barkley. Advantage, Raiders, a team starting a stretch of three home games in four weeks. Amazingly, the Raiders are the only team in the league to have not scored more than 21 in any game all year so far. That can’t continue, can it?
Indianapolis 19, Carolina 13 – The South Divisions in both the AFC and NFC are where contenders seemingly go to die, and these two teams will meet in what could honestly be called a “Who Cares?” game. Indeed, the Colts will fly off to obscurity in Frankfurt after Sunday’s dispatching of the Panthers. Indy has a better quarterback (Minshew over Young) and a stronger running game.
Buffalo 30, Cincinnati 20 (Sunday night) – The Bills finally got their offense back on track in a key Thursday night win over Tampa Bay, and the mini-bye will help them prepare for the short trip to play the inconsistent, injury-riddled Bengals. Everyone will be watching this one, too, as Josh Allen and Joe Burrow face off in what should be a great quarterback battle. I’ll take the more mobile Allen to get a road win here. I know that Bengals fans are excited about their team’s win in San Francisco, but the Bills aren’t missing key pieces like the 49ers were. Look for plenty of Damar Hamlin remembrances, for this is the game in January during which he suffered his cardiac arrest on the field.
Los Angeles Chargers 26, New York Jets 17 (Monday night) – The Chargers get another national TV game, this one on the road and on the East Coast to boot. While Justin Herbert definitely is the better quarterback in this matchup, he has been relying on Austin Ekeler, a do-everything back who has injected life into this offense. Can they succeed against a tough Jets defense? I think they can, and a Jets team–fresh off a win over the sorry crosstown rival Giants–will lose this one.
