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Just two teams will be on a bye during Week 9, leaving a busy slate across the NFL. Injuries will once again impact the slate, as well as some teams making changes at quarterback.
Each week of the NFL season, I’ll share my picks for each game and rank their selections for those who play in a format that requires it. The games will be grouped into locks, semi-confident picks, and toss-ups. The number listed next to the game shows my confidence level, counting down to my least confident pick. The winner picks are italicized.
Some weeks, you may see a subcategory of “Wait and See” because some platforms require all games to be selected before the kickoff of Thursday Night Football. There may still be some injury questions for Sunday and Monday games. If that’s the case, I’ll leave those games off to the side and suggest where they should be placed if a player is in or out. Let’s get to our Week 9 picks.
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Week 9 NFL Pick'em Pool Locks
The number listed next to the game shows my confidence level, counting down to my least-confident pick. The higher the number, the better. The winner picks are italicized.
- 14 – Washington at New York Giants
- 13 – Cincinnati vs. Las Vegas
- 12 – Kansas City vs. Tampa Bay
The Giants are 0-4 at home and their offensive line is in shambles again with star left tackle Andrew Thomas out for the season. The Commanders have scored 236 points this season, while the Giants have scored just 117 points. The Giants don’t have enough firepower to pull off the upset with how well the Commanders are playing.
Jayden Daniels WITH A HAIL MARY TO BEAT THE BEARS AS TIME EXPIRES 🤯
WHAT HAVE WE JUST WITNESSED?!?!?!
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/xuSQsWlODR
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 27, 2024
The Bengals are also 0-4 at home this season, but they have a much easier foe in the Raiders. The Raiders are 2-6 and averaging just 18.0 points per game. With Davante Adams now a member of the Jets, the Raiders offense isn’t going to get better anytime soon. As disappointing as the Bengals have been, a matchup against the Raiders should help them improve their season record to 4-5.
The Chiefs continue to find a way to get things done. They knocked off the Raiders last week to improve to 7-0 this season. Their defense has been excellent, allowing just 17.6 points per game. Scoring points in this game should be difficult for the Buccaneers, who are still without Chris Godwin (ankle) and Mike Evans (hamstring).
Semi-Confident Picks For Week 9 Pick'em Pools
11 – Philadelphia vs. Jacksonville
The Eagles have won three straight games to improve their record to 5-2. Their defense has been much better, allowing 17 points or fewer in each of those three games. The Jaguars have given up 28 points per game this season and are decimated by injuries at wide receiver. With their offense mostly healthy, the Eagles should be able to take care of business at home.
Jalen Hurts has been on a tear since the bye week 👀📈 pic.twitter.com/xQYgHm8Wlt
— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) October 30, 2024
10 – Buffalo vs. Miami
The Bills are 6-2 and running away with the AFC East. The next best team in the division is the Dolphins, who are 2-5. Having Tua Tagovailoa back makes the Dolphins more dangerous, but they did lose with him under center last week against the Cardinals. Divisional matchups can be tough, but the Bills should emerge with the victory. They are 10-2 at home since the start of last season.
9 – New Orleans at Carolina
The Saints have lost six games in a row, but I still feel better about them in this game. Derek Carr should be back from his oblique injury, adding some stability to their offense. When these two teams faced each other in Week 1, the Saints won 47-10. The Panthers almost need a miracle to win another game this season.
8 – Baltimore vs. Denver
The Ravens will look to rebound from a disappointing loss to the Browns last week. The Broncos have proven to be difficult on their way to posting a 5-3 record. As good as the Broncos have been, they don’t have the same firepower on offense that has helped the Ravens average 30.3 points per game. The Ravens further bolstered their offense by acquiring Diontae Johnson from the Panthers this week. The Ravens also have the advantage of this game being at home.
7 – Minnesota vs. Indianapolis
The Colts have benched Anthony Richardson in favor of Joe Flacco. The Colts are 1-1 in games that Flacco has started, beating the Titans by three points and losing to the Jaguars by three points. This will be a difficult test for him on the road against the Vikings, who lead the league with 12 interceptions. The Vikings are 3-1 at home, while the Colts are only 1-3 on the road.
NFL Pick'em Toss-Ups Of Week 9
6 – Houston at New York Jets
The Texans would have been heavy favorites for this game if not for injuries. In addition to Nico Collins (hamstring) being on injured reserve, Stefon Diggs (knee) is now out for the season. At 2-6, the Jets are desperate to get a win to keep their faint playoff hopes alive. Throw in the teams being on a short week with this being the Thursday Night Football game and it wouldn’t be a surprise if either team won.
5 – Atlanta vs. Dallas
Talk about weird splits. The Cowboys are 0-3 at home, but they are 3-1 on the road. The Falcons are 2-3 at home and 3-0 on the road. Those stats would indicate that the Cowboys have the edge in this matchup in Atlanta. However, it’s worth noting that two of the Cowboys' three road wins came against bad teams, the Giants and Browns. The Falcons should be a much tougher opponent.
4 – Los Angeles Chargers at Cleveland
Two weeks ago, the pick here would have been the Chargers with no hesitation. However, the Browns offense came to life last week with Jameis Winston under center. He helped pull off the upset over the Ravens by throwing for 334 yards and three touchdowns. I’m leaning toward the Chargers, but I don’t feel great about it.
3 – Chicago at Arizona
If Kyler Murray is playing well, the Cardinals can be tough to beat. Last week, he threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns against the Dolphins. However, he also has four games this season in which he has thrown for fewer than 200 yards. The Cardinals have also played a lot of close games with three of their last four games being decided by two or fewer points. This game could go either way.
2 – Los Angeles Rams at Seattle
The Rams are 0-3 on the road, so the Seahawks would seem to be the play here. However, I can’t bring myself to pick them. The Rams finally have Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back from injury and they have added rest after their last game was played on Thursday Night Football. I’m leaning toward the Rams’ healthy offense to help them win, but I’m not exactly shouting it from the rooftop.
1 – Tennessee vs. New England
This matchup screams change the channel. It could be tough to watch if Drake Maye (concussion) can’t play. This could be a “wait and see” game considering we don’t know if Maye is starting, but honestly, it’s tough to have any kind of conviction either way based on how bad both teams are.
NFL Pick'em Pool Wait and See
Green Bay vs. Detroit
This game comes down to the status of Jordan Love, who is battling a groin injury. The Packers have a bye in Week 10, so they could take a cautious approach and sit Love through it. If Love is out, the Lions are the hands-down favorites here. If he plays, the Packers could be difficult to beat at home, even with the Lions having won five straight games.
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