NFL Week 9 predictions

Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET (NFL Network)

Tyrod Taylor won't have to wait long to implement his newest weapon, as Kelvin Benjamin will get the chance to make an instant impact with his new team. Benjamin's size and physical skill set make him a potentially transformative asset for the Bills' offense, one that is currently heavily reliant on LeSean McCoy. The Bills rank 29th in the league in passing yards and 26th in passing touchdowns. If Benjamin can foster an uptick in those numbers, Buffalo could be truly dangerous. And the Jets? They're 3-5, and yet still don't feel like a team that will necessarily fade to a 4-12 record in the second half. They played the Bills tough earlier in the season, and it stands to reason that that will be the case yet again. Buffalo wins, but this one feels like a nail-biter.

Pick: Jets

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Joe Flacco will play in this one, despite taking a brutal hit from Kiko Alonso and suffering a concussion last week. Flacco's presence gives Baltimore a puncher's chance offensively, but they've still managed to top 300 yards in a game just twice so far this year. Tennessee, meanwhile, has been an enigmatic team all season. They are 4-3, but barely escaped Cleveland last time out with an overtime win. The weapons are there in the running game, but the Titans have failed to develop a truly threatening passing attack, with the team having a total of five receiving touchdowns all season, second-worst in the league. Home field gives Tennessee a slight edge no matter what, but if Flacco isn't his usual self, they should have an even easier time of it.

Pick: Titans

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

There may not be a more disappointing team in the NFL than the Buccaneers. This was expected to be a year that saw them make a leap forward, and instead they've taken a clear step back. There are plenty of questions about Jameis Winston's ability to be a franchise quarterback, because while his numbers have been decent, he's turned the ball over eight times – six interceptions and two lost fumbles – and has only managed to beat the hapless Bears and the equally woeful Giants. The Saints, on the other hand, stand as one of the surprises of the league thus far, having forged their 5-2 mark on the strength of a typically potent offense, and a surprisingly stingy defense, one that ranks 12th in the league in points allowed. Since getting shredded in Week 2 by New England, the Saints haven't given up more than 347 yards in any game, and have only allowed one opponent to top 30 points. That's winning football, and it should continue on Sunday.

Pick: Saints

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

The Rams have sort of quietly chugged along to a 5-2 record. They were a big story early in the year after beating Dallas, but some of the fervor cooled when they couldn't hold on to a lead and lost to Seattle the following week. However, good teams get right back on the horse and win, and that's exactly what Los Angeles did, besting the Jaguars on the road and routing the Cardinals at home. Jared Goff is still finding his way and the offense is not yet fully formed, yet the Rams still rank second in the league in points scored and have gotten plenty from Todd Gurley. The Giants have been ravaged by injuries, and seem a smart bet to stay at the bottom of the NFC East, and perhaps the entire conference, all season long. The defense in New York isn't terrible, but it would have to be great to surmount a truly awful offensive attack. Tough to find any reason not to pick Los Angeles, though New York may keep it closer than they otherwise would because they're at home. 

Pick: Rams 

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Trevor Siemian's time as Denver's starter is at an end, at least for the time being, after a disastrous performance against the Chiefs that was defined not only by the number of interceptions he threw, but also by how legitimately awful they looked. It's one thing to throw a pick here and there, it's another to throw them when the defensive player is the only person in the vicinity. That said, it isn't like Brock Osweiler offers some great hope as he steps in under center. Philadelphia, meantime, has no such issues. Carson Wentz has a real chance at the MVP award if he replicates the first half of his season, and now the Eagles have added Jay Ajayi to their offensive mix. So long as Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount don't turn into a combustible duo, Philadelphia will have further strengthened an offense that was already plenty formidable. This one might get ugly, even with Denver's stout defense involved.

Pick: Eagles

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Carolina's trade of Kelvin Benjamin to the Bills was something of a head-scratcher. Cam Newton doesn't seem particularly thrilled about it, and the Panthers are still very much in contention for a playoff spot. If Christian McCaffrey had been a star through the first eight games, it would make a little more sense, but he's largely been a disappointment. Now Newton will have to try and carry the Panthers to a postseason berth largely by himself, albeit with a strong defense to fall back on. The Falcons need to start stacking wins, but they've simply been inconsistent all season long. If this was last year's team, a road win in Charlotte would be very plausible, if not expected. This year, though, a more negative outcome seems like a much safer bet. Here's a stat that will surprise: Julio Jones, probably the most physically gifted receiver in the league, has one – yes, one – touchdown this season. That is 2017 Atlanta Falcons in a nutshell.

Pick: Panthers

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

Quick – name the team with the best scoring defense in the league. Did you guess the Jaguars? If so, congratulations. Jacksonville's defense has been ferocious against the pass, and has stifled multiple opponents this season. They can't stop the run, sure, but they are keeping teams out of the end zone and off the scoreboard. Cincinnati will have a thoroughly awkward quarterback meeting room all week, after their attempt to trade A.J. McCarron to Cleveland was thwarted at the last minute by the Browns' towering incompetence. The Bengals have not been very good, and aren't too far off from being a one-win team. That said, this game seems to have potential to be one that will see Cincinnati rise up, seemingly out of nowhere, and deliver a command performance on the road against a decent opponent. Sure, they'll come back to earth the next week, but they're due for a shocking bout of excellence.

Pick: Bengals

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

This is why we can't have nice things. Not 12 hours after the Astros celebrated the best moment in their franchise's history, the Texans were forced to endure what is arguably their franchise's worst moment, as Deshaun Watson went down win practice with the dreaded non-contact injury that turned out to be a torn ACL. Watson was a revelation as a Texan, and had breathed life into a wayward Houston team that now that must involuntarily revert back to the Tom Savage era. If there's a silver lining here, it's that the Texans are taking on the lowly Colts, who have QB issues of their own, so they still might be able to come out of this weekend with a win. But that said, this is still just a major bummer for both Texans and NFL fans alike. 

Pick: Texans

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX)

So San Francisco went out and made a splashy trade, acquiring Jimmy Garoppolo from the Patriots, and now the word from Head Coach Kyle Shanahan is that Garoppolo may not play for the 49ers this year, so as to not rush him into an untenable situation. That would mean that San Francisco would have to shell out big money to Garoppolo without ever seeing him play. That strategy seems overly cautious, to say the least. Maybe Shanahan knows what he's doing, though, since the 49ers have gotten blown out in their last two contests after suffering close losses in five of their first six games. Arizona has alternated wins and losses all year, but with Carson Palmer on injured reserve with a broken arm, it seems that they might be due for a run of losses. Can San Fran finally get in the win column? They might not want to because of next year's draft, but the guess here is that, behind C.J. Beathard, they finally put one in the win column.

Pick: 49ers

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX)

The Seahawks have been shredded by mobile quarterbacks this year, surrendering a combined 929 yards and 71 points to offenses run by Marcus Mariota and Deshaun Watson. Kirk Cousins isn't a statue, but he doesn't present anywhere near the dual threat Mariota and Watson do. What's more, Cousins doesn't have the kind of weapons Watson does, especially in the deep passing game. Seattle can punish a team that can't keep them honest, and Washington's propensity for turning the ball over plays right into the Seahawks' hands as well. This just does not appear to be a good matchup for a Washington team reeling after a home loss to Dallas last week. Another stumble, with Minnesota and its stout defense looming next week, may put the Redskins down and out in the NFC playoff picture. The Seahawks can't run the ball, but they can throw it with the best of them, something new tackle Duane Brown should help solidify even more, and that should be all they need in this one. 

Pick: Seahawks

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)

Ezekiel Elliott will play, so the Cowboys should be able to exploit Kansas City's extremely weak rush defense. The Chiefs haven't proven themselves capable of stopping anyone on the ground this year save the Raiders, but Oakland passed for 417 yards and won anyway. Their problem might be stopping Kansas City's offense. For all their warts up front on defense, the Chiefs can still put points up in a hurry. Only the Steelers have held K.C. under 24 points in a game this season. Alex Smith has been excellent at taking care of the ball, with two of the Chiefs three turnovers on the season coming last week against Denver – a game where Kansas City's defense still managed to force five. This may well be the best game of Week 9.

Pick: Chiefs

Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ET (NBC)

If the Raiders want to fight back into the AFC playoff race, they'll have to beat some impressive competition to do it. They still have a road date with Kansas City and a home contest against the Patriots on the schedule, and with 9-7 seeming like a minimum requirement to make the post-season, Derek Carr and company can ill-afford to lose to any lesser lights on their schedule. Miami, despite their 4-3 record, would seemingly qualify as such. Adam Gase traded away Jay Ajayi, which is quite the message to send in the wake of being on the wrong end of a 40-0 rout in prime time. Will his message be received? If it is, it will manifest in a focused effort from the league's worst offense, one that has not helped out what has generally been a good defense. Miami is particularly stingy against the run, and Oakland doesn't run the ball well. Add that to the fact that the Dolphins are at home and doubtless looking to put last week's embarrassment behind them, and you have a bad situation for the Raiders. 

Pick: Dolphins

Monday, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

In case you ever doubted just how much Aaron Rodgers means to the Packers, look no further than how Vegas views this game. Detroit waltzes into Lambeau Field as the favorite despite being a decidedly average team. Such a scenario would be inconceivable if Rodgers was healthy. That said, he isn't, and Brett Hundley isn't going to morph into him anytime soon. Detroit should have beaten the Steelers last week, but their short yardage offense failed them. The Lions did a surprisingly excellent job on Le'Veon Bell, but a defensive breakdown here and there cost them dearly. Luckily for them, they won't be seeing Antonio Brown, Juju Smith-Schuster or Ben Roethlisberger this week. Green Bay is still in second place in the NFC North, but that figures to change after this one. If Detroit can take care of business in this one, they have the look of a sneaky pick to overtake the Vikings, over whom they already own one win, and win the division.

Pick: Lions