My week eight predictions produced a mediocre record of 7 correct choices and 6 wrong. The season record is now 67-49. The way the season has gone so far I’m happy to be above the .500 mark. Here are the picks for week 9:
Chicago vs. Buffalo (at Toronto) – the Bills have burned me every time I’ve picked them to win this year, but I’m going to pick them again this week. The Bears will be well rested coming off a bye, but I’m not buying into Jay Cutler as an elite NFL quarterback, and the Bills’ gradual improvement will pay off in their first win here.
Tampa Bay at Atlanta – this game will go a long way toward revealing which of these 2 teams is the real challenger to New Orleans in the NFC South. I believe at this point that team is the Falcons, and they will win this game at home.
Miami at Baltimore – this should be a defensive struggle, and the Dolphins have been road warriors this season, but the Ravens will protect their house and hand Miami their first road loss of the season. The Ravens need this game to keep pace with the Steelers in their division race.
New Orleans at Carolina – the Bills are 0-7, but the Panthers may be the worst team in the NFL. New Orleans hasn’t been the team that swept to a Super Bowl win last year, but their big win over Pittsburgh last week should jump start them. The Saints win this game handily.
New England at Cleveland – the Browns are improving, but there’s no way rookie Colt McCoy beats the Patriots. Tom Brady engineers a methodical win over Eric Mangini’s team.
New York Jets at Detroit – the Lions are reaching a point in the season where they are a dangerous opponent for anybody to face, especially at home. The Jets’ offense stumbled at home against Green Bay last week, and will struggle again against the Lions’ tough, young defense, which has been pressuring opposing quarterbacks and causing turnovers all season. I’ll pick Detroit to pull the upset.
San Diego at Houston – this game shapes up as a shootout so it’ll probably end in a 3-0 score. San Diego needs to get it going now that Kansas City and Oakland are emerging as contenders. Both quarterbacks, Phillip Rivers of the Chargers and Houston’s Matt Schaub, will light up the scoreboard in this one, and the Texans will win in the end.
Arizona at Minnesota – this is a get-well game at home for the Vikings. Derek Anderson returns as the Cardinals’ starting QB, and the Vikes will harrass him all day long. Despite all the soap opera distractions, this will be a big win for Minnesota, keeping them alive in the NFC North race.
New York Giants at Seattle – since they are playing at home, the Seahawks will keep the game close, but New York is a mentally and physically tougher team and their defense and running game will wear the Hawks down and give the Giants a big road win.
Kansas City at Oakland – this is a fierce rivalry dating back to the early AFL days, but both teams have been sad sacks in recent years. Suddenly, both are relevant again, locked in a tight race for the AFC West. I’ll pick the Raiders at home to win, tightening up the division race a little more.
Indianapolis at Philadelphia – the Colts are decimated with injuries on offense, but just keep plugging in new faces, and Peyton Manning just keeps rolling along. He’ll outduel Mike Vick in this one and give Indy an important road win.
Dallas at Green Bay – the Cowboys are crumbling fast, and even though Green Bay is hurting with numerous injuries, they have enough to knock off the totally disappointing Cowboys. Wade Phillips isn’t a strong enough personality to restore order in the Dallas locker room, and as the losses mount the finger-pointing and bickering will worsen, eventually costing Phillips his job. The one good thing about this matchup is that it stirs up memories of the famous “Ice Bowl” championship game in 1967, and that always makes me smile.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati – the Bengals’ complete sweep of their AFC North rivals last season, leading to a surprising division crown, was a total one-year fluke. They’ll compete hard in this game and keep it close, but the Steelers are a better team and will be looking to rebound from their loss to the Saints last week, and will win this game.