Thursday
Game: Cleveland at Cincinnati
Prediction: Cincinnati - With this being an in-state rivalry game, I suppose anything's possible, especially for it taking place on a Thursday night. However, given what I've seen from both teams this year, I have a difficult time seeing Cleveland beating Cincinnati on the road. Even when the Bengals' offense played less than stellar against Pittsburgh on Sunday, they still found a way to win. Cleveland, meanwhile, seems to continually find ways to lose. I'm going with the Bengals at home by a couple of touchdowns.
Result: Cincinnati 31 Cleveland 10
Record: 1-0
Sunday
Game: Green Bay at Carolina
Prediction: Carolina - Perhaps the Green Bay loss in Denver was simply an aberration. However, it's hard to look past just how badly they lost, in conjunction with the fact the Packers' offense has appeared to be missing Jordy Nelson a bit more in recent weeks than it seemed very early in the season. Aaron Rodgers threw for just 77 yards in the team's 29-10 loss Sunday night against the Broncos. For the first time this season, the Broncos effectively ran the ball, which largely aided Peyton Manning and the passing game. Carolina is a old school pound-it-up-the-middle kind of team, and given the Packers' struggles with stopping the run, I have to favor the Panthers at home in this match-up. I'll go with Carolina by a field goal.
Result: Carolina 37 Green Bay 29
Record: 2-0
Game: Washington at New England
Prediction: New England - The only way the Patriots lose this game is if they beat themselves with penalties and turnovers. Given their history, I don't see that happening. I'm taking New England at home by 17.
Result: New England 27 Washington 10
Record: 3-0
Game: Tennessee at New Orleans
Prediction: New Orleans - It's pretty incredible how awful Tennessee's offense looks without Marcus Mariota behind center. Even if he plays in this game, he likely won't be 100% just yet, and going up against the resurgent Saints offense, this match-up doesn't bode well for the Titans. I'll go with the Saints at home by a couple of touchdowns.
Result: Tennessee 34 New Orleans 28 OT
Record: 3-1
Game: Miami at Buffalo
Prediction: Buffalo - These are two of the most difficult teams to figure out in the NFL this year. Buffalo dominated Indianapolis, almost came back against New England, yet then turn around and get beaten by Jacksonville in London. Miami started the season off sluggishly, before making a coaching change, dominating Tennessee and Houston, before coming back to earth against New England. In the AFC East, after New England, it's anybody's guess. With Buffalo coming off a bye week and being much healthier than they were in London against the Jaguars, I'll give them a slight advantage at home, especially with Cameron Wake out for the rest of the season for the Dolphins defense. I'll take Buffalo by 4.
Result: Buffalo 33 Miami 17
Record: 4-1
Game: St. Louis at Minnesota
Prediction: St. Louis - These two teams are almost carbon copies of one another and two of the most pleasant surprises in the NFC thus far. Minnesota is an up and coming team, but have struggled defending the run at times this season, and that doesn't bode well for the Vikings when Todd Gurley comes to town, quite possibly the hottest running back in the league right now. I'll go with the Rams on the road by a field goal.
Result: Minnesota 21 St. Louis 18 OT
Record: 4-2
Game: Jacksonville at NY Jets
Prediction: NY Jets - The Jets suffered a post-Patriots-loss hangover in their defeat against the Raiders this past Sunday. Expect Todd Bowles to get the team back on track at home against the Jaguars, though. I'll take the Jets by a touchdown.
Result: NY Jets 28 Jacksonville 23
Record: 5-2
Game: Oakland at Pittsburgh
Prediction: Pittsburgh - This is a more difficult pick than I initially thought when glancing over the week's schedule. Sure, Ben Roethlisberger is back for the Steelers, but appeared to be quite rusty in his return to the field on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Not only that, but Le'Veon Bell will reportedly miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Oakland, meanwhile, improved to 4-3 with back-to-back wins against San Diego and the New York Jets. Part of me wants to go with the Raiders, but West Coast teams historically have a poor track record when playing 1 pm EST games on the East Coast. I also have to expect Roethlisberger to have a much improved game, not to mention Pittsburgh has a proven back-up tailback in DeAngelo Williams, who's been quite effective when called on to play this season. Given all of that, I'll go with the Steelers by 3.
Result: Pittsburgh 38 Oakland 35
Record: 6-2
Game: NY Giants at Tampa Bay
Prediction: NY Giants - The Giants did something hardly any other team has done throughout NFL history - find a way to lose while scoring 49 points. Yes, their offense can be that good at times and their defense can be that bad at times as well. Tampa Bay avoided their second consecutive blown lead, upsetting Atlanta on the road in overtime. Tampa's definitely shown some progressions throughout the course of the season and I could see them pulling off another upset at home, but still give the slight edge to Eli Manning, Odell Beckham, and the Giants. I'll go with New York by a touchdown.
Result: NY Giants 32 Tampa Bay 18
Record: 7-2
Game: Atlanta at San Francisco
Prediction: Atlanta - This pick makes me nervous and I may be tempted to switch it by the end of the week. Atlanta's come back down to earth a bit following their 5-0 start. Since that point, they're 1-2, having been outscored 64-51. The offense has been careless with the football inside the red zone, and if not for the fact Tennessee's hapless Mariota-less offense could only muster 7 points against them, the Falcons would be staring at a 3-game losing streak. San Francisco has played much better at home than on the road this year, going 2-2 at home, while being winless on the road at 0-4. I expect this to be a low-scoring affair, but at least for the time being, will place a bit more faith in Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and the Falcons offense than I do in Colin Kaepernick and company. I'll tentatively go with the Falcons by 3.
Result: San Francisco 17 Atlanta 16
Record: 7-3
Game: Denver at Indianapolis
Prediction: Denver - While Peyton Manning received much of the flak for the offense's early season struggles, I kept pointing to the fact the Broncos weren't effectively running the football. For the first time this season, they did just that in their 29-10 win over Green Bay on Sunday night, and wouldn't you know it, Peyton Manning threw the ball much more effectively due to that. Look for the team to build off that win and formula against the Indianapolis Colts' mediocre defense (that's being nice), and for the Broncos front seven to have a field day against the Colts' struggling offensive line. I'll take the Broncos on the road by 10.
Result: Indianapolis 27 Denver 24
Record: 7-4
Game: Philadelphia at Dallas
Prediction: Philadelphia - Without Tony Romo, the Dallas Cowboys are rather inept on offense, losing five straight in the process. Unless Philadelphia turns the ball over a great deal, I have a difficult time seeing the Cowboys snap their skid. I'm going with the well-rested Eagles by 10.
Result: Philadelphia 33 Dallas 27 OT
Record: 8-4
Monday
Game: Chicago at San Diego
Prediction: San Diego - Here are two rather disappointing teams. Chicago seems to find themselves in close games week in and week out, losing more often than winning. San Diego has appeared to fall apart after their heartbreaking Monday night defeat at the hands of Michael Vick and the Pittsburgh Steelers. In a game like this, I have to give a slight edge to the home team. I'll take the Chargers by 4.
Result: Chicago 22 San Diego 19
Record: 8-5
Week 9 Record: 8-5 (.615)
Overall Record: 77-55 (.583)
Game: Cleveland at Cincinnati
Prediction: Cincinnati - With this being an in-state rivalry game, I suppose anything's possible, especially for it taking place on a Thursday night. However, given what I've seen from both teams this year, I have a difficult time seeing Cleveland beating Cincinnati on the road. Even when the Bengals' offense played less than stellar against Pittsburgh on Sunday, they still found a way to win. Cleveland, meanwhile, seems to continually find ways to lose. I'm going with the Bengals at home by a couple of touchdowns.
Result: Cincinnati 31 Cleveland 10
Record: 1-0
Sunday
Game: Green Bay at Carolina
Prediction: Carolina - Perhaps the Green Bay loss in Denver was simply an aberration. However, it's hard to look past just how badly they lost, in conjunction with the fact the Packers' offense has appeared to be missing Jordy Nelson a bit more in recent weeks than it seemed very early in the season. Aaron Rodgers threw for just 77 yards in the team's 29-10 loss Sunday night against the Broncos. For the first time this season, the Broncos effectively ran the ball, which largely aided Peyton Manning and the passing game. Carolina is a old school pound-it-up-the-middle kind of team, and given the Packers' struggles with stopping the run, I have to favor the Panthers at home in this match-up. I'll go with Carolina by a field goal.
Result: Carolina 37 Green Bay 29
Record: 2-0
Game: Washington at New England
Prediction: New England - The only way the Patriots lose this game is if they beat themselves with penalties and turnovers. Given their history, I don't see that happening. I'm taking New England at home by 17.
Result: New England 27 Washington 10
Record: 3-0
Game: Tennessee at New Orleans
Prediction: New Orleans - It's pretty incredible how awful Tennessee's offense looks without Marcus Mariota behind center. Even if he plays in this game, he likely won't be 100% just yet, and going up against the resurgent Saints offense, this match-up doesn't bode well for the Titans. I'll go with the Saints at home by a couple of touchdowns.
Result: Tennessee 34 New Orleans 28 OT
Record: 3-1
Game: Miami at Buffalo
Prediction: Buffalo - These are two of the most difficult teams to figure out in the NFL this year. Buffalo dominated Indianapolis, almost came back against New England, yet then turn around and get beaten by Jacksonville in London. Miami started the season off sluggishly, before making a coaching change, dominating Tennessee and Houston, before coming back to earth against New England. In the AFC East, after New England, it's anybody's guess. With Buffalo coming off a bye week and being much healthier than they were in London against the Jaguars, I'll give them a slight advantage at home, especially with Cameron Wake out for the rest of the season for the Dolphins defense. I'll take Buffalo by 4.
Result: Buffalo 33 Miami 17
Record: 4-1
Game: St. Louis at Minnesota
Prediction: St. Louis - These two teams are almost carbon copies of one another and two of the most pleasant surprises in the NFC thus far. Minnesota is an up and coming team, but have struggled defending the run at times this season, and that doesn't bode well for the Vikings when Todd Gurley comes to town, quite possibly the hottest running back in the league right now. I'll go with the Rams on the road by a field goal.
Result: Minnesota 21 St. Louis 18 OT
Record: 4-2
Game: Jacksonville at NY Jets
Prediction: NY Jets - The Jets suffered a post-Patriots-loss hangover in their defeat against the Raiders this past Sunday. Expect Todd Bowles to get the team back on track at home against the Jaguars, though. I'll take the Jets by a touchdown.
Result: NY Jets 28 Jacksonville 23
Record: 5-2
Game: Oakland at Pittsburgh
Prediction: Pittsburgh - This is a more difficult pick than I initially thought when glancing over the week's schedule. Sure, Ben Roethlisberger is back for the Steelers, but appeared to be quite rusty in his return to the field on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. Not only that, but Le'Veon Bell will reportedly miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Oakland, meanwhile, improved to 4-3 with back-to-back wins against San Diego and the New York Jets. Part of me wants to go with the Raiders, but West Coast teams historically have a poor track record when playing 1 pm EST games on the East Coast. I also have to expect Roethlisberger to have a much improved game, not to mention Pittsburgh has a proven back-up tailback in DeAngelo Williams, who's been quite effective when called on to play this season. Given all of that, I'll go with the Steelers by 3.
Result: Pittsburgh 38 Oakland 35
Record: 6-2
Game: NY Giants at Tampa Bay
Prediction: NY Giants - The Giants did something hardly any other team has done throughout NFL history - find a way to lose while scoring 49 points. Yes, their offense can be that good at times and their defense can be that bad at times as well. Tampa Bay avoided their second consecutive blown lead, upsetting Atlanta on the road in overtime. Tampa's definitely shown some progressions throughout the course of the season and I could see them pulling off another upset at home, but still give the slight edge to Eli Manning, Odell Beckham, and the Giants. I'll go with New York by a touchdown.
Result: NY Giants 32 Tampa Bay 18
Record: 7-2
Game: Atlanta at San Francisco
Prediction: Atlanta - This pick makes me nervous and I may be tempted to switch it by the end of the week. Atlanta's come back down to earth a bit following their 5-0 start. Since that point, they're 1-2, having been outscored 64-51. The offense has been careless with the football inside the red zone, and if not for the fact Tennessee's hapless Mariota-less offense could only muster 7 points against them, the Falcons would be staring at a 3-game losing streak. San Francisco has played much better at home than on the road this year, going 2-2 at home, while being winless on the road at 0-4. I expect this to be a low-scoring affair, but at least for the time being, will place a bit more faith in Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and the Falcons offense than I do in Colin Kaepernick and company. I'll tentatively go with the Falcons by 3.
Result: San Francisco 17 Atlanta 16
Record: 7-3
Game: Denver at Indianapolis
Prediction: Denver - While Peyton Manning received much of the flak for the offense's early season struggles, I kept pointing to the fact the Broncos weren't effectively running the football. For the first time this season, they did just that in their 29-10 win over Green Bay on Sunday night, and wouldn't you know it, Peyton Manning threw the ball much more effectively due to that. Look for the team to build off that win and formula against the Indianapolis Colts' mediocre defense (that's being nice), and for the Broncos front seven to have a field day against the Colts' struggling offensive line. I'll take the Broncos on the road by 10.
Result: Indianapolis 27 Denver 24
Record: 7-4
Game: Philadelphia at Dallas
Prediction: Philadelphia - Without Tony Romo, the Dallas Cowboys are rather inept on offense, losing five straight in the process. Unless Philadelphia turns the ball over a great deal, I have a difficult time seeing the Cowboys snap their skid. I'm going with the well-rested Eagles by 10.
Result: Philadelphia 33 Dallas 27 OT
Record: 8-4
Monday
Game: Chicago at San Diego
Prediction: San Diego - Here are two rather disappointing teams. Chicago seems to find themselves in close games week in and week out, losing more often than winning. San Diego has appeared to fall apart after their heartbreaking Monday night defeat at the hands of Michael Vick and the Pittsburgh Steelers. In a game like this, I have to give a slight edge to the home team. I'll take the Chargers by 4.
Result: Chicago 22 San Diego 19
Record: 8-5
Week 9 Record: 8-5 (.615)
Overall Record: 77-55 (.583)
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