The first eight weeks of the NFL season are in the books with Week 9 officially turning the calendar to November. THere have been plenty of surprises around the league this year, both breakout teams and massive disappointments. With two teams (San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers) on a bye, let’s dive into our NFL Week 9 predictions.
Houston Texans 23, New York Jets 17
The New York Jets hit rock bottom on Sunday in a loss to the New England Patriots and it truly feels like that defeat will kill whatever hope for an in-season turnaround the locker room had. To make matters worse, New York is on a short week with a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Houston Texans. The Jets pass rush should have success creating pressure against the Texans offensive line, but Houston has the advantage in every other area and should walk out with a W.
Related: NFL Week 9 QB rankings
Atlanta Falcons 31, Dallas Cowboys 27
The Dallas Cowboys have proven to be a mediocre team this season, while the Atlanta Falcons just manage to get by. What gives Dallas a real chance in this game is the fact that Atlanta has a non-existent pass rush. Say what you want about Dak Prescott, but he can excel from a clean pocket. However, the Cowboys defense remains a big problem and even its offense has limitations because of the limited offensive weapons. We expect a back-and-forth game in Week 9, but the more consistent team with a track record of stepping up in key spots comes out with the victory.
Related: Winners, Losers from NFL Week 8
Buffalo Bills 31, Miami Dolphins 21
We were more excited for this matchup before the Miami Dolphins defense took a massive step backward in Week 8. The defensive issues against Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. raise real concerns about the ability of Miami’s defense to keep this game close. Josh Allen and this Buffalo Bills offense are on a roll right now, but this Bills defense might be playing even better. We expect this one to be closer than the last Dolphins vs Bills game, but Buffalo still snags a two-score win.
Cincinnati Bengals 34, Las Vegas Raiders 21
While the Las Vegas Raiders defense isn’t as bad as some would believe based on the team’s record, this is a concerning matchup. Tee Higgins should be back in Week 9, giving Joe Burow to high-end receivers to attack the weakness of this Raiders defense (secondary). Now, there’s a chance this is a Maxx Crosby takeover game as Cincinnati’s offensive line is prone to, but Las Vegas doesn’t have any firepower offensively to keep pace with the Bengals offense.
Related: Week 9 fantasy rankings
Tennessee Titans 17, New England Patriots 13
There are a lot of great games on the NFL schedule for Week 9, this isn’t one of them. Drake Maye (concussion) is iffy to play and we’ve seen more than enough of Jacoby Brissett behind the New England Patriots offensive line. As for the Tennessee Titans, as long as they don’t turn it over three-plus times, Calvin Ridley and Tony Pollard should be just enough ‘firepower’ to escape with a rare win.
Cleveland Browns 20, Los Angeles Chargers 17
The Cleveland Browns look like a functional NFL team with Jameis Winston at quarterback. Cleveland’s defense is at league average and with an offense that can now sustain drives, it could be even better. We’re not expecting much scoring in this one, especially with the Los Angeles Chargers offense struggling this year, but it should be a tight game throughout. Ultimately, the Browns defensive line comes through in the fourth quarter to set Cleveland up for a game-winning field goal.
Washington Commanders 31, New York Giants 20
It was certainly a much closer game (21-18) the last time these two teams faced off, but the Washington Commanders outgained the New York Giants by 121 yards and dominated time of possession (38 minutes to 22 minutes). Jayden Daniels is playing at an MVP-caliber level right now and every element of this Commanders offense is clicking. The same can’t be said for the Giants offense, which is awful at home. Washington cruises to a victory, improving to 7-2.
New Orleans Saints 20, Carolina Panthers 14
The big question hanging over this Week 9 matchup is whether or not Derek Car (oblique) can play. For now, since he did throw the Friday before Week 8, we’re going to bet he returns as the New Orleans Saints starting quarterback. Even behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, Carr can do enough with Chris Olave and Alvin Kamara to beat the Carolina Panthers. If Carr doesn’t play, this is going to be a brutal football game to watch and it could end in a rare Panthers win.
Related: NFL defense rankings, Week 9 fantasy defense rankings
Baltimore Ravens 23, Denver Broncos 20
The Baltimore Ravens offense is basically competing against its own defense to win games. In Week 9, the Denver Broncos defense absolutely matches up well with this Ravens’ passing game and can keep it a one-score game throughout. However, one big advantage the Ravens have is Derrick Henry against Denver’s run defense. Even with that advantage, the Ravens defense is going to give Bo Nix chances to win this game. If he protects the football, Denver might just do it.
Philadelphia Eagles 34, Jacksonville Jaguars 24
The Philadelphia Eagles are one of the most talented teams in the NFL but they have some shortcomings on the coaching side. With that said, the Jacksonville Jaguars have significantly less talent on both sides of the ball with one of the league’s worst coaching staffs. In short, baring a catastrophic meltdown, the Eagles should win this one with relative ease.
Related: NFL Week 9 power rankings
Chicago Bears 24, Arizona Cardinals 17
How the Chicago Bears respond to that heartbreaking loss will be fascinating. Caleb Williams rallied after a rough first half, but the Bears defense played fairly well and remains one of the best units in the NFL. Chicago does match up pretty well with Arizona and there’s a chance this is a two-score game, but there’s just no telling how a young Bears team will respond after that Hail Mary defeat.
Detroit Lions 30, Green Bay Packers 21
Even if Jordan Love played in this Week 9 matchup, the issue against the Detroit Lions is this Green Bay Packers defense. It’s disappeared at times this season and it seems highly unlikely to show up against one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. Jared Goff also thrives against aggressive defensive coordinators, which is exactly what Packers’ defensive play-caller Jeff Hafley is. This could’ve been a tight game if Love was healthy, but that’s just not the case.
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Los Angeles Rams 27, Seattle Seahawks 24
The Los Angeles Rams are a very good team when Matthew Stafford, Kyren Williams, Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp are all out on the field. This is also an awful matchup for the Seattle Seahawks defense, which struggles to defend the run and passes over the middle of the field. The recipe for success is clear for Sean McVay and it should lead to a third consecutive Rams win.
Minnesota Vikings 27, Indianapolis Colts 17
The Indianapolis Colts can’t stop the run, have massive issues against No 1 wide receivers, struggle generating pressure and Anthony Richardson can’t even complete half his passes. Other than that, Indianapolis matches up well against the Minnesota Vikings. A lot would have to go wrong for Minnesota to lose this game, but it’s the Vikings so that’s possible.
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Kansas City Chiefs 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14
The Kansas City Chiefs just keep finding ways to win games. This would’ve been an outstanding Monday Night Football matchup if Chris Godwin and Mike Evans could play, especially with the Chiefs’ missing their second-best corner. Without both playmakers, Baker Mayfield has to take far too many risks and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will take full advantage of that.