The NFL heads into the back half of the schedule as Week 9 is upon us. The Ravens and Dolphins kick things off on Thursday Night Football to close out October, and then we’re off and running in November.
Last week was one of the more lackluster weeks in recent NFL memory. The Jets wild win over the Bengals was the only game that finished with a single digit victor. The next closest was the Packers ten-point win over the Steelers. Otherwise it was mostly blowouts in Week 8. The biggest surprise might have been the Dolphins thumping the Falcons 34-10. Atlanta is a shaky squad and had to go with backup QB Kirk Cousins, but they absolutely fell apart in that one.
As we head into Week 9, there are a few potentially pivotal matchups on the slate. The most interesting 1 p.m. ET game might be Colts at Steelers. Daniel Jones has shocked a lot of people and Indianapolis has looked like the best team in the NFL through eight weeks. They are better than Pittsburgh, but going on the road is never easy. A sneaky interesting 1 p.m. game is Panthers at Packers. Carolina has struggled at times, but they have managed to get to 4-4. They have beaten mostly bad teams, but they’re in the thick of the wild card race and can prove they might be for real if they can give Green Bay a tough time.
Last week wasn’t too bad for me given how many favorites won. I was 9-4 overall with a 3-0 high confidence record, 6-2 medium confidence record, and an 0-2 low confidence record. My only low confidence picks were the 49ers upsetting the Texans and the Cowboys upsetting the Broncos. Oh well.
On to my Week 9 picks!
High confidence
Packers over Panthers
Chargers over Titans
Rams over Saints
Ravens over Dolphins
Medium confidence
Lions over Vikings
Patriots over Falcons
Colts over Steelers
Broncos over Texans***
49ers over Giants
Jaguars over Raiders
Commanders over Seahawks***
Cowboys over Cardinals
Low confidence
Bengals over Bears***
Chiefs over Bills
