Week 9 NFL Picks

Last week the backup quarterbacks stole the show as Mike White, Trevor Siemian and Cooper Rush all led their teams to victories. White and the Jets might have been the biggest upset, crushing some people's dreams in survivor pools by beating the Bengals. And, Siemian came up big in relief of Jameis Winston to surprise Tom Brady and the Bucs. Now, we turn our attention to Week 9.

**All betting lines are from bet365.com** (Updated Sunday)

N.Y. Jets (2-5) @ Indianapolis Colts (3-5)

The Jets stunned the Bengals last week thanks to a great performance by Mike White (and we'll give Robert Saleh's defense credit on some timely sacks too). Can they walk into Indy and pull off another win on a short week? My guess here is no as the Colts basically just lost their Super Bowl to the Titans in overtime and if they want any chance of a playoff spot this is a must win once again. Pick: Colts, 28-17.

Line: Colts -10

Spread: Colts

ML: Colts

Atlanta Falcons (3-4) @ New Orleans Saints (5-2)

The Saints pulled off a stunner last week as Jameis Winston was carted off (later determined to be a torn ACL), which left them with veteran journeyman Trevor Siemian under center. And, Siemian delivered as the Saint beat the Bucs. While it looked like the Saints might give Taysom Hill a shot, it will be Siemian getting the start once again. I think this is an opportunity for the Saints' defense to step up in a big way and I would imagine Sean Payton gets Alvin Kamara heavily involved. Pick: Saints, 23-20.

Line: Saints -6

Spread: Falcons

ML: Saints

Buffalo Bills (5-2) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6)

The Bills played some uncharacteristic football in the first half last week, but whatever Sean McDermott said to his team in the locker room at halftime worked as the Bills pulled away from the Dolphins in the second half. Now, they visit the Jags in a spot where Josh Allen should be able to take advantage of a mundane defense. Pick: Bills, 28-13.

Line: Bills -14.5

Spread: Bills

ML: Bills

Cleveland Browns (4-4) @ Cincinnati Bengals (5-3)

This is a huge game for the landscape of the AFC North. Even though the Browns have struggled of late, dealing with some injuries (and OBJ drama), they have a real opportunity here to steal one on the road. The Bengals were upset by the Jets last week and this will be a big test for this young team to bounce back in an important divisional game. I think their defense will step up here and take advantage of a hindered Baker Mayfield. Pick: Bengals, 24-17.

Line: Bengals -2.5

Spread: Bengals

ML: Bengals

Denver Broncos (4-4) @ Dallas Cowboys (6-1)

Cooper Rush came up big on the road last Sunday night in relief of Dak Prescott and suddenly the Cowboys are in the conversation for home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. It looks like Prescott will be back for this one after dealing with a calf strain the last two weeks. The Broncos just traded Von Miller to the Rams, which will hurt the pass rush, and this Cowboys defense has been pretty good themselves all year. Pick: Cowboys, 28-17.

Line: Cowboys -10

Spread: Cowboys

ML: Cowboys

Houston Texans (1-7) @ Miami Dolphins (1-7)

This is the game of the week...yuck. The Dolphins are skeleton of themselves from last season and this turmoil between Tua Tagovailoa and the front office it seems. It could be that Deshaun Watson will be headed to Miami in the offseason, so we'll see how that story progresses. As for the Texans, they too are in the sweepstakes for the first overall pick next year -- this game is just flat out boring. Pick: Dolphins, 21-17.

Line: Dolphins -5.5

Spread: Texans

ML: Dolphins

Las Vegas Raiders (5-2) @ N.Y. Giants (2-6)

Alright, the Raiders should by all accounts win this game and strengthen their lead on the the AFC West. However, I think this could be the classic spot where a West Coast team travels to the East Coast for a 1 PM start and gets caught sleeping. Remember, this happened to the Raiders last year on the road in Atlanta where they were blown out by the Falcons. The Giants derailed the Panthers a couple weeks ago and I think they can pull off the upset here too. Pick: Giants, 24-21.

Line: Raiders -3

Spread: Giants

ML: Giants

Minnesota Vikings (3-4) @ Baltimore Ravens (5-2)

The Ravens lost a huge game at home to the Bengals prior to their bye week and will now look to bounce back against the Vikings in their third straight home game. I have to imagine Lamar Jackson and the offense can get right here against a Vikings defense that has looked vulnerable at times this season. Pick: Ravens, 30-23.

Line: Ravens -6

Spread: Ravens

ML: Ravens

New England Patriots (4-4) @ Carolina Panthers (4-4)

Mac Jones and the Pats walked into L.A. last week and stole a win from the Chargers, which now firmly plants them in the AFC playoff conversation. This is another opportunity to further cement that against the Panthers. It appears that Christian McCaffrey will get some reps today in a limited fashion, so that may be an uptick for this Panthers offense. However, if they plan to ease him in, I wonder how much of an affect he will have. Pick: Patriots, 24-20.

Line: Patriots -3.5

Spread: Patriots

ML: Patriots

L.A. Chargers (4-3) @ Philadelphia Eagles (3-5)

The Chargers need this win in a big way after dropping one to the Patriots last week. This is a similar spot to the Raiders with a West Coast team making the trip to the East Coast for an earlier start. But, I think Justin Herbert comes up big in this game that should feature some offensive fireworks potentially. Pick: Chargers, 27-21.

Line: Chargers -1.5

Spread: Chargers

ML: Chargers

Arizona Cardinals (7-1) @ San Francisco 49ers (3-4)

Kyler Murray suffered an ankle injury at the end of last week's game against the Packers and as a result, he hasn't practiced all week because of it. There is speculation if he can even play today and if he's forced to sit out, it will be Colt McCoy or Chris Streveler getting the start. Ideally, this would lean heavily in the 49ers' favor, but last week we saw some backups come right in and get the job done. I'm actually going to take the Cards' defense here as everyone will side with the Niners, but I don't trust them. Pick: Cardinals, 20-17.

Line: 49ers -3

Spread: Cardinals

ML: Cardinals

Green Bay Packers (7-1) @ Kansas City Chiefs (4-4)

What a turn of events this week for the Packers after picking up a big road win over the Cardinals last week as Aaron Rodgers will sit out as part of the Covid-19 protocol. And, really, what a gift this is for the Chiefs at a time when they continue to be desperate for a win to keep their playoff hopes alive (that's right I said that about the Chiefs) this season. It will be Jordan Love getting the nod against Patrick Mahomes. Even though Mahomes has looked out of sorts this year, I'll take him at home here. Pick: Chiefs, 31-23.

Line: Chiefs -7

Spread: Chiefs

ML: Chiefs

Tennessee Titans (6-2) @ L.A. Rams (7-1)

This is an exciting matchup for Sunday night that will unfortunately have Derrick Henry on the sidelines, but we still have a great matchup between A.J. Brown and Jalen Ramsey out wide. Both of these teams are on a roll coming into this game, but the Rams are a little bit healthier than the Titans on offense right now, plus they just added Von Miller on defense which makes them even more scary. Pick: Rams, 30-21.

Line: Rams -7

Spread: Rams

ML: Rams

Chicago Bears (3-5) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3)

The Steelers have kept pace in the AFC playoff race and have the chance to solidify themselves here with a win over the Bears. I think the defense will create some problems for Justin Fields in the pocket and I would expect some mistakes. The Steelers need to keep leaning on Najee Harris to move the chains as we don't really know what to expect from Ben Roethlisberger week to week. Pick: Steelers, 24-14.

Line: Steelers -6.5

Spread: Steelers

ML: Steelers

2021 Results

Week 8

ATS: 6-8-1

ML: 9-6

Overall

ATS: 67-52-3

ML: 75-47