We are officially at the midway point of the season. With 18 weeks, Week 9 is a definitive median, and with almost half the season behind us, there’s still plenty of questions that need to answer themselves. This season is only getting wilder and more confusing, and the second half should be a ton of fun. I had my worst week ever last week, going 6-9; I can’t remember ever having a week with a losing record (thanks, backup QBs). My season total now sits at 76-45. Hopefully this week brings better results. Let’s get into the picks:
Colts 30-20 Jets 
Thursday, 8:20 PM EST, FOX
This isn’t exactly the best primetime game ever, but if the Jets play like they did last week, then this could be fun. Mike White looked awesome as the starting QB, throwing for over 400 yards, and he’ll get another chance to prove himself on national TV. Unfortunately, I don’t see him replicating that performance. The Colts have been solid lately, and although they lost a heartbreaker last week, I think they’ll be fired up to get back on track. Carson Wentz, despite last week’s mistakes, has been very good, and this defense isn’t going to play that poorly again, especially against an anemic offense like New York has.
Bengals 24-20 Browns 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS
The Browns are back to being one of the biggest messes in the NFL thanks to some off the field drama involving Odell Beckham Jr. (and his dad apparently). The former star WR didn’t get traded before the deadline, but it surely looks like his time in Cleveland is up. Moreover, this team looked like a mess on the field last week, and I’m not sure what it’ll take to get them back on track. The Bengals are hoping to avoid losing back to back games and fall further back in the division race, and I think that fire under them will push them over the top in a game like this. I just don’t see the Browns fixing their problems before Sunday.
Cowboys 28-13 Broncos 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX
No matter who starts at QB for Dallas on Sunday (it will likely be Dak Prescott), it should be smooth sailing all game long. The Broncos have been terrible on both sides of the ball since the calendar flipped to September. Meanwhile, the Cowboys have been playing like one of the NFL’s best teams, even when Cooper Rush is under center. There’s no need to overthink this one. If Dak plays, then this one could get really ugly. I expect to see another huge day out of the Dallas offense, and their defense should make some more big plays as well.
Dolphins 17-10 Texans 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX
Is this going to be the worst game of the year? It certainly has the potential. These are arguably the two worst teams in football, but someone has to win. I’ll take the less horrible team, which has to be the Dolphins. They may be terrible, but they haven’t looked as lifeless as the Texans have. They’re certainly capable of winning a game like this simply because they have talent on the field, which is more than Houston can say. All I know about this one is that I have no interest in watching a single second of it.
Saints 26-17 Falcons 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX
This could be fun. The Saints are 5-2 and on fire coming off 3 straight wins including last week’s upset of the Buccaneers. Even after losing Jameis Winston to an ACL tear, I have confidence in this team to win with backup QB Trevor Siemian. The Saints have shown us time and time again that they can win plenty of games with backup QBs. This will be much less of a challenge than last week for him. The Falcons looked like they were picking up some sort of steam, but they laid one of their biggest duds of the season last week against Carolina. While I don’t think they’ll look that lifeless again this week against their biggest rival, I certainly don’t trust them a whole lot against a defense as great as New Orleans’ is. As long as Siemian remains efficient and this offense does its job, this should be smooth sailing for the Saints.
Raiders 28-19 Giants 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS
The Raiders continue to deal with more insanity off the field than any other team on Earth, but I don’t think that will affect them too much in a game this easy. The Giants have been a scrappy team this season, but they never seem to be able to actually pull any upsets (barring their Week 4 win in NOLA). The Raiders are coming off a bye and even without Henry Ruggs III, their offense should be able to do just fine against this stout New York defense. Even if they’re stifled a bit, we all know the Giants offense isn’t good enough to win them any games.
Patriots 24-14 Panthers 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS
These two teams couldn’t be heading in more different directions. The Patriots are playing some great football lately and finally figuring themselves out offensively, leading to some efficient performances backed by a great defense. The Panthers meanwhile, are falling apart at the seams on both sides of the ball. They don’t have a pulse offensively without Christian McCaffrey, who might be coming back this week, but even if he does, I don’t think they have what it takes to beat a defense this solid. New England is shutting down the likes of Justin Herbert. I don’t think they’ll have many problems with Sam Darnold.
Bills 40-6 Jaguars 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, CBS
I know, I know. Every time I predict one of these massive blowouts it always comes back to bite me. But I am so sure of this one. I promise you guys. The Jaguars couldn’t even move the ball on the Seahawks. The Seahawks! Why should I even have them scoring points against the best statistical defense in football? I’ve never been more confident in a blowout in my life. In fact, I genuinely believe this will be a shutout. I just don’t have the cajones to pick it.
Ravens 28-27 Vikings 
Sunday, 1:00 PM EST, FOX
I honestly think this will be the most fun game of the week. I don’t want to keep propping up the Vikings, but against a Ravens defense this bad, I have to. I don’t think the bye week magically fixed this porous Baltimore secondary, so the Vikes’ offensive weapons should be able to put up their usual numbers in this one. However, I don’t think it’ll be enough to overcome Lamar Jackson on the other side of the football. I think the Ravens realize how important every game is becoming with the Ravens and Bengals right on their heels in the division, and I don’t think they’ll drop this one. Their offense should do enough to carry them to victory. If their defense plays even a smidge above their usual par, then this shouldn’t be too much trouble.
Chargers 26-19 Eagles 
Sunday, 4:05 PM EST, CBS
The Chargers have no business playing a team like the Eagles close. That’s exactly why I think this will be a close game. LA has been fairly disappointing in recent weeks, and against a Philly team coming off a blowout win, albeit against the Lions, I think this one could be tight. Even if it isn’t close throughout the course of the game, you know the Eagles will do enough late to make thins interesting. I don’t see any way the Chargers end up losing this game, sheerly based off their superior talent on both sides of the ball, but they better hope that talent plays like they were earlier this season. They need to pick things up ASAP, and this should be a great opportunity for them to do so.
Packers 27-24 Chiefs 
Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, FOX
Man. We’re really never getting a State Farm Bowl are we? Once again, the Packers and Chiefs are playing each other, but Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes are not. Rodgers, thanks to either lying about his vaccination status or just sheer bad luck, will miss this game with COVID-19, so it’ll be the former first rounder Jordan Love under center for his first start and meaningful snaps of his professional career. And still, the Packers will win this game. I’m taking two factors into account here. The first one is that the Chiefs aren’t very good. They’re not good at all to be honest. Their defense has been arguably the worst in football, which is well documented at this point, and their offense is a fraction of what it once was. The second is that this seems to be the year of the backup QB. The Packers drafted Love in the first round for a reason. He surely has what it takes to play in this league, right? And in a year that backup QBs have looked like world beaters, what’s to stop him from tearing up a terrible defense? Unlike last week, Green Bay will have all of their offensive weapons at their disposal. So, all Love has to do is feed Davante Adams and Aaron Jones, and the defense should do the rest, shutting down a sorry KC offense.
Cardinals 23-20 49ers 
Sunday, 4:25 PM EST, FOX
The first time these teams met, it was Trey Lance’s first start for the 49ers, and it was honestly a lot closer than I expected. With Jimmy Garoppolo under center, I think it’ll be even closer. Sometimes in these division matchups, teams just play you really close and you can’t explain it. That’s what San Francisco does to Arizona, apparently. That being said, I see the same outcome as last time. The Cardinals are just the better team, and I don’t think they’ll be too keen on dropping back-to-back games after starting the season 7-0. Kyler and company should do enough to get the job done against a solid Niners team.
Rams 31-20 Titans 
Sunday, 8:20 PM EST, NBC
This game had so much promise. Up until this past Monday, I was looking forward to this one more than almost any other game this season. But, without Derrick Henry on the field for the Titans, I don’t see it being very close. The Rams are arguably the best team in the league, and they just got better with the acquisition of Von Miller. A Titans team without their best player (by a longshot) shouldn’t be too much of a challenge. Their defense still isn’t all that, so it should be another field day for Matt Stafford and the Rams offense. I think this game will teach us a lot about what the Titans are going to be without Henry. It’s going to be their toughest test of the season, so how will they overcome? I think Mike Vrabel is a great coach that has what it takes to keep his team on a winning path, but only time will tell how the next couple of months go in Tennessee.
Steelers 24-10 Bears 
Monday, 8:15 PM EST, ESPN
This looks like another Monday night snoozefest on paper, and to be fair, it probably will be. But, I don’t think it’ll be completely unwatchable. The Steelers are playing some good football as of late, and this Bears team shouldn’t be too much of a challenge for them. I’m honestly dreading seeing this Chicago offensive line deal with the Pittsburgh defensive front for 60 minutes. It’s going to be another ugly showing for Justin Fields and the Bears offense simply because the Steelers defense is going to be all over them. So, Big Ben and the offense won’t have to do too much to get what should be a seamless win in primetime.
All stats taken from ESPN.
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