Week 9 Picks

The second half of the 2015 NFL Season is upon us.

A whopping six teams are on bye: Arizona, Baltimore, Detroit, Kansas City, Seattle, Houston.

Cincinnati took care of the Browns on Thursday. The Bengals remain undefeated through eight games. Three other teams (New England, Denver, and Carolina) have a shot to join them at 8-0.

Four teams at 8-0! That's inconceivable! Especially to the '72 Dolphins.

Here are some wild stabs at this week's games.

St. Louis Rams @ Minnesota Vikings
Pick: Vikings
This is the game of the day! Both teams are the front runners for the NFC Wildcard spots. Each probably have more ambitious goals.

Miami Dolphins @ Buffalo Bills
Pick: Bills
The Bills blew out the Dolphins in Miami but Joe Philben coached the Dolphins back then. Dan Campbell has brought some life to the team. The Bills get quarterback Tyrod Taylor back for the game. The Dolphins lost defensive end Cameron Wake for the season. Advantage Bills.

Green Bay Packers @ Carolina Panthers
Pick: Packers
The talking heads might pick this as the game of the day. They're wrong. It's Rams-Vikings. The Packers offense was slowed to nearly a stop by the Broncos defense last week. The Packers so rarely lose two games in a row that it doesn't even feel like a possibility. The Panthers defense is another tough one but Aaron Rodgers should find his way through it.

Washington Redskins @ New England Patriots
Pick: Patriots
It wasn't very hard to land on this pick. Kirk Cousins comes back down to sea level.

Tennessee Titans @ New Orleans Saints
Pick: Saints
The Saints might be building something. Their offense is flying but their defense is a disaster. Maybe they can find some defense against the Titans. I wonder if the Titans management are regretting their decision to hire Ken Whisenhut over Mike Zimmer.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ New York Jets
Pick: Jets
Against the Raiders last week it looked like the Jets were still thinking about their loss to the Patriots. They need to get back on track.

Oakland Raiders @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Pick: Steelers
Boy, this game sure was a blast in the 1970s. The Raiders and Steelers could be the top two teams for the AFC Wildcard spots. The Steelers have an edge at home. Even without running back Le'Veon Bell.

Atlanta Falcons @ San Francisco 49ers
Pick: Falcons
The Blaine Gabbert era begins!

New York Giants @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pick: Giants
The Giants can score. They just have to find a way to score more than an offense led by a rookie quarterback.

Denver Broncos @ Indianapolis Colts
Pick: Colts
If Andrew Luck and the Colts can start games like they finish games maybe they can win some games. This pick is based more on my expectation that only two teams exit week nine undefeated. The Bengals are already there. The Patriots can't lose to the Redskins. So, the Panthers and Broncos have to lose their first game of the season in week nine.

Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys
Pick: Cowboys
Tonight's nightcap. Matt Cassel was terrible when he had to be merely competent against the Seahawks last week. The guess here is that he's better with another week of preparation with a new team.

Chicago Bears @ San Diego Chargers
Pick: Bears
A coin flip. Each team lost one of their top offensive threats last week. If not their top offensive threat. Matt Forte for the Bears. Keenan Allen for the Charges. If Jay Cutler can play error-free like he did against the Vikings last week I think that the Bears have the edge.

There it is. Have a fine football Sunday.