GAME OF THE WEEK – Los Angeles Rams (8-0) at New Orleans Saints (6-1), NO by 1 – This is gonna be one hell of a matchup. The Rams barely escaped with a win over the Packers courtesy of Ty Montgomery, and now go on the road to play in a game that could very well end up deciding homefield advantage in the NFC. This is about as big a game as you’ll find in week 9 of the regular season. I feel like the Rams have to lose one sooner or later, and the Saints playing at home in a nationally televised game usually goes well for them. Saints 30, Rams 27
THURSDAY NIGHT – Oakland Raiders (1-6) at San Francisco 49ers (1-7), SF by 3.5 – This game could very well give us the team that’ll have the number one overall pick in the draft for next year. The Raiders have had a bit of fight in them, and they don’t have to travel far for the Thursday night matchup, so I’m going to take them in a mild upset. UPSET! – Raiders 23, 49ers 19
Detroit Lions (3-4) at Minnesota Vikings (4-3-1), MIN by 5.5 – The divisional gauntlet is about to begin in the NFC North, where all four teams are separated by a game or less. Here’s the first edition. Playing at home, I like the Vikings, who have at least played well against some good competition at points this year. Vikings 20, Lions 17
Kansas City Chiefs (7-1) at Cleveland Browns (2-5-1), KC by 8.5 – Maybe the Browns will get a sudden bump after firing Hue Jackson, but more likely, they’re about to be throttled by one of the league’s best teams. Chiefs 34, Browns 10
Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2-1) at Baltimore Ravens (4-4), BAL by 3 – I don’t understand this Ravens team this year. At times they’ve looked like an incredibly gritty playoff contender, at other times they’ve looked mediocre in all phases. The Steelers have also been a little tough to figure out, and playing on the road against a divisional foe is always going to be difficult. I think this week the good Ravens show up, but it’s always hard to know what to expect in these matchups. Ravens 24, Steelers 20
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4) at Carolina Panthers (5-2), CAR by 6.5 – The Bucs rightly benched Jameis Winston for Ryan Fitzpatrick, and I think the Bucs will at least keep this one close, but the Panthers are playing some tough, clutch football right now. Nobody’s really talking about them in the NFC, but they’re right behind the Saints and Rams as contenders. Panthers 23, Bucs 17
New York Jets (3-5) at Miami Dolphins (4-4), MIA by 3 – Much like the Ravens, the Dolphins have been very tough to figure out. The Jets have somehow managed to win three games this year, but I like Miami to pick up a home divisional win. Dolphins 20, Jets 16
Atlanta Falcons (3-4) at Washington (5-2), WAS by 1.5 – Washington is another team that’s not getting a whole lot of national attention, probably because they tend to get to the playoffs and lose right away. But they’ve shown quite a bit of balance, and Adrian Peterson has really turned back the clock this year. The Falcons still have some offensive potency, but they’ve been relatively tame so far this year and I think Washington has the edge. Washington 24, Falcons 17
Chicago Bears (4-3) at Buffalo Bills (2-6), CHI by 6.5 – Mitch Trubisky is having a shockingly effective year at quarterback for the Bears. After his awful rookie season, many had already written him off, but he’s quietly been one of the more efficient players at the position so far this season. The Bills… are the Bills. Bears 30, Bills 10
Houston Texans (5-3) at Denver Broncos (3-5), DEN by 2.5 – Boy, not much respect here for the Texans. But this has been a potent offense under Deshaun Watson, and the team just added another weapon in the Broncos’ own Demaryious Thomas through a trade today. I like the Texans to keep their momentum going. UPSET! – Texans 33, Broncos 17
[b]Los Angeles Chargers (5-2) at Seattle Seahawks (4-3), SEA by 1.5 – Two more teams that nobody is talking about but somehow have winning records and are in the thick of the playoff races in their conference. Philip Rivers might be having the best season of his career, but again, nobody is talking about it. Russell Wilson is willing this team to victories with the help of a resurgent running game. Still, I think the Chargers have largely been underrated, and I like them to take down Seattle in CenturyLink. UPSET! – Chargers 23, Seahawks 17
Green Bay Packers (3-3-1) at New England Patriots (6-2), NE by 6 – The last time these two teams met was November 2014, and it was one of the finest regular season games of football you’ll ever see played, with the Packers squeezing out a 26-21 victory at home in Lambeau Field. It was the only regular season meeting between Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers (Rodgers was out with a concussion in 2010). The Packers are also the only team in the NFL that does not have a losing record to Bill Belichick’s Patriots (2-2 all time). So that all adds some intrigue to this weekend’s game… until you remember this is a Packer team that is criminally underperforming and they’re playing in Foxborough on a Sunday Night, so it’ll probably be a blowout. Patriots 38, Packers 20
Tennessee Titans 3-4) at Dallas Cowboys (3-4), DAL by 6.5 – I’m just here for the Titans to beat the Cowboys on the road and embarrass them after they spent a first to get washed up Amari Cooper. [b]UPSET! – Titans 23, Cowboys 16
BYES: Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles