Week 9 NFL Picks

Last week I went a pathetic 6-7, which makes me feel like Wade Phillips on a Monday morning.  My year to date total is 62-55, but there is plenty of room to improve, so hold back those Arena League comments.  Here are my picks for week 9.

Falcons over the Buccaneers- A battle for first place in the NFC South.  While the Bucs are much improved, I think home field will play a huge factor in this one.  Falcons 24-17

Ravens over the Dolphins- A great match-up between two physical AFC teams.  In the end the Baltimore defense makes a play to seal the deal. Ravens 21-17

Bears over the Bills- Really tempted to take Buffalo here, but guessing that Chicago has cleaned some things up over the bye week.  Bears  17-14

Saints over the Panthers- New Orleans appeared to be back on track last week against Pittsburgh and should roll easily.   Saints 31-13

Patriots over the Browns– Another Mangini vs. Belichick meeting which always makes for a good story.  Too bad the Browns do not have enough good players to keep up with the Pats.  Patriots 34-14

Chargers over the  Texans- To me this game is a toss up as both teams are very inconsistent.  If anything this game should be high scoring.  Chargers 34-27

Cardinals over the Vikings- The Vikings are a mess and it is only a matter of time before Favre mails it in.  Cards 20-10

Giants over the Seahawks- Seattle is a tough place to play, but with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck reportedly out Big Blue should walk away with a victory. Giants 27-13

Raiders over the Chiefs- A great rivalry game between two AFC West teams that are trying to establish themselves. Going to take the Raiders and their invigorated running game.  Raiders 21-20

Eagles over the Colts- The Eagles should be well rested and get Mike Vick back which will make for an exciting game.  The Colts found a way to win last week but will fall to a desperate Philly team.  Eagles 28-24

Packers over the Cowboys- This game could get real ugly as the Cowboys have nothing to play for and there are some signs of quitting. How bout them Cowboys!! Packers 38-14

Steelers over the Bengals- This could be Cincy’s last stand as their season is quickly falling apart.  If the Steelers get up early this could end up being a laugher.  Steelers 24-10

New York Jets vs. Detroit Lions

The Jets are coming off of a terrible home loss to the Packers, while the Lions continue to improve each week.  Can the Jets bounce back with a solid performance on the road? Can Gang Green slow down Calvin Johnson? Will the Jets get back to their “ground and pound” ways? Find out this Sunday in my game preview.

Tyson Rauch

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