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Week 9 kicked off with a fantastic game over in the Bay Area, as the Cardinals really took the game to the 49ers, nearly causing a huge upset. Kenyan Drake looked like the real deal in his first game following his trade from the Dolphins and rookie Andy Isabella scored a huge TD showing off the pace and agility that caused the Cardinals to spend a 2nd round pick on him.

However, it was Jimmy Garoppolo’s night to remember as he threw for over 300 yards and 4 TDs when he needed to step up and help the team. The defense had an off night but the offense filled in nicely with Matt Breida, George Kittle and especially new recruit Emmanuel Sanders all having good performances.

But now we look ahead to the weekend and the nice slate of games the NFL has to offer:

Texans (5-3) @ Jaguars (4-4)

A nice AFC South matchup to kick us off this week as the Jags entertain the Texans in London. The Texans have taken a huge hit on the defensive side of the ball by losing their star wrecking ball JJ Watt to a torn pec. Texan fans will be looking to Deshaun Watson to make up for the defense by putting up a ton of points, however, his eye took a nasty kick last week and there could still be some lingering effects, and a transatlantic flight never helps either. I think the Jags, led by rookie sensation Gardner Minshew, could cause an upset which could propel them into consideration for a wild card berth.

Prediction: Texans 23 Jaguars 27

Bears (3-4) @ Eagles (4-4)

Two tough northeast teams come to a head-on Sunday in Philly. The Bears defense looks almost as good as it did last year, but the offense is so subpar that by the 4th quarter the defense runs out of gas from spending so much time on the field. This game will be described as a slog, as Wentz looks to make hay against a tough bunch of guys trying to track him down. Trubisky looks to have a great matchup against a weak Eagles secondary, but he seems unable to find anyone not called Allen Robinson downfield. A close game is my prediction but the Eagles will just pull away in the 4th quarter.

Prediction: Bears 17 Eagles 27

Colts (5-2) @ Steelers (3-4)

The Steelers looked like they could be on the wrong side of a horrible loss on Monday Night, but luckily for then Xavien Howard got injured and Rudolph was able to make easier throws against weaker opposition. This week they face a much tougher challenge, and one I’m not sure they can overcome. The Colts may have been a tad lucky to beat the Broncos but that’s the sign of a good team, winning close games when you aren’t playing well. The Steelers are looking like they aren’t as bad of a team as it first appeared, but they’ll be struggling to get themselves to a winning record in 2019

Prediction: Colts 24 Steelers 17

Jets (1-6) @ Dolphins (0-7)

The Jets have looked far from a good team this year, despite the hype surrounding them. The trade deadline came and passed and the Jets barely shifted anyone despite reportedly having multiple elite players on the block. What that does for team harmony is yet to be seen but it speaks volumes for the dysfunction in the front office and Adam Gase’s incompetence. Having said all of that I do expect the Jets to win this week, but only because they face the tanking Dolphins who have scored a total of 20 points in the 2nd half of games this year, and 13 of those came against the Redskins in week 6.

Prediction: Jets 34 Dolphins 17

Vikings (6-2) @ Chiefs (5-3)

There’s talk about Mahomes being back for this week but I don’t think they’ll risk their star QB’s future health by rushing him back too soon. Matt Moore actually looked good against the Packers but he’ll be up against a tougher test in this Vikings defense. The Chiefs D, on the other hand, is as porous as ever and will struggle to contain Dalvin Cook who is having the best year of his young career. Even with Mahomes this would be a close game, losing him just signals an easy win for Minnesota.

Prediction: Vikings 31 Chiefs 24

Titans (4-4) @ Panthers (4-3)

The Titans are shining with Ryan Tannehill at QB, he may not be amazing but he is certainly an upgrade on Mariota and it’s showing. This week they head to Carolina to face a Panthers team recently humbled by the Niners defense. The Panthers will be looking to rebound in a big way and this game will be a close battle. I’m going to give the W to the team with the best player, Cristian McCaffrey, who has been absolutely dominant this year. I do worry this usage will hurt him in the long run in the same way it has hurt Newton.

Prediction: Titans 21 Panthers 27

Redskins (1-7) @ Bills (5-2)

I’ve heard rumors that Haskins will get the start this week in Buffalo. If that is indeed the case then he is going to get a rude awakening against a really good defensive unit. The Bills struggled last week against Philly but will be looking at this fixture and chomping at the bit to get momentum back on their side. Every time the Bills franchise reached 6-1, they went to the Superbowl. They narrowly missed out on that record this year but they are still a shoe-in for the playoffs and we all know that anything can happen in January, especially with a defense of this caliber.

Prediction: Redskins 13 Bills 27

Buccaneers (2-5) @ Seahawks (6-2)

This game should be a lot more entertaining that the records of the two teams suggests. The Bucs look better than a 2-6 team, but they are often let down by their QB Winston, who has a habit of making silly errors at bad times. The Bucs defense is a lot better than last year, especially against the run, but Wilson will be looking to find Lockett and Metcalf down the field with the same kind of ruthless efficiency that he’s done it all year. A potential shootout in Seattle this week but the Seahawks quality should prevail.

Prediction: Buccaneers 28 Seahawks 35

Lions (3-3-1) @ Raiders (3-4)

Another game I believe will go to a shootout. The Lions could easily be better than their current record and the Raiders are surprising a lot of people by competing for a playoff spot this year despite currently holding a losing record. These two teams are the worst and 3rd worse defenses against the pass, so look for Stafford and Carr to take advantage of that, with Waller, Williams, Golladay, and Jones the beneficiaries.

Prediction: Lions 34 Raiders 31

Packers (7-1) @ Chargers (3-5)

The Packers have been getting better on offense as the season progresses, with Aaron Rodgers now firmly in the MVP conversation. This week shouldn’t prove to be any different against a Chargers defense that has been injury-ridden, especially in the secondary. If ever there was a QB who could nullify a pass rush, it’s Rodgers, so be prepared for Ingram and Bosa to struggle to lay a meaningful finger on the veteran. The Packers defense has weakened from the strong unit they appeared to be in the first few weeks, so look to Rivers to move the chains a lot, especially to Keenan Allen who may not still be on the same record-setting pace he was through 4 weeks, but is still a huge threat to any defense.

Prediction: Packers 35 Chargers 24

Browns (2-5) @ Broncos (2-6)

A pitiful 4 wins combined between these two sides who both had playoff aspirations at the start of the year. The Broncos losing Flacco conveniently after he criticized the play calling is a massive hit to an already struggling offense and if he heads to IR, which seems likely, the Broncos will be the only team in the NFL to have no QBs with NFL experience on the roster. The Browns tried to trade for Trent Williams in an attempt to patch up a shoddy offensive line but weren’t willing to pay the high price the Redskins had on him. Whatever the under is in this game I would take it as there are 2 good defenses and 2 poor offenses in this game.

Prediction: Browns 17 Broncos 3

SNF: Patriots (8-0) @ Ravens (5-2)

A barn buster of a Sunday Night matchup in Maryland as the Ravens host the undefeated Patriots. The Ravens have had a couple of weeks to prepare for this defense which has been one of the bigger stories of 2019, especially in fantasy football, however, even with a week less to prepare I’m sure the Belichicks have a scheme in plan to take away Brown and Andrews to try and force Lamar to make plays without his favorite targets. Brady hasn’t been amazing this year, often starting drives with great field position and relying on the run game, but this Ravens defense has been poor in 2019 and shouldn’t be difficult for Brady to pick apart.

Prediction: Patriots 27 Ravens 13

MNF: Cowboys (4-3) @ Giants (2-6)

A classic NFC East matchup on Monday Night sees the Cowboys travel to the Big Apple. After a bit of a wobble, the Cowboys had a really solid performance in Week 7 and bye in Week 8 so they should be confident and fresh coming into this game. The Giants aren’t a great team in 2019 despite looking like they’ve found their new franchise QB. The secondary is there for the taking and I’m sure Dak Prescott will be hoping to connect with Gallup and Cooper in a big way, on primetime TV, and show the nation that they are still contenders to win it all.

Prediction: Cowboys 42 Giants 17