2013 NFL Picks: Every Game, Week 9

A quick look at every game on the NFL schedule for Week 9, along with the consensus picks of Athlon Sports' editors.

Bengals (6-2) at Dolphins (3-4)
A pair of Texas-born and bred gunslingers go toe-to-toe in South Florida, when Andy Dalton and Ryan Tannehill square off on Thursday. Bengals by 4

Falcons (2-5) at Panthers (4-3)
Cam Newton had arguably his most impressive game as a pro last season against Atlanta, the NFC South division rival that also happens to be the ATL native’s hometown team. Superman threw for 287 yards, two TDs and zero INTs, while rushing for 116 yards and one TD in a 30–20 win at Carolina in Week 14 last year. Panthers by 5

Vikings (1-6) at Cowboys (4-4)
Adrian Peterson’s offensive linemen were gifted snowmobiles by the 2,000-yard MVP runner earlier this week. Now the big fellas will need to clear a path for A.D., a Palestine, Texas, native playing in front of friends and family in Big D. Cowboys by 7

Saints (6-1) at Jets (4-4)
Rob Ryan vs. Rex Ryan will be a Big Apple heavyweight bout just short of King Kong vs. Godzilla. One of Buddy’s boys will leave with dinner table bragging rights. Saints by 8

Titans (3-4) at Rams (3-5)
Why isn’t the Jeff Fisher Bowl in Nashville? Probably because the gravel-voiced, mustachioed coach demanded to have homefield advantage against the Titans-Oilers franchise he coached from 1994-2010. And this time, fans might actually show up in St. Louis — unlike the sparsely populated Monday night game played opposite Game 5 of the World Series. Titans by 4

Chiefs (8-0) at Bills (3-5)
Alex Smith has posted a remarkable 27–5–1 record over the last three seasons. That is serious “game management,” Captain Checkdown. Chiefs by 5

Chargers (4-3) at Redskins (2-5)
San Diego takes the flight from the West Coast for an Eastern Time Zone 1 p.m. kickoff. That’s usually not good for the split stats. But these Bolts have been electric on the East Coast, with wins at Philadelphia and Jacksonville this year. Redskins by 1

Eagles (3-5) at Raiders (3-4)
Chip Kelly has a revolving door at quarterback, with Mike Vick limping to the bench, Nick Foles clearing out the concussion cobwebs and rookie Matt Barkley trying to get up to speed. Meanwhile, the Silver-and-Black feel like its found a star quarterback in Terrelle Pryor — who, come to think of it, would probably be pretty darn good at running Kelly’s spread-option offense. Raiders by 2

Buccaneers (0-7) at Seahawks (7-1)
The Jaguars were unheard of 28-point underdogs on the road against the Broncos in Week 6. The Bucs opened as 16-point underdogs on the road against the Seahawks. That seems low considering Seattle’s average margin of victory at home is 20 points, including a 45–17 win over Jacksonville — Tampa Bay’s misery-loving company in the two-team winless club. Seahawks by 16

Ravens (3-4) at Browns (3-5)
The original Browns return to their original hometown to take on the expansion Browns. In Week 2, the Ravens (a team that moved from Cleveland to Baltimore in 1996) defeated the Browns (a team that rejoined the NFL in 1999), 14–6. Judging from recent history, the timing of this contest couldn’t be worse. Baltimore is 10–1 in games following its bye week since 2002 and 5–0 after a bye under John Harbaugh. Ravens by 3

Steelers (2-5) at Patriots (6-2)
Ben Roethlisberger and Tom Brady have won a combined five Super Bowl rings. There’s no denying their past success. This season? Not so much. Big Ben has eight TDs, seven INTs and just two wins, while Tom Terrific has nine TDs, six INTs and five sub-250-yard games. Patriots by 7

Colts (5-2) at Texans (2-5)
Indy and Houston have squared off twice since the Andrew Luck era began. In those two meetings, each team came away with a 1–1 record and a combined score of 45–45. The tiebreaker this week might not be as evenly matched. The Colts are fresh off a bye week. Last season, Luck took down the Packers in his coming out party after an off week. Meanwhile, the Texans are in the midst of a quarterback crisis, starting Case Keenum over a healthy Matt Schaub. Colts by 4

Bears (4-3) at Packers (5-2)
No need to “Daaa-ble Check,” this Monday night party is definitely in grill class. Da Bears take on Aaron Rodgers and the Pack at Lambeau Field in the 187th meeting in the league’s longest running rivalry. Dating back to 1921, Chicago leads the all-time series against Green Bay, 92–88–6. However, the Cheeseheads from Title Town are currently riding a six-game winning streak over Bill Swerski’s Superfans from the Windy City. Packers by 10

Last week: 11–3 // Season: 76–44