NFL Predictions Week 9: Odds, Predictions and Advice for Ideal Underdogs

The NFL will officially surpass the halfway point in Week 9, leading everyone to slowly start thinking ahead to the playoffs.

What do you know, the Jacksonville Jaguars are still in the hunt. At 2-5, they trail the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans by one win. As fun as it'd be to see the six-win Jaguars slip into the postseason, let's just pretend the AFC South doesn't exist until the aliens from Moron Mountain give Andrew Luck his talent back.

While the New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos should convert easy Week 9 opposition into 8-0 starts, several other intriguing matchups contain significant playoff implications. The Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys could determine who backs into the NFC East title on Sunday night, and the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers will compete for conference supremacy.

Meanwhile, a pair of unassuming showdowns will shape each conference's wild-card picture. The winner of each matchup will walk away possessing a playoff spot to protect over the final eight weeks. In each case, the road underdog rolls into Sunday eager to vanquish years of misery.

Away	Home	Line	Prediction
Cleveland Browns	Cincinnati Bengals	CIN -12	30-23 CIN
Green Bay Packers	Carolina Panthers	GB -2.5	23-10 GB
Washington Redskins	New England Patriots	NE -14.5	34-17 NE
Tennessee Titans	New Orleans Saints	NO -8	28-14 NO
Miami Dolphins	Buffalo Bills	BUF -3	24-23 BUF
St. Louis Rams	Minnesota Vikings	MIN -2.5	20-17 STL
Jacksonville Jaguars	New York Jets	N/A	27-19 NYJ
Oakland Raiders	Pittsburgh Steelers	PIT -4	27-24 OAK
New York Giants	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	NYG -1	30-28 NYG
Atlanta Falcons	San Francisco 49ers	ATL -7.5	23-9 ATL
Denver Broncos	Indianapolis Colts	DEN -5	26-17 DEN
Philadelphia Eagles	Dallas Cowboys	PHI -2.5	31-23 PHI
Chicago Bears	San Diego Chargers	SD -4	19-17 SD

All odds, updated as of Wednesday morning, courtesy of Odds Shark. 

Oakland Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Even after losing to the New England Patriots, the 4-2 New York Jets announced their arrival as a legitimate contender with an elite defense. Until they met the Oakland Raiders, who torched them for 7.4 yards per play during a convincing 34-20 victory.

Don't let Geno Smith's presence take away from the upset. They stifled Chris Ivory—who entered Week 8 averaging 100.2 rushing yards per game—to 17 yards on 15 carries. Against a passing defense then comfortably ranked inside the top five, Derek Carr exploded for 333 yards and four touchdowns.

Left tackle Donald Penn praised the second-year quarterback to ESPN.com's Bill Williamson: “He’s always so calm, he’s our leader,” Penn said. “He’s a tremendous leader. He’s making us all look good.”

Oakland now ranks No. 9 in total offense, and Carr has tossed seven touchdown passes over the past two games. His 105.7 quarterback rating ranks fifth among all starting signal-callers.

Rank	Player	QB Rating
1	Tom Brady	115.8
2	Aaron Rodgers	110.9
3	Carson Palmer	110.2
4	Andy Dalton	107.6
5	Derek Carr	105.7

The Steelers have only allowed 18.4 points per game, the NFL's fifth-smallest clip. Yet they're rated No. 20 in total defense and No. 27 against the pass, allowing a 67.8 completion percentage. Colin Kaepernick compiled 335 passing yards against them in Week 2. Now he team views Blaine Gabbert as a superior alternative.

Just as the Steelers finally assembled all of their offenses stars, Le'Veon Bell went down with a season-ending torn MCL. ESPN Stats & Info detailed the severity of Pittsburgh losing its star running back:

DeAngelo Williams is a capable replacement, but Oakland ranks No. 2 in rushing defense while relinquishing 3.6 yards per carry. Pittsburgh's offense is in danger of becoming one-dimensional, and that dimension isn't operating at full strength either.

In his return from a knee injury, Ben Roethlisberger accrued 5.82 yards per pass attempt while coughing up three interceptions. In one game, the star quarterback matched Carr's season pick tally. For the Steelers to have any chance this Sunday and the rest of the season, he needs to quickly revert to the guy who compiled 4,952 yards through the air last season.

Expect a better showing than last weekend from Pittsburgh's offense but not enough sans Bell to keep up with the rising Raiders.

St. Louis Rams at Minnesota Vikings

Billy Hurst/Associated Press

The St. Louis Rams started the season looking like the same old Rams. After piquing everyone's curiosity with a victory over the Seattle Seahawks, they faltered against Washington. So begins the path to another 7-9 season with an underwhelming quarterback sinking the ship.

Then Todd Gurley showed up.

An early scratch while rehabbing a torn ACL, the rookie running back has registered 566 rushing yards over his last four games, eclipsing over 125 yards each time. The Rams have deposited 85 points during this stretch, with their only loss coming at Green Bay.

The Minnesota Vikings, who know a thing or two ago about transcendent running backs carrying a team, are presented the unenviable task of slowing Gurley down. Minnesota cornerback Captain Munnerlyn marveled over the rookie rusher to the Pioneer Press' Chris Tomasson.

"This guy, Todd Gurley, he's special," Munnerlyn said. "He's Adrian Peterson all over again. ... People don't realize how big he is. ... He can hit you with the home-run speed. He's a young Adrian Peterson, but I like our Adrian Peterson better."

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Peterson's 105.7 yards per game and 4.5 yards per carry look downright pedestrian to Gurley's 128.6 yards per game—including his nine-yard NFL debut—and 6.1 yards per handoff. St. Louis' defense is also more equipped to contain a superstar, relinquishing 3.7 yards per rush to Minnesota's 4.4.

Minnesota has an explosive rookie of its own. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs has recorded 419 yards through four games, giving quarterback Teddy Bridgewater a much-needed weapon. The young duo gives the Vikings a distinct passing advantage over Nick Foles and Co., but both top-10 passing defenses should produce an ugly enough game for Gurley's prowess to prove the difference.