NFL Week 9 Picks: Road Favorites Guaranteed to Eviscerate Home Underdogs

In the National Football League, there is no more satisfying feeling than going on the road and destroying the opposition.

From the dejected look of the fans or the embarrassment of the players as boo birds rain down in their direction, all of it is a sign of a job well done.

As the NFL season wears, road victories become more prevalent, as elite teams continually rise to the top while bottom-tier squads slowly contemplate catchy slogans for their upcoming high pick.

Though the 2012 season has been filled to the brim with parity, the separation between the good, bad, and the "please don't make me watch them again" is starting to show.

With that in mind, here are a few road favorites that will destroy their competition in Week 9. 

Denver Broncos (at Cincinnati Bengals)

Offensive takeaways from games against the Saints aren't exactly reliable this season, as New Orleans boasts easily the worst defense in football.

Nonetheless, what was most impressive about the Broncos' 34-14 victory was the fact that they completely halted Drew Brees and the Saints' passing attack.

The New Orleans signal-caller went just 22-of-42 passing for 213 yards with two touchdowns against one interception.

Those numbers aren't bad whatsoever in a vacuum. However, when considering that Brees had thrown 14 touchdown passes and averaged 358.25 passing yards per game over his previous four contests, the Broncos' defensive performance has to be considered nothing short of elite.

In fact, Denver has actually had one of the more underrated defenses in 2012. According to Football Outsiders' weighted defense ranking, the Broncos are the fifth-best unit in football through eight weeks. 

Couple that with Peyton Manning's MVP-level play and it doesn't seem like many teams have a chance to beat Denver at this point.

Look for yet another big Broncos win in Cincinnati on Sunday. 

Detroit Lions (at Jacksonville Jaguars)

It may be too early to say the Lions' explosive offense is completely back, but it sure looked it last Sunday.

Facing off against a Seattle Seahawks secondary that had held Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady to mediocre performances this season, Matthew Stafford dominated in the Detroit victory. Stafford threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns against just one interception, all while Calvin Johnson was held to a meager three catches for 48 yards.

It may have just been a facade, but the Lions have a great chance to continue their offensive resurgence this week in Jacksonville.

Using the aforementioned Football Outsiders rankings, the Jaguars have the 24th-ranked pass defense in the NFL, giving up 16.1 percent more yardage than a replacement-level unit would against similar opponents. 

With my rudimentary math skills (read: a calculator), that works out to around 349 yards passing for Stafford on Sunday.

Considering Jacksonville has the worst offense in the NFL by a pretty wide margin, it seems impossible that the Jaguars keep pace.

This is as close to a lock as you can possibly get in Week 9. 

Chicago Bears (at Tennessee Titans)

Though Chicago's offensive performance has left much to be desired in its past two games, the unit will get a much-needed reprieve on Sunday against the Titans.

Tennessee's defense ranks in the bottom four in both categories this season, having given up massive games against even the most questionable opponents. 

That should mean a resurgence for Jay Cutler and a strong performance from Matt Forte, who seemed well on his way to a banner day last week until the game plan necessitated throwing the ball. 

What's more, it's not exactly blasphemy to call Tennessee's offense inconsistent. I'm sold on Matt Hasselbeck suddenly becoming consistently efficient, and we've seen what Chris Johnson can do (or not do) against elite defenses this season.

Simply put, the Bears are simply more talented at nearly every position on the field, save for the offensive line. 

Too much talent for Chicago and too much putridity on defense and inconsistency on offense for Tennessee. 

Look for the Bears to re-establish themselves among the NFL's elite on Sunday with a huge victory.

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