NFL Week 9 Picks: Predicting Winners for Most Exciting Matchups

The NFL is officially at the midway point of the 2013 season here in Week 9, and there are some exciting matchups with playoff implications on the schedule this weekend. 

Contenders and pretenders have emerged heading into the second half of the year.

The top teams in the league are getting ready to ramp up efforts for the postseason push, while an unfortunate few already find themselves looking ahead to the 2014 NFL draft.

Every game on the schedule carries equal weight in the final analysis, but there are a few contests on this weekend's schedule that will certainly be remembered later this season when the playoff picture comes into full focus.

Here's a look at every game on the schedule with predicted winners, followed by a closer examination of a few of the week's most exciting games. 

AWAY	HOME	PREDICTED WINNER
Cincinnati Bengals	Miami Dolphins	Bengals
Kansas City Chiefs	Buffalo Bills	Chiefs
Minnesota Vikings	Dallas Cowboys	Cowboys
Tennessee Titans	St. Louis Rams	Titans
New Orleans Saints	New York Jets	Saints
San Diego Chargers	Washington Redskins	Redskins
Atlanta Falcons	Carolina Panthers	Panthers
Philadelphia Eagles	Oakland Raiders	Raiders
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Seattle Seahawks	Seahawks
Baltimore Ravens	Cleveland Browns	Ravens
Pittsburgh Steelers	New England Patriots	Patriots
Indianapolis Colts	Houston Texans	Texans
Chicago Bears	Green Bay Packers	Packers

Chicago at Green Bay

The final game of Week 9 has huge NFC North implications, as the Chicago Bears travel to Lambeau Field for a Monday Night Football showdown. 

Unfortunately, Chicago enters the game with a bit of a limp, having lost both Jay Cutler and linebacker Lance Briggs for the next few games—at least. 

Still, backup quarterback Josh McCown showed a lot of spunk and did a nice job running the team's offense in Week 7 after Cutler left the game with his groin injury. He still has all the weapons in place to succeed on offense with Brandon Marshall, Matt Forte, Martellus Bennett and Alshon Jeffery.

On the other side, Green Bay is cruising in from a big win on Sunday Night Football, having won four straight games to lead the division with a record of 5-2. 

It'll be interesting to see which team handles the pressure of this big game, but until McCown proves he's capable of beating Aaron Rodgers in a shootout I'm going with the home team.

Final Score: Packers win 35-24.

Atlanta at Carolina

This game won't likely be full of excitement for Atlanta Falcons fans who are shell-shocked about their favorite team's 2-5 start.

However, this is a chance for the Carolina Panthers to make a big statement against one of the teams in the NFC South that has dominated the division the past few years. 

For the first time since 2008, the Panthers are above .500. Carolina improved to 4-3 after crushing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football to get Week 8 kicked off, and Cam Newton has put together the best three-game stretch of his career.

A Panthers win would be a big boost to this young team's growing confidence and expectation. A loss, conversely, would significantly stifle the incredible momentum that is building within the locker room.

Thankfully for Panthers fans, Carolina has all the pieces in place to win their fourth straight game. The team's running game is operating at a high level, and Newton has been making excellent decisions. This works well in concert with Carolina's stifling defense, which will shut down Atlanta's offensive attack.

Final Score: Panthers win 31-17. 

Indianapolis at Houston

Houston is down, but it's not quite out yet in the AFC South with a record of 2-5. 

This team lost five games in a row heading into its Week 8 bye, resulting in a current three-game deficit behind the Indianapolis Colts in the division. 

Indy needs to beat Houston in order to make its mark in the divisional rivalry. 

The Colts have already rattled off some of the most impressive wins of any team this year by beating the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. However, a loss to Houston would not only be a big swing within the division, but it would also be two losses in the last three games. 

Andrew Luck has been playing exceptionally well of late, but he'll be without Reggie Wayne for the first time in his career. Wayne was lost for the season when he tore his ACL against the Broncos in Week 7, and he was Luck's security blanket when the young quarterback needed an outlet under pressure.

Houston is banged up at the running back position, with Arian Foster and Ben Tate both on the injury report, but they're both expected to be in good shape for this upcoming game, as noted by Nathan Zegura of CBS Sports:

Expect the Texans to lean heavily on the running game to soften up Indy's secondary, which will open up some big plays on the perimeter for Andre Johnson and rookie DeAndre Hopkins. 

Houston won't go down easy at home, and this team will play with some fire with its season on the line. 

Final Score: Texans win 24-21. 

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