NFL Picks Week 9: Home Teams Guaranteed to Win Pivotal Contests

In a league that touts parity, home-field advantage can sure make things a tad predictable in the NFL.

This was the case in Week 8, as the home team won eight out of the 13 games on the slate.

The advantage is not always so lopsided, but the Week 9 schedule is no kinder to road teams. Whether it's an injury-laden squad forced to limp out of state or a mediocre team forced to travel across the country, home teams have a major advantage in Week 9.

Here's a look at three contests sure to swing in each home team's favor.

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	Chargers
Atlanta Falcons	Carolina Panthers	Panthers
Philadelphia Eagles	Oakland Raiders	Raiders
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Seattle Seahawks	Seahawks
Baltimore Ravens	Cleveland Browns	Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers	New England Patriots	Steelers
Indianapolis Colts	Houston Texans	Colts
Chicago Bears	Green Bay Packers	Packers

Carolina Dominates Atlanta in NFC South Showdown

The Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons are divisional foes headed in drastically different directions.

Atlanta has been destroyed by injuries, and the only thing able to prevent a five-game losing streak was a contest in Week 7 with the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Quarterback Matt Ryan was especially bad in a Week 8 loss to the .500 Arizona Cardinals as he threw four interceptions.

Conversely, Carolina and quarterback Cam Newton seem to just be hitting their stride with three straight wins. Newton has been especially great, as the team's Twitter account perfectly encapsulates:

Over the course of said win streak, the Panthers have won each game by two touchdowns or more.

Much of Carolina's success comes via its No. 3-ranked overall defense that allows less than two touchdowns per game at a 13.7 average.

It took Ryan 61 passes against Arizona in Week 8 to break the 300-yard mark. Arizona ranks No. 23 against the pass, while Carolina fields a top-10 unit in that regard. Newton will have little issue moving the ball against a mediocre Atlanta secondary while Ryan stumbles in the face of an elite unit on the road.

Prediction: Panthers 30, Falcons 23

Oakland Crushes Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Eagles may have a high-flying offense when healthy, but new head coach Chip Kelly forgot one thing—the NFL requires he field a defense as well.

Kelly's new 3-4 unit ranks second-to-last in the NFL as it allows over 300 passing yards per game and 26.4 points per game. A run defense that surrenders just 99.5 yards per game is nice, but it's only playing that well because teams realize it can take to the air and win. 

Now, Oakland is by no means an offensive juggernaut, as it ranks dead last in the NFL with only 176 passing yards per game, but it touts a top-five rushing attack. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor's horrific 88 passing yards and two interceptions to go with 106 rushing yards in Week 8 summarize the Raiders well.

Flip things around and Oakland quietly fields a top-10 defense. Philadelphia has scored all of 10 points in its last two games.

No matter who is under center for Philadelphia, a long trip to Oakland with a horrible defense and a suddenly non-existent offense means things will get ugly in a hurry.

Prediction: Raiders 24, Eagles 3

Seattle Runs Tampa Bay Back Across the Country

Oh dear.

Winless Tampa Bay, owner of the second-to-last offense starting a rookie quarterback and only scoring 14.3 points per game (only to be outdone by the Jacksonville Jaguars) is tasked with making the trip across the country to CenturyLink Field, where Seattle has not lost since December of 2011.

Sometimes the script writes itself.

Russell Wilson and Seattle average over 27 points per game. Forget that the Seahawks are coming off a short week after a Monday Night Football contest—this one could end up qualifying as a crime.

Greg Schiano's team is a mess in an awkward phase caught between rebuild and nothingness. Seattle is primed for a Super Bowl. Prep for a rib-splitting affair.

Prediction: Seahawks 45, Buccaneers 14

Follow B/R's Chris Roling on Twitter for more news and analysis @Chris_Roling