NFL Week 9 Picks: Underdogs That Will Pull Off Big Upsets

There are a number of upsets every week in the NFL. Week 9, with its interesting slate of games, is bound to have a few more.

Six teams will be taking the week off, including the Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.  Even without a few playoff-caliber teams, other teams you might not be thinking of are officially on upset alert.

Let's take a look at predictions for every game in Week 9, followed by a breakdown of the teams bound to pull off upsets.

Away	Prediction	Home
Cincinnati Bengals	31-21	Miami Dolphins
Kansas City Chiefs	24-14	Buffalo Bills
Minnesota Vikings	20-28	Dallas Cowboys
Tennessee Titans	24-10	St. Louis Rams
New Orleans Saints	30-17	New York Jets
San Diego Chargers	28-31	Washington Redskins
Atlanta Falcons	14-28	Carolina Panthers
Philadelphia Eagles	17-21	Oakland Raiders
Tampa Bay Buccaneeers	20-30	Seattle Seahawks
Baltimore Ravens	14-20	Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers	21-28	New England Patriots
Indianapolis Colts	31-14	Houston Texans
Chicago Bears	20-35	Green Bay Packers

San Diego Chargers (4-3) at Washington Redskins (2-5)

Date: Sunday, Nov. 3

Time: 1 p.m. ET

TV: CBS

Prediction: 31-28, Redskins

The San Diego Chargers are playing well, but I think Robert Griffin III can lead the Washington Redskins to a big win.

Philip Rivers has done a good job leading the offense and pulling out wins.  He's completing almost 74 percent of his passes for 2,132 yards, 15 touchdowns and just five interceptions.  

The Chargers have had their fair share of issues on defense, but they have allowed just 15 total points in their last two games.  They're still allowing 378.6 total yards of offense, which is 23rd in the NFL.

The Redskins are coming off a tough 45-21 loss against the Broncos, but they did look good heading into the fourth quarter, leading 21-14.  Peyton Manning threw for 354 yards and four touchdowns, but he also threw three interceptions, making it his first game this season with more than one interception.

I think the Redskins can pull this one out against the Chargers.  RGIII will bounce back after throwing for just 132 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions and will make plays with both his arm and legs.  Neither defense is strong, but I think the Redskins are going to figure this week after forcing four turnovers against the Broncos.

Philadelphia Eagles (3-5) at Oakland Raiders (3-4)

Date: Sunday, Nov. 3

Time: 4:05 p.m. ET

TV: Fox

Prediction: 21-17, Raiders

As long at Matt Barkley isn't playing quarterback, the Philadelphia Eagles tend to be a pretty effective offense.  However, even if Barkley doesn't play in this one, Oakland should be able to move to 4-4 on the year and show the rest of the league that the Raiders were seriously underestimated entering Week 1.

Jeff McLane from The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Nick Foles has been medically cleared to play, which means he will likely be starting this week against the Raiders:

Foles has been solid when in the starting lineup, throwing for 622 yards with six touchdowns and zero interceptions.  However, the three games in which he threw at least 25 passes were against the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Giants—not the best defenses in the NFL.

The Raiders have been playing some solid defense this season.  They're allowing just 330.9 total yards and 21.4 points per game.

What will hurt the Eagles in this one is the combined efforts of Terrelle Pryor and Darren McFadden.  The Eagles are one of the worst defenses against the pass, allowing 302.3 yards per game through the air.

I think Pryor will have a big day and, along with a healthy McFadden, will stun the Eagles.  I don't think Foles can get it done, and the Philadelphia offense will sputter once again in a loss.

Baltimore Ravens (3-4) at Cleveland Browns (3-5)

Date: Sunday, Nov. 3

Time: 4:25 p.m. ET

TV: CBS

Prediction: 20-14, Browns

The AFC North is all about the Cincinnati Bengals this season, as the Baltimore Ravens are officially suffering a Super Bowl hangover.

While the Baltimore defense has been pretty solid in every game except the one against the Broncos, the offense has seriously struggled in 2013.  The run game has been especially bad, which is surprising considering Ray Rice and Bernard Pierce are in the backfield.

The Ravens rank 28th in the NFL with just 74 rushing yards per game.  To make things even worse, they rank dead last at 2.8 yards per carry.

Jason Campbell will start for the Browns for the second straight week, according to Ian Rapoport from NFL.com:

In his first start against the Kansas City Chiefs, Campbell played very well.  He went 22-for-36 with 293 yards and two touchdowns, giving him a 105.4 passer rating.

Defensively, the Browns rank seventh in the NFL, allowing just 320.4 total yards per game.  Against the pass, Cleveland is holding opposing quarterbacks to a passer rating of just 82.4.

Campbell may not be the best quarterback in the league, but I think he can do just enough for the Browns to get payback for the 14-6 loss to the Ravens in Week 2.