NFL Predictions Week 9: Picking Winners of Prime-Time Matchups

Week 9 of the NFL season will feature big prime-time games between some surprising and disappointing teams on Thursday, Sunday and Monday.  

A couple of teams will be trying to turn around disappointing starts to their seasons in the national spotlight.  Meanwhile, others will be trying to continue their great seasons and stay on top of their respective divisions.

Let's take a look at predictions for all 13 games in Week 9, followed by a breakdown of the three prime-time games.

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

Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) at Miami Dolphins (3-4)

Date: Thursday, Oct. 31

Time: 8:25 p.m. ET

TV: NFL Network

Prediction: 31-21, Bengals

The argument can be made that the Cincinnati Bengals are the hottest team in the NFL right now.  Not only have they won four straight games, but they're also coming off of a dominant 49-9 win over the New York Jets.

Andy Dalton has been on fire over the past three games, throwing for 1,034 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions.  Last week against the Jets, he threw for 325 yards and a career-high five touchdowns along with an interception to give him an incredible 98.9 QBR.

While the Bengals continue to win games, the Dolphins keep losing them.  After starting the season at 3-0, they've now fallen to 3-4 after losing their last four games.

While Ryan Tannehill has shown signs of development this season, he has struggled over the last four games.  On the year, he's thrown for 1,769 yards and 11 touchdowns, but he's also had nine interceptions and eight fumbles.

It's really hard to go against the Bengals in this one.  They're on fire right now, while the Dolphins are ice cold, and I don't expect a swing in momentum. The Bengals will go on to win their fifth straight game and stay well ahead of the rest of the AFC North.

Indianapolis Colts (5-2) at Houston Texans (2-5)

Date: Sunday, Nov. 3

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: NBC

Prediction: 31-14, Colts

The Indianapolis Colts look completely different this year, but that hasn't kept them from winning big games over the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos.

After being such a heavy passing team in recent years, the Colts have switched to a more balanced offense, and it has shown.  They're averaging 129.3 rushing yards per game, the ninth-most in the NFL.

Defensively, this team has focused on bending but not breaking.  It is allowing 350.7 total yards per game but giving up just 18.7 points per game.

Despite high expectations for the 2013 season, the Houston Texans have been disappointing.  They're 2-5 with five straight losses, including a 38-13 blowout against none other than the St. Louis Rams.

Matt Schaub has lost his starting job, and, according to the team's official Twitter account, Case Keenum will be the starter for the second straight game.

In his first career start, Keenum actually played quite well.  He went 15-for-25 with 271 yards and a touchdown, almost leading the Texans to a win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

J.J. Watt continues to lead a tough defense, allowing just 145.6 passing yards and 267.7 total yards per game, with both of those marks being the best in the NFL.

However, the defense can't score points for Houston, and it will struggle to hold off Indianapolis as the Colts coast to another big win.

Chicago Bears (4-3) at Green Bay Packers (5-2)

Date: Monday, Nov. 4

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

Prediction: 35-20, Packers

Although the Chicago Bears are still in the race for the NFC North, it's going to be really hard for them to stay in it after injuries to both Jay Cutler and Lance Briggs.

Josh McCown will need a big game, and that's going to be very tough against a strong Green Bay defense.  He may have thrown for 204 yards and a touchdown against the Washington Redskins, but they have one of the worst defenses in the NFL.

Without Briggs, the defense is likely going to be in big trouble.  It was already allowing 391 total yards and 29.4 points per game, but those numbers could go up even more without one of its best defensive players.

Aaron Rodgers is on quite a hot streak right now.  During Green Bay's four-game win streak, he's thrown for 1,134 yards, seven touchdowns and just one interception.

One of the reasons Rodgers has played so well over the past four games is the emergence of Eddie Lacy.  Since coming back from his concussion, Lacy has run for almost 400 yards over the past four games, opening up the field for Rodgers to make more plays and fewer mistakes.

The Packers are still a major threat in the NFC without Randall Cobb and James Jones, which should scare the Bears.  Expect the Packers to win this one without much trouble and hold on to the lead in the NFC North over the Detroit Lions.