NFL Week 9 Picks: Projecting Weekend's Overlooked Matchups

For as entertaining as the NFL has been this season, Week 9 lacks that major must-watch matchup.

This may have something to do with the fact some of the most entertaining teams in the NFL, such as Denver, San Francisco and Detroit, have byes.

That said, there is still value to find on the schedule, but it takes a deeper dive rather than a skim on the surface.

Here is a look at three contests that will end up being wildly entertaining in what overall is a lackluster week—on paper.

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

Oakland Raiders Over Philadelphia Eagles

Outside of Oakland and Philadelphia, few fans will tune in to this one. After all, what fun is it to watch two three-win teams go at it?

The answer might surprise fans.

At 3-5, the Eagles still have a shot at the NFC East crown—the division is that bad. Better yet, the Eagles are getting quarterback Nick Foles back, per the team's official Twitter:

Foles' presence means fans may see Chip Kelly's offense get back on track. On the other side is Oakland, a team only playing so well thanks to intriguing quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who has 1,541 total yards and six total touchdowns in as many games.

Therein lies what ensures this will be a fun one: Pryor gets to run wild against the NFL's second-worst defense, and Kelly's offense is liable to explode. Expect the home team to pull through after a frenzy.

Prediction: Raiders 26, Eagles 20

Carolina Panthers Cruise over Atlanta Falcons

Last year, this would have been a highlight of most weeks thanks to the high-flying Atlanta offense. Instead, Matt Ryan and Co. are just 2-5 and hobbled with injuries.

Yet the quiet 4-3 Panthers, winners of three straight, are worth the price of admission.

Carolina quarterback Cam Newton has played out of his mind during the streak, and Atlanta head coach Mike Smith, via Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer, illustrates it well:

Newton has thrown for 667 yards and six touchdowns during the streak, along with 106 yards and two scores.

Atlanta's mediocre defense that allows over 26 points per game has no shot at containing Newton, and Atlanta's horrible offense that features the worst ground attack in football stands no chance against Carolina's top-three defense.

Prediction: Panthers 30, Falcons 23

Tennessee Titans Crush St. Louis Rams

Before Tennessee quarterback Jake Locker went down with an injury, the Titans ran up a 3-1 record and had the look of one of the NFL's better teams.

Locker is now back from injury and managed over 300 passing yards against San Francisco two weeks ago in a loss. The majority came in garbage time, and the 49ers pass defense is suspect, but Locker is now back in rhythm and coming off a bye.

St. Louis is coming off a short week and an extremely tough loss to Seattle and still has Kellen Clemens under center.

The Titans rank No. 7 overall with just 219.9 passing yards per game surrendered, in large part thanks to Alterraun Verner, who ranks as the No. 2 corner in the NFL per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

This one won't be close by game's end, but there is enough young talent, such as Verner and Tavon Austin, to make it worth watching.

Prediction: Titans 30, Rams 17

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