NFL Week 9 Picks: Home Teams Set to Smoke Their Opponents

It's one thing to win a game in the NFL, but it's another thing to smoke your opponent, and that's exactly what some home teams will do in Week 9.

Coming off a loss in Week 8, the Dallas Cowboys will welcome the Minnesota Vikings to town as the one-win team looks to stop the bleeding in what has been a dreadful season thus far.

The Atlanta Falcons have not come close to meeting expectations as some had them penciled in to win the NFC. In what seems like a bizarro-world occurrence, it's actually their Week 9 opponent, the Carolina Panthers, who are making noise this season.

In Green Bay, the Packers will have a huge divisional matchup against the Chicago Bears in what could change the outlook of the NFC North for the time being.

Let's break down each of these games and find out why the home teams will crush their opponents.

Away	Score	Home
Tennessee Titans	24-10	St. Louis Rams
New Orleans Saints	31-9	New York Jets
Kansas City Chiefs	23-13	Buffalo Bills
Minnesota Vikings	10-41	Dallas Cowboys
San Diego Chargers	28-31	Washington Redskins
Atlanta Falcons	14-31	Carolina Panthers
Philadelphia Eagles	21-24	Oakland Raiders
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	7-27	Seattle Seahawks
Baltimore Ravens	16-20	Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers	17-30	New England Patriots
Indianapolis Colts	24-21	Houston Texans
Chicago Bears	13-38	Green Bay Packers

Dallas Cowboys (vs. Minnesota Vikings)

The Cowboys desperately need to win this game, not only for the sake of their record staying above .500 but for confidence also. Dallas was oh so close to beating a tough team in the Detroit Lions last week, only to cough it up in the final seconds of the game.

Facing off with the Vikings is an ideal situation. Minnesota is a nightmarish 1-6 this season and has a major problem at the quarterback position. Not only has sophomore signal-caller Christian Ponder been a mess, but new QB Josh Freeman completed just 37 percent of his passes in his debut to the tune of 190 yards, no touchdowns and one pick in Week 7.

Freeman's disastrous performance is just a microcosm of what the Vikings have had to deal with at the quarterback position. As a result, teams have been able to cheat against the run, thus helping them stop superstar running back and one of the few viable offensive weapons on this team, Adrian Peterson.

Thankfully for the Cowboys, who own the worst pass defense in the NFL, they don't have to worry about that aspect of their defense this week. Instead, the Cowboys will stack the box and force one of the team's two lackluster quarterbacks and the sixth-worst passing attack to beat them.

That won't bode well for Minnesota's chances in this game.

On the flip side, the Vikings defense simply isn't good enough to stop what the Cowboys are bringing to the table. Dallas is ranked No. 8 through the air this season thanks to Tony Romo and company, which is a bad sign for the Vikings, who give up the fourth-most yards per contest in the passing game.

Once the passing game is established, the Cowboys will be able to move the ball on the ground with ease, and that will be aided by the Vikings' No. 20 rush defense. In the end, the Cowboys will be able to put up a ton of yards and points offensively, and the Vikings simply don't have enough to match that.

Final Score: Cowboys 41, Vikings 10

Carolina Panthers (vs. Atlanta Falcons)

The Falcons simply can't get out of their own way this season. If it's not devastating injuries like the season-ending one to star wide receiver Julio Jones, it's a four-interception game from quarterback Matt Ryan or lackluster defensive play.

The biggest issue has been defense. Atlanta ranks No. 21 against the pass and run this season and is fresh off a contest in which it allowed the Arizona Cardinals to burn it for 27 points, including 201 rushing yards.

Carolina won't be any easier to say the least. The Panthers offense has scored 30 points or more in each of the team's last three games and four of its last five. Quarterback Cam Newton looks to be maturing right before our very eyes as he hasn't thrown a pick in his last three games, and he's scored eight total touchdowns.

Newton's ability to make plays with his legs helps make the Panthers offense far less predictable, and it's Newton's stats that have added to the No. 8 ground game in the NFL. Carolina will also welcome back Jonathan Stewart to the lineup, and he'll be added to an already crowded and successful backfield that includes DeAngelo Williams and goal-line specialist, Mike Tolbert.

Forget that the Panthers are ranked No. 29 through the air—that won't matter in this game as the threat of running the ball will force the Falcons to keep more defenders in the box. That will give Newton plenty of space to throw the ball and give the Falcons headaches all afternoon.

On offense, the Falcons rushing attack has not lived up to expectations after signing veteran back Steven Jackson during the offseason. Instead, Atlanta ranks dead-last in the league running the ball, and Carolina's elite defense, which ranks No. 2 against the run, will help the Falcons continue their dreadful trend on the ground.

A week after gaining just 27 yards on the ground, the Falcons rushing attack deserves zero attention from head coach Ron Rivera's team. It's obvious Matty Ice will need to put his team on his back once again this week with a predictable approach, and we saw how badly that worked out against a less talented Cardinals defense in Week 8.

Final Score: Panthers 31, Falcons 14

Green Bay Packers (vs. Chicago Bears)

The first problem the Bears have is that they lost their quarterback Jay Cutler to injury and now must get through at least the next few weeks with backup Josh McCown behind center. McCown did show some promise after completing 70 percent of his passes for 204 yards and a score, but the jury is still very much out on him considering it was against the Washington Redskins' No. 28-ranked pass defense.

Green Bay's pass defense is also below average as it ranks No. 20 in the NFL, but its run defense is elite with a No. 4 ranking. Any hopes that the Bears can lean on Matt Forte and the rushing attack in order to help establish the pass is wishful thinking at best.

That will force the Bears to depend on McCown, and it's safe to say that's a risky proposition at best.

Chicago was thought to have at least a solid defense when the season began, but a week after letting up 45 points to the Redskins, it's looking more and more like that isn't the case. Chicago has benefited greatly from defensive touchdowns this season, but the fact that it is ranked in the bottom eight teams against the pass and run this season speaks volume about how bad the defense has been.

We already know that quarterback Aaron Rodgers will put up his normal great numbers. This game will really be broken open on the ground as running back Eddie Lacy should abuse a Bears run defense that ranks No. 25 in the league.

Adding to their defensive woes, the Bears will be missing linebacker Lance Briggs, which is a huge blow to both aspects of their defense.

So if the Bears can't stop the run or the pass, exactly how are they going to keep the Packers offense in check when Green Bay owns a top-five ranking in both the pass and run? And where will the points come from? It's going to be a long day for the Bears at Lambeau Field as their injuries continue to catch up to them.

Final Score: Packers 38, Bears 13