NFL Picks Week 9: Complete Selections Against the Spread

Sunday will mark the 16th time Peyton Manning and Tom Brady square off against each other. And while the legendary quarterbacks have produced a handful of memorable battles, No. 16 may just turn into the best of the bunch.

Practically dinosaurs compared to the rest of the league, the 38-year-old Manning and 37-year-old Brady are arguably at the very peak of their respective games.

In the past four weeks, the future Hall of Famers have combined to complete 70.2 percent of their throws for 2,606 yards, 28 touchdowns and two interceptions. The Denver Broncos are 4-0 over that span, averaging 37.25 points per game. The New England Patriots are 4-0, averaging 39.5.

The two quarterbacks who will forever be linked to each other have essentially been mirror images for the last month, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Oh yeah, and the inside track for the top seed in the AFC will be on the line. And because it's not already compelling enough, toss in some potentially cruddy weather to boot, via NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano:

Oftentimes the Manning vs. Brady rivalry gets over-hyped into oblivion. But considering how unstoppable each has looked, and the position of both teams at the top of the conference, this one is going to be well worth the stupid price of cable.

Throw in several other important matchups between playoff contenders (New Orleans at Carolina, Arizona at Dallas, Philadelphia at Houston, San Diego at Miami, Baltimore at Pittsburgh), and we've got ourselves a loaded Week 9.

Let's take a look at the entire slate.

Thur, Oct. 30	Time (ET)	Spread	Pick Against Spread
Sun, Nov. 2	Time (ET)	Spread	Pick Against Spread
Mon, Nov. 3	Time (ET)	Spread	Pick Against Spread
New Orleans at Carolina	8:25 p.m.	CAR (-2.5)	Saints
NY Jets at Kansas City	1 p.m.	KC (-7.5)	Chiefs
San Diego at Miami	1 p.m.	MIA (-1.5)	Chargers
Jacksonville at Cincinnati	1 p.m.	CIN (-13.5)	Jaguars
Washington at Minnesota	1 p.m.	WAS (-1)	Redskins
Tampa Bay at Cleveland	1 p.m.	CLE (-6)	Buccaneers
Arizona at Dallas	1 p.m.	DAL (-4)	Cardinals
Philadelphia at Houston	1 p.m.	PHI (-2.5)	Texans
St. Louis at San Francisco	4:05 p.m.	SF (-7.5)	49ers
Oakland at Seattle	4:25 p.m.	SEA (-15.5)	Seahawks
Denver at New England	4:25 p.m.	DEN (-4)	Patriots
Baltimore at Pittsburgh	8:30 p.m.	BAL (-1.5)	Steelers
Indianapolis at NY Giants	8:30 p.m.	IND (-3)	Colts

Lock of the Week: Pittsburgh (+1.5) vs. Baltimore

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Chances are, Ben Roethlisberger isn't going to throw for 522 yards and six touchdowns. My research tells me that's pretty rare.

At the same time, though, he shouldn't have trouble marching the ball down the field in an efficient manner. While the Baltimore Ravens have been solid against the pass and dominated Pittsburgh in Week 2, they will be without starting cornerback Jimmy Smith, who sprained his foot in Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

"Jimmy is going to be out for a few weeks,” head coach John Harbaugh said, via The Baltimore Sun's Aaron Wilson. “It's not a Lisfranc deal. It's a mid-foot sprain. He'll be out for a few weeks, but he'll be back soon.”

It's a major loss, as NFL.com's Gregg Rosenthal noted:

Not only has Smith been emerging as one of the better young defensive backs in the league, but his absence leaves Baltimore with just three healthy cornerbacks: Ladarius Webb, Dominique Franks and Chykie Brown.

And being short-handed in the secondary against the Steelers is a recipe for disaster.

Antonio Brown is one of the best wide receivers in the league. Martavis Bryant is emerging quickly as a dangerous weapon. Markus Wheaton has been inconsistent, but his wheels are always a looming threat. Le'Veon Bell, a ridiculous mix of elusiveness and power, is second in the NFL in total yards from scrimmage in large part thanks to his receiving skills.

Pittsburgh radio host Gregg Giannotti put it simply:

Granted, the Ravens won't let Roethlisberger sit comfortably in the pocket like Indianapolis did. Like many AFC North games, this should be a close, physical battle.

But with the way the Steelers' offense is clicking on every level, you have to take them with the points at home, where they are 3-1 on the season.