NFL TV Schedule 2014: Week 9 Coverage Map Listings for Every Game

It's only Week 9 of the season, but a handful of the matchups on tap for the weekend guarantee to have big-time implications in the race for playoff seeds.

Matchups like the New Orleans Saints facing the Carolina Panthers will go a long way to decide the playoff hunt in certain divisions, while a couple of other matchups figure to be future playoff showdowns. That means we could be looking back to Week 9 later on in the season if and when things get tight.

A whopping six teams are on bye for Week 9, but with the quality of matchups to watch, most folks won't even notice the shorter sample size of games.

Let's break down the Week 9 schedule and take a look at coverage map listings.

Date	Matchup	Time (ET)	TV
Thu., Oct. 30	New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers	8:25 p.m.	NFLN
Sun., Nov. 2	Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cleveland Browns	1 p.m.	Fox
Sun., Nov. 2	Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys	1 p.m.	Fox
Sun., Nov. 2	Philadelphia Eagles at Houston Texans	1 p.m.	Fox
Sun., Nov. 2	New York Jets at Kansas City Chiefs	1 p.m.	CBS
Sun., Nov. 2	Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals	1 p.m.	CBS
Sun., Nov. 2	San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins	1 p.m.	CBS
Sun., Nov. 2	Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings	1 p.m.	Fox
Sun., Nov. 2	St. Louis Rams at San Francisco 49ers	4:05 p.m.	Fox
Sun., Nov. 2	Denver Broncos at New England Patriots	4:25 p.m.	CBS
Sun., Nov. 2	Oakland Raiders at Seattle Seahawks	4:25 p.m.	CBS
Sun., Nov. 2	Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers	8:30 p.m.	NBC
Mon., Nov. 3	Indianapolis Colts at New York Giants	8:30 p.m.	ESPN

Full television info via nationwide coverage map can be found at 506 Sports.

Top Games to Watch

Denver Broncos at New England Patriots

The top seed in the AFC certainly won't be decided for good in Sunday's meeting between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos, but the winner is sure to get a serious leg up in the race.

And for two teams looking more and more likely to meet in the conference title game again, getting that home-field advantage should be at the top of the priority list. 

On top of all the implications, this matchup always carries the inevitable Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady storyline. Two of the all-time quarterbacking greats will go at it for the 16th time.

But as Denver coach John Fox told the team's Twitter account, that's not the case:

Manning will try to continue his recent tear, in which he has thrown for 10 touchdowns and no picks as of late—oh, and he broke the career passing touchdowns record in that span. But the Patriots have been awfully tough to get past through the air, allowing just 210 yards per game—second in the NFL.

The Patriots are feeling awfully confident after winning four straight games, but Sunday is just the start of an upcoming gauntlet, as per NFL Philosophy:

New England's offensive line was a big question mark early in the season that has turned things around as of late, but Week 9 will be a tough test. Von Miller has nine sacks in seven games and is proving treacherous off the edge, and the Broncos will be sure to dial up the pressure to keep Brady under duress. 

This probably won't be the most important game these two play against each other this season, but the stakes are nonetheless massive.

Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys

The mood in Dallas has gone from jubilant to sour in the span of a game with Tony Romo's back problems resurfacing in a home loss to the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football. This is the worst time for the Cowboys to host a visit from the NFC's best-playing team, but the NFL schedule takes no prisoners.

The Cowboys will be aiming to prevent their first losing streak of the season and avoid losing all of the momentum built in an earlier six-game win streak with Sunday's game against the 6-1 Arizona Cardinals.

Bruce Arians' squad nearly joined Dallas in the loss column in Week 8, but John Brown's late 75-yard touchdown catch helped the Cardinals slip past the Eagles at home. However, after that tight game, Carson Palmer and Co. see plenty of areas to improve, per the team's Twitter:

It's likely that a strong offensive game will be needed from the Cardinals, going up against a potent Cowboys offense that could have a big day. Arizona boasts a shockingly incompetent secondary this season, ranking second to last in pass defense.

That will put the onus on Arizona's dangerous defensive front to generate pressure and get to Romo, per ESPN's Ed Werder:

A loss would only drop Dallas to 6-3 on the season, but it's a slippery slope with the Cowboys' well-documented late-season struggles. As for the Cardinals, they maintain a shocking lead in the NFC West, and they won't be shy trying to distance themselves from the Seahawks and the 49ers.

The NFC is a battle of heavyweights when it comes to playoff positioning, and the Cardinals and the Cowboys both have the opportunity to lay haymakers Sunday.

Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.