NFL TV Schedule 2016: Week 9 Channel Guide, Coverage Map and Live Stream

Week 9 might not hold any surprises as huge as the Jay Cutler-led Chicago Bears upsetting the NFC North first-place Minnesota Vikings, but there's still plenty of intrigue surrounding this slate of matchups. 

Staying focused on the NFC for a moment, the playoff race is looking incredibly muddled as we prepare to round the halfway point of the season.

The Philadelphia Eagles have a chance to create some distance between themselves and the New York Giants, but with a matchup against the Cleveland Browns, the Dallas Cowboys will likely further secure their lead in the NFC East. 

The Green Bay Packers will hope to capitalize on Minnesota's Week 8 loss and defeat the Indianapolis Colts to take a step toward stealing the NFC North crown for themselves. 

Then, there's this week's juiciest showdown: an AFC West clash between the Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders, who are tied at 6-2.

Here are the TV coverage maps for this weekend's games, courtesy of 506 Sports: 

Below is all the information you need about the TV schedule for Week 9 as well as some picks and previews for the must-watch matchups on the slate:  

Date	Time	Away	Home	TV	Pick
Thursday	8:25 p.m.	ATL	TB	NFL Network	Falcons
Sunday	1:00 p.m.	DET	MIN	Fox	Vikings
Sunday	1:00 p.m.	PHI	NYG	Fox	Eagles
Sunday	1:00 p.m.	NYJ	MIA	CBS	Jets
Sunday	1:00 p.m.	JAC	KC	CBS	Chiefs
Sunday	1:00 p.m.	DAL	CLE	Fox	Cowboys
Sunday	1:00 p.m.	PIT	BAL	CBS	Steelers
Sunday	4:05 p.m.	NO	SF	Fox	Saints
Sunday	4:05 p.m.	CAR	LA	Fox	Panthers
Sunday	4:25 p.m.	IND	GB	CBS	Packers
Sunday	4:25 p.m.	TEN	SD	CBS	Chargers
Sunday	8:30 p.m.	DEN	OAK	NBC	Broncos
Monday	8:30 p.m.	BUF	SEA	ESPN	Seahawks

Must-Watch Matchups

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders

Brian Blanco/Getty Images

The prime-time Sunday Night Football matchup between the Broncos and Raiders is a can't-miss clash for so many reasons. 

The two division rivals sit tied atop the AFC West at 6-2 and have yet to face each other this year. This game provides the first tiebreaker for the division lead, and come Monday morning, one team will necessarily get demoted to second place.

Oakland's Derek Carr, in an AFC Offensive Player of the Week performance, went off in Week 8 for 513 yards and four touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Of course, he was aided by an extra overtime inning, but he continued to demonstrate that he can be aggressive without sacrificing accuracy and that he knows how to take advantage of his weapons. 

But in Week 9, he'll face the Broncos defense. It has allowed opponents just 301.3 yards per game on average, which is third in the league.

In passing, specifically, Denver is allowing quarterbacks an average of only 183.9 yards, the least of any team in the league. 

The Broncos also win the turnover battle and know how to get after the quarterback. This game will hinge on whether Carr can evade Denver's pass rush to do what he does. And the outcome will have huge implications on the AFC playoff race. 

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants 

Roger Steinman/Associated Press

While this NFC East showdown doesn't hold as much import as the AFC West matchup I just mentioned, there's a lot at stake for the Eagles and Giants when they meet on Sunday.

Neither Philadelphia nor New York holds first place in the division; that honor belongs to the Dallas Cowboys at 6-1. The Giants are No. 2 at 4-3, and the Eagles are No. 3 with the same record.

This will be the first time the two teams meet this year, so as is the case with the Raiders and Broncos, this game will be a tiebreaker.

Week 9 presents a big opportunity for the Eagles, who had a hot start under rookie quarterback Carson Wentz but have shown their flaws in recent weeks.

According to ESPN.com, if the Eagles win, they have a 63 percent chance of making the playoffs; with a loss, their chances are just 33 percent.

The Giants' chances are less robust, but they're very much in the race: 52 percent with a win and 22 percent with a loss.   

Indianapolis Colts at Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis' Andrew Luck and Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers are two of the most talented quarterbacks in the league, but they have seen their share of struggles recently. 

Many figured that at some point, we'd see Luck and Rodgers lead their teams to the Super Bowl to face off, but that has yet to come to fruition, as both the Colts and Packers have failed to get to the big game since Luck joined the league in 2012. 

At least Rodgers appears to be pulling himself out of whatever funk he has been in since the 2015 season. He resembled the quarterback we're all used to seeing in the Packers' Week 8 tilt with the Atlanta Falcons, passing for 246 yards and four touchdowns with no picks.

His completion percentage of 73.7 was his second-highest of the season, and he did it without two of his top weapons in Randall Cobb and Ty Montgomery. 

Luck has for the most part shined on a Colts team lacking any real talent around him, and though his team is only 3-5, he has already thrown for 2,284 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Unfortunately, Luck has also already taken 31 sacks and thrown five interceptions behind an offensive line that the Colts tried to beef up prior to the season.

As NFL Network's Dan Hellie points out, Luck is taking the second-most hits per game of any quarterback:

His receivers also struggle with drops, and the Colts defense hasn't been able to help the offense establish or hold a lead. 

The Packers, despite all their injuries, hold an advantage as they host the Colts in Week 9. They have better weapons surrounding their quarterback.

But with two quarterbacks with ceilings this high and two defenses that aren't playing well, this game could turn into a shootout. 

Coverage maps for all Week 9 games can be viewed at 506 Sports. Team stats and rankings courtesy of ESPN.com, unless otherwise noted.

All out-of-market NFL games can be live-streamed via DirectTV's NFL Sunday Ticket.