The Chosen: NFL Picks Week Nine

Week Eight 9-4, Season prediction tally: 79-37

Last week I said , "Nothing is as much fun though as seeing your favorite team put together all the pieces of the puzzle, and play up to their full potential."

By the same token, nothing is as miserable as seeing this same team implode the very next game!

Oh the Panthers got their revenge for last postseason's debacle at the hands of the Cardinals alright. They did to the Cardinals almost exactly what had been done to them. The Cardinals' were so proud of their victory in New Jersey, that they forgot to show up for this game. Oops.

Carolina smacked the smirks off of the Cardinals' faces, and it may have saved their season. I wouldn't be surprised to see them play like that consistently now that their ground attack, and their defense have regained their confidence.

Never mind Delhomme, who passed for under 100 yards for a reason—they don't really need him, or want him throwing the ball all that much if they can get DeAngelo and Stewart flowing like that, and Julius Peppers and their secondary playing with that kind of fire.

If they can carry that into the second half of the season, this team could be dangerous.

Lock of the Week : Packers

Green Bay at Tampa Bay - You can't convince me that Josh Freeman, a rookie QB that will be making his first start , can waltz in and lead a bad team to a ton of points versus a Packers team that needs a win to stay in the thick of the playoff race.

Pick: Packers

Arizona at Chicago - In a toss-up, go homer. No, but hold on, there really is some logic here. Arizona is 3-0 on the road, and usually plays well after their embarrassing losses.

Plus, I was shocked to find that Jay Cutler couldn't manage a TD pass versus the lowly Browns.

Pick: Cardinals

Kansas City at Jacksonville - I'll take Maurice Jones-Drew versus a team suffering through yet another Larry Johnson distraction any day of the week.

Pick: Jaguars

Miami at New England - I like this Dolphin team a lot, and expect them to be one of the teams competing for a playoff spot in the end.

But its tough to bet against a Belichick coached team, coming off a bye, playing at home in a divisional game, no matter what the wildcat did to them last year.

Pick: Patriots

Washington at Atlanta - Atlanta has dropped three in a row and badly need to turn it around. The Redskins mess continues, and now they are without Chris Cooley.

Pick: Falcons

Baltimore at Cincinnati - This game is a challenge to predict.

The Bengals are playing their best ball since 2005, and beat the Ravens in Baltimore a month ago, and are coming off an extra week of rest.

The Ravens, however, may have corrected their defensive shortcomings in their much-needed win over the previously unbeaten Broncos.

I'll go with the Raven's momentum and revenge factor and like them to even the season series.

Pick: Ravens

Houston at Indianapolis - Just because Ryan Moats just had his best career game, by far, does not mean that he is every bit as good as Steve Slaton. Slaton just needs to hold onto the ball better, and he will be right back to his reserved slot as a media darling.

The Texans may be finally putting together a defense that can party in the same club with their offense, and I would not be surprised to see them pull the upset here. Still, these are the Colts, not the Bills.

Pick: Colts

Upset of the week : Panthers

Carolina at New Orleans - The Saints are clearly one of the best teams in the league, but these divisional games bring out an extra fire.

I like what the Panthers started last week, when they played more like a team that was 12-4 last season as opposed to the one that couldn't get out of its own way, and struggled to 2-4 out of the gate.

The Saints need a wake up call, so why not now?

Pick: Panthers

Detroit at Seattle - The Seahawks aren't great, but at least they can beat the Rams, unlike the Lions. I am expecting Hasselbeck to torch the Lions' secondary.

Pick: Seahawks

San Diego at N.Y. Giants - As bad as the Giants' secondary has looked during their three-game skid, I am already bracing for my prediction to be flat out wrong on this one.

My gut tells me the Giants will regroup, and not allow a fourth straight loss, but in the back of my mind I keep seeing Rivers to Jackson TD passes over, and over again.

Pick: Giants

Tennessee at San Francisco - The 49ers almost handed the Colts their first loss, and the Titans finally got a win. This should be a fun game to watch.

I'm siding with the home team, but I admit I would love to see Chris Johnson run for another 220 yards, regardless.

Pick: 49ers

Dallas at Philadelphia - A first place tie-breaker with playoff implications, and atmosphere expected. Most teams cannot contain DeSean Jackson, and neither will the Cowboys.

Pick: Eagles

Monday Night Football :

Pittsburgh at Denver - Denver struggled against a rested Ravens defense, and I expect them to do the same this week versus a Steelers team coming off a bye.

Pick: Steelers

Byes: Buffalo, Minnesota, N.Y. Jets, Oakland, St. Louis, Cleveland

• Buffalo (3-5) is surprisingly not out of the playoff picture, despite not striking fear into anyone. Is this Dick Jauron's last hurrah?
  
• Kudos to Minnesota, they are one of the best teams in the league with the addition of Brett Favre. Favre is really playing excellent ball right now. He looks primed to shoulder the load the entire way, instead of the predicted late season collapse. What a storybook tale it would be to see Favre lead them to a Super Bowl win. It is far from inconceivable at the moment.
  
• The Jets are 4-4, not bad considering everything that is new this year, rookie QB and head coach. Now that they've lost four out of their last five games though, New York is unhappy.
  
• Just when you think there is a glimmer of hope for the Raiders, you realize there isn't. I think Daniel Snyder and Al Davis should fire themselves and get out of the business altogether. They are both doing a disservice to football fans worldwide.
  
• Hey not bad, Steve Spagnuolo gets his first win as head coach and then coasts into a bye. If Stephen Jackson keeps running tough like he did agaisnt Detroit, they can win a couple more games.
  
• Cleveland. Wow. What makes a very poor choice even worse, is a very poor choice that was made hastily. I had a very bad feeling about this one ever since Mangidiot was hired. I thought it was a bad move then, and I still do. The Browns, like the Raiders and the Redskins, have no one to blame but themselves.

This article also appears on Undrafteds.com