NFL Week 9 Picks: Teetering Teams That Need to Win to Stay in Playoff Hunt

In the NFL, playoff berths cannot be nailed down in November, but they certainly can be ceded.

Just ask these three teams, each of which could very well see its postseason hopes fade into darkness depending on what happens in Week 9.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys looked like anything but a playoff team in their 34-7 loss to the Eagles on Monday night.

Yet, even at 3-4, Dallas is still in the running for the NFC East crown. Luckily for Tony Romo and company, they should be able to get back on track with an upcoming five-game stretch against teams with a combined record of 11-24.

That begins with a visit from the lowly Seahawks, whose backfield tandem of Tarvaris Jackson and Marshawn Lynch hardly resembles the duo of Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy that shrunk Big D in Week 8. A win would put the Cowboys at 4-4, likely a game behind the division-leading Giants, who are slated to play at New England on Sunday. 

Oakland Raiders

And you thought the Cowboys looked bad in their last game, just look at the tape of the Raiders' 28-0 loss to the Chiefs at home in Week 7.

The Silver and Black should be on more solid footing now that Carson Palmer's had an extra two weeks to expand his repertoire beyond 15 plays. Darren McFadden is expected to sit for another week while his foot heals up.

But that should do little to deter the Raiders from beating the Broncos, who will need more than a few prayers from Tim Tebow to pull out a victory on the road with the team they have hanging around.

A win against Denver would restore Oakland's confidence after the aforementioned defeat while allowing the team to keep pace with the resurgent Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.

Tennessee Titans

As up-for-grabs as the AFC South may be, the Texans proved in Week 7 that they are the team to beat after destroying the Titans in Nashville, 41-7.

While Houston will have the pleasure of pulling out a competitive win at home against Cleveland, Tennessee will have to contend with a surprising Cincinnati squad that seems to get better and better with each passing week.

Meanwhile, Matt Hasselbeck has struggled to maintain his stellar early-season form without Kenny Britt catching his passes and has gotten little help on the ground from one-time superstar running back Chris Johnson.

Not a good sign for the Titans' hopes this week, seeing as how the Bengals come in with the top-ranked defense in the league, though that doesn't change the fact that Tennessee needs to keep pace with Houston any which way it can.

Lest it rest its hopes on holding serve during a tough five-game stretch to come.