NFL Week 9 Picks: 5 Games with the Biggest Playoff Impact

Any time the playoff implications are at stake, football fans everywhere have a vested interest in those particular games.

So with Week 9 right around the corner, here are five of the biggest games where the aftermath has a direct and immediate affect on the postseason.

Tampa Bay at New Orleans

A big divisional game where the Saints have already lost to the Bucs in Tampa, who are also 2-0 in the division. The Saints needs a win here to keep the Falcons (who they still have to play twice) at bay, as well as prevent Tampa from having the tiebreaker.

And New Orleans does get the victory, because not only is it rare that the Saints lose at home, but Tampa Bay still has to prove they can win on the road. It's not a blowout by any means, but Drew Brees knows he can't be interception-prone this week.

Thus, the Saints play more cautiously as don't turn the ball over, while the Bucs suffer from not yet being a fully developed franchise.

Saints over Buccaneers

NY Jets at Buffalo

The AFC has an odd feeling to it this season. At first it was expected that New England would run the table, then the Bills stole their thunder and are the current leaders.

However, the Jets are only one game back of each despite their underachieving record, but everything changes in Week 9.

For one, Buffalo has a top-five rush offense that will slam through the Jets' weak rush defense. In addition, Buffalo is very good at forcing turnovers on defense, and we all know that Mark Sanchez is capable of coughing it up.

Bills get the win and maintain their divisional lead.

Bills over Jets

Cincinnati at Tennessee

At first glance it may not seem like a game that could affect the AFC playoff picture, but dig a little deeper and it most certainly does.

Tennessee may be underperforming, but they still have a 4-3 record and aren't yet out of playoff contention being in a weak division. As for Cincy, they're arguably in the NFL's most difficult division, but are 5-2 and looking to contend for the AFC North title.

And with a top-10 defense going against the NFL's weakest rush offense, Titans running back Chris Johnson gets isolated once again and Cincinnati earns another road win. The Bengals' offense has the ability to gradually move the ball and control the clock, so expect much of that on the road.

Tennessee has yet to really find their identity, because with no ground game, what can they possible do that's a threat to Cincinnati's defense?

Bengals over Titans

Baltimore at Pittsburgh

If you look back at what happened between these two teams in Week 1 and then fast forward to the now, they're different teams.

Pittsburgh's defense has clearly improved as evidenced by their win over New England, where they held the Pats to just 17 points. And their offense is gaining confidence as being top 10 in pass yards per game.

Baltimore may have won in Week 1, but after losing to Jacksonville on the road and having a very poor start at home versus Arizona thereafter, the Ravens have a lot of proving to do this week.

All that said though, Pittsburgh gets the 'W' as their defense zones in on running back Ray Rice, thus forcing the inconsistent Joe Flacco to beat them. In turn, the offense doesn't turn the ball over and manages just enough ball movement to win the field position battle.

Steelers over Ravens

Chicago at Philadelphia

This is an intriguing NFC matchup this week because Chicago and Philly are both riding two-game win streaks, but the Bears are coming off a bye so the question is whether that mo' died off or if that extra week will slow down the Eagles' offense.

The Eagles, on the other hand, need to keep proving they can contend for an NFC title, because another loss at home will set them back significantly, especially since they've already lost to the division leading Giants once.

The difference in this game, however, is the Eagles defense that keys in on shutting down Matt Forte, as he is the Chicago offense.

Forcing Jay Cutler to beat them will give Philly the advantage, and as long as they don't turn the ball over offensively, the Eagles get a much needed win over the Bears, who are now fighting to stay alive in the NFC North. Hence, not a good position to be in.

Eagles over Bears

Be sure to check out John on Bleacher Report. 

You can follow him on Twitter @ Sportswriter27.