NFL Picks Week 9: Well-Rested Teams Guaranteed to Win on Sunday

There's nothing like coming off a bye week in the NFL and having a surefire victory awaiting you.

Okay, so maybe it's not all that wise to "guarantee" a win with just how topsy-turvy the league has been in 2011, but you can bet these teams will make the most of their time off with big wins in Week 9.

Green Bay Packers

A West Coast game for a Midwest team against an AFC West contender...tough game for the visitor, right?

Not when that visitor is the 7-0 Packers, and not when the host is a Chargers team that's dropped its last two games and looks like it wants to shed Norv Turner from the sidelines sooner rather than later.

It certainly doesn't help San Diego's case that Philip Rivers, in the midst of the worst season of his productive career, leads the league in interceptions with 11 and will be up against a ball-hawking defense that's picked off opposing quarterbacks 13 times so far.

And I haven't even mentioned how good Green Bay's offense is, what with Aaron Rodgers throwing to any number of talented skill players or handing the ball off to the likes of James Starks and Ryan Grant.

Smells like 8-0 to me.

Atlanta Falcons

Lo and behold, the Falcons are back in the hunt for the NFC South crown after a sluggish and unimpressive start.

Matt Ryan has still been rather Rivers-esque this season, but should find the Colts defense to be the perfect remedy for whatever ails him.

Well, he and the rest of his Falcons buddies, too, including the fantastic pass-catching trio of Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Julio Jones.

Last I checked, Peyton Manning isn't coming back anytime soon, so I'd like to take this opportunity to extend my best wishes to Curtis Painter. He's been a real trooper taking this season for the team and will have yet another unfortunate outcome headed his way on Sunday.

One that will put the Falcons in first or second place in the division, depending on what transpires between the Saints and the Buccaneers.

Oakland Raiders

Now, if you really want to see some bad quarterbacking—and I don't know why you would—then be sure to tune in when Tim Tebow and the Broncos visit Carson Palmer and the Raiders in Oakland.

As bad as Palmer was against the Chiefs, and as rusty as he still figures to be after just two-and-a-half weeks to re-acclimate himself to Hue Jackson's system, he's still miles ahead of Tebow.

If nothing else, at least Palmer has had success as an NFL quarterback in the past and might still have some potential to succeed under center.

But Tebow isn't the only thing that's wrong in Denver. John Fox's defense has been awful thus far, ranking 20th in total yards and 31st in scoring.

That, along with Tebow's ineptitude, should be enough to push the Silver and Black to their fifth win of the season, even without Darren McFadden healthy enough to carry the load.