NFL Picks Week 9: Home Teams That Will Dominate This Weekend

Dominating and winning are two different things. As an example, I think that both the Patriots and Steelers will win this weekend at home. But will they dominate? No, the Giants and Ravens are too good to truly be dominated. 

So, while it's a virtual lock that more than three home teams will win this weekend, only a few will dominate. Domination is generally caused when a team that's at least decent matches up against a bad team. That's the case in each of these three games.

Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys are the absolute definition of inconsistent. But to be fair, they have had a really tough schedule. So, a 3-4 start isn't that bad. 

The last time the Cowboys were at home against a bad team was two weeks ago when they took on the Rams. That was a 34-7 blowout.

This week, they get Seattle. The Seahawks are just not a good team, and they are awful away from Seattle. Given their own instability, I don't see how they can keep this one close. 

Dallas is headed down an ugly road this season. Still, even ugly roads have smooth patches, which is what they will hit on Sunday.

Oakland Raiders

Here's another team that defines unpredictable. There isn't a single team in the NFL that the Raiders can't beat on any given day. Conversely, there isn't a single team who they can take a win for granted against. 

Despite that, the Broncos are awful. That is a fractured team playing with a quarterback that is experiencing some serious growing pains.

Yes, Tim Tebow is capable of good things. I am sure that he'll give us a few good plays on Sunday. But if the Raiders have any intelligence at all, they will bring heavy pressure on Tebow and force him to make quick reads. 

I don't like Tebow's chances in that spot. The Black Hole will be a happy place on Sunday.

Houston Texans

Now, Houston shouldn't have any problem cruising to the AFC South title. They are a team that needs to play more consistently if they are going to make any noise in the playoffs, But that's not relevant this week.

What is relevant is that they're hosting the Browns. Cleveland's offense is inept. With the exception of Josh Cribs, they don't have a single player that brings any fear into the minds of their opponents. 

If Houston scores 17 points, they will win easily. Even without Andre Johnson, 17 is a conservative guess.