NFL Week 9 Predictions: Which Teams Will Win Sunday's Division Rematches?

What better time than Week 9, the midway point of the 2011 NFL season, for teams to take stock where they are now and, more importantly, where they're headed during the second half of the campaign?

With three games featuring rematches between division opponents, Sunday's slate will have plenty to say about who's going where over the next two months, for better and for worse.

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 1 seems like forever ago, doesn't it?

It certainly does for the Ravens and the Steelers. The last time these two bitter AFC North rivals met, Baltimore stuck it to Pittsburgh by way of a 35-7 thrashing at M&T Bank Stadium. Ben Roethlisberger, looking about as disheveled as anyone still recovering from a Super Bowl hangover, endured one of the worst games of his NFL career, accounting for five of his team's seven turnovers.

On the flip side, Joe Flacco and Ray Rice looked like offensive geniuses thanks to the fantastic field position the Steelers so selflessly handed them on every drive.

As one might expect, much has changed since then. The Steelers got their groove back, winning six of seven (and four in a row) since, behind timely offense and their usual brand of hard-hitting defense, while the Ravens have looked like a Jekyll-and-Hyde act over the last two weeks.

How convenient that all of that should come to a head right at the halfway mark, right?

Convenient for Pittsburgh, anyway, which will have the benefit of playing at home, before thousands of Terrible Towels. The real difference, though, will come from the Steelers' ability to spread out the Ravens defense with their slush fund of speedy receivers, chiefly Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown.

Prediction: Steelers 20, Ravens 17

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders

Speaking of Week 1 rematches, the last game between the Broncos and the Raiders might as well have taken place an entire season ago. Back then, it was Oakland topping Denver on the road on Monday Night Football, with inclement weather and a comedy of errors marring what would've otherwise been a picturesque display of quarterbacking between Kyle Orton and Jason Campbell...

But really, these old AFC West rivals looked terrible two months ago and will probably play just as poorly on Sunday, though it won't be due to rain, sleet or snow. Instead, it'll be a battle of intestinal fortitude as the "Halloween is every weekend" fans in the Black Hole are treated to a stomach-churning duel between one quarterback who used to be pretty good (Carson Palmer) and one who probably never will be, at least in the NFL.

I hope I didn't have to tell you that the latter is Tim Tebow.

The Raiders will be without the services of star running back Darren McFadden, though that shouldn't stop them from putting their 28-0 loss to the Chiefs behind them with an ugly victory.

Not as long as the Broncos stink (which they do) and are in pursuit of Andrew Luck (which they are).

Prediction: Raiders 27, Broncos 13

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints

It seems like only yesterday that the Buccaneers beat the Saints, though three weeks isn't that big of a difference when you look at the whole picture.

That time between, though, was enough for both teams to lose—the Bucs to the Bears and the Saints to the Rams—and, as a result, to throw the NFC South into full-fledged Cajun chaos.

As bad as that defeat to St. Louis looks, New Orleans is actually in pretty good shape to avenge its 26-20 tweaking in Tampa. The team has gotten used to Sean Payton coaching from the press box and will have Mark Ingram back in the fold after the rookie running back missed last week's game due to injury.

If this one comes down to a quarterback battle, which it likely will (thanks to the turf at the Superdome), the edge will clearly belong to Drew Brees and the Saints.

Unless anyone thinks Josh Freeman is that much of a wild card.

Prediction: Saints 30, Buccaneers 24