2023 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 9

Washington Commanders (3-5) @ New England Patriots (2-6)

Sunday, November 5, 1:00 PM ET

Here it is, your dud game of the week!

Every week has to have at least one game that looks borderline unwatchable on paper, so unless you have fantasy football interest in this particular matchup, you might not see it super often on the Red Zone channel. The Washington Commanders gave a pretty good fight against the Philadelphia Eagles this past weekend, and at times, their offense under Eric Bieniemy has been explosive.

Unfortunately, those times are sporadic, and the Commanders are already drifting into irrelevance in the NFC midway through the season. They are taking on a Patriots team that obviously has plenty of issues of its own, and after getting an emotional win against the Bills a couple of weeks ago, they were back to getting absolutely wrecked this past weekend against the Dolphins.

With this kind of matchup between two teams that haven't been consistent, it makes NFL picks borderline impossible, or a coin flip at best. The Patriots are three-point favorites in the early betting lines. The over-under is set at 39.5 points right now. Everyone is expecting this to be a snooze-fest, and for the Patriots to find a way to win.

Taking New England at home used to be easy money. I'm not so sure these days. We'll take Belichick against a young QB like Sam Howell, who has been willing to put the ball in harm's way at times.

Prediction: Patriots win 24-22