2023 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 9

We finally did it. We finally had a dominant week of NFL picks and predictions, and it only took us until Week 8 of the season. It was a great week with only two incorrect predictions on the Sunday slate of games, a full slate with 15 matchups leading to a 13-2 record of just straight up picks.

The only two teams that let us down were the Colts and Steelers, both teams playing at home and both teams with backup quarterbacks playing in their respective games.

In other words, it's a week of NFL picks and predictions where you can live with the ball bouncing the other way in those games. We nailed some upsets including the Broncos getting a win over the Chiefs, their first in eight years. What does Week 9 have in store?

2023 NFL picks and score predictions for Week 9

Week 9 byes: Broncos, Lions, Jaguars, 49ers

Tennessee Titans (3-4) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3)

Thursday, November 2, 8:15 PM ET

Do the Tennessee Titans have a little bit of a quarterback situation on their hands? No matter what you think of Will Levis and his banana-eating strategy or the fact that he drank coffee with mayonnaise in it, you can't deny the fact that he looked incredible on Sunday against the Falcons.

And that goes well beyond just the fact that the Titans were rocking some of the most glorious uniforms in NFL history.

Throwing four touchdown passes against the Falcons is impressive. Can you go on the road and play a good game against TJ Watt and a dominant Steelers defense, though? This is a bit of an unfair and really difficult test for the rookie QB. Going on the road to Pittsburgh is not easy, just in general, but asking a rookie QB to make his second start with Watt bearing down on him all game?

That's brutal.

Still, you can't help but feel like this game is a bit of a toss-up at worst. The Steelers are favored by three points early on and that is with Mitchell Trubisky apparently projected to start this game. I want to put faith in the Steelers' defense, but frankly, I have more faith in what we saw from Will Levis this past weekend and I feel like the Titans defense can do work against Trubisky.

Prediction: Titans win 23-20

Miami Dolphins (6-2) @ Kansas City Chiefs (6-2)

Sunday, November 5, 9:30 AM ET (Frankfurt, Germany)

If you want to catch what could very well be the game of the week in Week 9 of the 2023 NFL season, you'll have to get up bright and early for it.

The Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs will meet up in Frankfurt, Germany to play in the 9:30 AM ET window as the NFL continues its international series. The international fans will get treated to truly two of the best teams in the NFL this season and two of the most star-studded rosters in the league overall.

The one question we all want to know leading up to this game: Is Taylor Swift going to be there?

The Kansas City Chiefs, Swift-less in Week 8 against the Denver Broncos, scored only nine points and suffered their first loss to the Broncos in over eight years. Their offense gave up 11 hits on an apparently sick Patrick Mahomes, which has to have the Dolphins pass rush smelling blood in the water.

Wait, that's the wrong animal.

Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had a lot of success defensively against Kansas City when he was Denver's head coach. He never won a game against them, but his defenses always played very well. Oddsmakers have the Chiefs as 2.5-point favorites in this potential AFC Championship matchup.

Could we really see Kansas City already lose a third game? Could Patrick Mahomes really lose back-to-back games? I think the Dolphins can get it done overseas.

Prediction: Dolphins win 27-24

Minnesota Vikings (4-4) @ Atlanta Falcons (4-4)

Sunday, November 5, 1:00 PM ET

The Minnesota Vikings had a brutal start to the 2023 season after their 13-4 run last year, which ended in a disappointing home playoff loss to the New York Giants. After a disappointing start to the 2023 campaign, rumors had been swirling about how much longer Kirk Cousins was going to be the Vikings QB, if he even made it to the end of the season before getting traded.

Although those trade rumors were premature, the Vikings are now going to get a glimpse of life without Kirk Cousins. One of the most devastating injuries of the 2023 season occurred in Week 8 as Cousins tore his Achilles in the Vikings' win over the Green Bay Packers.

Absolutely brutal.

The injury to Cousins could cause the Vikings to make a move before the NFL trade deadline at the QB position, especially because they have been on a nice run as of late. Jaren Hall and Nick Mullens are not exactly going to keep the ship afloat.

The Vikings have to go on the road this week and take on the Falcons without with Cousins and Justin Jefferson. You never know what could happen in the NFL, but that is going to be brutal.

Prediction: Falcons win 25-17

Arizona Cardinals (1-7) @ Cleveland Browns (4-3)

Sunday, November 5, 1:00 PM ET

Big news from Week 8 of the NFL season as the Arizona Cardinals moved into the driver's seat for the #1 overal pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Cardinals had been sitting behind the Carolina Panthers for most of the season so far, but another loss in Week 8 and a win for the Panthers put the Cardinals back where most people thought they would wind up.

The Cardinals have put up more of a fight this season than anyone really expected given the state of their roster heading into the season, and that's a testament to the work being done by head coach Jonathan Gannon.

Still, Arizona is on pace to finish with the worst record in the league, and they've now got to go on the road and face off against the Cleveland Browns, who have arguably the best overall defense in the NFL. Even though the Browns have been dealing with Deshaun Watson having a (rather mysterious) injury, they have been playing well and took the Seahawks to the brink on the road this past week.

I think the Browns have a good shot to get back on track at home in this game, especially with the way that defense can create turnovers and opportunities for the offense. The Browns need PJ Walker to play with a little more ball security as they wait for Watson to make his return. If that's happening, of course...

Prediction: Browns win 20-16

Los Angeles Rams (3-5) @ Green Bay Packers (2-5)

Sunday, November 5, 1:00 PM ET

The Green Bay Packers have been in a nosedive in recent weeks after starting the season looking like they might be sleeper contenders in that NFC North. Now, the Packers look more likely to be headed toward potentially making another major QB move in the 2024 offseason.

It's not exactly the year Packers fans hoped for or envisioned.

With that being said, I think Green Bay is going to be content with evaluating Jordan Love this season, letting him take his lumps, and making a decision after the season. This year was always about evaluating Love and figuring out if he's the franchise QB or not.

RIght now, it looks like not. We'll see. The Packers welcome an intriguing Rams team to town. The Rams have some great veterans in key spots, but their youth all over the roster has been showing throughout the first half of this season. The Rams are 3-5 right now, but they feel like a bit better of a team than that. Who knows, maybe I'm overrating the Rams ever so slightly...

They are struggling offensively over the last couple of weeks, albeit against a couple of really good defenses. I think the Rams can go into Green Bay and get things straightened out even though I typically am not a fan of West Coast teams traveling to play in the 1:00 ET window. Oddsmakers like the Packers at -3 for this game.

Prediction: Rams win 27-21

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

Chicago Bears (2-6) @ New Orleans Saints (4-4)

Sunday, November 5, 1:00 PM ET

This one feels pretty straightforward, right?

We all loved the Tyson Bagent story for the Chicago Bears after his first start with the team where he completed over 70 percent of his passes, the running game was going for Chicago, and the defense made big plays in an upset win. Justin Fields is a "week-to-week" designation at this point, so it'll be Bagent again for another start against the Saints.

I think at best, you're looking at this being an upset for the Bears. They are overmatched in this game playing on the road against a quality Saints opponent that has shown some diversity this season offensively, with Derek Carr throwing for 300 yards, the running game going off, and players like Rashid Shaheed making big plays in the passing game.

I think the Saints are going to win this game pretty easily, with all due respect to the Bears. Derek Carr is bordering on risk averse at the QB position, and the Saints' offense started jelling together a couple of Thursdays ago. They scored 38 points against the Colts on Sunday and just about everyone who dressed for the game made at least one big play.

I think you can comfortably take the Saints to win this game after what we saw from the Bears against the Chargers on Sunday night.

Prediction: Saints win 31-17

Seattle Seahawks (5-2) @ Baltimore Ravens (6-2)

Sunday, November 5, 1:00 PM ET

This is one of a number of absolutely fantastic matchups on the NFL Week 9 schedule.

• Dolphins vs. Chiefs
• Eagles vs. Cowboys
• Bills vs. Bengals

And ultimately, this one could be the best and most interesting. The Seattle Seahawks are coming off of a week in which they were guaranteed a victory, even hosting one of the league's best all-around defenses. Why were they "guaranteed" a victory, you ask? This about sums it up:

I mean, look at that uniform. It's no wonder the Seahawks found a way to win that game, there was just no way they could lose.

All kidding aside, they have a brutal task ahead of them after facing one AFC North opponent at home and now traveling to the other side of the country to face off against a Baltimore Ravens team that has been rolling for most of this season.

The numbers tell us that any team going to Baltimore to play in the 1:00 ET window is tough, but especially so for West Coast teams. Even with the Seahawks gutting out a win in Week 8 against the Browns, even after trading for Leonard Williams, I think they're going to have a tough time pulling this one out.

Baltimore is a 5.5-point favorite in the early line, which is pretty crazy considering how well the Seahawks have played this season.

Prediction: Ravens win 26-21

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4) @ Houston Texans (3-4)

Sunday, November 5, 1:00 PM ET

An interesting matchup in Houston coming up this week as the Texans are home to face the 6th-ranked Buccaneers scoring defense. Never an easy challenge for a rookie QB to go up against a top-10 defense, but CJ Stroud has looked up to the task so far this season.

Interestingly enough, these two teams are tied for 6th in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing exactly 18.3 points per game so far this season. That isn't overly surprising coming from a Todd Bowles defense, especially with some of the guys the Bucs have on that side of the ball. But the turnaround for the Texans defensively with DeMeco Ryans in the head coach's chair?

That's a big-time turnaround. Houston ranked 27th in scoring defense last year.

I think the Texans are rightly favored at three points playing at home in this game. We've seen some good stuff from Baker Mayfield this year, but it was always more believable that the Texans were perhaps a little ahead of schedule when it came to their turnaround and development than the Buccaneers sustaining any sort of overachieving with Mayfield at QB.

I think in this one, we're going to see the Texans keep showing progress offensively, but maybe the defense does a little flexing in this one. Maybe the offense gets a number of additional opportunities by forcing the Bucs offense to make mistakes.

Prediction: Texans win 24-16

Indianapolis Colts (3-5) @ Carolina Panthers (1-6)

Sunday, November 5, 4:05 PM ET

The Carolina Panthers did it. They had to scratch and claw their way to a victory after seven games, but they finally did it. Bryce Young couldn't hold back smiles on the sideline as the Panthers beat the Houston Texans for their first win of the season, but the question is, can they keep that going with the Colts coming to town?

This is a really odd game for the NFL to have in the afternoon slate, but whatever works for them, I guess.

Like I said, the Panthers had to scratch and claw their way to a win in Week 8, and it wasn't pretty. It doesn't always have to be, either, but it doesn't exactly inspire you to take them straight up in NFL picks for Week 9.

What's really intriguing about this game is the over-under. The Colts are three-point road favorites, and the over-under is set to a pretty high 44.5 points. Could the oddsmakers be expecting a little bit of a shootout in Carolina this weekend?

Will getting his first win as an NFL starter open the floodgates for the 1st overall pick in this year's draft, or will it be Gardner Minshew Mania?

The Colts' offense has been playing well all year under new head coach Shane Steichen, regardless of who is playing QB. The Colts also have Jonathan Taylor going now, and he and Zack Moss are a tough 1-2 punch for teams to deal with. I think I like the Colts on the road in this one.

Prediction: Colts win 27-21

New York Giants (2-6) @ Las Vegas Raiders (3-5)

Sunday, November 5, 4:25 PM ET

If any game is contending with the Patriots and Commanders for "dud of the week", it's got to be this one, right?

The New York Giants have the most abysmal offense in the entire NFL so far this season, and it's kind of unbelievable just how bad they have been. They are averaging less than 12 points per game this season and that is 32nd in the league, obviously. They rank 32nd in yards. They are 32nd in passing. 31st in red zone offense. 27th in 3rd down percentage.

Have we painted an ugly enough picture just yet? The Giants are traveling to Las Vegas after a tough loss in their home stadium against the other home team (Jets) they share it with. The Raiders haven't been overly impressive overall this season, either, but this is a game they should absolutely win no matter what.

Unless the Raiders are turning the ball over too much -- and they have done that all year -- this seems like a pretty "easy" game for NFL picks. And I say "easy" but what I mean is, you're picking the lesser of two evils. Instead of picking the 32nd-ranked offense in the league, you're taking the 30th-ranked offense and the team that ranks 31st in turnovers.

Meaningless factoid -- this will be the Raiders' third straight game against an NFC opponent.

Prediction: Raiders win 19-13

Dallas Cowboys (5-2) @ Philadelphia Eagles (7-1)

Sunday, November 5, 4:25 PM ET

There are a few contenders for this discinction, but this game might be the best of the week across the entire NFL. It promises to be an incredible day for football fans, literally from start to finish with the Chiefs and Dolphins kicking things off at 9:30 AM and the Bengals and Bills closing it out at 8:20 PM.

In the afternoon slate, fans are getting treated to a premium matchup between two NFC teams in Dallas and Philadelphia who are both looking like Super Bowl contenders early on this season.

The Cowboys have lost a couple of games, but for the most part, it feels like this team has been absolutely wrecking most of the teams getting in their path. They were up 33-3 at one point this past weekend against the Rams before coasting to a victory. Of the Cowboys' five wins this season, four have been by 20 points or more. That's kind of crazy.

The Eagles haven't been winning pretty every single week, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. They have the best record in the NFL right now at 7-1, and they have been playing some of their best overall football lately with reinforcements coming to the secondary in the fom of safety Kevin Byard, recently acquired in a trade with the Titans.

What can we expect in this game? Are we going to see the Dallas team that has been blowing teams out or the one that got wrecked by the 49ers a few weeks back?

I think the smart bet in this game is the home team, but don't be shocked if Dallas shows out, either.

Prediction: Eagles win 31-27

Buffalo Bills (5-3) @ Cincinnati Bengals (4-3)

Sunday, November 5, 8:20 PM ET

Things were looking shaky early on, but the Cincinnati Bengals have come roaring back with a 4-3 record heading into a very important Sunday Night Football matchup against the Buffalo Bills. Each of these two teams has put forth some complete dud performances this season, which were out of character for what we've come to expect from them, but this promises to be one of the most hard-fought games of the week.

Oddsmakers are giving the Bengals three points at home in this matchup and they also think this is going to be one of the highest-scoring matchups of the week with an over-under of 48.5 points. The only game with a higher over-under is Kansas City vs. Miami.

Typically when two teams like this come together, I think you can expect more of a defensive battle early on and maybe some explosive offense mixed in. Could this game be a shootout? Sure, but the Buffalo Bills boast the 3rd-best scoring defense in the NFL so far this season, and the Bengals lead the NFL in interceptions with 10 in just seven games.

While many are expecting a barrage of points here, I think it could be tough sledding, at least for the first 2-3 quarters before someone ultimately breaks this game open.

And in this case, I'm fully expecting Joe Burrow and the Bengals to be the ones to do that. The Bills have played down to their opposition in recent weeks, so I think they'll play better in this game than we've seen from them, but Cincinnati is catching fire right now and I think you can ride that wave. And after all my commentary earlier, I'm going to project the over, but only slightly.

Prediction: Bengals win 27-23

Los Angeles Chargers (3-4) @ New York Jets (4-3)

Monday, November 6, 8:15 PM ET

The New York Jets just continue to somehow find ways to win games. It's pretty remarkable, really. The Jets have one of the best pass defenses in football, and they have forced 13 turnovers in their first seven games, the 4th-best mark in the NFL at this point. They are going to need to force some turnovers on Monday night if they want to beat the Los Angeles Chargers, who are coming into New York with some momentum after getting a much-needed win on Sunday Night Football against the Chicago Bears.

Shockingly, the early line on this game has the Chargers at just three-point favorites. Why is that shocking considering the Jets have a better record by two games at this point? Well, frankly, the way the Jets have been winning games just doesn't feel sustainable. And yet, you can't help but have confidence in Robert Saleh and that Jets defense.

The offense with Zach Wilson at the helm has been pushed to the brink on a number of occasions. Wilson does appear to be making some strides out there, but again, how sustainable is this type of offense? The Jets are averaging 18 points per game this season. They are 31st in the NFL in passing and somehow are still averaging 4.9 yards per carry in the running game.

I just don't know how well Zach Wilson is going to play against a Chargers defense that has been pretty stout against the run and is also consistently forcing turnovers.

Prediction: Chargers win 23-19