NFL Week 9 Matchups
Cleveland Browns at Cincinnati Bengals
An extremely important game for both teams. The Browns are coming off a very sloppy loss against their division rivals. Their star players Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry severely underperformed in last week’s game and in recent weeks in general. Combined with the lack of their duo tag team running backs Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb this looks to be a tough offensive matchup for Cleveland. However the Bengals defence has not been looking extraordinarily strong either, losing last week to Mike White of the NYJ on his very first NFL start after being up eleven points with 10 minutes left to play. On the other side of the ball things look very bright for the Bengals with the Chase-Burrow connection seemingly being as strong since their days at LSU. Chase, with his current performance is an easy front runner for the Offensive Rookie of the Year while Burrow places himself as a top contender for Comeback Player of the year. The Brown’s defence has been lacking as well, barely holding up to a lackluster Steelers offence in last week’s matchup. Prediction 31-17 Bengals
Patriots at Panthers
Like the previous matchup, an important game for both teams with both at a 4-4 record. The Patriots defence looks to continue their strong performances. Barely mustering up twenty points in the past two weeks combined, the Panthers will have to revitalize their offence in order of having any hope of beating the brick-solid Patriots defence. On the other side of the ball the Patriots bend not break offence have been putting up some decent numbers as rookie QB Mac Jones continues to settle in and grow, looking more confident each game. The Panthers defence can be best described as average, consistently playing very okayish against seemingly all teams. Prediction 24-14 Patriots
Packers at Chiefs
America’s Game of the Week pits the 7-1 Packers against the 4-4 Chiefs. While this may appear to be a one-sided affair from solely the records standpoint the raw talent from the Chiefs is not something easily forgettable. Their worse than usual record can be attributed to a tough schedule in addition to poor defensive performances, but have overall been still struggling as star QB Patrick Mahomes leads the league in interceptions. They match up against a solid Packers defence with no glaring weaknesses. However, long time starting QB Aaron Rogers has been ruled out of the game due to COVID and sophomore Jordan Love will take the reins, which gives the Chief’s struggling defence a much better chance. Combined with the fact that last year’s leading TD holder Davante Adams among other key offensive players are also may be out due to COIVD precautions means that this game will come down to the wire. Prediction 28-24 Chiefs
Titans at Rams
Sunday Night’s matchup looks to be explosive as ever with the 6-2 Titans playing the 7-1 Rams. The Rams, looking like this year’s Super Bowl favorites, come in strong, both on the defensive and offensive sides. Offensively they have been practically unstoppable, with Cooper Kupp having a current league leading 924 yards with 10 touchdowns. With the inclusion of the strong running game the Titans’ defence will have a tough day, which is not bolstered by the fact that the injury gods have ravaged through their secondary, starting even practice squad players now. On the other side of the ball things only seem to get worse. The Rams’ defensive star players cornerback Jalen Ramsey and defensive tackle Aaron Donald will be even more stacked with the addition of Von Miller traded from the Denver Broncos. They are pitted against a Titans offence lacking Derrick Henry, the mainstay of the offence. The Titans look to be solidly outmatched on both sides of the ball and although Rams should not treat the Titans lightly they should still come out with a win. Prediction 35-14 Rams
Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars
The 5-2 Bills play against the 1-6 Jags. The Bills offence, led by Josh Allen, looks to batter a thinly weak Jags defence, having gotten their only win against a struggling Miami. They are coming off a very dominant win against Miami themselves, and should being coming in with heaps of confidence. The Jags offence does not look much better either. Number 1 overall draft pick Trevor Lawerence has been running through major offensive difficulties and a sturdy Buffalo defence looks to hold strong. Prediction 35-3 Bills
Justin, this did not age well. Your predictions were 2-3 which isn’t too hot. The Jags upset the Bills (9-6) and the Titans upset the Rams (28-16). And the Browns destroyed the Bengals (41-16). The thing about the NFL is they are all pro athletes and the skill on each team is a lot closer than a record may suggest. Other factors such as division rivalries, rivalries, and crowd noise can all lead to an upset or different outcome than expected. I respect the NFL analyzers who have a high prediction percentage because it is merely impossible to get a week 100% right. I can tell from your post that you are very knowledgeable when it comes to the NFL and also you go with statistics rather than go against the grain. I can respect that. I really enjoyed your post and am curious what your other predictions for the week were. Overall, great job.
Justin,
I enjoy your sportswriting very much. Time to analyze your picks. I had the Bengals beating the Browns in that AFC North matchup as well. We were wrong. It seems like this year there is no rhyme or reason to who wins. Like the Dolphins, heavy underdogs last night, welcomed a hot Baltimore offense to Miami and shut them down. The Patriots pick was on the money, with a comfortable 24-6 win for them. The Panthers really have fallen off. Cam Newton comeback? The Packers-Chiefs game was not as I expected. With Rodgers out, I thought the Chiefs would definitely win comfortably. Instead, Patrick Mahomes continued his struggles this year, only putting up 13 points for his squad. They seem to have lost their energy and will be lucky to make the playoffs. I also think Mahomes has off field distractions from his family that detriment him. Brutal miss on the Rams-Titans pick. The Titans defense came to play, and the Titans seem like they will survive without The King Derrick Henry. More concerning was the lackluster Rams offense, in which Matthew Stafford gave Rams fans a flashback to the Jared Goff days. Another brutal miss on the Bills pick. I had just about the same score prediction as you with a Bills win and we were flat out proven wrong. Quarterback Josh Allen wasn’t even the best player with his own name on the field. He has looked shaky at times throughout the year. He needs to figure out how to play consistently at a high level.