NFL Picks, Week 9

Last Week: 9-5
Season: 75-40

Dallas at New York Giants: The Cowboys, in spite of all their issues, out-uglied the Bucs last week. They now have one more game without the injured Tony Romo before their bye week. Problem is, it’s on the road against the best team in the league. The Cowboys desperately need a win, or else they’re looking at a wildcard playoff spot at best. Tough spot for the ‘Boys. I picked them last week against my better judgment, and they won. I’ll stick with that for another week. Pick: Dallas

New York Jets at Buffalo: The Bills dropped down to earth a bit with a loss to the Dolphins, making the AFC East wide open. Don’t look for that to happen two weeks in a row. Pick: Buffalo

Jacksonville at Cincinnati: The Jags have been disappointing this season. But, they haven’t played a team as bad as the Bengals. Pick: Jaguars

Baltimore at Cleveland: The Browns are struggling to get out of their funk, but did get a big win last week at Jacksonville. You never know which Ravens team will show up. Pick: Cleveland

Houston at Minnesota: The Texans are once again respectable, aided by home wins over the two worst teams in the league. They now take their show on the road to meet an underachieving Vikings team. Pick: Vikes

Detroit at Chicago: Mismatch. Pick: Chicago

Tampa Bay at Kansas City: The sad-sack Chiefs were competitive in a loss last week to the Jets. The Bucs were ugly in a loss to the Cowboys. The Chiefs are a lot worse than the Cowboys. Pick: Tampa Bay

Arizona at St. Louis: The Cardinals return to St. Louis, where the Rams have bounced back under interim coach Jim Haslett. The Cardinals are an awful road team. Pick: St. Louis

Green Bay at Tennessee: The league’s best team in the first half of the year resides in Nashville. Pick: Titans

Miami at Denver: The Dolphins have improved a ton over the season, and face an injury-riddled Denver team. Still, this is a home game for the Broncos. Pick: Denver

Philadelphia at Seattle: An East Coast team makes the toughest road trip in the NFL to the Pacific Northwest. However, the Seahawks are not as good as they have been in the past, especially with QB Matt Hasselbeck still out due to injury. Pick: Philly

Atlanta at Oakland: Yuck. The Falcons have been a pleasant surprise this year. They’ll get a road win in the Black Hole. Pick: Atlanta

New England at Indianapolis: This was once a matchup for the ages. Now, both teams have seen better days, especially the Colts. Pick: New England

Pittsburgh at Washington: The Redskins get a home game on Election Eve. D.C. will be hopping, especially because their team will get a win on Monday night. Pick: Redskins

Bonus Pick: John McCain vs. Barack Obama: Obama has had the flash and dash, and the air game and media love to match. McCain has been vastly outspent, but has a ground game flying under the radar to pull the upset. Ground will beat air in this one. Look for a surprise in Pennsylvania. And, as Pennsylvania goes, so goes the nation. Pick: McCain