{"id":954832,"date":"2026-11-06T14:54:11","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T14:54:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/954832\/"},"modified":"2026-11-06T14:54:11","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T14:54:11","slug":"nfl-week-9-picks-our-experts-face-off-on-bengals-vs-falcons-packers-at-patriots-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/954832\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Week 9 picks: Our experts face off on Bengals vs. Falcons, Packers at Patriots and more"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s safe to say that last week lived up to the hype. The Detroit Lions<\/a> defeated the previously undefeated Minnesota Vikings<\/a>, the Denver Broncos<\/a> used a goal-line stand to hand Patrick Mahomes<\/a> and the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> their second consecutive loss, and the Chicago Bears<\/a> upset the Seahawks<\/a> in Seattle with some help from trade-deadline addition Jeffery Simmons<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This weekend in the NFL<\/a>, the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> and Atlanta Falcons<\/a> will battle in Madrid, Jordan Love<\/a> takes the Green Bay Packers<\/a> to Foxborough to play the New England Patriots<\/a> and Baker Mayfield<\/a> gets a shot at Caleb Williams<\/a> and the red-hot Bears.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Which teams should you pick in Week 9, and which should you fade? CBS Sports writers Jordan Dajani and Jared Dubin are here to break down the biggest games of the weekend. For clarity, lines for these selections were taken on Nov. 4 from DraftKings<\/a> Sportsbook. Credit to CBS Sports Research for its hard work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jacksonville Jaguars (-10) at Baltimore Ravens (TNF)<\/p>\n

Dajani (Jaguars<\/a> -10):\u00a0It’s tough to pick this game since we are unaware of the Baltimore Ravens<\/a>‘ quarterback situation. Will they be starting rookie third-stringer Joe Fagnano<\/a>, or someone else? I believe the Jaguars will win, but any team can cover a double-digit spread at home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jacksonville is a remarkable 14-3 over its last 17 games and is the only NFL team<\/a> leading its division by three or more games. Trevor Lawrence<\/a> leads the NFL in passer rating (112.6), while the Jags lead the league in points per game differential (+12.1). Sure, you can say the Ravens will just ride Derrick Henry<\/a>, but the Jaguars have what is statistically the No. 1 run defense in the NFL, and have gone 24 straight games without allowing a 75-yard rusher. \u2026 \u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Jaguars 28, Ravens 13<\/p>\n

Dubin (Jaguars -10):\u00a0The Ravens simply do not have the horses to compete with the Jaguars this week. Not with their third-string quarterback (who is coming off an injury of his own), and not on a short week. Jacksonville should roll and win with relative ease. \u00a0\u2026\u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Jaguars 27, Ravens 6<\/p>\n

Cincinnati Bengals (-3) vs. Atlanta Falcons (Madrid)<\/p>\n

Dajani (Falcons +3):\u00a0I may take the upset here. I’m aware the Falcons just registered one of the most embarrassing losses of the season in Tampa, but I’m willing to overlook that given how bad the weather was. I have some questions about the Bengals. Cornerback DJ Turner<\/a> has a heel injury, and Cashius Howell<\/a>\u00a0just broke his wrist. Then, this Cincy defense allowed the lowly Tennessee Titans<\/a> to put up 440 yards of total offense last week and allowed the first Titans’ 300-yard passing game since the 2023 season. Tony Pollard<\/a> rushed for 117 yards and two touchdowns, so what is Bijan Robinson<\/a> going to do?\u00a0Ja’Marr Chase<\/a> and Tee Higgins<\/a> are the best wide receiving duo in the league, but the Bengals may be due for their first loss in over a month. Remember, this Falcons team beat the San Francisco 49ers<\/a> the last time they played a game indoors. Give me the points. \u2026 \u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Falcons 27, Bengals 23<\/p>\n

Dubin (Bengals -3):\u00a0The Cincinnati offense is rolling, with Joe Burrow<\/a>, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins dunking on opposing defenses. Meanwhile, the Falcons have been struggling to run the ball as of late despite the presence of Bijan Robinson (48 carries for 200 scoreless yards in the last three weeks). The Bengals do provide an opportunity for the run game to get back on track (4.8 yards per carry allowed), but Dexter Lawrence<\/a> has shut down other rushing attacks before. If the Bengals can keep Robinson in check, I’m not sure Atlanta can count on Michael Penix Jr<\/a>. to go shot for shot with Burrow.\u00a0 \u2026\u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Bengals 27, Falcons 20<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Rams (-5.5) at Washington Commanders<\/p>\n

Dajani (Rams<\/a> -5.5):\u00a0I think the Washington Commanders<\/a> are a feisty team that could cover this number, but don’t forget that this is somewhat of a revenge game for Sean McVay. He spent seven seasons in Washington before the Rams made the smart decision to hire this 30-year-old kid to run their franchise. In his first season as a head coach, McVay lost to his former team. Since then, he’s 2-0 vs. Washington, winning each game by at least eight points. The Rams are coming off back-to-back wins by 14+ points. They also could get Myles Garrett<\/a> back on Sunday. LA is 11-2 SU and 10-3 ATS in its last 13 games vs. teams entering below .500.\u00a0 \u2026 \u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Rams 27, Commanders 17<\/p>\n

Dubin (Rams -5.5):\u00a0The Rams have finally climbed back to .500 with back-to-back wins over the Raiders<\/a> and Chargers<\/a>, and I think they can keep things rolling here by doing what they did against those two teams: running the ball. Washington has actually been pretty good against the ground game this year, but it just lost Daron Payne<\/a> to a significant injury. On the other side of the ball, I don’t think we can count on the Commanders’ offense to produce enough points to keep up with LA’s offense. \u00a0\u2026\u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Rams 24, Commanders 16<\/p>\n

Denver Broncos (-2.5) at Carolina Panthers<\/p>\n

Dajani (Broncos -2.5):\u00a0I told you the Broncos would beat the Chiefs last week. The conversation around Bo Nix<\/a> is so bizarre to me. He’s not Josh Allen<\/a>, obviously, but he’s not worth benching either. He’s not the most prolific passer in NFL history, but he’s Superman when it comes to leading his team to wins in crunch time. Denver does have a great defense, which pulled off that goal-line stand vs. Kansas City, but Nix leads the NFL since 2000 with 9.1 yards per attempt when down by one score in the fourth quarter. He has 15 game-winning drives to his name, which is one shy of the most in a three-season span in NFL history. Nix hasn’t even played three full seasons. It hasn’t always been pretty, but Nix is pretty good in those fourth quarters.<\/p>\n

This week, Denver travels to take on the Carolina Panthers<\/a>. Bryce Young<\/a>‘s offensive line has some serious issues, and those were evident last week against the Packers. Through Week 8, Carolina has allowed 23 sacks, which is tied for second-most in the NFL, with 11 of those sacks coming in the past two games. Plus, the Panthers’ defense has allowed an incredible 42.7 points per contest in their first three home games, which eventually led to the firing of defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero last week.\u00a0 \u2026 \u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Broncos 24, Panthers 20<\/p>\n

Dubin (Broncos -2.5):\u00a0I’m not buying into Nix as much as Dajani is, but I am buying into Denver’s defense being able to get after Bryce Young behind what is an increasingly leaky offensive line and preventing the Panthers from denting the scoreboard. If they can keep this a low-scoring game, I like them to pull out a win on the road.\u00a0 \u2026\u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Broncos 23, Panthers 17<\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots (-3)<\/p>\n

Dajani (Packers +3):\u00a0The Packers got some extra rest following their Thursday win over Carolina, while the New England Patriots couldn’t run away from the Miami Dolphins<\/a>. This Packers offense has been fun to watch \u2014 not counting the ground game, \u00a0which has registered the fewest rushing yards (485) by a team above .500 through eight games in NFL history. However, Jordan Love leads the NFL with 2,246 passing yards, while Christian Watson<\/a> and Matthew Golden<\/a> are the first duo to have 600 yards receiving each through eight games since Jaylen Waddle<\/a> and Tyreek Hill in 2022! Drake Maye<\/a> has been great, having scored at least three touchdowns over five straight games, but this Packers defense will provide quite the test. Green Bay has allowed just 14.6 points per game over its last five.\u00a0 \u00a0\u2026 \u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Packers 27, Patriots 24<\/p>\n

Dubin (Packers +3):\u00a0I also think Green Bay’s extra rest will matter here, even if only because it will give Christian Watson some extra time to heal up from the ribs injury he suffered last Thursday night. The Packers are going to need him against New England, even if he ends up drawing shadow coverage from Christian Gonzalez<\/a>, as that will just open things up for Matthew Golden and Tucker Kraft<\/a>. Meanwhile, Green Bay’s defense has been excellent for several weeks now, and with the Patriots down multiple weapons in the passing game, I think the Packers can try to make New England one-dimensional here, limiting their chances to move the ball downfield.\u00a0 \u2026\u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Packers 26, Patriots 20<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears (-6) (SNF)<\/p>\n

Dajani (Bears -6):\u00a0I correctly chose Chicago to cover in Seattle last week, and I became even more confident in that pick when the Bears traded for Jeffery Simmons. The Seahawks’ addition of Quenton Nelson<\/a> is a great one, but I think the addition of Simmons is even better. He’s the best defensive tackle in the NFL and makes life incredibly difficult for quarterbacks. In his first game for his new team, he recorded six tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss. Chicago’s defense allowed just 3.0 yards per play with him on the field. The Bears allowed 13.3 yards per play with him off the field. Insane. I said last week Caleb Williams was reminding me of Josh Allen, and I think more people now agree with that assessment. He’s averaged 286.7 passing yards per game with four touchdowns and zero interceptions since returning from injury.<\/p>\n

As for the Buccaneers<\/a>, it’s tough for me to have takeaways from their victory in a Category 6 hurricane. We need to give Bucky Irving<\/a> and Kenneth Gainwell<\/a> credit for becoming the first duo to ever rush 25 times each for 125 yards in a game against what was a top-four run defense, but Baker Mayfield is going to have to throw the ball vs. the Bears. He’s thrown for just 64 yards combined in his last two games and is 1-12 in primetime since 2021, which ranks worst in the NFL. Soldier Field is going to be jumping for this Sunday night game. I’m backing the Bears.\u00a0 \u2026 \u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Bears 30, Buccaneers 20<\/p>\n

Dubin (Buccaneers +6):\u00a0I’m still taking Chicago to win this game, but I like Tampa to keep it close using the formula it has been rolling out over the last several weeks: running the ball effectively and keeping the opposing offense off balance with well-timed blitzes and elite run-stopping. The Bears showed last week against Seattle that they can move the ball on anyone, but that doesn’t mean it will come as easily as it did on Monday night.\u00a0 \u2026\u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Bears 21, Buccaneers 17\u00a0<\/p>\n

Buffalo Bills (-3.5) at Minnesota Vikings (MNF)<\/p>\n

Dajani (Vikings +3.5):\u00a0I’m a sucker for a home dog at +3.5 in primetime \u2014 especially one making a quarterback change. We don’t know this for sure, but Kyler Murray<\/a> is dealing with a hamstring injury, which opens the door for Carson Wentz<\/a> to start. I don’t think it’s a stretch to believe Wentz could open up the Vikings’ passing attack. The former No. 2 overall pick came off the bench in Week 1 and threw three touchdowns in a 39-22 win over the Packers. Then, in Week 2, Wentz escaped Chicago victorious, 9-3, in a monsoon. Justin Jefferson<\/a>‘s best game of the season came with Wentz in Week 1, as he caught eight passes for 92 yards and two touchdowns. All of those numbers were season highs for him. Murray averages 170.3 passing yards per game, which ranks 30th among 31 qualifying passers. We know the Buffalo Bills<\/a> boast a high-flying offense, but this Vikings defense is still the best in the NFL. They lead the NFL in points per game (13.3), passing defense (154.9 yards allowed per game), red zone touchdown percentage (25%) and sacks per game (3.6). Give me the points with Minnesota if Wentz starts. \u2026 \u00a0Prediction:\u00a0Bills 24, Vikings 23<\/p>\n

Dubin (Bills -3.5):\u00a0You can’t ask me to buy into this Minnesota offense right now \u2014 not even against Buffalo’s leaky defense. We just saw the Vikings put up a relatively limp offensive performance against the Lions. And if there’s a team out there that can run the ball on Minnesota the way the Lions did, it might be the Bills with Josh Allen and James Cook. I think Buffalo can win a low-ish scoring game here by doing just that.\u00a0 \u2026\u00a0Prediction: Bills 20, Vikings 14<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It’s safe to say that last week lived up to the hype. The Detroit Lions defeated the previously…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":954833,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[1276,64,63,6576,631,5358,17469,5351,39607,1261,1268,1257,55565,133450,1248,19364,9841,1252,163892,1256,28654,3055,55397,63435,5374,1243,19356,1237,5373,17853,629,229255,6582,6580,17456,1240,93481,5380,1250,3052,1263,13673,1233,5346,1239,16820,1231,593,6584,147988,1262,1254,85,1247,627,1253,39610,6578,19981,1272],"class_list":["post-954832","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-atlanta-falcons","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-baker-mayfield","tag-baltimore-ravens","tag-bijan-robinson","tag-bo-nix","tag-bryce-young","tag-bucky-irving","tag-buffalo-bills","tag-caleb-williams","tag-carolina-panthers","tag-carson-wentz","tag-cashius-howell","tag-chicago-bears","tag-christian-gonzalez","tag-christian-watson","tag-cincinnati-bengals","tag-daron-payne","tag-denver-broncos","tag-derrick-henry","tag-detroit-lions","tag-dexter-lawrence","tag-dj-turner","tag-drake-maye","tag-green-bay-packers","tag-jamarr-chase","tag-jacksonville-jaguars","tag-jaylen-waddle","tag-jeffery-simmons","tag-joe-burrow","tag-joe-fagnano","tag-jordan-love","tag-josh-allen","tag-justin-jefferson","tag-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-kenneth-gainwell","tag-kyler-murray","tag-las-vegas-raiders","tag-los-angeles-chargers","tag-los-angeles-rams","tag-matthew-golden","tag-miami-dolphins","tag-michael-penix-jr","tag-minnesota-vikings","tag-myles-garrett","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-nfl","tag-patrick-mahomes","tag-quenton-nelson","tag-san-francisco-49ers","tag-seattle-seahawks","tag-sports","tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","tag-tee-higgins","tag-tennessee-titans","tag-tony-pollard","tag-trevor-lawrence","tag-tucker-kraft","tag-washington-commanders"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/954832","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=954832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/954832\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/954833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=954832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=954832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=954832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}