As we enter Week 9, we’re now past the halfway point of the NFL season. As we start to move into the month of November, the temperature is going to factor in a lot of contests. Let’s take a look at the action for Week 9 and examine the best games on the board.
Minnesota Vikings @ Baltimore Ravens
The Minnesota Vikings laid an egg on Sunday Night Football, losing to Cooper Rush and the Dallas Cowboys 20-16. It wasn’t a great look for a team that has so much talent spread across their roster. They also got the news that their star pass rusher Danielle Hunter will be out for the remainder of the season with a pec injury.
The Vikings now have to travel to Baltimore to play the Ravens, a team that is coming off their bye week. Losing to a Cowboys team led by a backup quarterback making his first NFL start could be a fateful moment in the Vikings career of Kirk Cousins and Mike Zimmer. Expect to see the Vikings more aggressive in their playcalling this weekend, since the team is desperate for a bounce-back game.
Green Bay Packers @ Kansas City Chiefs
The Green Bay Packers shocked a ton of people with their upset win over the Arizona Cardinals – even without their top two wide receivers. Aaron Rodgers looked locked in but the offense was overall inconsistent. It was really their defense that got after Kyler Murray and forced a huge pick in the end zone to win the game.
The Packers get the Kansas City Chiefs this week, who haven’t been nearly the same team we have grown accustomed to seeing. They are turning it over way too much and their defense is allowing far too many big plays down the field. This could easily be a shootout just like the Vikings and Ravens game, only with Aarons Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes as the quarterbacks.
Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers
The Cardinals were bound to lose eventually, but nobody knew that it would be because of A.J. Green not being able to turn around for the football at the end of the game. To make matters worse, Murray could possibly miss this week’s game as his status is still up in the air. Regardless, they get a San Francisco 49ers squad that just knocked off the Chicago Bears on the road.
These two division rivals always end up having tight games that go down to the wire and with Murray on the injury report, and the possibility that George Kittle returning to action, the 49ers might rise up here.
Tennessee Titans @ Los Angeles Rams
The Tennessee Titans will have to continue their stellar season without Derrick Henry, which is probably the worst news that they could have gotten. Luckily, this group still has Julio Jones, A.J. Brown, and newly-signed Adrian Peterson to try and make up some of that ground. They should be an explosive group through the air now.
As for the Los Angeles Rams, they just traded for Von Miller. It’s unknown if he will be ready to play but Miller in this stacked Rams defense makes them that much better. Also, Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp are getting themselves in the conversation for the best duo in the league. This is going to be a fun one.
New England Patriots @ Carolina Panthers
Admittedly, neither of these teams are very exciting to watch offensively. In fact, the Carolina Panthers have been one of the worst in the league ever since Christian McCaffrey went down with an injury. The New England Patriots have now won three of four, and Mac Jones is playing like a seasoned veteran.
Meanwhile, Sam Darnold is beginning to crumble right before our very eyes. There is a chance that Christian McCaffrey plays in this game, but after 5 weeks missed due to the hamstring injury, coach Matt Rhule did not sound at all certain that his star running back could play in this one. McCaffrey takes the practice field on Wednesday, so bettors should know more then.