With Week 9, the NFL season is moving into its second half. So far, the NFC North looks formidable, the NFC South has struggled, and the NFC West still feels wide open.
The North could get even more crowded after this week. The picks favor the Lions and Bears, while Green Bay’s game against New England is split. Minnesota is expected to lose to Buffalo. If the Packers win, Chicago would be the only team in the division with six wins; the other three would all have six as well. That could get complicated quickly.
Every NFC South team is picked to lose, which would leave Carolina’s path forward looking more like a default than a charge. Tampa Bay’s defense has shown real improvement lately, though, and might help the Buccaneers make a push later in the season.
Out West, the three leading teams are all expected to win comfortably. The question remains whether Seattle or Los Angeles can catch San Francisco, which still leads the division despite looking less than fully healthy.
Here are the Week 9 picks, with the number of panelists choosing each team:
- Jaguars over Ravens: 9–0
- Bengals over Falcons: 9–0
- Chiefs over Jets: 9–0
- Rams over Commanders: 9–0
- Broncos over Panthers: 6–3
- Cowboys over Colts: 8–1
- Saints over Browns: 6–3
- Lions over Dolphins: 9–0
- Giants over Eagles: 9–0
- Texans over Chargers: 8–1
- 49ers over Raiders: 9–0
- Patriots over Packers: 5–4
- Seahawks over Cardinals: 9–0
- Bears over Buccaneers: 9–0
- Bills over Vikings: 9–0
