Week 8 in the NFL was a wild one, with three backup quarterbacks stepping in and somehow leading their teams to seemingly improbable victories! We can certainly expect more of that this weekend when Week 9 kicks off. But what games are expected to be the most exciting?
Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints
This is going to be a great one. The Atlanta Falcons are a lot better than they are given credit for, sitting at a 3-4 overall record and barely in last place in their division. Matt Ryan is still a solid quarterback and their defense has been surprisingly efficient at times throughout the year. Kyle Pitts is a machine, but they don’t have much of a strong run game and their star receiver Calvin Ridley just announced he is stepping away from football. Luckily for them, the Saints just like their starting quarterback Jameis Winston to a torn ACL. Trevor Siemian stepped up and somehow picked up a huge win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week but will need to do it again here unless Taysom Hill steps forward into the starting spot. The big test for this game is going to be the Saints defense against this Atlanta offense, but with the way that New Orleans has been playing I would say that they are still the safer pick here at home. I expect that Alvin Kamara is likely to touch the ball 20 times this game, so expect him to be a major player in what should be a close win for the Saints.
Tennessee Titans @ Los Angeles Rams
Wow, this game took a complete turn for the worst for the Tennessee Titans. They have been winning games off the shoulders of Derrick Henry, who is now out for the season. Adrian Peterson is on the roster now but let’s face it, he isn’t going to fill Henry’s shoes. Ryan Tannehill, A.J. Brown, and Julio Jones can make this a game through the air, but their defense will struggle to stop Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams offense. Cooper Kupp is phenomenal at receiver and Darrell Henderson is a legitimate three down back. Oh yeah, and the Rams just traded for Von Miller to go along with Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. If you don’t feel confident backing the Rams to win this game then I don’t know what to tell you. I would also say that Kupp eclipses 100 receiving yards again, I just have yet to see a cornerback lock him down all year long.
Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals
Finally, we come to a divisional rivalry. The Cleveland Browns struggled against the Pittsburgh Steelers but surprisingly lost the game due to errors from Jarvis Landry. He fumbled on a crucial drive and even dropped a few passes down the stretch of the game that could have turned the tide. Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb and Odell Beckham Jr are all playing hurt as well. Then for the Cincinnati Bengals, well, they just lost to the New York Jets. Their defense struggled to contain Mike White, and their offense made far too many mistakes late in the game. I truthfully don’t have an idea of who to pick to win this game because it is just too close to call between two evenly-matched oufits. However, I do think that expect that Joe Burrow will throw for over 250 yards as the Bengals are set to lean on their talented QB. After a rough week he will certainly look to show out against the team’s rivals.