The Week 9 NFL slate is unbelievably packed. Although things will get interesting with divisional battles late in the season, no NFL Sunday is more competitive than this one. What do PFN’s NFL Week 9 predictions look like?
Pro Football Network’s Week 9 NFL Predictions
How did the selection committee fair in Week 8, and who is the new leader in the clubhouse throughout the season?
Year to Date
- Dalton Miller: 79-43
- Dallas Robinson: 78-44
- Adam Beasley: 73-49
- David Bearman: 73-49
- Jay Morrison: 69-53
Last Week
- Bearman: 13-3
- Miller: 12-4
- Beasley: 11-5
- Robinson: 11-5
- Morrison: 10-6
After a horrific Week 7 for the crew, Week 8 was a doozy, even with a few upsets thrown into the mix.
Remember, these predictions are simply deciding between winners and losers. There are no point spreads here. For that, head over to our Week 9 betting predictions.
Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers
- Beasley: Steelers
- Bearman: Steelers
- Miller: Steelers
- Morrison: Steelers
- Robinson: Steelers
Will Levis was wonderful in his first professional outing. However, the Titans’ passing attack consisted of throwing at or behind the line and a few deep shots that happened to hit DeAndre Hopkins. A touchdown-to-checkdown approach isn’t the end of the world for a young passer, but Levis isn’t facing the Falcons’ defensive front this week.
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The Steelers are getting reinforcements. Cameron Heyward is back from injured reserve, and the Titans’ interior isn’t particularly qualified to protect against a threat of his caliber. While the Steelers’ defensive backfield is underwhelming, especially without Minkah Fitzpatrick, Levis may not have the luxury to take downfield shots often against the Steelers.
Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs
- Beasley: Dolphins
- Bearman: Dolphins
- Miller: Dolphins
- Morrison: Dolphins
- Robinson: Dolphins
The Dolphins and Chiefs square off in Frankfurt, Germany on Sunday. Games across the pond can be unpredictable. Players aren’t used to playing on three hours of clock difference, let alone the six Dolphins players and seven Chiefs players will endure Sunday.
While it pains to pick against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, as someone with experience traveling between the two continents, Miami has the better plan. They arrived in Germany days before Kansas City, and that time to adjust could be critical. Because the two teams are so impressive, deciding between the two was already a coin flip.
Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons
- Beasley: Falcons
- Bearman: Vikings
- Miller: Falcons
- Morrison: Falcons
- Robinson: Falcons
It’s Taylor Heinicke time, which means the Falcons are about to look somewhat dominant for a few games before the league once again nails down the game plan to slow down the Fitzmagic-like backup quarterback. Considering the Vikings just lost Kirk Cousins and Jaren Hall is making his first start, it seems the Falcons are destined for a win.
Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens
- Beasley: Ravens
- Bearman: Ravens
- Miller: Ravens
- Morrison: Ravens
- Robinson: Ravens
Geno Smith has been incredible playing behind a shell of an offensive line, but Mike Macdonald and the Ravens defense is the second consecutive juggernaut Smith has faced.
And while the Seattle defense has been a pleasant surprise to some in 2023, the Ravens offense provides a much sterner test than Cleveland did a week ago. The middle of the field in pass defense has been a sore spot for Seattle, and that happens to be where Lamar Jackson is best.
Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns
- Beasley: Browns
- Bearman: Browns
- Miller: Browns
- Morrison: Browns
- Robinson: Browns
Pray to whatever deity you prefer, or send positive vibes to Clayton Tune because that young man will need them. Facing Myles Garrett and Jim Schwartz in your first career start is nightmare fuel. And while PJ Walker has performed like one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL since replacing the injured Deshaun Watson, it shouldn’t matter too much against Arizona.
Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers
- Beasley: Packers
- Bearman: Rams
- Miller: Packers
- Morrison: Rams
- Robinson: Rams
This is a tough game to nail down. If Matthew Stafford plays, the Rams must be seen as the favorite. However, he didn’t practice on Wednesday, and although he was facing the tough Dallas defense, he did not look good after suffering the thumb injury on Sunday.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans
- Beasley: Texans
- Bearman: Texans
- Miller: Buccaneers
- Morrison: Texans
- Robinson: Texans
Like a matchup between two MAC teams, this game isn’t the sexiest on the schedule, but it should be a competitive contest.
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If “average” were trying to find a photo for its dictionary entry, the Texans and Buccaneers would be jockeying for contention. Houston has had slightly better offensive outcomes, while the Buccaneers defense is slightly better than the Texans.
Washington Commanders at New England Patriots
- Beasley: Patriots
- Bearman: Patriots
- Miller: Patriots
- Morrison: Patriots
- Robinson: Patriots
The Commanders, who had absolutely no edge depth behind Montz Sweat and Chase Young, traded Montez Sweat and Chase Young a few days ago. There is no better example of waving the white flag than that. The Washington defense already struggles with communication on the back end, and the entire philosophy was built on Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, and the defensive ends.
Now, the 2023 Patriots may try to dress up as the 2007 team for Halloween, but they’re not fooling anybody. And with Kendrick Bourne gone, that offensive unit is even worse than it already is.
Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints
- Beasley: Saints
- Bearman: Saints
- Miller: Saints
- Morrison: Saints
- Robinson: Saints
Tyson Bagent was the league’s next Brock Purdy … for about five minutes. Carving up the Raiders defense with five-yard passes looked good in the box score, but it was a product of bad defense more than good quarterback play. Dennis Allen’s unit provides a stern test even for veteran passers. And the Saints offense is coming off its best performance of the season.
Indianapolis Colts at Carolina Panthers
- Beasley: Colts
- Bearman: Colts
- Miller: Colts
- Morrison: Colts
- Robinson: Colts
The Panthers are starting to play better football, but the Colts look like one of the best-coached teams in the NFL, at least offensively. Although Gardner Minshew has struggled with his ball security somewhat, the Colts offense has been moving the ball relatively well since he took over for the injured Anthony Richardson.
New York Giants at Las Vegas Raiders
- Beasley: Raiders
- Bearman: Raiders
- Miller: Giants
- Morrison: Raiders
- Robinson: Raiders
The Giants played in one of the least inspiring football games in recent memory last week. Their offensive line remains in shambles. And sometimes, a team can rally after having their head coach relieved of his duties. But in a game between two bad football teams, Daniel Jones is a better bet than Aidan O’Connell.
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
- Beasley: Eagles
- Bearman: Eagles
- Miller: Cowboys
- Morrison: Eagles
- Robinson: Eagles
The second consecutive game with a single dissenting opinion couldn’t be more different than the last. Dallas and Philadelphia are arguably the two best teams in the NFC, and they’re hated division rivals.
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We’ve struggled to manage a Cowboys-Eagles game with Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts both on the field healthy. They’ll both play on Sunday, but Hurts is not 100 percent. But that shouldn’t matter greatly, considering he was the league’s Offensive Player of the Week last week for his performance against Washington.
Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals
- Beasley: Bills
- Bearman: Bengals
- Miller: Bengals
- Morrison: Bengals
- Robinson: Bengals
These two teams are moving in the opposite direction. Cincinnati started excruciatingly slow, but Joe Burrow and Co. looked completely back a week ago against the 49ers. Meanwhile, Buffalo’s defense struggles to manage their mounting personnel losses.
Josh Allen has been keeping them afloat. Since his awful start in Week 1, arguably no QB in the league has been better. But it will take a Herculean effort to get past a surging Bengals team.
Los Angeles Chargers at New York Jets
- Beasley: Jets
- Bearman: Chargers
- Miller: Chargers
- Morrison: Jets
- Robinson: Chargers
In a “chicken or egg” game between offense and defense, the selection committee couldn’t agree. The millennials in the group went offense, while most of the elder generation sided with defense. Ultimately, this game will come down to which incompetent unit, the Jets offense or the Chargers defense, will be more disappointing on Monday night.
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