After a busy trade deadline, it’ll be interesting to see the impact of players relocating to their new teams this week and beyond. Read below for my week 9 game picks.

Thursday, November 2

Steelers 16, Titans 13

Kenny Pickett will be starting this game even though he will be playing through a rib injury. The Steelers will probably want to make sure they run the ball enough to protect Pickett in this game but it might be tempting for Matt Canada to try to dial up some passes against a weak Tennessee pass defense. Will Levis played extremely well in his NFL debut last week but this game will be a tougher test. The Steelers boast two top tier pass rushers in Alex Highsmith and TJ Watt, and also get Cameron Heyward back off of IR. The Pittsburgh pass rush ultimately decides this game.

Sunday, November 5

Dolphins 26, Chiefs 21

The Tyreek Hill revenge game should be a great one in Germany this Sunday. Kansas City has the defense to potentially slow down this Miami attack. It is imperative that Chris Jones pushes the middle of the pocket to make Tua Tagovailoa uncomfortable and force him into some mistakes. For the Chiefs to win this, they are going to need their WRs to step up and make more plays to keep up with the Dolphins.

Falcons 23, Vikings 20

Just as we all expected….Taylor Heinicke vs. Jaren Hall! It’s hard to know what to expect from Hall this week as he makes the first start of his career, but he does have a strong enough supporting cast to guide him this week. Meanwhile, Heinicke is a solid QB but has a gunslinger attitude which gets him in trouble oftentimes. He needs to limit his mistakes against a Brian Flores defense that is playing really well. The difference in this game will be Atlanta’s diverse running game, something Minnesota does not have to take pressure off Jaren Hall.

Ravens 24, Seahawks 23

The Seahawks have been one of the tougher teams to evaluate this season. They have a 5-2 record but don’t always look completely convincing. A big part of that is an offense that has yet to truly take off and be consistent, partly because of inefficiency in the red zone and some trouble in pass protection. The pass protection will be tested especially this week against a Ravens team that loves to blitz linebackers and safeties. For the Ravens, it will be interesting to see how they attack the Seahawks who are pretty strong against both the pass and especially the run. The trade for Leonard Williams will only help the run defense which will be a helpful addition moving forward.

Browns 30, Cardinals 10

This game could get ugly early with the Cardinals starting rookie QB Clayton Tune after shipping off Joshua Dobbs to the Vikings. Look for Myles Garrett to have a bounce back game after a surprisingly ineffective showing in Seattle. PJ Walker needs to also play better to avoid making this a close game late. The Cleveland running game should be ready to dominate this matchup and help the offense cruise in this game.

Packers 19, Rams 13

It looks like the Rams will be without Matthew Stafford this week due to his thumb injury sustained in the loss at Dallas. (If he plays, Rams 24-19). The Packers offense has been terrible in the first half in recent weeks and they need to remedy that to get themselves back in the win column. Getting the run game going with Aaron Jones is extremely important with the way Jordan love has struggled as of late. If so, they can have success against a young Rams defense.

Buccaneers 24, Texans 17

The Buccaneers have suddenly lost three games in a row and now find themselves at third place in the NFC South. One of the biggest problems week after week is the absence of a run game to support Baker Mayfield and the passing offense, which has also been suspect lately. The Texans can probably attack the Bucs secondary with their diverse array of weapons, but the Bucs defense has been bend but don’t break all year and I think that continues this weekend.

Patriots 23, Commanders 17

A tough game to pick but with the Commanders trading away two impactful D-linemen (Montez Sweat, Chase Young), I’ll give the Patriots the edge at home. The Patriots O-line has played better the last couple weeks giving me a little confidence they can move the ball on a bad Commanders defense. The reality, though, is that a good offensive day for the Patriots is hovering around 20 points. For the Commanders, it will be interesting to see how the O-line plays this week after allowing only 1 sack against the Eagles last week.

Saints 30, Bears 20

Was the Saints offensive explosion last week due to playing a poor defense or have they turned the corner? We won’t get a definitive answer this week against another terrible defense but it is important they build on last week’s performance. The Bears really struggled to contain Austin Ekeler in the pass game last week and may have similar struggles against Alvin Kamara this week. One major boost for the Chicago defense is adding Montez Sweat to the pass rush.

Colts 27, Panthers 24

The Colts offense has been very consistent this season as they are the only team to score 20+ points in every game this season. Jonathan Taylor is starting to look like himself again which is scary for Indianapolis opponents moving forward. Gardner Minshew has played decent but the turnovers have continued to plague him. The Panthers got their first win last week with Bryce Young playing well and I think that continues here, but the Colts win it late.

Giants 20, Raiders 16

Daniel Jones is back for the Giants but unfortunately Darren Waller is out with a hamstring injury. The Giants defense has been excellent the last three games and now the offense can’t stay healthy together unfortunately. It will be interesting to see this Raiders team under the guidance of Antonio Pierce after the firing of Josh McDaniels earlier this week. We will also get to see Aidan O’Connell start his second career game, but in order for him to be successful the O-line needs to hold up. Expect Giants DC Wink Martindale to send even more blitzes than usual against the first year pro.

Eagles 20, Cowboys 17

The Cowboys offense kicked into high gear last week which was encouraging as they head into a massive NFC East tilt with the Eagles. A lot will probably be on Dak Prescott’s shoulders once again as the Eagles pass defense has been shaky, and their run defense has been solid. The biggest matchup in this game is AJ Brown against the Cowboys secondary. Dallas needs to contain him in order to win this game. If Dallas pays more attention to Brown, look for DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert to potentially have big games.

Bengals 30, Bills 27

The Bengals offense is looking like it has the past couple seasons again. Joe Burrow and the offense are coming off a great game and that looks to continue this week. The Buffalo defense has a big test to see if they can withstand their injuries and make enough plays in this game. The Bills offense needs to start fast like they did last week because this game could easily become a shootout. It would be ideal if Von Miller returns to form and has a big game.

Jets 23, Chargers 20

It’s hard to feel great about the Jets offense but at least they play one of the worst defenses in the NFL this week. The Chargers D made major strides last week but I’m still not quite convinced. As much as I want to still believe in this Chargers team, they still have too many areas of concern outside of the defense which include the running game and the offense struggling to finish drives. I think the Jets get a couple turnovers and eke out a close win at home.