NFL Confidence Pool Picks Week 9

by Devon Rymarchuk - 11/4/2021

Week 8 saw some very unlikely performances and unexpected upsets. It was one of the harder weeks to pick thus far in 2021, there were seven underdogs who won in week 8, and none was bigger than the New York Jets over the Cincinnati Bengals. Quarterback Mike White for the Jets made his first career NFL start against the Bengals and served Cincinnati one of the biggest upsets of the NFL season. White threw for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns, scoring 14 unanswered points in the last five minutes.

The Indianapolis Colts vs Tennessee Titans was nothing short of amazing. The game was exactly as advertised, as the Titans pulled off the overtime victory giving them a three-game lead in the AFC South.

Ben Roethlisberger knows how to get it done vs the Cleveland Browns, adding to his 25-2-1 record in the regular season vs the AFC North rival. Of bigger concern is this loss leaves the Browns in a very tough spot. After last season’s playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, many believed it was a start to a whole new era in Cleveland, but this loss brought back many memories of old for the Browns faithful.

The New England Patriots rallied to a 27-24 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, proving the Patriots absolutely need to be viewed as an AFC Wild Card contender. The Chargers in the past few weeks have been quite unpredictable; putting a lot of confidence in them to win or lose can be seen as rather risky for the foreseeable future.

San Francisco 49ers looked like the 49ers of old vs the Chicago Bears Sunday. Snapping a four-game losing streak, the 49ers scored five straight times on offense in the second half and will look to carry that momentum against the Arizona Cardinals in week 9. After I picked the Detroit Lions to win in week 8 against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Lions didn’t show up, having their worst performance on the year. The Green Bay Packers came marching into Thursday night in Arizona as underdogs. And with a depleted roster because of Covid-19/ Injuries, Aaron Rodgers showed why he is on the most dangerous players in the NFL. The Packers were able to serve the Cardinals their first loss of the season, and I would not be surprised if these two teams met again in the playoffs.

Doc’s Sports offers NFL expert picks for every game on our NFL predictions page.

Key matchups of week are as followed:

Green Bay Packers @ Kansas City Chiefs

Spread -1 (Chiefs)

Pick Popularity 29%

Win Percentage 58%

News got released midweek that Aaron Rodgers is Covid positive and will miss this week’s game in Kansas City. With that being said, the spread, pick popularity and win percentage will all change. Kansas City has not looked good in recent weeks, almost loosing another game to the Giants Monday night. This has to be a statement game for Kansas City if they are to gain traction in the AFC race. Jordan Love is one of the most capable backup quarterbacks in the league with a lot of buzz around him. Nevertheless, pick Kansas City as an unpopular favorite with the absence of Aaron Rodgers.

Houston Texans @ Miami Dolphins

Spread +6.5 (Texans)

Pick Popularity 4%

Win percentage 28%

Despite both teams being tied at the bottom of the AFC with 1-7 records, the Dolphins are being picked at 96%. The Texans average more yards per play than the Dolphins. Miami gives up more yards per game than Houston. The Dolphins have already been upset by the Jaguars, the conference’s only other one-win team. Monitor the return of Tyrod Taylor for the Texans closely as I believe if he plays Houston has a strong chance to upset. Even if you are confident in the Dolphins, being picked as the fourth or fifth most team of the week with a 1-7 record is something to be cautious about.

Los Angeles Rams @ Tennessee

Spread +7.5 (Titans)

Pick Popularity 4%

Win percentage 23%

The Titans are not getting much love from the public since the news of Derrick Henry being out for the coming weeks. The Titans are still a well-balanced team, proving they can win in a variety of ways. Henry was limited to 68 yards on 28 rush attempts Sunday, with the Colts daring Ryan Tannehill to throw the ball. Tannehill did so and pulled off a gutsy road win in Indianapolis. This will be the Titans biggest test so far this season mainly due to the lack of resources at their disposal. This is still a team that knocked off the Bills and Chiefs in back to back weeks. This will be one of the most interesting games of the week as we will see how the Titans can respond to diversity. I am not all in on the Titans, but I would be leery of putting the Rams near the top of your confidence pool in week 9.

Week 1 performance from Devon: 68 points

Week 2 performance from Devon: 82 points

Week 3 performance from Devon: 95 points

Week 4 performance from Devon: 88 points

Week 5 performance from Devon: 102 points

Week 6 performance from Devon: 87 points

Week 7 performance from Devon: 65 points

Week 8 performance from Devon: 65 points

My Confidence picks:

Win	Loss
14. Buffalo Bills	Houston Texans
13. Dallas Cowboys	Denver Broncos
12. Pittsburgh Steelers	Chicago Bears
11. San Francisco 49ers	Chicago Bears
10. Indianapolis Colts	New York Jets
9. Los Angeles Chargers	Philadelphia Eagles
8. New Orleans Saints	Atlanta Falcons
7. New England Patriots	Carolina Panthers
6. Kansas City Chiefs	Green Bay Packers
5. Cincinnati Bengals	Cleveland Browns
4. Arizona Cardinals	San Francisco 49ers
3. Los Angeles Rams	Tennessee Titans
2. Houston Texans	Miami Dolphins
1. Minnesota Vikings	Baltimore Ravens

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Pick:	KANSAS CITY CHIEFS -5.5
Start:	December 15, 2024 @ 1:00 PM
Expert:	Doc's Sports

Analysis:

Free Play from Doc’s Sports. Take #465 Kansas City Chiefs -5.5 over Cleveland Browns (1p.m., Sunday, December 15 CBS) The Chiefs keep winning games and sooner or later one of those wins will come by a comfortable margin. I look for that to be this Sunday against a Browns team that is just playing out the string. Cleveland currently sits at 3- 10 and will enter this game having lost 4 of their last 5 games. Their only win came against Pittsburgh in a snow game on a short week. All 4 of those losses by the Browns have come over the posted number for this game. Kansas City is better on both sides of the football, and I just do not see the Browns offense keeping pace. Do not miss out on Doc’s Sports Weekend card featuring top plays in basketball, football, and hockey. We will feature our World-Famous Nonconference Game of the Year in College Basketball on Saturday. This game has won 13 of the 15 years it has been in existence and it is a must have for any big game hunter. Read More Read Less

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