We’ve made it to the halfway point of the season. The league is really taking shape now as contenders separate themselves from the pack.
There’s still plenty to play for, though, with every team mathematically alive.
The Baltimore Ravens will have to hope third-stringer Joe Fagnano can work miracles against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Atlanta Falcons will be looking to pick up their fourth win in Madrid against the Cincinnati Bengals. In a very open NFC South, every win counts.
The Green Bay Packers will face the New England Patriots as two 5-3 teams look to pull ahead of other wild card teams.
And on Monday night, the league’s best offense and defense clash with the Buffalo Bills hosting the Minnesota Vikings.
Here, Sports News Blitz’s Josiah Burdsall makes his predictions for four big games this week.
Week 9 games broadcast in UK, November 6-10
Friday
Jacksonville Jaguars vs Baltimore Ravens - Thursday night football - 12:15 am on Sky Sports NFL
Sunday
Cincinnati Bengals vs Atlanta Falcons - NFL Madrid game - 2:30 pm on Sky Sports
Denver Broncos vs Carolina Panthers - 6:00 pm on Sky Sports NFL
New York Jets vs Kansas City Chiefs - 6:00 pm on Channel 5 Action
Detroit Lions vs Miami Dolphins - 6:00 pm on Sky Sports +
Las Vegas Raiders vs San Francisco 49ers - 9:25 pm on Sky Sports +
Green Bay Packers vs New England Patriots - 9:25 pm on Sky Sports + and Channel 5
Monday
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Chicago Bears - Sunday Night football - 1:20 am on Sky Sports NFL
Tuesday
Buffalo Bills vs Minnesota Vikings - Monday Night Football - 1:15 am on Sky Sports NFL
All games can be viewed on NFL Season Pass on DAZN.
Jacksonville Jaguars (5-2) vs Baltimore Ravens (4-4)
Poor Ravens fans, they had so much hope when Lamar Jackson returned last week.
He played one snap and immediately got injured again; possibly for the season.
Third-string Joe Fagnano will start his first NFL game.
After coming in against the Bills last week, he had a 47.6% completion rate.
In that game, not a single Ravens receiver had more than 22 yards.
The Ravens are also on a run of three consecutive games with less than 14 points
As for the Jaguars, they have the second best scoring defense in the league, and a secondary with nine interceptions.
Their offense is humming, and Trevor Lawrence is an outside MVP contender.
The Jaguars have a 95% chance to make the playoffs, and this game is unlikely to slow them down.
Prediction: Jacksonville Jaguars win
Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) vs Atlanta Falcons (3-5)
Bienvenido a Madrid.
The Bengals and Falcons meet in the NFL’s second ever Spain game.
The Falcons are 3-5, so naturally, they are tied for the most wins in the NFC South.
Atlanta’s biggest issue has been consistency. They have impressive wins over the 49ers and Packers, yet have lost five games.
As for the Bengals, stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Joe Burrow is having a great year, but the defense is shaky.
With Tee Higgins, Ja’Marr Chase, and Mike Gesicki, any QB would be jealous of Burrow’s passing options.
They are averaging 288.4 passing yards per game, the most in the league.
Alternatively, giving up 36 points to the Tennessee Titans is worrying.
It looks like another Bengals season where a high powered offense will have to keep bailing out the defense.
In monsoon conditions, Michael Penix Jr threw four interceptions last week. In the seven weeks previous, he only threw one.
Penix will be eager to prove that the game was a one-off. Even if it is, Atlanta still ranks middle of the pack in most offensive stats.
The Bengals will probably score a lot, can the Falcons keep up?
Prediction: Cincinnati Bengals win
Green Bay Packers (5-3) vs New England Patriots (5-3)
The Packers must hate being in the NFC North right now. Despite a 5-3 record, they are bottom of the division.
With both teams on the edge of Super Bowl conversations, this presents a great chance to make a statement.
The Packers and Patriots have a lot in common. Both are led by strong defenses, but have a few weaknesses on offense.
Even with Josh Jacobs returning, the Packers are averaging 60.6 rushing yards per game, by far the worst in the NFL.
They also have the most passing yards of anyone in the NFL, their offense is very unbalanced.
Meanwhile, Drake Maye has really picked up in form over the past few weeks.
This despite losing Romeo Doubs, Aj Brown, and Mack Hollins.
Hollins might be making a return which would give New England a much-needed boost.
These are two top-10 defenses, both are allowing just over 20 points and 300 yards per game.
With injuries for the Patriots and no run game for the Packers, this might be a low scoring game.
Prediction: New England Patriots win
Buffalo Bills (6-1) vs Minnesota Vikings (6-1)
The league’s best offense will face the league’s best defense in a highly-anticipated Monday night game.
On the other side of the ball, it’s a bottom 10 defense vs a bottom 10 offense.
The Vikings were finally defeated last week against the Detroit Lions.
They could only score 15 points and went three for 11 on third and fourth downs.
That game was Kyler Murray’s first one throwing for more than one touchdown.
But their defense held the NFL’s third highest scoring team to 19 points.
They were also the first team to pick off Jared Goff.
The Bills will be the toughest test the Vikings defense has faced yet.
Buffalo are averaging 33.3 points per game when no one else is over 30, and are second in the NFL for yards per game.
If there is one flaw to Josh Allen’s game, it’s interceptions - he has thrown five this year.
The Vikings blitzed 89.6% of all plays against the Lions.
If the Vikings blitz heavily again (they probably will), they might force Allen into errors.
The Vikings and Bills are very well matched, and this game could go either way.
Prediction: Buffalo Bills win
NFL Week 9 accumulator
Jacksonville Jaguars beat Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals beat Atlanta Falcons
New England Patriots beat Green Bay Packers
Buffalo Bills beat Minnesota Vikings
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