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Even though the last game just ended on Monday, the football calendar moves fast, and now it’s time to look ahead to Week 9, which kicks off on Thursday. With 30 of 32 teams back in action, it’s time to make a bold prediction for all 15 games on the NFL Week 9 schedule.
Signs point to the Jacksonville Jaguars being one of the best teams in the NFL. The Jaguars have lost just six times in the past 24 regular season games, proving to be one of the NFL’s truly elite teams. That will ring true again on Thursday night, when the Jaguars make fools of first-year head coach Jesse Minter, beating the Baltimore Ravens by 15 or more points in primetime without Lamar Jackson.
The Cincinnati Bengals bring a top-10 offense and defense into this Week 9 road matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. Both teams have designs of making the playoffs, but the Bengals are more composed on both sides of the ball right now. The Bengals will continue finding ways to create turnovers, putting Joe Burrow in advantageous positions to put the ball in the end zone four times after getting five last week.
With the Indianapolis Colts’ fire sale in full swing, this one should be an easy matchup for the Dallas Cowboys. The Colts will be counting on different players to step up after trading multiple key starters, and that adjustment to being a starter could take some time to adjust to. Meanwhile, the Cowboys will be motivated to take advantage of a group that’s in the midst of a rebuilding effort. When all is said and done, the Cowboys will have racked up 450 yards of offense.
There was a time when Travis Kelce was a weekly threat to go off for 100 yards. But he’s only reached that benchmark once this season, coming in overtime in Week 2 against the Colts. Yet, Patrick Mahomes will be eager to start funneling more targets to his reliable playmakers, and there’s no one he can trust more than the future Hall of Fame tight end, who will record 125 yards and two touchdowns in his best performance of the 2026 campaign yet.
Few, if any, quarterbacks are playing better than Jared Goff is right now. The Detroit Lions quarterback ranks in the top five of several major passing categories. Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins rank in the bottom tier of several defensive categories, especially when it comes to defending the pass. Malik Willis has had some moments of glory, and he’ll get a couple against a bad Lions defense, but it won’t be enough as Goff outshines him for five touchdowns on the day.
The Cleveland Browns have been one of the biggest surprise stories of the 2026 NFL season so far, and Deshaun Watson’s mostly improved play is a major reason why. Taking on a bad New Orleans Saints defense, Watson will return to glory with a four-touchdown game, his first since Week 12 of the 2020 NFL season. It’s the type of performance that could lead the Browns to reconsider giving their starting QB a contract extension.
J.J. McCarthy has found some magic with the New York Giants. He nearly completed a 24-point comeback, all in one quarter in his first major taste of action in The Big Apple. Yet, what the Giants have seen from the 23-year-old QB has been a revelation, creating an interesting futuristic conversation with Jaxson Dart. McCarthy will strengthen his case by coming up with a game-winning drive against a Philadelphia Eagles team that will be playing short-handed, but still inspired football.
Los Angeles Rams fans haven’t seen Myles Garrett on the field since the disappointing season-opening loss in Melbourne, Australia back in early September. That could change this week. While Garrett likely won’t be back to 100%, meaning he could have a limited share of snaps, he’s likely to still be effective at chasing quarterbacks, even athletic ones like Jayden Daniels. Garrett’s return will be more than welcome, especially when he closes out the game by recording a strip-sack on Daniels.
It’s safe to say that the Denver Broncos haven’t been thrilled with the production they’ve gotten out of franchise quarterback Bo Nix yet this season, but he’s been improving in the past two weeks. Taking on a Carolina Panthers defense that has allowed games in which teams score 59 and 43 points could help Nix have his best game of the 2026 season, going off for a 300-yard performance in the process.
There was a time when Justin Herbert and C.J. Stroud were looked at as two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Yet, Herbert has fallen off this season, often looking like a replacement-level QB rather than a franchise solution capable of leading a team to a Super Bowl. Yet, even the Texans’ once-elite defense hasn’t lived up to expectations either. This time, both QBs will be at their best, leading to over 700 yards of total offense from the two, but it will be Stroud who gets the last laugh in the end with a win.
When both are in prime form, Jordan Love and Drake Maye are both among the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Of course, not everyone can always be at their best, especially when taking on upper-tier pass defenses like the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots. Yet, each QB will be eager to show that they’re capable of putting their teams on their backs, even when taking on playoff-caliber teams. Both QBs will reach the end zone multiple times, combining for eight touchdowns, but it will be Love who leads his team to victory over the Patriots.
As the old saying goes, an athlete on the bench is just one play away from seeing game time. That’s the case for No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, who is still playing second fiddle to 38-year-old quarterback Kirk Cousins. Whether it’s a situation where the Las Vegas Raiders want to get a look at how their rookie QB is developing just two days ahead of the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline or another reason, somehow, some way, Mendoza will lead the Raiders to victory over a good San Francisco 49ers team that’s likely playoff-bound.
Despite last week’s win, the Arizona Cardinals are one of the worst teams in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks are not only defending Super Bowl champions, they’re also one of the best teams in the NFC, if not the NFL. This week will send the Cardinals even further down their path of being sellers, possibly prompting a trade before Tuesday’s deadline. Meanwhile, the Seahawks will use this one to remind everyone that they’re still capable of dominating opponents, even division rivals like the Cardinals.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ season couldn’t have started any worse, losing their first four games before getting into the victory column with their backup quarterback. But now Baker Mayfield is back, and the Buccaneers could be getting ready to go on a run to climb back into the NFC South division. It continues with a statement win against Ben Johnson’s Chicago Bears.
Josh Allen may be a top NFL MVP candidate, and Kyler Murray has never lived up to his ceiling as a former No. 1 overall pick. But the Vikings’ former Pro Bowl QB has the potential to turn his talent on at any time. Here, he, along with Kevin O’Connell, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson’s help, will manage to outgain the Buffalo Bills’ franchise QB, giving Vikings fans real hope of having a highly productive offense the rest of the way.
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