It’s Week 9 of 2021-22 NFL season, and the true contenders are starting to differentiate themselves atop of the league. With Digital Editor Karl Winter still ahead in the PGM game pick standings, the rest of the staff will look to have a big week.
In Week 8, one of the big stories was Jets quarterback Mike White, who made his first career start, threw for over 400 yards, and led the team to an upset win over the Bengals. Aaron Rodgers also led the short-handed Packers to a win over the Cardinals in one of the most thrilling games of the week. Additionally, there were several important divisional results, including the Steelers outlasting the Browns, the Titans beating the Colts in overtime and the Saints upsetting the Buccaneers.
Week 9 has several games between Super Bowl contenders, as well as between teams in the wild card playoff hunt. The Packers will travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs, the Browns and Bengals will clash in a divisional battle, and the Rams will host the Titans — who just lost star running back Derrick Henry to an injury, likely for the rest of the season.
The 2021-22 NFL Picks leaderboard remains close, with Karl holding the lead. However, there were changes in the standings — as thanks to a 10-5 week — Sports Editor Alec Matulka moved into second place. Creative Director Ali Levens rose into third after a 9-6 week, moving staff writers Joe Doonan and Austin LeDe’ into fourth and fifth, respectively.
New York Jets (2-5) at Indianapolis Colts (3-5) (Thursday, Nov. 4 at 5:20 p.m., PDT)
Joe: Colts
Austin: Colts
Alec: Colts
Ali: Colts
Karl: Colts
“It’s hard to pick the Jets, even though they looked quite good last week, and the Colts are coming off a heartbreaking loss, so they’ll be desperate.” — Austin
“I don’t like that the Jets won. I feel like that’s very uncharacteristic and I don’t like change, and so they need to go back to losing. No one likes the Jets when they’re winning. I mean, the world is in turmoil whenever that happens. I think watching the Colts is fun, and I feel like they are better than what they show sometimes.” — Ali
Atlanta Falcons (3-4) at New Orleans Saints (5-2) (Sunday, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m., PST)
Joe: Saints
Austin: Saints
Alec: Saints
Ali: Saints
Karl: Saints
“I think Taysom Hill might be back in this game, which is an exciting prospect, but it doesn’t seem like the Saints really lose much no matter who they put out at quarterback, so I think they will be fine whether it’s Hill or [Trevor] Siemian.” — Karl
“The Falcons have been a lot better this year than I thought they were going to be, but last week they didn’t look very good against Carolina and the Saints had a big win over the Bucs, so I’m gonna go with the Saints.” — Joe
Denver Broncos (4-4) at Dallas Cowboys (6-1) (Sunday, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m., PST)
Joe: Cowboys
Austin: Cowboys
Alec: Cowboys
Ali: Cowboys
Karl: Cowboys
“The Cowboys won with a backup quarterback. I mean, it was against Kirk Cousins in primetime, so don’t take too much from it, but they just look like a solid team. If you can win with the backup quarterback that means you have something special on every unit, so they look good.” — Austin
“This game kind of relies on the status of Dak Prescott, but it also doesn’t because I don’t think the Broncos are gonna have enough firepower to match the Cowboys even with the backup quarterback.” — Karl
New England Patriots (4-4) at Carolina Panthers (4-4) (Sunday, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m., PST)
Joe: Patriots
Austin: Patriots
Alec: Patriots
Ali: Patriots
Karl: Patriots
“I’m still beefing with the Patriots because they didn’t stop the Cowboys from scoring in the overtime game, but I feel like I’ve been burned a few times saying the Panthers will be better than they are, so I think that the Patriots will get the job done. Also, they beat the Chargers and that was really impressive.” — Alec
“I should have picked the Pats last week because they’ve been playing better lately. I think we’re all brainwashed into thinking that since Tom Brady left they’re just destined to not be good but you know what? They’re playing pretty well.” — Ali
Minnesota Vikings (3-4) at Baltimore Ravens (5-2) (Sunday, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m., PST)
Joe: Ravens
Austin: Ravens
Alec: Ravens
Ali: Ravens
Karl: Ravens
“I gotta go with the Ravens. I think they had a week, they sat around in a circle together. They said, ‘Guys, we did not do very well last time.’ They cried a little bit. They hugged each other. They talked about their greatest insecurities and fears. And now they’re going to come back and beat the Vikings.” — Alec
“The Vikings are a tough team to figure out; they’re very hit or miss. I’m gonna have to rely on the talent of the Ravens. I think they’re gonna play well coming off a bye week. It just doesn’t really seem like a game the Vikings would somehow steal on the road, but again, they’re unpredictable.” — Karl
Cleveland Browns (4-4) at Cincinnati Bengals (5-3) (Sunday, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m., PST)
Joe: Bengals
Austin: Bengals
Alec: Bengals
Ali: Bengals
Karl: Bengals
“I’m gonna go with the Bengals. The Browns just haven’t shown they can beat the elite teams this year, and even though the Bengals are coming off a horrible loss, they’ve been so good the rest of the year that I think they’re gonna beat the Browns.” — Joe
“I’ll go with the Bengals, just because I like them more than the Browns and the Browns have been disappointing. I think it’s a Baker [Mayfield] thing because, I mean, they don’t really have a bad unit, so it has to be the quarterback. I don’t get why Baker doesn’t go to Odell [Beckham Jr.], who I have on my fantasy team.” — Austin
Buffalo Bills (5-2) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6) (Sunday, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m., PST)
Joe: Bills
Austin: Bills
Alec: Bills
Ali: Bills
Karl: Bills
“Bills by 40. Trevor Lawrence will be so despondent after the game that he will decide to apply to graduate school so that you can have the college experience again. In a few weeks he’ll be playing intramural flag football at Johns Hopkins and absolutely destroying everybody. Balance will be restored.” — Alec
“I like the Bills. The Jags are not good. I don’t know why the mouth of the Jaguar is blue.” — Ali
Houston Texans (1-7) at Miami Dolphins (1-7) (Sunday, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m., PST)
Joe: Dolphins
Austin: Dolphins
Alec: Texans
Ali: Dolphins
Karl: Dolphins
“The Texans and Dolphins are both gonna make plays to lose the game, but I think when bad teams play each other it often comes down to quarterback play. I’m taking Tua [Tagovailoa] over whoever the Texans put out.” — Joe
“I think the Texans are in a lot more dysfunction and future trouble than the Dolphins are. I’m kind of confused about how bad the Dolphins are this year after how good they were last year and how they were one of the best stories of the season. I’m gonna have to stick with them. The Texans are just hapless and could still be the worst team in the league. So I’ll stick with the home team here.” — Karl
Oakland Raiders (5-2) at New York Giants (2-6) (Sunday, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m., PST)
Joe: Raiders
Austin: Raiders
Alec: Raiders
Ali: Raiders
Karl: Raiders
“Trying to pick a Raiders game correctly for me has been like trying to grab a rattlesnake in a pickle barrel. I feel like the Raiders are a better team. They certainly have a better record than the Giants, so I’ll go with them this time and see what happens.” — Alec
“I will pick against the Giants this week, simply because I’m mad that they keep winning and I want a better draft pick. I can never pick the Raiders right though. It’s always them and the Panthers messing up my picks, so we’ll just go with them and hope for the best.” — Ali
Los Angeles Chargers (4-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-5) (Sunday, Nov. 7 at 1:05 p.m., PST)
Joe: Chargers
Austin: Chargers
Alec: Chargers
Ali: Chargers
Karl: Eagles
“I’m gonna go with the Upset Special here and take Philly. The Chargers are kind of in a stretch of tough travel. And also I need my English teacher to be in a good mood and she loves the Eagles because I need her to give me better grades.” — Karl
“I think the Chargers bounce back from the loss last week. The Eagles win last week doesn’t really impress me. I just think the Lions were terrible more than the Eagles were good, so I’m gonna go with the Chargers.” — Joe
Green Bay Packers (7-1) at Kansas City Chiefs (4-4) (Sunday, Nov. 7 at 1:25 p.m., PST)
Joe: Packers
Austin: Chiefs
Alec: Chiefs
Ali: Packers
Karl: Packers
“I think the Chiefs got a little momentum back with a win over the Giants. Obviously they’re struggling right now, but the talent is there, so I’ll go with the upset.” — Austin
“I was impressed by the win last week but also how happy Aaron Rodgers seems is concerning for everyone else in the league. He loves playing with a chip on his shoulder. I feel like it’s gonna be his last season in Green Bay the way he’s talking, but man, he’s on a mission.” — Karl
Arizona Cardinals (7-1) at San Francisco 49ers (3-4) (Sunday, Nov. 7 at 1:25 p.m., PST)
Joe: Cardinals
Austin: Cardinals
Alec: Cardinals
Ali: Cardinals
Karl: Cardinals
“Two teams I don’t like, obviously, because they’re in the Rams division, but I hate the Niners and I love that Kyler [Murray] represents the small guys, so go Cardinals.” — Austin
“I’ve been saying a lot that the Cardinals couldn’t go undefeated and that’s proven to definitely be true. But now they can go sixteen and one, and I’m totally fine with that. They look like a very good team.” — Alec
Tennessee Titans (6-2) at Los Angeles Rams (7-1) (Sunday, Nov. 7 at 1:25 p.m., PST)
Joe: Rams
Austin: Rams
Alec: Rams
Ali: Rams
Karl: Rams
“I was really stoked for this game until Derrick Henry got hurt. It should still be a fine game, but I think the Rams are gonna pull away as the game goes on. I don’t know if there’s another player in the league who’s more important to his team than Derrick Henry is, so I just don’t know how the Titans are gonna be without him.” — Joe
“I was going to pick the Rams regardless, but with Derrick Henry out that makes it even more of a solid choice for me. You have a pretty good chance of having a good record in game picks just by picking the Rams every week.” — Ali
Chicago Bears (3-5) at Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) (Monday, Nov. 8 at 5:15 p.m., PST)
Joe: Steelers
Austin: Bears
Alec: Steelers
Ali: Steelers
Karl: Steelers
“We’re operating without a lot of our better players that are out due to injury, especially on defense where it’s been showing. The run defense was atrocious last week. I think we’re gonna have some problems with Najee Harris if it’s anything like last week. [Justin] Fields is gonna have to be miraculous or for us to win this game, I think. And that’s just a lot to expect from a rookie quarterback, working with a third-string running back.” — Karl
“I’m gonna go Steelers, continuing the trend this week of me picking teams that I dislike. The Steelers have now won three straight all against decent teams. If they were playing someone better this week I’d probably pick against them, but the Bears are just decent.” — Alec
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