NFL 2014 Week 9 picks

This week looks more normal, as I have a reasonable split between home teams and road teams that I favor.  There are still some interesting matchups that made choosing a winner difficulty, and I'll mark those.

Thursday night:  New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers:  The Panthers may have a better record, but their performances have been lackluster at best.  The Saints, meanwhile, have been improving over the past couple of weeks, and I think that improvement will continue.  SAINTS, 31-23

Sunday early games:
Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys:  Either team is really capable of winning this game.  It really comes down to the powerful Cardinals defense against the effective Cowboys offense.  I often choose the home team in these type of toss-ups, but I won't in this case.  First of all, a strong defense can sometimes be better than a strong offense.  There is also concern about Tony Romo's health, and this is the time of the season when the Cowboys start to falter.  CARDINALS, 24-20

Jacksonville Jaguars at Cincinnati Bengals:  Cincy gets an easy opponent to continue rebuilding themselves.  BENGALS, 24-16

New York Jets at Kansas City Chiefs:  Michael Vick takes over the Jets' offense, but he's cold and will sputter at first.  That will help the Chiefs.  CHIEFS, 27-13

Philadelphia Eagles at Houston Texans:  Houston is too unpredictable for me to favor them here.  The Eagles will want to bounce back from their loss to the Cardinals, and they have more tools than JJ Watt can focus on. The Texans may slow down the Eagles offense, though.  EAGLES, 23-21

San Diego Chargers at Miami Dolphins:  Miami will play them tough, but the Chargers offense has too many tools for them to be slowed.  This will be a close game, which will give the Fins fans hope, but they will ultimately fall short.  CHARGERS, 27-23

Tampa Bay Bucs at Cleveland Browns:  Like Cincy, the Browns get an easy opponent to continue to help the AFC North continue to be the only division without a losing team.  BROWNS, 26-17

Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings:  It's Colt McCoy versus Teddy Bridgewater, and I like what Teddy has been doing.  McCoy had a good game against Dallas, but Romo's back helped Washington win.  They don't have that benefit here.  VIKINGS, 23-20

Sunday late games:
Denver Broncos at New England Patriots:  I'd love to pick the Broncos, but Bill Belichick has come up with great defensive schemes against Peyton Manning.  Last year they should have won, taking a huge lead in the first half, but then the weather and the cold chilled Peyton.  I don't think they'll have cold issues this year, but I still see the Patriots holding them back.  Given both teams' performances this year, this will be an offensive showdown.  PATS, 34-30

Oakland Raiders at Seattle Seahawks:  The 'Hawks get an easy opponent to help rebuild their home record and gain some confidence back.  SEAHAWKS, 27-16

St Louis Rams at San Francisco 49ers:  The Rams will score more than they should, thanks to a struggling 49ers defense, but the Rams defense is even worse, giving the 49ers a chance to shine.  49ERS, 27-20

Sunday night:  Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers:  The Steelers are on a roll, and could potentially take the AFC North lead from the Ravens, but those tenacious Ravens are most vicious with their backs against the wall.  I give them an edge, but this game could easily go the other way.  RAVENS, 26-24

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
Indianapolis Colts at New York Giants:  The Giants got a bye, but that won't help them.  The Colts will tighten up after allowing Big Ben to have a career-high game, and their offense was kicking even in the loss.  They will bowl over the Giants in an attempt to regain face.  COLTS, 34-21