NFL Pro Football 2007 Week 9 Picks early games

NFL Pro Football 2007 Week 9 Picks

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Fearless Rick's NFL Week 9 Picks - Early Games

Rick Gagliano | Nov. 4-5

All times Eastern - Click here for late Sunday and Monday night games.

Sunday, November 4

Arizona at Tampa Bay (-3 1/2, 37 1/2)1:00 pm - Both teams are sorely in need of a win, each having lost their last two games. The Bucs are in better shape, injury-wise, as the Cards have lost Matt Leinart and backup Kurt Warner is questionable. Third-stringer Tim Rattay could see action in this one. Noting that, the Bucs will focus on stopping Edgerrin James first and handling the passing attack, second. While Tampa Bay isn't exactly an offensive powerhouse, they should be able to score more than enough points to win comfortably.

Prediction: Buccaneers 24 Cardinals 10

Carolina at Tennessee (-4, 35 1/2) 1:00 pm - Both offenses are struggling, though Tennessee seems to have the pieces in place to do better. The Titans also have a more efficient defense (ranked 5th in the league at 282.1 yards per game) that should be able to handle a Panthers offense averaging just 16 ppg over their last four. The Titans have also won two straight and are in a good spot (5-2) behind Indy and tied with Jacksonville in the NFL's toughest division.

Prediction: Titans 21 Panthers 10

Cincinnati (-1, 43) at Buffalo 1:00 pm - In the revolving and evolving QB controversy in Buffalo, JP Losman gets the nod after leading the Bills to a win over the Jets last week. Rookie Trent Edwards is banged up, so there's no way of knowing whether JP would have taken the starting spot otherwise. This is a good spot for Losman, as the Bengals have the 2nd-most generous defense in the league. The Bills are only scoring 13.9 ppg, and two TDs is not likely to get the job done against the speedy and dangerous Bengals offense. The Bills may be able to slow them a bit, though and win with some grit and a late field goal.

Prediction: Bills 27 Bengals 24

Denver at Detroit (-3, 45 1/2)1:00 pm - Denver is having a real up-and-down season, though they are still in contention in the weakened AFC West at 3-4. While both defenses are porous, the Lions offense has displayed plenty of firepower, scoring more than 21 points in five of their seven outings. The defense may be coming around as well, having allowed just 23 points over the past two games (Tampa Bay and at Chicago). If the Lions are able to slow down the Denver attack, their offense should find ample opportunity to blow this one wide open.

Prediction: Lions 38 Broncos 21

Green Bay at Kansas City (-2, 37)1:00 pm - Two of the more pleasant surprises match up here in a battle of division leaders. Green Bay faces the unpleasant circumstance of playing their second straight road game, and that is compounded by the short work week. The Packers got a boost from Brett Favre, who hooked up with Greg Jennings for an 82-yard TD on the first play of OT Monday night, but they'll probably find the going tougher against the Chiefs. The Pack also got their first 100-yard rushing performance from Ryan Grant, who came in to spell injured DeShawn Wynn.

KC is 2-1 at home, but Green Bay is undefeated in three road games. The Chiefs should be able to dominate the clock and the scoreboard, handing the Packers just their second loss of the season.

Prediction: Chiefs 28 Packers 24

Jacksonville at New Orleans (-3, 40)1:00 pm - At 5-2, the Jaguars are in playoff contention, but one wonders how long they can keep winning with Quinn Gray at QB. The defense aided the cause last week in a 24-23 win at Tampa Bay, but the Jags are on the road for the second straight week and play at Tennessee next Sunday. That's a brutal road schedule, and with New Orleans suddenly back in the NFC South hunt at 3-4, slowing the Saints' offense (81 points in their last 3 games, all wins) may pose a big problem. New Orleans needs to keep winning, and should improve upon their 1-2 home record with another win here.

Prediction: Saints 28 Jaguars 17

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San Diego (-7, 41) at Minnesota 1:00 pm - Considering Minnesota's one-dimensional offense (run only), the Chargers should be able to wear down the solid Viking defense and explode the scoreboard. These two teams are headed in opposite directions. The Vikings have lost two straight (and have won only twice this season), while the Chargers are winners of three straight. Make that four straight around 4:10 ET.

Prediction: San Diego 31 Vikings 7

San Francisco at Atlanta (-3, 37)1:00 pm - Bottom feeder special here. Neither team has anything to look forward to except the draft in the Spring. Somebody must lose, however, and Atlanta will find no weaker opponent this season, so they should be able to find win #2, and maybe their last.

Prediction: Falcons 21 49ers 13

Washington at N.Y. Jets (-3 1/2, 35 1/2)1:00 pm - After the beat-down by New England last week, the Redskins are forced to play on the road for the second straight week. Fortunately for them, they are playing one of the worst teams in the league. The Jets rank 30th offensively and 29th on defense. If the Redskins can't win this one, who can they beat?

Prediction: Redskins 30 Jets 10

All times Eastern - Click here for late Sunday and Monday night games

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