It was a solid week of picks in the triumphant return of Pigskin Pick’Em, as I posted a 3-2 record overall and 4-1 mark against the spread. Oh, and I nailed the final score of the Thursday night Broncos-Chargers tilt exactly. Before I hurt my shoulder patting myself on the back, let’s move on to the week nine picks.
Thursday night: Carolina Panthers (+2.5) vs. New Orleans Saints
The Saints were impressive in a Sunday night win against Green Bay and finally looked like the team many predicted to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl before the season. However, New Orleans is as soft as it gets on the road, going 6-14 away from home in the regular season dating back to 2012. After playing Seattle tough last week, I think Carolina finally breaks through Thursday night with a tougher brand of football.
The pick: Carolina 24, New Orleans 16
Dallas Cowboys (-4) vs. Arizona Cardinals
Dallas has pounded teams with a dominant offensive line and star running back Demarco Murray, who has run for over 100 yards in all eight games for the Cowboys this season. On Sunday, that streak will end. Arizona boasts one of the best run defenses in the league (77.9 yards per game), and will surely focus their game plan on containing Murray. Can Tony Romo avoid turning the ball over against an opportunistic defense that ranks fifth in the NFL in takeaways with 14? I think not.
The pick: Arizona 27, Dallas 21
San Francisco 49ers (-10) vs. St. Louis Rams
The Rams have been blown out twice this season, but besides that have played largely competitive football. The 49ers had a week to regroup after a waxing by Denver, and used it to get healthier. I like San Francisco, but still haven’t seen enough to pick them to win by 10 against a Rams team that plays tough. They’ll fight, but I think the 49ers ground attack eventually powers them to victory.
The pick: San Francisco 23, St. Louis 14
New England Patriots (+3) vs. Denver Broncos
Tom Brady. Peyton Manning. What else do you need to say? Though it’s only week nine, this game could have massive implications towards the end of the season regarding seeding and home field advantage in the AFC. I flipped-flopped on this pick several times, but ultimately I can’t go against New England at home combined with a healthy Rob Gronkowski. If it were in Denver, I would probably take the Broncos. Two concerns for me – Von Miller traditionally dominates Patriots left tackle Nate Solder, and I’m worried that without Chandler Jones, Manning will have all the time in the world in the pocket. Still, it’s impossible to resist the Patriots and the points.
The pick: New England 31, Denver 27
Pittsburgh Steelers (PK) vs. Baltimore Ravens
One of the best rivalries in the NFL is back. Both teams are 5-3 and one game behind division leader Cincinnati, meaning this game should be an absolute bloodbath. I think the game comes down to the last five minutes, and each team will have a chance to win it. At that point, I’m putting my faith in Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and home field advantage over the mercurial Ravens and Joe Flacco.
The pick: Pittsburgh 23, Baltimore 16
Ross Gienieczko can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @RossGien.
