Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4) at Houston Texans (3-4) 1:00p (ET)
After a 24-18 loss to the Buffalo Bills last Thursday night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to Houston to square off against the Texans. Despite a three-game losing streak, the 3-4 Buccaneers and still in the NFC South hunt. In Week 8, the Texans fell short in a 15-13 hard-fought matchup against the Carolina Panthers and dropped to 3-4.
The Texans face the 6th-ranked Buccaneers scoring defense, and it’s never an easy assignment for a rookie QB to go up against a top-10 defense, but CJ Stroud has looked up to the task so far this year.
Neither team is playing great right now, but the good news is that this should be a very competitive game. Both teams are coming off tough losses, but Houston has home field advantage and the edge at the QB position.
Final Score: Buccaneers – 17, Texans – 20
Dallas Cowboys (5-2) at Philadelphia Eagles (7-1) 4:25p (ET)
The Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles are coming off wins heading into this rivalry matchup at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles started slow, but were able to overpower the Commanders for a 38-31 win. Meanwhile, Dallas started fast and ended fast against the Rams, pulling away from the LA team for a solid 43-20 win at AT&T Stadium.
The Cowboys have lost two games so far this season, but for the most part, Dallas has been absolutely wrecking the majority of their opponents. Of their five wins this season, four have been by 20 points or more. The Eagles have the best record in the league right now at 7-1, and they’ve been playing some of their best overall football lately.
These are two football teams with solid defenses, and the offenses are just as good. The smart bet in this matchup is probably the home team, but don’t be surprised if the Cowboys show out and win this game.
Final Score: Cowboys – 27, Eagles – 30
Buffalo Bills (5-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (4-3) 8:20p (ET)
The Buffalo Bills are on the road at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati for a big-time matchup against the Bengals, on Sunday Night Football. Last Thursday, against the Buccaneers, the Bills entered the final quarter with a 24-10 lead and held on for a 24-18 win. Joe Burrow led Cincinnati to a gritty victory over the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium, and the Bengals are suddenly 4-3 and on a three-game winning streak after yet another slow start in September. Along with their offense in top form, the Bengals’ defense has stepped up enormously in recent games.
Both teams have put forth some poor performances this season, which were completely out of character for what we have come to expect from them, but this promises to be one of the most exciting and entertaining games in Week 9.
Buffalo will play better in this game than what we have seen from them recently, but the Bengals are catching fire right now and I think I will ride that wave.
Final Score: Bills – 24, Bengals – 26
Los Angeles Chargers (3-4) at New York Jets (4-3) (Mon) 8:15p (ET)
After going up against a softer Bears’ defense last Sunday night, the LA Chargers will see much tougher looks on the road this week against the NY Jets. In the ugliest game of Week 8, the Jets emerged with a 13-10 win in overtime against their city rivals, the NY Giants.
The dominant Jets defense has already forced 13 turnovers in seven games, the 4th-best mark in the league at this point. And they’re going to need to force some turnovers on Monday night in order to beat the Chargers, who are coming into New York with some momentum after getting a vital 30-13 victory against the Bears.
The Jets were a complete mess last week against the Giants, but 3 wins in a row are still 3 wins in a row. It’s difficult to predict how Zach Wilson is going to play against a Chargers defense that has been pretty solid against the run and is also consistently forcing turnovers. I’m taking the Chargers to win this game and put an end to the Jets winning streak.
Final Score: Chargers – 26, Jets – 20