NFL Football- Week Nine Previews

There are some significant games being played this weekend in the NFL.
The Dallas Cowboys travel to Philadelphia to face the surging Eagles, fresh off their 40-17 thrashing of the New York Giants last week. Both teams are 5-2 and tied for first place in the NFC East.
Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb has been brilliant since the Eagles laid that egg in a loss at Oakland three weeks ago. Dallas Cowboys' QB Tony Romo has also been rolling as the Cowboys have won three straight games since a setback in Denver.
Meanwhile, the New York Giants, who have lost three straight games, will be hosting the San Diego Chargers (4-3) in the feature game on CBS late Sunday afternoon.
The Giants' defense has been uncharacteristically generous against the run in the losing streak, as the Philadelphia Eagles ran for near 200 yards in last week's win.
The Chargers are basically in a must-win situation the rest of the season after seeing the surprising Denver Broncos get off to a 6-0 start and a commanding lead in the AFC West.
In the AFC North, first place is also on the line in Week Nine as the Baltimore Ravens travel to play the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals are tied for first place with Pittsburgh at 5-2 and Baltimore, coming off a 30-7 thrashing of the Denver Broncos, are 4-3 and could force a three-way tie for first in the AFC North if they win this one and Denver beats Pittsburgh in the Mile High City on Monday Night Football.
The AFC South could be settled early this year as the Colts host the Houston Texans on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts are 7-0 and did struggle to beat the San Francisco 49ers last week while Houston throttled the Buffalo Bills, 31-10 to improve to 5-3 for the first time in their eight year history.
Should the Colts win and improve to 8-0, they would have a huge four game lead on the second-place Texans. Houston can make it a race with a win.
The NFL's only other unbeaten team, the New Orleans Saints, host the Carolina Panthers (3-4) and could further solidify their first place lead in the NFC South with a win.
It looks to be another exciting week with the games scheduled for the beginning of the second half of the 2009 season. This week's predictions...

(Home teams are listed in BOLD)


Jacksonville over Kansas City
Green Bay over Tampa Bay
Baltimore over Cincinnati
Chicago over Arizona
Indianapolis over Houston
Atlanta over Washington
New England over Miami
NY Giants over San Diego
New Orleans over Carolina
Seattle over Detroit
San Francisco over Tennessee
Philadelphia over Dallas
Denver over Pittsburgh


Last Week's Record: 8-5

SEASON RECORD: 74-42