NFL week 9 preview

Week eight was a wild ride in the NFL. The Packers upset the undefeated Cardinals, the Cowboys proved they’re the team to beat in the NFC even without Dak, the Jets Mike White came out of nowhere, and the Saints stunned Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.

Week nine could be even better. We’ve got several not only important games, but also intriguing games this week. The New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts will start the week with Thursday Night Football. On Sunday, some of the most interesting games include the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans and Los Angeles Rams, and Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers. Monday Night Football wraps up the week with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Here is a preview of the most interesting games to watch in week nine.

Indianapolis Colts vs New York Jets - Thursday Night Football, kickoff 8:20 p.m. ET

This is an important game for the Colts, whose AFC South hopes are dwindling after blowing a 14-point lead and losing to the Titans in overtime last week. This is the first time this season that I would call a Jets game “interesting”. All season long, they’ve just been the same old disappointing Jets, but last week, they surprised everyone by defeating the Bengals in a high-scoring game. The main reason for that was quarterback Mike White. Where has HE been, we all asked…right there on the roster. But hey, good thing they took Zach Wilson as the number two overall draft pick, right? Okay, I’m being cheeky. In all honesty, it’s unlikely White sees as big of a game again this week, but you never know. It should at least be a closer game than anyone expected going into the season and White at the start will make the game a lot more interesting.

Green Bay Packers vs Kansas City Chiefs - Sunday, kickoff 4:25 p.m. ET

This game just got interesting for a whole new reason. What was supposed to be an exciting Aaron Rodgers/Patrick Mahomes matchup is now a …Jordan Love/Patrick Mahomes matchup. Love comes in to replace Rodgers (out with Covid 19) after going only five for seven on the season and only playing in one game during the Packers’ only loss against the Saints. The Chiefs desperately need a win right now so the offense should be working hard. Though the Packers will miss Aaron Rodgers, they did defeat the previously unbeaten Cardinals without the likes of Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling…all of whom will be back this week against a poor Kansas City defense. Will the Chiefs have a shot against the Pack’s offense now that their quarterback weapon is out?

Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco 49ers - Sunday, kickoff 4:25 p.m. ET

The Cardinals and Niners meet for the second time in an NFC West matchup. It’s difficult to say exactly how this game will go, as it’s possible that Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray won’t be playing due to an ankle sprain. Not only could they be missing their star QB, but they are also without J.J. Watt and possible DeAndre Hopkins too. This is good news for the Niners defense. The Cardinals struggled a bit against the 49ers offense in week five, but that was with Trey Lance at QB. Jimmy Garoppolo will be coming off his best game of the season and the Niners have home advantage. Then again, the Cardinals had a mini-bye week after playing Thursday Night Football last week. It’s quite a tossup and should be a fun game to watch.

Tennessee Titans vs Los Angeles Rams - Sunday Night football, kickoff 8:20 p.m. ET

The Titans and Rams are two of the best teams in their respective conferences. Two potential playoff teams playing each other is bound to be exciting. The Titans are coming off an overtime win against the Colts which wasn’t pretty, but before that, they defeated the Bills and Chiefs in a much more convincing manner. They have a strong offense, but the Rams have a strong defense. Not only that, but the Titans are without Derrick Henry, who really helps carry the Titans offense. You never know what Tennessee will do, but the Rams just made things even more interesting by acquiring Von Miller from the Denver Broncos.