NFL Week 9: What to watch on Sunday
The NFL continues to hurdle forward on Sunday, with one of the best slates we’ve had yet this season.
Of all the games, the best is the New Orleans Saints playing host to the Los Angeles Rams. Los Angles is coming into the contest as the only undefeated team in the league at 8-0, surviving a scare last week from Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Meanwhile, the Saints have not lost since Week 1, showcasing a team that is both devastating offensively and improving defensively.
Whoever wins the game has the inside track to home-field advantage in the NFC. New Orleans would still be a half-game behind the Rams but would control it’s dynasty by winning out, holding the ever-important tiebreaker. Los Angeles can all but salt the conference away with a victory over New Orleans, giving itself a 2.5-game lead over the Saints, while already having major advantages against anybody in the NFC East and North divisions.
Over in the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens will welcome in the Pittsburgh Steelers, renewing one of the best rivalries in the NFL. Baltimore already beat the Steelers once this year, handling Pittsburgh at Heinz Field in Week 4 on Sunday night. The Ravens have lost their last two games, falling to the Saints and Carolina Panthers. Now, Baltimore tries to salvage its division title hopes as it attempts to sweep the Steelers.
Should Pittsburgh win, it has to be thinking about making a run at one of the two AFC byes come playoff time. The Steelers would be 5-2-1, and while the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs are currently holding those spots, the deficit wouldn’t be impossible to overcome.
Speaking of New England, the Patriots play one of the more interesting games of the season with the Packers coming into Gillette Stadium. Green Bay needs to win in the worst way after falling to the Rams in Week 8, coming into the game with a 3-3-1 record. The Packers attempted to shake things up during the week, moving Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to the Washington Redskins and Ty Montgomery to the Ravens via deals at the trade deadline.
With their first road win of the season, the Packers would vault back into the mix for the NFC North title. However, a loss would put them on the road to oblivion, with the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings both playing games they are favored in this weekend.
Conversely, the Patriots are all but assured a playoff spot, but home-field advantage is anything but a certainty. New England is a game behind the Chiefs, albeit holding the tiebreaker, but is just a half-game ahead of the Steelers. A loss to the Packers and a Pittsburgh win would put the Patriots in the third seed, a place the Patriots would love to avoid.
