This week features exactly zero games between teams with winning records. None. Zilch. Nada. So our work is cut out for us as both rankers and viewers…
1. Chiefs at Bills (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): This is gonna be fun. Kansas City is the league's last unbeaten team, but it has slipped up a bit lately. Meanwhile, the Bills have put together some superb home games this year. Expect them to make one hell of a run at the upset in Buffalo.
2. Bengals at Dolphins (Thursday night, NFL Network): This is actually a pretty solid matchup for a Thursday night, but expect more sloppiness. The Dolphins can't protect Ryan Tannehill at all and the Bengals have one of the fiercest defensive fronts in the league, so there's actually a decent chance this becomes a blowout, too.
3. Colts at Texans (Sunday night, NBC): I'm actually ranking this one high despite the Texans sucking because I have a feeling they're going to pull off the upset. Even if they can keep it close at home in prime time, this should be a good game to watch.
4. Bears at Packers (Monday night, ESPN): No Jay Cutler for the Bears, who are sort of a mess right now. They're coming off their bye, so if this stays close it'll be alright. However, there's a chance the Packers, who are picking up steam, run them over at Lambeau.
5. Saints at Jets (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): I get the feeling this will be one-sided, but you never know. The Jets are unpredictable and at home.
6. Steelers at Patriots (Sunday. 4 p.m. ET, CBS): This would have been a prime matchup in 2011, but now it's sort of sad. The Pats are lucky to be leading the AFC East and the Steelers are pretty much toast.
7. Ravens at Browns (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, CBS): I actually really dislike this game, but it's a bad week. It's only mildly appealing if the Browns can keep it interesting at home. A win sends the defending Super Bowl champions to 3-5 at midseason.
8. Chargers at Redskins (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): Philip Rivers is having a career year, so he could light up that defense, but the Redskins are still quite talented, and now they're desperate at home. Should at least be a close game.
9. Eagles at Raiders (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX): Two three-win teams in Week 9? Not exactly appealing. Philly is always interesting, though, and we'll want to see how Nick Foles performs after that horrendous outing two weeks ago. Still, not a lot to this matchup.
10. Vikings at Cowboys (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Joe Buck returns to the booth to call America's Team's game right after a heart-breaking loss. It's always entertaining with Dallas involved, but the Vikes aren't very appealing right now. On the road, they might not put up much of a fight.
11. Buccaneers at Seahawks (Sunday, 4 p.m. ET, FOX): This is the type of game you only turn on if it's close in the second half. The odds are against that happening, but Seattle has stumbled a bit lately and the Bucs have been known to hang around.
12. Falcons at Panthers (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, FOX): Cam Newton and the Panthers are rolling, which is cool. But they're playing well enough and Atlanta is bad enough right now that this might not be very close. Even if it is, it's still a below-average divisional matchup.
13. Titans at Rams (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS): The Titans have had some nice performances this year, but you're kidding yourself if you think either of these teams finishes close to the playoffs. Boring matchup with little on the line.
