Week 9 in the NFL is here, and the season is starting to take shape. Contenders are emerging, also-rans are fading, and the intensity is ramping up as we hit the midpoint of the campaign. Over the next month, the real charge to the playoffs begins in earnest — and a few big games this weekend could prove pivotal in shaping that race.
Can the Colts keep rolling?
I wholeheartedly believe the Indianapolis Colts can sustain this excellent start. Whether it leads to a Super Bowl run remains to be seen, but at 7–1 they've earned every bit of that record as they head to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers this weekend.
Daniel Jones is the headline-maker at quarterback, but Jonathan Taylor is the heartbeat of this offense. He consistently puts the Colts in favorable down-and-distance situations, allowing Jones to flourish. And Jones — cast off by the New York Giants and overlooked by the Minnesota Vikings — is thriving under head coach Shane Steichen.
Defensively, Indianapolis is coming up with just enough timely plays, and offensively they've got a special rhythm and confidence about them. I think they take this one in Pittsburgh, and I think this Colts surge continues deep into the winter.
A pivotal game in Foxboro
Another big question around the NFL is whether the New England Patriots are for real. It's hard to ignore a team that's won five straight and boasts the league's highest-rated quarterback in second-year passer Drake Maye. Mike Vrabel has done a tremendous job reshaping this team, and I'm eager to see if they can keep it rolling against a Falcons squad that's been sliding in recent weeks.
Atlanta looked impressive in that Week 6 home win over Buffalo, but since then they haven't scored more than 10 points in a game. Back-to-back losses to San Francisco and Miami have dropped them to 3–4 and searching for answers.
This is a pivotal matchup for both sides — can the Patriots keep climbing, or can the Falcons resurrect their season before it slips away? I really like what Maye is doing and fancy him to heap more misery on Atlanta.
A gigantic clash in Buffalo
The big game of the weekend sees the Kansas City Chiefs travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills. Both teams sit on five wins and both harbour genuine Super Bowl ambitions. For the Chiefs, it's been a real turnaround from their 0–2 start and they are now being viewed very differently in the football world.
As we seem to do every year, we wrote them off early, questioned their ability to go deep into January — and yet, here they are again, looking like the best team in football. They've won their last three games against Detroit, Las Vegas, and Washington by margins of 13, 31, and 21 points.
Buffalo got back on track with a big win over Carolina last week, snapping a two-game skid as James Cook rushed for more than 200 yards. Josh Allen is unquestionably the star in Buffalo, but Cook might be the key this weekend. If he can keep the ground game rolling, control the clock, and keep Patrick Mahomes on the sideline, the Bills have a real shot. This one should be fascinating and having literally just said Buffalo have a good chance (they do have Allen, after all); I'm not betting against Mahomes and Andy Reid. Confused yet? Just enjoy the game!
