What the Pick Data Says About Week 9

And just like that, we’re halfway through the NFL season. Just as we all expected, the Commanders are on top of the NFC East, the Cardinals are your NFC West leaders, three teams in the AFC East are under .500, Russell Wilson and the Steelers are 6-2, and the Chiefs haven’t lost a game yet. Don’t bother going back to look at your preseason predictions, I’m sure you nailed all of that! There’s plenty of football left to be played and picks to be made. Let’s take a look at where Splash pickers are leaning in their Week 9 contests. 

Bengals Bounce-Back

The notoriously slow-starting Bengals were just starting to turn their season around, with wins over the Giants and Browns after a 1-4 start. Then, they ran into the red-hot Eagles. We’re not sure what changed in Philadelphia, but the Eagles look like Super Bowl contenders again. Maybe they decided to completely stop listening to everything Nick Sirianni says. 

Either way, the Eagles handed the Bengals their fifth loss of the season. The Bengals will stay in Cincinnati for Week 9, hosting the Raiders. The Raiders have lost four straight games but put up a good fight against their division rivals Kansas City last week. Splash pickers aren’t confident in two straight weeks of good performances from Las Vegas, as 21% of users are taking the Bengals in Survivor contests.

Battle for the North

The top two teams in the NFC North are set to clash as the Lions head to Lambeau Field to take on the Packers. The Packers are currently +3.5 point underdogs with Jordan Love’s status up in the air, but signs point to him playing on Sunday. The Lions are fresh off a dismantling of the Tennessee Titans, perhaps setting them up for a letdown spot as they travel to a hostile environment to take on a better team than the Titans. Splash pickers are rolling with the hot hand in Week 9, with a whopping 75% of users riding with the Lions. 

Flacco!

Fear it, dread it, run from it. Joe Flacco comes for us all. Splash pickers either haven’t heard the recent news that Joe Flacco is taking the reigns as the new starting quarterback in Indianapolis or they simply don’t care, because a significant 11% of users are backing the Vikings to beat the Colts in Survivor contests. We try our best not to give out pick advice in these articles, but tread lightly against Joe Flacco. 

The Vikings are coming off a tough loss in Week 8 on Thursday Night Football against the Rams. The extra few days of preparation should benefit them, but for most of the week, they were preparing to face Anthony Richardson. There’s plenty of game tape on Joe Flacco, but Anthony Richardson and Flacco are two drastically different quarterbacks. The mid-week switch-up could cause some trouble for Brian Flores and the Vikings defense. 

Eat a W

Jameis Winston, perhaps the most entertaining man in the National Football League, is back. Winston and the Browns are off an improbable win against who some were calling a top-3 team in the NFL, the Ravens. Winston brought his magic to Cleveland in his first start, and thanks to a few drops from the Ravens receivers (and cornerbacks), the Browns got a much-needed win as they try to turn their season around. Things don’t get any easier in Week 9, as the Browns host the hard-nosed Chargers on Sunday. Cleveland’s defense has looked shaky at times this season, and Jim Harbaugh will do his best to bring his ‘Harbaugh Ball’ to Cleveland and run it down their throats. Splash pickers are riding with Harbaugh and the Chargers this week, with 57% of users taking Los Angeles. 

Get Your Picks In

Week 9 kicks off on Thursday Night Football with a matchup between the Jets and the Texans, and we have plenty of weekly Pick’Em and Tiers contests, plus our new QuickPicks format to keep you competing all season long!