NFL 2025: Week 9 Picks

Week 9 of the 2025-26 NFL season kicks off on Thursday Night Football, with Lamar Jackson returning to the field for the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens are just 2-5 on the season, but after last week’s win over the Chicago Bears, are just two games back in the win column in the AFC North with plenty of football left to play. Tua Tagovailoa and the 2-6 Miami Dolphins don’t play in quite as a forgiving division this year, so a loss here would basically end any slim playoff chances for Mike McDaniels’ squad.

On Sunday, Daniel Jones the 7-1 Indianapolis Colts will put their record to the test on the road against Aaron Rodgers and the 4-3 Pittsburgh Steelers. Bo Nix and the 6-2 Denver Broncos will also look to keep their hot start going as they hit the road to face an improving 3-5 Houston Texans team led by C.J. Stroud.

Sometimes, I rank matchups by the total number of wins between the two teams: it may not feel like it, but the 5-1-1 Green Bay Packers hosting the 4-4 Carolina Panthers features nine wins between the two teams, one of the highest totals of Week 9.

On Sunday Night Football, Sam Darnold and a strong 5-2 Seattle Seahawks team will face Jayden Daniels and a 3-5 Washington Commanders team desperate to get back on track to the playoff team they were last season. On Monday Night Football, Dak Prescott and the 3-4-1 Dallas Cowboys will duel Kyler Murray and the 2-5 Arizona Cardinals as both teams attempt to escape mediocrity.

But the cream of the crop in Week 9, the modern Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning, Josh Allen and the 5-2 Buffalo Bills will host Patrick Mahomes and the 5-3 Kansas City Chiefs. If it feels like these two teams play every season, it’s because they do, as both teams perpetually finish atop their divisions in the AFC. The Bills and Chiefs have played every season since 2020, with the Bills leading the regular season series 3-1 but the Chiefs leading the overall series 4-3 including a 3-0 mark in the postseason, in the Allen-Mahomes era. Needless to say, this is the Sakmann Sports Game of the Week for Week 9.

Read on for my 2025-26 NFL Week 9 Picks, and if you’d like to debate or discuss any picks, join the conversation with @SakSports on Twitter/X, on Facebook, or by commenting directly on this post!

Picks Record

Week 1: 10-6

Week 2: 13-3

Week 3: 11-5

Week 4: 10-5-1

Week 5: 5-9

Week 6: 9-6

Week 7: 11-5

Week 8: 10-3

Overall Record: 79-42-1 (65%)

I got 10 out of 13 games right in Week 8, incorrectly predicting the Bengals, 49ers, and Falcons to win.

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Thursday Night Football

Baltimore Ravens (2-5) at Miami Dolphins (2-6): Ravens win 27-20

Sunday Games

Chicago Bears (4-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (3-5): Bengals win 26-18

Minnesota Vikings (3-4) at Detroit Lions (5-2): Lions win 34-22

Carolina Panthers (4-4) at Green Bay Packers (5-1-1): Packers win 20-12

Los Angeles Chargers (5-3) at Tennessee Titans (1-7): Chargers win 33-17

Atlanta Falcons (3-4) at New England Patriots (6-2): Patriots win 27-17

San Francisco 49ers (5-2) at New York Giants (2-6): 49ers win 26-20

Indianapolis Colts (7-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3): Colts win 26-23

Denver Broncos (6-2) at Houston Texans (3-4): Broncos win 27-20

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-3) at Las Vegas Raiders (2-5): Jaguars win 24-16

Sakmann Sports Game of the Week Kansas City Chiefs (5-3) at Buffalo Bills (5-2): As mentioned in my opening blurb, this is the fifth straight season that Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen will meet in the regular season, with Allen and the Buffalo Bills holding a 3-1 record in those games including three straight wins. While this trend seems to favor Buffalo, I think it’s about time for a reversal: the Bills just haven’t been as good this year, and despite a blowout win over the Panthers last week, Buffalo’s back-to-back losses to the Patriots and Falcons still worry me. I think the Kansas City Chiefs are red-hot right now, while Buffalo is merely lukewarm. Even with homefield advantage, the Bills drop this one, but it’ll be a one-score game. Chiefs win 26-23