Here are Derrick Gunn's five matchups to watch for Week 9 of the NFL season.
Vikings at Chiefs (Sunday, 1 p.m., FOX)
The good news for the Chiefs is Patrick Mahomes is practicing. The not-so-good news is they still don’t know when he will return under center. The Chiefs were expected to run away with the AFC West but with three losses (all at home), they’re holding on for dear life. Keep in mind K.C. was minus six starters against the Packers and it’s still not known how many of them might return this week. Meanwhile, the Vikings are rolling. Winners of four straight, they’re averaging 31.8 points a game during this streak. K.C. is second in the league in passing while Minnesota is third in rushing. Arrowhead Stadium will be rocking and the Chiefs will roll just enough to stop the Vikes’ win streak.
Colts at Steelers (Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS)
QB Jacoby Brissett is not Andrew Luck, but head coach Frank Reich has him playing consistently good football. Because of that, the Colts are surprisingly in first place in the AFC South. They’re 5-2 and winners of three straight. The Steelers have won two in a row, but QB Mason Rudolph is on shaky ground. Both teams will try to establish their run games. The Steelers have won the last five meetings between these two, but not this time. The Colts gallop off with a win in Pittsburgh.
Titans at Panthers (Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS)
The Panthers came out of a bye week, traveled West and got smashed by the Niners. Can Carolina get off the ropes and come out swinging against the Titans? RB Christian McCaffrey can deliver a knockout blow at any given moment, but QB Kyle Allen — filling in for Cam Newton — cannot keep serving up picks (three INTs vs S.F.), and the offensive line can’t give up seven sacks again. The Titans’ defense is always looking to force a turnover and is allowing just 16.9 points per game (it hasn't given up more than 23 all season). The Panthers rebound in a slugfest.
NFL
Lions at Raiders (Sunday, 4:05 p.m., FOX)
If only the Lions had a defense ranked higher than 31st. Their record might be better than 3-3-1. Same can be said about the Raiders’ D (25th). The Lions’ run game is hurting without Kerryon Johnson, who’s on IR. Oakland has a hammer at running back in Josh Jacobs. One thing we do know when it comes to Derek Carr and Matthew Stafford is they both will be looking to go deep. Because the Raiders’ defense is just a little better than Detroit’s, I’ll take the home team in this one.
Patriots at Ravens (Sunday, 8:20 p.m., NBC)
So far, this season has been a thing of perfection for the Patriots. Bill Belichick has reached 300 career wins, third all time. The Pats are 8-0 for the third time in team history and the first time since 2015. Their defense is balling. They’ve forced a league-high 25 turnovers. Now this New England defense faces the ultimate test against this Ravens’ offense. Baltimore has the No. 2 overall ranked O — No. 1 rushing (204.1 yards per game), No. 2 scoring (30.6 points per game). The Ravens are fueled by duel threat Lamar Jackson, who’s not only completing 63.3 percent of his passes, but also leads all QBs in rushing with 576 yards (6.9 yards per carry). It’s always hard to bet against the combination of Tom Brady and Belichick. As much as I’d like to, I just can’t this time.
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