Last weekend’s NFL action provided plenty of surprises, including a 23-point fourth-quarter rally from the New York Jets to claim their first win of the 2025 season. After a winless Week 8 in our predictions, the season record slides to 15-9 as we near the midway point of this year’s gridiron campaign. With half of the campaign still left to go, there is still plenty of time to increase that win-loss record in 2025.
Week 9 starts on Thursday Night Football with a star QB returning to his flock before the NFL presents one of its best matchups on the annual calendar, Kansas City and Buffalo. There are several “coin flip” candidates on this week’s schedule, so here are three squads to rely on to keep things going strong into Week 10.
Baltimore Ravens (at Miami Dolphins)
The Ravens will need to launch one heck of a winning streak to get back into playoff positioning, and that process begins this weekend against the Miami Dolphins. The Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) are the only team in the AFC North with a plus .500 record heading into Week 9, and Baltimore still has its two divisional matchups remaining with the football team from the Steel City later this season (Week 14 and Week 18). If those matchups are to be consequential in the division race, the Ravens need wins on their upcoming three-game road swing through Miami, Minnesota, and Cleveland.
Lamar Jackson returns to the lineup after missing three weeks with a hamstring injury which will be a boost to Baltimore’s offense. Without Jackson’s presence, opposing defenses were able to key in on slowing down Derrick Henry, the 12th-ranked runner in the league with 510 yards on 109 carries this season. Miami’s rushing defense has been the 5th-worst run-stopping unit in the NFL, allowing an average of 145 yards per game to the opposition. With the added passing (and running) threat that Jackson provides, the Ravens dash their way to a big win by utilizing their team’s strength, a top-10 rushing attack.
Baltimore is a significant favorite with a 62% chance of victory over Miami on Thursday night, according to ESPN Analytics.
San Francisco 49ers (at New York Giants)
After losing rising star running back Cam Skattebo to a season-ending ankle injury, the New York Giants will need a new offensive gameplan when they battle the 49ers on Sunday afternoon. Jaxson Dart looks like the QB of the future for New York but does the injury to his running mate derail the offensive success that the Giants have experienced at times this season? Tyrone Tracy Jr. has shown the ability to flash, particularly with three 100-yard games in the 2024 season. The 25-year-old back will be a critical component to how the season evolves for New York, starting in Week 9.
San Francisco brings its second-ranked passing attack into MetLife Stadium looking to keep pace in an extremely competitive NFC West Division featuring two squads with 5-2 records: the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams. The 49ers will need to stack wins or risk falling out of the divisional race at the midway point of the season. Brock Purdy is questionable for Sunday’s contest due to his turf toe injury (as of publication), but Mac Jones has been efficient with a 65% completion percentage this season with eight touchdown passes to five interceptions.
The Giants are a slim favorite with a 56% chance to walk out of MetLife with a win on Sunday afternoon, per ESPN Analytics. (Note: This projection could swing the other way if Purdy is eligible to return to the 49ers starting lineup, so that will be worth monitoring ahead of Sunday’s game.)
Buffalo Bills (vs. Kansas City Chiefs)
Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills host Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, who are ROLLING entering the game with wins in five of their last six games. It was a stunning start to the season for Kansas City, who lost one-score contests to the Los Angeles Chargers and the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1 and Week 2, respectively. Buffalo also endured their own two-game losing streak in 2025 before collecting a win last weekend against the Carolina Panthers.
This matchup features two of the top five offenses in the NFL:: Kansas City at fifth with an average of 378.3 yards per game (YPG) and Buffalo with an average offensive output of 382.9 YPG. There is the potential for a ton of offensive fireworks at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.
Allen owns a 4-1 record against Kansas City in the regular season, including four straight regular season wins. Of course, the Bills star QB is 0-4 against the Chiefs in the postseason… but this is October and Buffalo finds a way to claim the Week 9 home contest against a big-time AFC rival.
According to ESPN, Kansas City enters the road contest as a favorite with a 58% chance of victory on Sunday afternoon.
Avoid: Indianapolis Colts (at Pittsburgh Steelers)
The Colts have been a revelation this season as Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor have their squad off to a roaring 7-1 record. Jones has collected the fourth-most air miles this season with 2,062 yards, while Taylor leads all NFL running backs with 850 yards, a mere 97 yards more than his closest competitor. Indianapolis’ offense has been remarkably consistent in cracking the 30-point barrier in most games this season.
Pittsburgh has broken the 30-point threshold in losses over the last two weeks to Cincinnati and Green Bay. Still, Aaron Rodgers has the Steelers believing in their ability to find success after a hot start to the 2025 campaign. While this should be one of the more entertaining contests of the 1 pm window on Sunday, the contest feels like a bigger game for Pittsburgh. While the Colts could gallop away with another win this season, the Steelers will be looking to slow those horses down this weekend and maintain their grip on the top spot AFC North.
The Colts are projected as a favorite with a 58% chance of road victory on Sunday, per ESPN Analytics.
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