NFL Week 9 picks and predictions

Don Banks of Sports Illustrated makes his weekly picks for Week 9 of the NFL season.

Every week, Score Big teams up with Don Banks over at Sports Illustrated to preview the full slate of games. Banks makes his picks and is on an incredible hot streak.

For the second time in three weeks, Banks has gone 11-3 to improve to .672, an impressive 80-39 on the season.

Let’s see if he can keep it up in Week 9.

Here are his picks:

Banks is riding with the Bills, citing their backs against the wall as the motivational tool they need to beat the Dolphins.

The Panthers are still rolling and have faced plenty of teams capable of knocking them off. The Green Bay Packers could be the team to do it, and Banks is riding high with Aaron Rodgers after getting beat down by the Broncos. A curious pick, but the Packers can rebound as well as anyone in the league.

The Vikings are streaking and the Rams are discovering a star in Todd Gurley. This might be the toughest game of the week to call, and Banks is picking the Vikings to edge the Rams.

No one in their right mind is going to pick the Redskins to beat a red hot Patriots team, and Don Banks is a sane and intelligent man.

How can anyone pick the Titans after the show Drew Brees put on against the Giants last week?

The Jacksonville Jaguars present the New York Jets the perfect opportunity to get things turned around.

The Steelers are constantly juggling injuries this season, it was Ben Roethlisberger earlier this season and now it’s Le’Veon Bell. With the game at Heinz Field, Banks thinks Roethlisberger can carry the load against a much improved Raiders team.

The San Francisco 49ers are struggling, and while the Falcons have cooled off they’re still clearly the better team in this match up.

The Giants are coming off a devastating loss and an other-worldly performance against the New Orleans Saints. Manning can play half as well and deliver the Giants the win against Tampa Bay.

The Broncos continue to beat teams and prove they’re for real, and Banks thinks Peyton Manning will get one final win in Indianapolis before calling it a career.

The Cowboys continue to slide as they try to survive without key players because of injury. Banks is picking the Eagles to take advantage of a struggling Cowboys team to get another win.

Remember when the Monday Night Football games were significant, not boring match ups between teams with poor records? Banks is picking the Chargers to beat the Bears in a match up that could be tough to watch.