NFL Week 9 picks: Lions are roaring loudly at home (beware Vikes), but all eyes are on Allen vs. Mahomes

Welcome to a weekly look at the NFL’s next round of games. A peek that will be less QUARTERBACK!-crazy and more about offensive lines, defense, running games, maybe even the occasional punter, for gosh sakes, and all things that make this the greatest team game ever invented, not the star-driven individualized sport that waaay too many of us try to make it out to be.

An effort will be made to keep the tone somewhere between Old-School and GET OFF MY LAWN!!

As one of 50 voters for league MVP, I gave Josh Allen my vote last year over Lamar Jackson and his better numbers. Allen, to me, carried a heavier load with the Bills, a team most of us expected to take a step back after losing a ton of talent on both sides of the ball after the 2023 season.

Many in the Jackson camp howled as enough of the voters felt the same way to give Allen his first MVP over Lamar’s third. We had numerous examples to support our case, none better than last Nov. 17 when Buffalo led Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs 23-21 with 2:27 left and facing fourth-and-2 from the K.C. 26.

Get stuffed or kick the field goal and we all know Mahomes drives K.C. for the winning score and a 10-0 start to the season. Allen simply carried the Bills with one of the more determined 26-yard touchdown runs you’ll ever see. An instant classic.

Well, here we go again. Week 9. Game of the Week. The Chiefs are 5-3 after an 0-2 start and travel to Buffalo (5-2) in what will be the ninth meeting between Allen and Mahomes.

Allen has won the last four regular-season matchups.

Mahomes has won the past four playoff meetings, including last season’s AFC Championship game in Kansas City.

Both teams enter the game with top-five offenses, the Bills ranking third (382.9) and the Chiefs fifth (378.3). Mahomes is tied for first in touchdown passes (17) and is riding a three-game streak of at least three touchdown passes. Allen, meanwhile, is coming off his NFL-record 46^th career game with touchdowns passing and rushing. Cam Newton had held the previous mark.

The AFC has three division leaders — Denver (6-2), Indianapolis (7-1) and New England (6-2) — with at least six wins and winning streaks of four or more games.

But this week, it doesn’t get any better than Mahomes vs. Allen IX.

One of the best stats in football this week is Denver (6-2) heading to Houston (3-4) as the first team in NFL history with at least 35 sacks (a league-high 36) and 10 or fewer sacks allowed (a league-low eight) through eight games.

1: Times Indianapolis quarterback Daniel Jones has been sacked on third or fourth down through eight games as the NFL-leading Colts (7-1) head to Pittsburgh (4-3) to face a Steelers team that’s 12^th in sacks per pass attempt (8.03%). Jones didn’t suffer his first sack on third or fourth down until the Titans dropped him for a 9-yard loss on third-and-10 last week.

“I think we’ve already learned you can’t ever look past any team.”

Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who was asked this week if his NFC-leading Packers (5-1-1) might get caught off-guard when the 13 ½-point Panthers (4-4) visit. The man has a point if you can remember way back to Week 3 when the Packers lost to the Browns 13-10 right about the time we all were handing Green Bay the Lombardi Trophy.

The Bears (4-3) limp into Cincinnati (3-5) having scored only five touchdowns in their last 16 trips into the red zone. This after they opened the season by scoring on six of their first seven red-zone visits. The Bengals rank 30^th in red zone defense (70.27%).

It’s a violent game. Players get hurt. They play hurt. They have surgeries. Carson Wentz is a grown-butt man who doesn’t need social media or regular media babysitters. He’s not stupid. He knew the risks of playing through a torn labrum in his left shoulder. The Vikings are paying him $1.3 million. They played him ahead of an undrafted rookie to try to win a game. Wentz wanted to help his team win. No one did anything wrong. It’s the NFL. Calm down or go watch flag football before the next 10 players play hurt.

Vikings plus-8 ½ at Lions: Lions 34-14

The Vikings appear so overmatched, so completely outclassed that … they’ll probably win the game. Or B, get smoked.

Broncos plus-1 ½ at Texans: Broncos 23-20

Bo Nix going for 17^th career victory, 16 greater than J.J. McCarthy.

Falcons plus-5 ½ at Patriots: Patriots 30-21

Bears minus-2 ½ at Bengals: Bears 24-19

Don’t play poker with Zac Taylor. Not after he said with a straight face that he has “full confidence” in Jake Browning.

Panthers plus-13 ½ at Packers: Packers 34-20

Jordan Love completed 20 consecutive passes last week. J.J. McCarthy completed 24 passes in his career.

Colts minus-3 at Steelers: Colts 34-21

Chargers minus-9 ½ at Titans: Chargers 33-16

What takes the sting out of playing the Colts’ offense in Week 7? Playing the Vikings and Titans in Weeks 8-9.

Saints plus-14 ½ at Rams: Rams 40-17

On behalf of all survivor pool pickers, here’s hoping Tyler Shough’s first NFL start is worse than Matthew Stafford’s 230th.

Jaguars minus-3 at Raiders: Jaguars 20-16

Chiefs minus-1 ½ at Bills: Chiefs 33-30

Andy Reid is 67. That’s 27 in Coaching Patrick Mahomes years.

Seahawks minus-3 ½ at Commanders: Commanders 21-17

Pigs are still flying and Sam Darnold has reached a 110-plus passer rating in four of the past five games.

Cardinals plus-3 at Cowboys: Cowboys 34-28

49ers minus-2 ½ at Giants: Giants 19-17

The 49ers are running out of gas and healthy humans.

Last week’s pick: 49ers (plus-1 ½) 16, Texans 13. Final: Texans 26, 49ers 15. Record: 2-5.

Last week/season straight up: 9-4/63-40.