Mark Craig's Week 9 NFL picks: Enjoy the best week of the season

The NFL season reaches the halfway point with four marquee games, starting with Chiefs vs. Dolphins in Germany.

November 4, 2023 at 3:57PM
The Chiefs chartered a boat that is docked on the Main River in Frankfurt to serve as a hub for fan activities ahead of their game against the Dolphins on Sundya. (Michael Probst, Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The best week of the NFL season to date features four marquee games between teams with winning records.

The Dolphins (6-2) and Chiefs (6-2) meet in Frankfurt, Germany, on Sunday morning in the first international game between two teams that are at least four games over .500.

Seattle (5-2) plays at Baltimore (6-2) in a matchup of the top two scoring defenses since Week 4. The Bills (5-3) travel to Cincinnati (4-3), which has won three straight and four of its last five.

And the Cowboys (5-2) go to Philadelphia to face the only seven-win team (7-1) led by the only quarterback (Jalen Hurt) without a loss (9-0) against a winning team since 2022.

Here are six games to watch:

WHAT WILL THE VIKINGS DO?

Vikings (+3½) at Falcons: Taylor Heinicke will be somewhat functional and slightly less awful in the Backup Quarterback Bowl. Falcons 12, Vikings 10

AROUND THE NFC NORTH

Rams (+3½) at Packers: Aaron Rodgers' replacement might look better as Sean Clifford's backup. Rams 17, Packers 9

Bears (+8½) at Saints: It feels weird having this much confidence that Derek "67-83" Carr will win. Saints 34, Bears 16

LOCK OF THE WEEK

Cardinals (+7½) at Browns: You'd think this old Clevelander would have half a mind not to make the Browns a no-brainer. Browns 28, Cardinals 13

UPSET OF THE WEEK

Colts (-2½) at Panthers: Indy is learning that Gardner Minshew is OK in small doses only. Panthers 23, Colts 21

GAME OF THE WEEK

Cowboys (+3½) at Eagles: The Cowboys are building back up to that point where they let everyone down. Cowboys 24, Eagles 21 (OT)_

SEASON RESULTS

Season record straight up/against the spread: 27-21; 23-25.

Upset special: 2-6.

Lock of the Week: 8-0.

Vikings: 4-4.

about the writer

about the writer

Mark Craig

Sports reporter

Mark Craig has covered the NFL nearly every year since Brett Favre was a rookie back in 1991. A sports writer since 1987, he is covering his 30th NFL season out of 37 years with the Canton (Ohio) Repository (1987-99) and the Star Tribune (1999-present).

See Moreicon

More from No Section

See More
FILE -- A rent deposit slot at an apartment complex in Tucker, Ga., on July 21, 2020. As an eviction crisis has seemed increasingly likely this summer, everyone in the housing market has made the same plea to Washington: Send money — lots of it — that would keep renters in their homes and landlords afloat. (Melissa Golden/The New York Times) ORG XMIT: XNYT58
Melissa Golden/The New York Times

It’s too soon to tell how much the immigration crackdown is to blame.