Week 9 Predictions for the 2025-2026 NFL Season: Looking to Next Year

Last week I called for several upsets but the favored teams prevailed giving me a final week record of 8-5. I really thought coming off their performance against the Steelers Cincinnati would defeat a winless New York Jets team. Boy was I wrong. The Jets came firing back to win by one. Then I took a chance with the Carolina Panthers and they were not even close to being in the game with Buffalo.

The way the Baltimore Ravens had been playing and then having Lamar Jackson on the sidelines for one more game I thought for sure the red hot Bears would pull the upset. Not so. Then of course I picked my Steelers figuring there would be no way they could play two bad defensive games in a row. The problem was they not only did that, their performance on defense was actually worse than what we say in Cincinnati. The Black and Gold is in trouble. Ahead what I saw from week 8 followed by this week’s predictions that find some teams knowing their playoff hopes for this season have already ended.

Week 8 Knee Jerks

Los Angeles Chargers 37 Minnesota 10 (Harv’s score: Chargers 27-24). Once again teams in the AFC West are chasing the defending conference champion Chiefs. The Denver Broncos are one game ahead of the Chiefs and Chargers with six wins. The Vikings are quickly heading south.

Miami 34 Atlanta 10 (Harv’s score: Falcons 34-13). This was a huge surprise. Just their second victory the Dolphins upended the Falcons handing them their second straight defeat. The Dirty Birds are now two games behind the first place Buccaneers.

Baltimore 30 Chicago 16 (Harv’s score: Bears 17-10). This could have been Baltimore’s last gasp but they halted the Bears winning streak and now wait for Lamar Jackson to return for their next game. The Ravens are now within striking distance of first place Pittsburgh.

Buffalo 40 Carolina 9 (Harv’s score: Panthers 27-24). I was feeling upset but that wasn’t the case. Instead the Bills laid the wood to the Panthers on their turf.

New York Jets 39 Cincinnati 38 (Harv’s score: Bengals 45-9). You know what they say, “what goes around comes around.” It came around for the Bengals after coming back on the Steelers with over 30 points scored they top their last total against the Steelers by running up 38 points…and lost. Justin Fields had his back to the wall after his team owner blasted him publicly and he responded by leading a comeback win over the Bengals not once but twice in the game and scored almost 40. It came around to bite the Bengals in the behind.

Houston 26 San Francisco 15 (Harv’s score: Texans 31-28). There may be no catching the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC South but Houston could easily finish second. The NFC West race is tight and despite the loss, the 49ers losing, San Fran is just a game behind the 5-2 Seahawks and Rams.

New England 32 Cleveland 13 (Harv’s score: Patriots 33-18). The Browns drop to 2-6 and their head coach is sticking with Dillon Gabriel. New England has made a fantastic turnaround from a season ago. The Pats continued to roll.

Philadelphia 38 New York Giants 20 (Harv’s score: Eagles 28-17). Philadelphia is still being questioned but they keep on winning. A win is a win. The Giants seemed to be on the right track after naming Jaxson Dart the starting quarterback but in little time they are now 2-6. The Eagles have the exact opposite record.

Tampa Bay 23 New Orleans 3 (Harv’s score: Bucs 38-9). The Saints have now given in to the fact this season is going nowhere for them and have named rookie Tyler Shough as the starting quarterback beginning with their next game. Meanwhile, the Bucs are widening their lead in the NFC South.

Denver 44 Dallas 24 (Harv’s score: Broncos 24-23). Just when you thought the Cowboys were moving in the right direction they get smoked by the Broncos. Dallas’s defense might be as bad as the Steelers.

Indianapolis 38 Tennessee 14 (Harv’s score: Colts 41-0). Could anyone foresee the Colts being 7-1 after eight games? Jonathan Taylor powers a team led by the surprising play of Danny Jones. Next up for the horseshoes, the Steelers. The Titans? Season over.

Green Bay 35 Pittsburgh 25 (Harv’s score: Steelers 23-17). Aaron Rodgers was the right quarterback for this team. The highest paid defense in the NFL has been nothing more than a monstrous disappointment. There are few words to describe the 2025 Steelers defense other than terrible. The question with this game is did Pittsburgh’s defense make Jordan Love and company look good or are they really that good?

Kansas City 28 Washington 7 (Harv’s score: Chiefs 36-13). Are the Chiefs back? We will find out in week nine when they travel to Buffalo. Without Jayden Daniels the Commanders continue to fade now 3-5 and falling dangerously behind the Eagles and must now battle Dallas for second place in the division.

Week 9 Picks

This week’s byes go to four teams two of which are riding a high coming off a victorious week eight as well as winning their divisions while the other two teams are already looking ahead to the 2026 season. Those four teams are the Browns, Jets, Eagles, and Buccaneers.