After a relatively calm week by 2022 NFL season standards, those remaining in survivor pools are hoping for another straightforward path through Week 9’s slate of games. There are several lopsided spreads on the board, with many featuring teams not even at or near the top of the standings in their respective conferences. The question, as always, is whether those teams will come through for those who back them in survivor pool Week 9 action.
For the first time in a long time, there were no notable upsets during Week 8 of the NFL season. All five of the most popular survivor pool Week 8 picks at Yahoo! Sports came through, winning their respective games.
There was one minor upset that took down some survivor pool players in Week 8, which was the Cincinnati Bengals falling to the Cleveland Browns. Cincinnati went into that game as a 3.5-point favorite on the road on Monday night. However, Cincinnati’s dreams of picking up a win over their in-state rivals on Halloween more closely resembled A Nightmare On Elm Street, as Cleveland beat them 32-13.
Going into Week 9 play, there are four teams favored by a touchdown or more. Some of these favorites, however, will have to go on the road to pick up their wins and help those still standing in their pools advance to Week 10.
Using Elias Insights, it is time to take a look at the most popular survivor pool Week 9 picks as the first week of November football begins.
The Philadelphia Eagles are the only unbeaten team left in the NFL, boasting a 7-0 record coming into Week 9 in Houston. They are the most popular Week 9 survivor pool pick at Yahoo! Sports entering this week, and are currently favored by 13.5 points against the Texans. With Jalen Hurts coming off of a four-touchdown performance against the Steelers, the Eagles offense is firing on all cylinders coming into Thursday Night Football.
For the Eagles, running the football will be the key to this contest and for the fate of many survivor pool entries. Philadelphia enters this week with the sixth-ranked rushing attack in the NFL, averaging 149.6 yards per game on the ground. Here, they take on a Texans defense that is allowing 186 rushing yards per game, statistically the worst run defense in the league.
The Cincinnati Bengals have not lost the faith of survivor pool players despite being blown out on Halloween night by the Cleveland Browns. This week, they are favored by 7.5 points at home against the Carolina Panthers. Ja’Marr Chase will be out once again for the Bengals, who may need to keep pace with a suddenly respectable Carolina offense.
P.J. Walker is set to start again at quarterback for the Panthers after back-to-back solid performances. Between Walker’s recent play and the emergence of D’Onta Foreman, who has rushed for 118 yards in each of the last two games, the Panthers offense looks nothing like it did at the start of the season. Whether or not the Bengals can slow them down after a poor defensive performance against the Browns remains to be seen.
The second-largest favorite of the week in the NFL is the Kansas City Chiefs, who host the Tennessee Titans on Sunday Night Football. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are coming off their bye week, and are facing a Titans team that ranks in the bottom-10 in pass defense, giving up 254.7 yards per game through the air. Since the start of last season, Kansas City is 4-0 in their last four games as double-digit favorites, with survivor pool players backing them to win a fifth straight.
Perhaps just as important as the Chiefs’ high-powered offense are the offensive issues for the Titans. They rank 31st in the NFL in passing yardage, averaging just 147.6 passing yards per game on the year. While Ryan Tannehill’s playing status has not been confirmed just yet, either he or Malik Willis will need to be more effective than they have been to upset the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Buffalo Bills are 6-1, and face the 5-3 New York Jets at MetLife Stadium this week. Buffalo has won four straight games this season, and have won four straight games against the Jets over the last two seasons. The Bills won both meetings against the Jets in 2021 by at least 17 points, and survivor pool players are backing the Bills in large numbers to vanquish their division rivals once again.
But Buffalo will have to solve a solid Jets defense if they want to come away with a win on the road in Week 9. While the Bills have the top-ranked offense in the NFL this season at 430.6 yards per game, the Jets have been formidable stopping opposing teams, ranking sixth in the NFL in total defense at 311.4 yards allowed per contest. If the Jets can make things difficult on Josh Allen and the Buffalo offense, the Bills will have to rely on their number-one scoring defense if they want to beat the Jets.
Outside of the Philadelphia Eagles, the Minnesota Vikings may be the hottest team in the league right now. After a 1-1 start, the Vikings have won five straight games, and have averaged 28.6 points per game during that span. This week, they hit the road to face a Washington Commanders team that has been playing well in their own right with Taylor Heinicke at quarterback, winning three straight games.
For the Vikings to win this contest and help survivor pool entries make it to Week 10, Minnesota will need to find a way to stop the pass. The Vikings are ranked 29th in the league in passing yards allowed, giving up 275.6 yards per game to opposing passing attacks this season. Heinicke made some big plays down the stretch to Terry McLaurin against the Colts last week, and Minnesota will have to find a way to neutralize that pairing to pull off a win away from home.
The Miami Dolphins are 5-0 in games where Tua Tagovailoa has played from start to finish this season. They will play for a sixth straight win in that position this week at Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears. In this contest, the Dolphins test their third-ranked aerial attack against a Chicago defense that is fifth in the NFL against the pass, allowing 188 yards per game through the air.
Chicago will aim to utilize its running game to keep the Dolphins offense off the field this week. The Bears are averaging a league-best 188.4 rushing yards per game, getting consistent contributions from running backs Khalil Herbert and David Montgomery, as well as quarterback Justin Fields. If the Bears can chew up the clock, they can limit how much they have to deal with Miami’s dangerous 1-2 punch at receiver, Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, and give themselves a chance at the upset.
This weekend marks the halfway point of the NFL season, and we’ll be with you all 18 weeks to guide you through the rough waters of your survivor pool. Join us again next week as we look ahead to Week 10 using expert research you can only get from Elias.
