NFL Week 9 picks and predictions
Lorenzo Reyes has been covering the NFL for a decade, and each week he’s here to bring us his best bets. Find out which teams he loves for Week 9 games.
There will be no shortage of storylines when the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins square off to kick off the NFL’s Sunday schedule for Week 9.
Perhaps none are bigger than this burning question: Will Taylor Swift will be in Frankfurt, Germany to watch Travis Kelce?
Of course there is also the possibility that this is an AFC championship game preview with the Chiefs and Dolphins both enter this clash with 6-2 records, tied with the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars for best mark in the conference.
Then there’s the little fact that Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill faces the team that drafted him, and the one which he helped win Super Bowl 54.
If you’re looking for Week 9 picks, we got you covered here. In desperate need of a complete NFL Week 9 TV schedule? Yep, that’s right here. USA TODAY Sports will bring you the latest updates, scores, highlights, wild plays, analysis and more throughout the day. Follow along.
What NFL games are showing today?
Here are the kickoff times and TV info for all of Sunday’s NFL action.
- Miami Dolphins vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Frankfurt), 9:30 a.m. (NFL Network)
- Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. (FOX)
- Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m. (FOX)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Washington Commanders at New England Patriots, 1 p.m. (FOX)
- Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. (CBS)
- Indianapolis Colts at Carolina Panthers, 4:05 p.m. (CBS)
- New York Giants at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
- Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
- Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Bye week: Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers
Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle returns
After leaving the first drive, Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle was back on the field for Miami’s second possession. He took an end around 12 yards and later caught a 17-yard pass that was nullified by a penalty. — Nate Davis
Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle was injured on the second play of Miami’s first drive.
Waddle appeared to be caught under a tackle when running back Raheem Mostert ran toward the right side for no gain on the play.
Waddle was announced to have a knee injury and is questionable to return. He started the drive with a 15-yard completion from Tua Tagovailoa. He has been dealing with a back injury in recent weeks. — Safid Deen
Well, the Chiefs don’t appear jetlagged.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense blazed down the field, and are on the board first in this one.
Mahomes found receiver Rashee Rice for an 11-yard touchdown on a wide receiver screen one play after a touchdown was taken off the board. Mahomes nearly has an 11-yard touchdown to Justin Watson, but the ball hit the field as Watson finished his catch.
The Chiefs needed just seven plays and 75 yards to reach the end zone on the opening drive of the game. — Safid Deen
The Chiefs and Dolphins have taken drastically different travel approaches to this game, and that’s always a fascinating (and highly parsed) component of International Series games played across the Atlantic.
The Chiefs are 2-0 in international matchups, both occurring during HC Andy Reid’s tenure. They beat the Lions in London in 2015 and defeated the Chargers in Mexico in 2019. Coming off a Week 8 loss in Denver’s mile-high altitude, Reid opted to let his AFC West leaders recuperate in Kansas City before arriving in Germany on Friday.
Conversely, the Dolphins – they’re 1-4 internationally, losing the first-ever regular-season game in London to the New York Giants in 2007 – landed in Germany on Tuesday. Coach Mike McDaniel wanted his first international game with Miami to double as a bonding experience for his players while also giving them sufficient time to adapt their bodies to the local time zone.
Who did it better? Verdict in about three hours. — Nate Davis
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense will be on the field first.
NFL picks Week 9
The NFL is back, its 104th season set to kick off, and USA TODAY Sports’ panel of resident NFL experts have made their Week 9 picks. Check them out here.
These players will not be in uniform today, no huge surprises.
Germany has joined England, Canada and Mexico among international countries where the NFL has staged regular-season games since 2007. Sunday morning, during an interview with NFL Network, Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league plans to expand to a new nation in 2024 – Brazil and Spain vying for the honor. — Nate Davis
Today’s matchup between Kansas City and Miami – both divisional leaders with 6-2 records which currently own the AFC’s top two projected playoff seeds, respectively – marks the NFL’s second regular-season game in Germany. Last year, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-16 in front of approximately 70,000 very spirited fans in Munich.
The Chiefs and Dolphins will meet in Frankfurt, not an hour from where I graduated from high school on a U.S. Army base. Back in the day, Germans very much backed the Frankfurt Galaxy in the old World League of American Football (aka NFL Europe). As I wrote two years ago when the NFL revealed its intention to expand to the German market, “I was witness to a passionate base of Frankfurt Galaxy fans … even if their enthusiasm for American football often outstripped their education – extra points and punts often drawing far more cheers than first downs or touchdowns. I still can’t unhear those ardent chants of ‘Goooo, Galaxy’ tinged with the local accent. And European fashion being what it was at the time, not unusual to see a local wearing green and purple knockoff Los Angeles Raiders gear, the NFL Properties police opting not to cross the Atlantic to crack down on such unofficial merchandise.” — Nate Davis
Our guide to the NFL betting odds, picks and spreads has you covered with Thursday Night Football odds, Sunday Night Football odds and/or Monday Night Football odds.
If you’re new to sports betting, don’t worry. We have tips for beginners on how to place bet online. And USA TODAY readers can claim exclusive promos and bonus codes with the online sportsbooks and sports betting sites. — Richard Morin
All odds provided by BetMGM
The Chiefs are favorites to defeat the Dolphins, according to BetMGM NFL odds.
- Spread: Chiefs (-1.5)
- Moneyline: Chiefs (-125); Dolphins (+105)
- Over/under: 50.5
USA TODAY Sports’ staff picks for this game:
- Lorenzo Reyes: Chiefs 29, Dolphins 23
- Tyler Dragon: Chiefs 28, Dolphins 27
- Safid Deen: Dolphins 31, Chiefs 28
- Victoria Hernandez: Dolphins 32, Chiefs 27
- Jordan Mendoza: Dolphins 29, Chiefs 27
Travis Kelce declined to discuss Taylor Swift’s status for Sunday’s game in Germany.
The Chiefs tight end spoke Friday at a news conference but wouldn’t say whether the pop star plans to attend the game against the Dolphins at Deutsche Bank Park.
“When I mention or everybody knows that she’s at the game, the Vegas, the over under on my catches kind of goes up and down, the spread goes up and down,” Kelce joked. “I don’t want to mess with any of that stuff, so I’m just going to keep it to myself.” — The Associated Press
Dolphins All-Pro WR Tyreek Hill enters his first game against the Chiefs, the club which drafted him in 2016, leading the NFL with 1,014 receiving yards (and 8 TDs). He is the first player in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to be on the receiving end of 1,000 yards in a season’s first eight games. And with nine more contests on the docket, he’s on pace to finish with 2,155 – that would shatter Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson’s single-season standard (1,964 yards in 2012) – and achieve Hill’s avowed goal of becoming the league’s first 2,000-yard receiver. Rams WR Cooper Kupp is the only other man to exceed 1,900 in the regular season, doing so two years ago. — Nate Davis
The Chiefs superstar tight end won’t be surpassing 2,000 yards this season … or probably ever (his career high being 1,416 yards in 2020, a record for a tight end). Kelce, who missed Week 1 with a knee injury, is currently tracking toward 1,333 yards for 2023 — and if he eclipses 1,000, it would be the eighth consecutive year he’s managed that. Greg Olsen is the only other tight end to turn the trick even three seasons in a row. — Nate Davis
We have a complete list at every position:
Daniel Miller is a sports fanatic who lives and breathes athletics. His coverage spans from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis for sports enthusiasts.
