National Football League

NFL Week 9: 5 best games on Sunday

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Week 9 of the NFL schedule is here, and there are five games on Sunday you can’t afford to miss. NFL insider Matt Verderame breaks them down.

We are already at the halfway point of the NFL season. It’s hard to believe, since it feels like yesterday that the Hall of Fame Game was been cancelled because of crappy turf.

Still, here we are. Incredibly, we are already starting to see the playoff picture starting to take hold. Here are the five games this weekend that could really make or break a few seasons.

Sep 18, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) looks on from the field pre snap during the second quarter of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Qualcomm Stadium. San Diego won 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

5. Tennessee Titans at San Diego Chargers

This is a must-win for the Chargers, who fought hard but lost to the Broncos last weekend. San Diego is sitting at 3-5 and desperately needs to get back in the win column, already sitting a two and a half games behind the Kansas City Chiefs for the last wild card spot in the AFC.

On the other side, Tennessee has very quietly given itself a chance to see January football. The Titans are 4-4, albeit getting wins against the Lions, Dolphins, Browns and Jaguars. Most aren’t taking Tennessee seriously as a contender for a wild card spot, but a win here would turn some heads.

Oct 2, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Seattle Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas (29) celebrates his fourth quarter interception with teammate Richard Sherman (25) during the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

4. Buffalo Bills at Seattle Seahawks

This is going to be a game where Seattle’s season goes one of two ways. The Seahawks looked to be rolling before the last two weeks, which saw an ugly 6-6 tie at Arizona before having a deflating 25-20 loss to the Saints.

Seattle needs to get going if it wants to continue fighting for a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs. The Seahawks are still in good position, leading the NFC West by a considerable margin. Still, a loss at home on Monday night would be a crushing blow both i the standings and in the locker room.

Buffalo is in a more frantic position. The Bills started the season 0-2 with losses to the Ravens and Jets, and then fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Things looked like they would head south in a hurry, but the Bills turned it around. Four wins later, Buffalo had the look of a contender, only to fall the next week against the Dolphins. Last weekend, the Bills got crushed by the Patriots in predictable fashion.

If the Bills can find a way to win this game, things would suddenly be looking up. A loss, and Buffalo is sitting 4-5 in a very tough AFC playoff picture. Of course, this team has not made the playoffs since 1999, so it would be a familiar feeling for the fans.

Nov 9, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) during the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 55-14. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

3. Indianapolis Colts at Green Bay Packers

This may not be the best or most competitive game of the weekend, but it’s worth watching because of the quarterbacks. Yes, Aaron Rodgers is having a very down year compared to his unbelievable past, and Andrew Luck has five road cones in front of him, along with receivers who try to catch every pass with their elbows.

Still, any time you get Luck and Rodgers slugging it out at Lambeau Field, you need to turn the channel on. Green Bay is looking to go to 5-3 on the season, putting it on pace for a quality 10 wins. Meanwhile, Indianapolis is 3-5 and desperate to get back into the race, which it certainly could in the brutal AFC South.

This should be a shootout, provided that Rodgers can slice and dice the Colts’ defense in the manner we expect. The Packers should be able to take advantage of a bad secondary that got torched by the combination of Alex Smith and Nick Foles last Sunday.

Whoever wins this game will feel very good going into the second half of the season. The other will be wondering what went wrong, and how it can be fixed.

Oct 9, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford (8) passes against the Houston Texans in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

2. Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings

This game is underrated. Detroit is coming off a tough loss on the road against Houston, and now has to come into Minnesota against an angry Vikings team. Minnesota is trying to rebound after a pair of ugly losses to the Eagles and Bears, watching its offensive line get manhandled in both affairs.

The Lions are playing some decent ball, led by an offense that can throw downfield. Matthew Stafford is in the MVP conversation, despite playing in relative anonymity for a .500 club. If head coach Jim Caldwell can get the running game going, the Lions have a chance to make a nice run down the stretch and perhaps snag a wild card spot, or even an NFC North title.

The Vikings have to figure out what is wrong with the offense. While the defense appears to be championship caliber, Sam Bradford and Co. continue to look lost and at times, disinterested. Minnesota is 5-2, but the wheels are starting to come off a bit. On the plus side, offensive coordinator Norv Turner has more than 30 years of coaching experience and is a brilliant mind in terms of scheme.

Detroit and Minnesota could come down to whether the Vikings figure out their blocking assignments. That should send a chill down the spine of everyone rooting for the home team.

Oct 23, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) holds back Oakland Raiders tackle Donald Penn (72) as umpire Shawn Smith (14) approaches during the second half of a football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. The Raiders won 33-16. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

1. Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders

Without question, this is the best game of the weekend. Oakland has not been on primetime recently, but the Raiders will get their shot in the league’s most coveted schedule slot against the Broncos in the Black Hole.

Both teams are 6-2, with the lead in the AFC West on the line. Considering Kansas City is 5-2 and hosting the Jaguars this weekend, the loser will likely end up in third place. The winner will also have a 2-1 mark in the West, something that could pay huge dividends should the NFL’s division end up in a tie. The loser would be at 1-2, while the Chiefs are sitting at 2-0 with wins over the Raiders and Chargers.

This is going to be the unstoppable force against the immovable object. Denver has the league’s best secondary led by Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr. and Bradley Roby, while the Raiders have an elite passing attack with Derek Carr, Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. Carr is coming off the best game in his career, becoming the 20th player in league history to throw for 500 yards in a single game.

Denver will need to generate some offense on the road to win this game, something that has been a trouble spot for quarterback Trevor Siemian. If the Broncos can win this game, they along with the Chiefs will be in great position. Oakland would still be 6-3, but losses at home to both of their main West rivals could spell doom.