There is no sugarcoating this, this is a monumental Week 9 of the NFL season. We have at least eight games taking place this week that carry playoff implications, and some of the match-ups could easily be seen as potential playoff previews come January.

It’s that good.

The Jets(4-3) will be watching closely. At 4-3, they need a win over the Chargers on Monday night, and need help. Already Jets fans are scoreboard watching, hoping for the Bills (5-3) to fall to the Bengals on Sunday night. And hoping the Dolphins lose to Kansas City in Frankfort Germany on Sunday morning. If the Jets win, and the Bills and Dolphins lose on Sunday, the AFC East will be separated by one a half game between three teams.

Yeah, it’s gonna get nuts.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys tussle in a battle that could go a long way in determining the winner of the NFC East, and maybe, dare I say home field in the NFC Playoffs?

Buckle up folks, it’s gonna get wild!

• NY Giants (2-6) @ Las Vegas (3-5) (-2.0)

  Not often you find a game between a 2-6 team and a 3-5 team and call it intriguing, but here we are. The Giants are getting Daniel Jones back off the IL, after missing the past few weeks with a neck injury. The Giants need him. They lost Tyrod Taylor to a rib injury, and the offense has sputtered even further without Jones in the lineup. The battered G-Men see a familiar face in Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierece, a member of the Giants linebacker corps a generation ago. The Raiders made a bunch of moves following the firing of Josh McDaniels. The question is do the Raiders have enough faith in rookie Aiden O’Connell to win this game? Expect a heavy dose of Saquon Barkley if the Giants are to win this one. PICK: GIANTS 24 – RAIDERS 14

• Miami (6-2) vs. Kansas City (6-2) (-1.5) @ Frankfort, Germany

  WAKE UP football fans! We got another early contest this time in Frankfort, Germany between two of the AFC’s best teams: the Dolphins and Chiefs. I am sure the NFL is kicking itself for scheduling this one for Germany when they made the schedules in the spring. Oh, well! We know the talk will be about Tua vs. Mahomes; Tyreek Hill squaring off against his old team; Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift; Mike McDaniel vs. Andy Reid. We get it. It’s great theatre on a paper. Truth is the Chiefs need a win after a bad effort in Denver, and Miami has been a product of a weak first half schedule. PICK: CHIEFS 27 – DOLPHINS 21. 

• Dallas (5-2) @ Philadelphia (7-1) (-3.0)

  The first of the bi-annual slugfest between the Eagles and Cowboys is about to commence late Sunday afternoon. Those of us stuck in North Jersey watching the Giants/Raiders game might need to head to South Jersey to see this, or just try Red Zone? Lots of pressure on both the Boys and Birds in this one. Dak Prescott is playing great for Dallas. 576 yards passing with five touchdowns vs. one interception. He will have a tall order against an Eagles D that has owned him in the past. Eagles may have gotten into a groove offensively a bit, posting 69 points the last two weeks. Gotta roll with the home team in this one. PICK: EAGLES 30 – COWBOYS 27.

• Buffalo (5-3) @ Cincinnati (4-3) (-2.5)

  The last time these two saw each other, the Bengals shocked the Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs. They meet again in Week 9 with the Bengals on a roll. Cincy has won three in a row, but has yet to win a game vs. an AFC team this season. Part of the Bengals success is obviously attributed to the great play of a healthy Joe Burrow.

  On the other hand, the Bills have been up and down this season. You never know which Josh Allen is going to show up, let alone which Bills team.

  Jets fans watching at home will be rooting hard for the Bengals to win this one over New York’s division rival.

  PICK: BENGALS 26 – BILLS 23.

• LA Chargers (3-4) (-3.5) @ NY Jets (4-3)

  This Monday night clash could go a long way in determining who gets the number 7 seed in the AFC playoffs. Both teams need this game badly. How big is this game? If the Jets win, they’ll have a 65 percent chance of making the playoffs. Lose? They’ll have a 35 percent shot according to Pro Football Focus. The Jets escaped a sure loss to a Giants team that tossed for minus-9 yards last week. Now they see a high-powered Chargers offense led by Justin Herbert. The key could be how Zach Wilson does against the Chargers vulnerable defense. The Jets must commit to running the ball with Breece Hall and company. If not, the home crowd might go home restless.

  PICK: CHARGERS 27 – JETS 20 

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