I’m always getting input from fans who profess to know this game, especially those I hang out with on a regular basis. “So the Chiefs are 8-0; they have had an easy schedule so far but that might change this week,” one NFL fan proffered. It might, and then again it might not.

They face the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo and this could actually be one of their toughest tests to date. Having said that, my feeling is that they will pass with flying colours and emerge with the impressive record of 9-0. If they do, it will be mainly because of their defence. They are allowing a measly NFL low of only 12.3 points a game and they lead the league in sacks with a remarkable 36 through eight games.

At the start of the season no one, myself included, expected the Chiefs to be where they are at this point. I fully expected that their acquisition of Alex Smith at the quarterback position would be a good move. But the best move of all was getting Andy Reid, the former Philadelphia Eagles head coach, to come on board. With the Chiefs, the play-offs are a certainty and the Super Bowl is not outside the realm of possibility.

On Monday Night Football, the St Louis Rams put a scare in the Seattle Seahawks’ by coming up just a yard short of an upset victory in their 14-9 loss. Kudos to the Seahawks defence and to the Rams for a spirited outing against a team that was favoured by two touchdowns.

Very simply put, the Rams outplayed the Seahawks in almost all facets of the game. Their rookie running back, Zac Stacy, was impressive in running for 111 yards against one of the league’s best defences.

Speaking of defences, the Rams’ two pass rushers, Robert Quinn and Chris Long, harassed Seattle’s quarterback Russell Wilson all night long, combining for six sacks between them. If the Seahawks are to be contenders they have to protect their quarterback better than they have done thus far.

Russell Wilson is among the most pressured quarterbacks in the league and that has to change. His offensive linesmen have to step up and give him more time to make plays.

Some things to note that occurred in week eight: Frustration erupted into a volatile confrontation on the sidelines between Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant and some of his teammates as the Cowboys suffered a heartbreaking 31-30 defeat at the hands of the Detroit Lions. The spin doctors quickly jumped on board and tried to diffuse the situation, saying it was not what it appeared to be on television. Yeah, right!

Injuries again are affecting teams adversely; case in point, the Indianapolis Colts’ loss of wide receiver Reggie Wayne for the rest of the season. This is a serious loss because he had become Andrew Luck’s favourite and most reliable target. Then there is the continuing debate about the status of Redskins QB Robert Griffin III’s right knee and Eagles QB Michael Vick’s hamstring. Will these guys ever get fully healthy?

On a positive note, the Carolina Panthers with Cam Newton at the helm have won three in a row. He has put up some impressive numbers completing 77% of his passes and the team has averaged 32 points a game over that stretch. Could this mean that the Panthers are headed for the play-offs?

Yours truly is still the “lead dawg” in making picks against the JustBet point spread after posting a solid 9-4 record in Week Eight, taking my season-to-date record to 67-53. Peter Lindo was next with an 8-5 mark (62-58 overall) while Andre Hutchinson (56-64 overall) and Andrei Roper (52-68 overall) both went better than 50%, posting 7-6 marks in Week Eight.

A few key match-ups to look forward in Week Nine: The Jets vs Saints should be interesting with the Jets at 4-4 right in the mix in the AFC East, and the Saints with just one loss this season, sitting atop the NFC South. The Redskins and Chargers game should be entertaining with San Diego battling it out in a tough AFC West and the Redskins still in contention in a mediocre NFC East.

The Patriots and Steelers do battle with Tom Brady not quite looking like himself so far this season, and Ben Roethslisberger and company looking for a positive start to the second half of their campaign. Then on Monday Night Football, the Packers, who have won four in a row, are home to the Bears who will be without injured QB Jay Cutler (groin).

As we head into the second half of the season the question is, which team(s) that had an ordinary or even a poor first half could possibly get hot and make a play-off run, or even a Super Bowl? We’ve seen the New York Giants do it in recent years. Could they do it again? How about the Dallas Cowboys or the Pittsburgh Steelers? Maybe the Bears, or even the defending champs, the Ravens? We’ll have to wait and see.

That’s it for me, folks. As usual, enjoy the games, and place your bets early and often with JustBet, Jamaica’s number one sports betting game. And if you’re having trouble picking the winners of the games by the point spread, try Under/Over Betting, where you can predict whether the combined points that will be scored in an NFL game will be “Under” or “Over” the point total that JustBet has set for that game. Just another way to make some money from sports betting with JustBet. Remember to give us a listen on HITZ 92FM at 6:05pm every Friday, during the NFL Gameday Forecast. And finally, “Just win baby, just win.”

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NFL WEEK 9 SCHEDULE & JUSTBET HANDICAPSThursday Oct 31Sunday Nov 3Monday Nov 4Teams on a bye: Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, NY Giants, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars

(*JustBet Handicaps for each game in bracket, Under/Over for each game listed)

MIA DOLPHINS + 2.5 v CIN BENGALS, U/O 42.5

BUF BILLS + 4.5 v KC CHIEFS, U/O 40.5

CAR PANTHERS v ATL FALCONS + 8.5, U/O 43.5

DAL COWBOYS v MIN VIKINGS + 10.5, U/O 47.5

NY JETS + 6.5 v NO SAINTS, U/O 45.5

STL RAMS + 3.5 v TEN TITANS, U/O 38.5

WAS REDSKINS + 0.5 v SD CHARGERS, U/O 50.5

OAK RAIDERS + 1.5 v PHI EAGLES, U/O 46.5

SEA SEAHAWKS v TB BUCCANEERS + 17.5

CLE BROWNS + 2.5 v BAL RAVENS, U/O 41.5

NE PATRIOTS v PIT STEELERS + 7.5, U/O 45.5

HOU TEXANS + 2.5 v IND COL_S, U/O 45.5

GB PACKERS v CHI BEARS + 10.5, U/O 48.5

EXPERTS’ PICKS AGAINST THE SPREAD

TonyScott’sWeek 9Picks

DOLPHINS v BENGALS

BILLS v CHIEFS

PANTHERS v FALCONS

COWBOYS v VIKINGS

JETS v SAINTS

RAMS v TITANS

REDSKINS v CHARGERS

RAIDERS v EAGLES

SEAHAWKS v BUCCANEERS

BROWNS v RAVENS

PATRIOTS v STEELERS

TEXANS v COLTS

PACKERS v BEARS

Last week’s record: 9-4

Season record: 67-53

PeterLindo’sWeek 9Picks

DOLPHINS v BENGALS

BILLS v CHIEFS

PANTHERS v FALCONS

COWBOYS v VIKINGS

JETS v SAINTS

RAMS v TITANS

REDSKINS v CHARGERS

RAIDERS v EAGLES

SEAHAWKS v BUCCANEERS

BROWNS v RAVENS

PATRIOTS v STEELERS

TEXANS v COLTS

PACKERS v BEARS

Last week’s record: 8-5

Season record: 62-58

AndreHutchinson’sWeek 9Picks

DOLPHINS v BENGALS

BILLS v CHIEFS

PANTHERS v FALCONS

COWBOYS v VIKINGS

JETS v SAINTS

RAMS v TITANS

REDSKINS v CHARGERS

RAIDERS v EAGLES

SEAHAWKS v BUCCANEERS

BROWNS v RAVENS

PATRIOTS v STEELERS

TEXANS v COLTS

PACKERS v BEARS

Last week’s record: 7-6

Season record: 56-64

AndreiRoper’sWeek 9Picks

DOLPHINS v BENGALS

BILLS v CHIEFS

PANTHERS v FALCONS

COWBOYS v VIKINGS

JETS v SAINTS

RAMS v TITANS

REDSKINS v CHARGERS

RAIDERS v EAGLES

SEAHAWKS v BUCCANEERS

BROWNS v RAVENS

PATRIOTS v STEELERS

TEXANS v COLTS

PACKERS v BEARS

Last week’s record: 7-6

Season record: 52-68