It’s coming closer to crunch time, and while some teams have given up all hope for this season, others are fighting for their playoff lives. With only eight weeks to go in the regular season, the San Francisco 49ers (0-9), Cleveland Browns (0-8), New York Giants (1-7) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-6) are basically going through the motions, while the Green Bay Packers are watching their season disappear with QB Aaron Rodgers on the sidelines.

That being said, the NFL still remains very entertaining, so here is a recap of an exhilarating Week 9:

• The New York Jets hosted the Buffalo Bills last Thursday and together they provided a surprisingly entertaining encounter, with the Jets proving more consistent and coming out 34-21 winners.

• The Atlanta Falcons jumped out to an early 10-point lead against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, but the ghosts of the Super Bowl continue to haunt and they couldn’t hold the lead. The Panthers won 20-17.

• The Los Angeles Rams continued their impressive run this season with QB Jared Goff (14 of 22 for 311 yards and four touchdowns) at the helm. They visited the New York Giants on Sunday and treated them like minnows in a 17-51 beatdown.

• The high-flying Philadelphia Eagles acquired RB Jay Ajayi from the Miami Dolphins last week to bolster their already potent offence and demolished the Denver Broncos team 51-23 at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.

• The Seattle Seahawks, who were involved in a 79-point shoot-out in Week 8, were held in check on Sunday by the Washington Redskins defence. The Seahawks only could muster significant scoring (but not enough) in the fourth quarter and the Redskins left Seattle 14-17 winners.

• After an impressive start to the season (including beating the Super Bowl Champions in the opening game), the Kansas City Chiefs have fallen on hard times. They visited the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon and came out second-best despite some elusive magic by receiver Tyreek Hill to finish the first half. Dallas’ RB Ezekiel Elliot was allowed to play and, while not providing impressive numbers, the offense was very consistent and scored a touchdown in every quarter for a 28-17 victory.

• The Monday night game between the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field provided proof that, in this game, the quarterback position is most critical. The absence of injured Packers’ QB Aaron Rodgers left room for Lions’ QB Matthew Stafford, the highest paid player in the league, to shine in a 17-30 victory.

Here are some eagerly anticipated matchups of Week 10:

SAINTS (6-2) at BILLS (5-3) — The Buffalo Bills are perfect at home (4-0) this season, but are coming off a bitter loss to the New York Jets last Thursday and are 2.5 JustBet underdogs in Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints. The Saints, on the other hand, just handed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a 30-10 defeat while recording their sixth- straight win of the season. The Bills will play at home this week, but that may not bother the Saints as much as the expected cold weather. The Saints have been as comfortable on the road as they are at home with a 3-1 record in both scenarios. Buffalo will probably put together the best game plan of this season, but with the recent big plays in the Saints arsenal, a seventh win in a row is the expectation.

PACKERS (4-4) at BEARS (3-5) — The Chicago Bears have not entered a game this season as the favourites until this weekend when they host the decimated Green Bay Packers as six-point JustBet favourites. In fact, this is the first time since December 2008 that the Bears are favoured in a game against the Packers. With a 3-5 record midway through the season, the Bears are a little less than average, but certainly better than last year when they finished 3-13. On the Packers’ side, QB Brett Hundley is growing in confidence and his play is progressively getting better — he has big shoes to fill and couldn’t ask for a more opportune occasion. The renewal of this historic rivalry should be played in very cold conditions, and with both teams struggling to put points on the board, expect a low-scoring defensive encounter with the home team prevailing at the end.

VIKINGS (6-2) at REDSKINS (4-4) — The Minnesota Vikings have a 6-2 record and have won four straight games to find themselves in first place in the NFC North. Following their bye-week, they take the show on the road to take on the Washington Redskins as two-point JustBet favourites. Currently the Vikings have a 2-1 road record, while the Redskins own a 2-2 home record. head-to-head in the regular season, they both split the wins with 10 each. These two squads are very evenly matched and both are looking to make a concerted push towards the play-offs. The game should lean on the performance of the quarterbacks; the one with less turnovers and more consistency will emerge victorious — Redskins’ QB Kirk Cousins seem more likely to achieve this feat.

JustBet offers attractive odds on all NFL games each week and for the Division, Conference and Super Bowl winners. The New England Patriots continue on their march to the playoffs and remain favourites to win the Super Bowl at $4.25; the Philadelphia Eagles deservedly sit as second favourites at $5.50. The Pittsburgh Steelers at $7.50 and the Kansas City Chiefs at $9.50 round out the Top 4. Place your bets early for the best odds at one of the over 120 locations on the prediction of your choice for maximum winnings.