It's Week 9 in the NFL, meaning we're officially past the halfway point of the season. Several teams have overwhelming records, but for the most part, things are still close throughout the divisions. If the second half of the year continues this way, there may very well be a 9-7 team from both the AFC and NFC that makes the playoffs as a sixth seed.

This week, everyone knows what the highly anticipated matchup will be: the Indianapolis Colts against the New England Patriots. It wouldn't be an NFL season if these two teams didn't face off at least once during the season - especially in prime time. There are plenty of other important games as well though, including control of the AFC North in a matchup between the Bengals and the Ravens. This is the final week with bye weeks, so be prepared for a full 16-game schedule the rest of the season following this week. Let's get to the Week 9 games of the week...

(Red = Prediction)

Manning vs. Brady
Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots
It's the same debate every year. Who's the best quarterback in the league: Peyton Manning or Tom Brady? For those in favor of Manning, arguing the fact that he can make unbelievable passes and take apart any defense is certainly convincing. However, for those in favor of Brady, all they need to mention are the three Super Bowls Brady has won. In this game, the focus doesn't need to be on which quarterback is better: it's all about who picks up the victory. The Colts have been involved in several shootouts, as their defense has taken a step back this season. Manning has seemed to take a step forward, if that's even possible with how good he's been during his career.

The Patriots are definitely a better team than they were last year, and have physically dominated several good football teams. Last week, they completely picked apart the Vikings' defense. New England strategizes appropriately for the defense they're facing, and with how porous the Colts' run defense has been, the Patriots will try to put together long drives throughout the game. That doesn't seem to matter, because Manning has shown more than ever this season that he can move the ball down the field for a touchdown within two minutes. There's only one real way to beat the Colts: stop Peyton Manning. So far, no one has been able to do it. Colts win a thriller.

Establishing Control
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens
If there's one thing the Ravens have been weak in defensively this season, it's their secondary. Granted, they came up with two touchdowns returned by their corners last week, but they've been burned numerous times this season for big plays. The Bengals offense was back in a groove last week despite losing, and Palmer will attempt to move the football using the big play all game long. Running won't come easy for Rudi Johnson, but the Bengals will still need to have a viable threat on the ground to create a threat off playaction, allowing Palmer to have a chance at making those plays down the field.

Last week, the Ravens defense came through, setting up the offense with very manageable drives all game long. The playcalling suited the abilities of Steve McNair well. The Bengals have done a fair job this season at defending the run and shouldn't have too much difficulty in stopping a struggling Jamal Lewis. The Bengals are underdogs coming in on the road with the opportunity to establish control of the AFC North. The Ravens could really stamp their name on the division, possibly taking a two-game lead. McNair won't have the same success two weeks in a row though, and Baltimore will lose by a field goal.

Suddenly in Trouble
Denver Broncos vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
After a loss to the Colts, teams around the league believe that the Broncos defense has been exposed. The Broncos still have a well-rounded defense, and even showed some signs of life offensively last week. However, there has to be a debate as to which running back should carry the load - Mike Bell or Tatum Bell. Tatum has done well this season, but it was Mike who provided the spark to keep the Broncos in the game last week. Whichever running back gets the load, it will be a good matchup of a solid run offense against a solid run defense. Let's remember one thing: the Steelers defense has not been too questionable this season, it's been their offense.

Since Roethlisberger has returned, the Steelers had a couple of bad offensive showings, and a couple of good ones. However, last week, Roethlisberger was horrible in throwing two picks, two of which were brought back for touchdowns. The defense played well enough to keep the Steelers offense in the game late, but Roethlisberger couldn't come through properly. Najeh Davenport will be the third down running back this week after the injury to Verron Haynes, which could provide the right spark for the Steelers. This is also a rematch of last year's AFC Championship game, a contest the Steelers were obviously victorious in. Roethlisberger will rebound and score two touchdowns against the Broncos, bringing back the calls for Jay Cutler among Denver fans again.

Finding a Fourth Game?
Green Bay Packers vs. Buffalo Bills
Oddly enough, it was difficult to find another game involving two winning teams against each other (besides for the Rams and the Chiefs), so I'm choosing the final game of the week as a contest that should end up as a shootout. The Packers have a golden opportunity to win their third game in a row and establish a 4-4 record, which would put them in good shape for a possible NFC wildcard spot all of a sudden. The Packers' success has come from the resurgence of the running game, primarily in Ahman Green. Last week, both Green and Vernand Morency rushed for over 100+ yards, but that won't be the case this week. Green will carry the load, as Morency is out with an injury. Brett Favre hasn't thrown an interception in weeks.

Before their bye week, the Bills' offense was clearly struggling. They simply do not have enough weapons in their passing game to get things going, and J.P. Losman isn't good enough to make superstars out of average players. I know some Bills fans will hate me for saying this, but I'd give consideration towards Kelly Holcomb or Craig Nall somewhere down the road. The offensive pop that the Packers have displayed over the past several weeks has been very consistent, and they'll do the same this week. Packers win another shootout.

And now, the rest of the week...

Atlanta Falcons vs. Detroit Lions
With how good Michael Vick has been in the passing game against the Steelers and Bengals the past two weeks, this should be a dream matchup for Vick. The Lions defense has been downright awful, meaning it would be awkward if Vick reverted back to his struggling style of passing again. The Lions offense has been fairly successful this season with the connection between Jon Kitna and Roy Williams, but I wouldn't expect anything more than a blowout in this one. The Falcons may even be able to give Matt Schaub a look if the put things away early enough.

Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins
If the Redskins had Santana Moss available for this game, I would have seriously considered taking the Redskins in an upset. However, considering that Moss represents more than 50% of the team's passing game, the Redskins will be too one-dimensional with their running game. The Cowboys' experiment with Tony Romo was a success last week, and even Terrell Owens was happy with what he saw. The Cowboys have found their identity of offense for the time being, and will be another road team to pick up a victory this week.

Houston Texans vs. New York Giants
The Buccaneers have pulled a couple of upsets this year, but last week, the Giants went out and got the job done against them. The Texans have upset two teams as well, but the Giants are well aware of how they should handle themselves in this type of a game. The Texans will go back to David Carr this week after his punishment "benching" last week in an attempt to send a message to him. This is the wrong day for Carr to try and rally the Texans, being on the road against a punishing defensive line. Eli Manning should have fun against the Texans' secondary this week, making the score further apart than it was last week against Tampa Bay.

Kansas City Chiefs vs. St. Louis Rams
Week after week, it continues to seem unusual regarding the amount of success the Chiefs have had offensively without Trent Green at quarterback. The Chiefs have done well not only due to the play of Larry Johnson, but the decision making of quarterback Damon Huard. The Rams scuffled to get things going early enough against the Chargers last week, and will probably be forced into another shootout against an AFC West team. This time, the Rams have the advantage in being on their home turf though. Marc Bulger will be looking to get the ball to Torry Holt more often than he did last week to ensure that he doesn't have to rally too much too late in the game.

Miami Dolphins vs. Chicago Bears
Can we just roll the film from last week's Bears/49ers game, and slap Dolphins uniforms on the 49ers instead? This game should play out very similar to last week's game, although the Dolphins won't give up as many points. The Dolphins still have a manageable defense - it's their offense that has performed so poorly. With all these low-ranked teams the Bears are facing, how will they fare the next time they face tougher competition? You could almost say they've had three straight bye weeks: one for real, and two against two of the worst teams in football.

New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bruce Gradkowski's first start came in New Orleans several weeks ago, a game in which the Buccaneers nearly won. You could make a case that this will be a trap game for the Saints, but it should be a rebounding effort instead. One of the primary reasons the Saints lost last week was due to Brees making so many bad decisions early in the game, something he hasn't done all season. The Saints may be without Reggie Bush, but Deuce McAllister is involved enough in the offense that there shouldn't be a significant dropoff.

Tennessee Titans vs. Jackonville Jaguars
Give credit to Vince Young for winning two straight games for the Titans, but he's done it without having a whole lot of success in the passing game. More times than not, a successful vertical game is required to defeat the Jaguars defense. However, Jacksonville's offense has been sluggish lately, even with David Garrard under center last week. It should have a little more confidence this week though, enough to pick up a close victory over the Titans.

Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers did not put up a fight against the Bears coming off their bye last week, and have not looked good in their past two games. The 49ers have chosen their times to shine though with strong wins over the St. Louis Rams and the Oakland Raiders this season, both of which were played at home. The Vikings will be focused in this game, but will be taken off guard after solid execution from Frank Gore and the 49ers offense. Much like they did against the Rams earlier this year, Alex Smith will and the 49ers will hang on to a surprising win after a comeback attempt by the Vikings falls short.

Cleveland Browns vs. San Diego Chargers
The Browns offensive approach was greatly improved last week under new coordinator Jeff Davidson, and their defense continues to play well together. The Browns' pass defense is very good, but their run defense is not quite there yet - something that LaDainian Tomlinson loves to hear. Tomlinson will be the focus point of the Chargers all game long, but the Browns have had a tendency of preventing teams from piling touchdowns on the scoreboard. The Browns catch a break with the Chargers not having their top two blitzing linebackers, but the Chargers are too much of a better team to even consider an upset here. Chargers win by two possessions.

Oakland Raiders vs. Seattle Seahawks
If you're judging things based on momentum, then it's actually the Raiders that currently have the hotter hand. The Seahawks are clearly a different team without Shaun Alexander or Matt Hasselbeck, let alone both of them. Meanwhile, the Raiders have won two games in a row suddenly with strong defensive efforts, including a win over the defending Super Bowl Champions last week. The return of Jerry Porter provided a little spark for the Raiders, but Oakland's offense still does not pose enough of a threat. As long as Seneca Wallace doesn't cough it up as many times as Big Ben did a week ago, the Seahawks should be safe.

Well, now to my survivor pick again. For the first time ever, I lost two straight games in my survivor pool after taking the Steelers over the Raiders last week. I'm still going to attempt to establish another winning streak, which is why I'm taking the Chicago Bears over the Miami Dolphins this week. I need to get back on the winning side, and this is the game to go with.

Predictions Record to Date: 72-42(Not good enough.)
Last Week: 9-5(Would've liked ten wins.)
Survivor Streak: Lost 1 (Phi over Hou, Bal over Oak, Was over Hou, Cle over Oak, NO over TB, Dal over Hou, Jac over Hou, Pit over Oak.)

Can you feel the intensity? Colts, Patriots, Sunday Night Football - don't miss it!

-Chris Pokorny