NFL evaluators predict Week 9's best games

— -- ESPN senior writer Mike Sando asks league insiders to pick winners in selected games each week. Three personnel evaluators took the challenge in Week 9. The games on the docket: Falcons-Buccaneers, Steelers-Ravens, Lions-Vikings, Eagles-Giants, Panthers-Rams and Broncos-Raiders.

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Thursday:?8:25 p.m. ET, NFL Network |? Point spread:?ATL by 4

Thursday night road teams are 2-6 and have been outscored by nearly eight points per game this season, but all three insiders took the Falcons to avenge their Week 1 defeat to Tampa Bay.

"That game is going to be really hard for Tampa, because that was such a physical and emotionally draining game against the Raiders," one of the insiders said. "Just to go through that disappointment and have to get yourself back up to play a really good Atlanta team, that is tough. The way the Falcons won their game against the Packers at the end, that is a big shot of adrenaline going into a short week."

The Buccaneers' defense played 85 snaps during their overtime defeat of Oakland last week, not counting the many snaps wiped out by penalties; Tampa Bay has played more defensive snaps in a game just twice over the past decade. Playing four days later will be tough.

Tampa Bay beat the Falcons in Week 1, with Jameis Winston tossing four touchdown passes while Atlanta focused on stopping Doug Martin, who had 18 carries for 62 yards. But the Buccaneers are not the same team with Martin out or diminished by injury. Without Martin and with a weakened receiving corps, Winston has sometimes forced the ball to Mike Evans.

"They lock onto Evans, and I might, too, but it makes them easier to defend," another insider said. "And on defense, you could see the Raiders targeting and exposing Chris Conte. But Tampa does play hard. It will just be hard for them to bounce back so quickly after that kind of game. Those games, if you lose them, you might lose another because of it. It really isn't fair, and you wish they did not play on Thursday after that kind of effort."

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens

Sunday:?1 p.m. ET, CBS |? Point spread:?BAL by 3

Two of the three insiders took the Ravens on the assumption Pittsburgh could be without Ben Roethlisberger for another week.

"If Ben plays, he may find a way, but that defense for Baltimore is a physical defense," one insider said. "That offense for Baltimore, well, they have [Joe] Flacco calling out the OC [Marc Trestman] and getting him out the door. That offense was searching for an identity. I would bet they can get back on track."

The Ravens' defense leads the NFL in limiting explosive plays, defined here as rushes covering 10-plus yards and passes covering at least 20. The Ravens have allowed a league-low 3.9 per game.

The Steelers' chances obviously improve if Roethlisberger plays, but Big Ben hasn't won at Baltimore since Pittsburgh eked out a 13-10 victory there in 2010. Roethlisberger has no touchdown passes and three interceptions in his past two road games against the Ravens. The Steelers lost those games by a combined 46-23 margin.

"I know they are waiting for Big Ben to get back, but it will be a better game than people think without Roethlisberger," another insider said. "If Ben is there, I feel good about Pittsburgh winning. The Steelers' D has to shut down Baltimore. I think Pittsburgh squeaks it out, but it will not be as decisive a win as if they had the quarterback. They do have a difficult time getting the ball to Antonio brown when Ben is not there. The chemistry is not there."

Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings

Sunday:?1 p.m. ET, Fox |? Point spread: MIN by 6

Two of the three insiders took the Vikings, but they wavered quite a bit.

"Minnesota is coming back to earth after that fast start, but I don't think Detroit is very good," one insider said. "They will not put that same sort of pressure on Sam Bradford that Philadelphia and even Chicago were able to get."

One of the insiders has been saying for weeks that the Vikings' problems on their offensive line would catch up to them, and that when it happened, the fall could be hard and sustained. This insider initially picked Detroit to win, but he switched his choice after considering more fully Detroit's struggles in rushing the passer.

"If Ziggy [Ansah] is not all the way healthy, they do not have the rushers to fully exploit that Minnesota offensive line," this insider said. "That is the biggest concern. Also, with Darius Slay coming off an injury, the Lions might not match up as well. Eventually, Minnesota will get smart and start getting the ball to No. 14 [ Stefon Diggs]."

Another insider said Diggs' imprecise route running has contributed to the Vikings' problems in the passing game. Diggs has regularly run routes at improper depths, a little thing that can become a big thing when an offense's margin for error is small.

"With the Vikings on a short week and Detroit having the ability to put points on you, I will take Detroit on the road in that one," this insider said. "I feel like Minnesota is maybe a lesser version of Denver, where they need the defense to do it for them, and if their defense cannot do it, the offense cannot do it."

Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants

Sunday:?1 p.m. ET, Fox |? Point spread: NYG by 2.5

All three insiders took the Eagles to win outright as underdogs based on their defensive strength. One insider also cited head coach Doug Pederson's offensive scheming as a strength, but Philadelphia is not without issues. It has been a bit of a tumultuous week.

"If there is any place that could go either way from an internal, combustible standpoint, it is Philly," one insider said, citing comments receiver Nelson Agholor made about dropped passes following an overtime defeat at Dallas. "The defense has played well and will continue to play well. It is a matter of whether the offensive guys implode or get back to playing. I think Pederson can get the offense squared away."

The Giants, winners of two straight, are heading into a three-game homestand.

"I want to take Philly, but it's hard going on the road and winning up there," another insider said. "I just think Doug will put together a great plan, and I'd bet on that. I think Kyle Shanahan in Atlanta is one of the best offensive coordinators, and 1-A to me is Doug Pederson."

Carolina Panthers at Los Angeles Rams

Sunday:?4:05 p.m. ET, Fox |? Point spread:?CAR by 3

This game was a late addition to the mix for Week 9, after I'd already spoken with one of the insiders. The remaining two took Carolina.

One insider thought the timing was no accident when Panthers quarterback Cam Newton complained about officials failing to penalize hits against him. Newton will be facing a Rams defense that came under fire for taking out Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater last season. The comments Newton made brought attention to the issue, putting the league and its game officials on alert. Any questionable hits the Rams put on Newton will come under additional scrutiny.

"That Rams front should get hits on Cam and put pressure on him," one insider said. "If they can rattle him, it plays into their hands. I think that is going to happen. This will be a physical game. The problem with the Rams is their QB and their offense. Do they become one-dimensional quickly in this thing? I'm going to go with Carolina to settle down and pull it out -- to win a close game."

Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders

Sunday:?8:30 p.m. ET, NBC |? Point spread:?Even

Two of the three insiders took the Broncos in a game all three were eager to see. Derek Carr's stats through eight games this season are a close match for his production through eight games last season, when he actually had two additional touchdown passes. The question is whether Carr can sustain the fast start this season, and whether he can produce against rugged defenses.

"Anything can happen with those teams, and it's the same with San Diego," one insider said. "I'm going to say Denver wins it. I think when the Raiders go against well-coached and well-oiled teams, they will struggle. Even last week, they barely won when their quarterback had the game of his life against a secondary and pass rush that were not very good. They will get just the opposite with Denver. The Broncos have a front that can rush anybody and put pressure on Carr from play one to play 75, and also they have people on the back end who can match up with [Amari] Cooper and [Michael] Crabtree."

The Carr-led Raiders have never scored more than 17 points in four games against the Broncos -- Cooper's health has been an issue in the past, but not this time. Oakland pulled a 15-12 upset at Denver last season when Carr and the offense committed no turnovers. The Raiders committed eight turnovers in the other three matchups, all of which were losses.

"Carr is a legit QB who has a chance to be really good," one of the insiders said. "He is humble, they surrounded him with some tools and they are doing a really good job creating swagger. Jack [Del Rio] has done a good job of that, but it's a different ballgame now that DeMarcus Ware is back for Denver and Von Miller is out there."

This insider also cited Gary Kubiak's strengths in calling offensive plays as an edge for Denver, even after Del Rio reportedly took over defensive playcalling for the Raiders. But tweaks Del Rio has made to the defensive scheme in Oakland could be producing positive results.

"It looks like Oakland is starting to learn Del Rio's system, melding it with what Ken Norton brought from Seattle," another insider said. "They forced a couple three-and-outs in overtime against Tampa, which was a positive sign. It just really comes down to whether the Raiders protect the football on offense. That has been the whole key to the series of late."

The way our insiders carried on about this game made it a safe bet to take the "over" that this preview would be the longest of the season (it's at 439 words now).

"Oakland has a lot of built-up animosity in this rivalry," one insider said. "It could come down to a [Sebastian] Janikowski field goal. It will be a physical affair. I expect it to be like the old Broncos-Raiders matchups. I'm excited to watch it."