By Darin Hayes Week 8 of the NFL season wrapped up with a surprising lack of close contests—only one game was decided by a single score. With the playoffs starting to take shape, Ed Kleese of Pigskin Dispatch joined host Darin Hayes to discuss the biggest “scary” themes of the season so far, from concerning coaching situations to the alarming rise of a new Patriots quarterback, before diving into their bold predictions for Week 9.
The hosts were also locked in a statistical tie, both sitting at 32 points for the season, making Week 9 critical in their personal race for prediction supremacy!
The Scariest Stories of the Season
Before the picks, Ed Cleese highlighted five frightening realities facing NFL fans:
- Atlanta’s Raheem Morris Experience: The Falcons’ inconsistent play and failure to win key games, coupled with their collapse at the end of last season, make the coaching tenure a growing concern for fans.
- The Stuck Steelers: Despite a decent record, the Steelers’ aging quarterback (Aaron Rodgers) and an uncharacteristically weak defense leave fans wondering about the long-term plan and the franchise’s trajectory.
- The New England Nightmare: Quarterback Drake Maye continues to look fantastic, leading Ed to worry that the Patriots have successfully navigated their post-Brady era and are building another long-term dynasty.
- Caleb Williams’s Comfort Level: The Bears’ rookie quarterback has been excellent on scripted opening drives but struggles as the game goes on, suggesting an uncomfortable mental hurdle that could tempt the organization to bench him for backup Tyson Bagent.
- Chiefs vs. Eagles Super Bowl Repeat: The hosts’ biggest collective fear is a rematch of the Super Bowl. Kansas City’s defense has quietly improved, and its offense remains elite, making it difficult to stop.
Week 7 Results
The results from Week 7 were used to finalize the scoring before Week 8 began.
| Game Mentioned | Context / Result | Who Won? |
| Lions vs. (Other Team) | Darin and Ed both correctly picked the Lions game from the Monday Night doubleheader. | Lions |
| Texans vs. (Other Team) | Darin got the Texans game from the Monday Night doubleheader correct (Ed did not). | Texans |
| Raiders vs. Steelers | Ed referenced the Packers-Steelers game from last week (Week 8) where the Packers failed to sack Aaron Rodgers 4+ times, contributing to his low score. | Packers (They won, but Ed scored 0) |
(Historical Context via Search Tool: The Monday Night Doubleheader for Week 7 saw the Detroit Lions defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Seattle Seahawks defeat the Houston Texans. The Packers vs. Steelers game mentioned was a Week 8 game.)
Week 8 Results
Ed and Darin tallied the results from Week 8 to determine their tie score of 32 points.
| Game Mentioned | Ed’s Pick Score | Darin’s Pick Score | Winning Team (Mentioned) |
| Colts vs. Titans | 2 points (Ed got the win correct) | 2 points (Darin nailed the details: Colts win, Taylor 150+ yards, 2 TDs) | Colts |
| Texans vs. 49ers | 2 points (Ed got the win correct, and 49ers scoring $\le$ 17) | 2 points (Darin got the win correct) | Texans |
| Ravens vs. Bears | 2 points (Ed predicted Ravens win by $\ge$ 2 scores) | 2 points (Darin predicted Ravens win by $\ge$ 2 scores) | Ravens |
| Browns vs. Patriots | 0 points (Ed missed the “keep it close” prediction) | 0 points (Darin missed the “force 4 turnovers/keep it close” prediction) | Patriots |
| Vikings vs. Chargers | 0 points (Ed missed the Vikings win) | 0 points (Darin missed the Vikings win) | Chargers |
| Packers vs. Steelers | 0 points (Ed missed the sack/score target) | Not explicitly scored here, but Darin was given 6 total points, which matches the three games above. | Packers |
| Eagles vs. (Other Team) | 0 points (Ed missed the “combined score $\le$ 40” prediction) | Not explicitly scored. | Eagles |
| Jets vs. Bengals | This game was mentioned as the one where the Jets came back to get their first win, though it was not explicitly scored in the hosts’ segment. | Jets |
Pigskin Dispatch Week 9 Predictions
Here are the bold predictions from Darin Hayes and Ed Cleese for the upcoming Week 9 slate:
Darin Hayes’s Week 9 Picks
- Bears Win, Chase Two Touchdowns: Darin believes Caleb Williams will have a rebound week as the Bears take a bite out of the Bengals, despite Ja’Marr Chase scoring twice.
- Chiefs have no answer for the Bills in a wild one that Buffalo wins by a TD or more
- The Steelers hold Jonathan Taylor to less than 120 yards rushing and eke out a desperately needed home win
- Gibbs and Lions terrorize Vikings as Jahmir scores twice and has a bountiful 150 yards plus of total offense
- Giants put up a fight against the Niners but lose on a last-minute FG
Ed Kleese’s Week 9 Picks
- Packers Blow Out Panthers: Ed believes the Packers will win big against Carolina by three or more scores.
- Titans are going to lose at home to the Chargers, but they are going to fight. LA will only win by 7 points or less.
- Upset in the late window, the Raiders defeat the Jags in Vegas
- Josh Allen wins the game for Buffalo in the final 60 seconds, and he doesn’t leave enough time for Mahomes’ magic.
- Cardinals vs Cowboys at Jerry’s World will produce 60 or more points in this offensive melee.
Who do you think has the edge this week? Can Darin pull ahead, or will Ed retain his co-lead?