4 NFL Week 9 games to watch

The main draw of Sunday's slate of NFL games is probably the Sunday night matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots, but while the two division leaders should put on a show, this week is defined by a series of games which could have playoff ramifications for a few middling teams. Here are four to watch:

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chicago Bears, 1:00 p.m. E.T. on Fox — In a rematch of last season's NFC Wild Card game, the 3-4 Bears will head to Philadelphia to take on the 4-4 Eagles. Neither time has played particularly well this year in the face of high expectations, though the Eagles are coming off a dominant win against the Buffalo Bills. The Bears likely need to win this game to have a realistic shot in the competitive NFC North.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Indianapolis Colts, 1:00 p.m. E.T. on CBS — The 3-4 Steelers have performed better than anticipated since quarterback Ben Roethlisberger went down for the season in Week 2, but they're still two back of the Ravens in the division and 2.5 back of the Wild Card. It wouldn't be an insurmountable deficit to overcome if they lose to Indianapolis, but it's still a crucial game. The 5-2 Colts, on the other hand, will look to maintain their AFC South lead.

Carolina Panthers vs. Tennessee Titans, 1:00 p.m. E.T. on CBS — These two teams aren't talked about frequently when it comes to playoff contenders, but they're both hanging around. It's important game for both sides, as Carolina was humbled by the San Francisco 49ers last week, dropping to 4-3, while Tennessee is coming off two straight wins behind quarterback Ryan Tannehill to get back to 4-4.

Oakland Raiders vs. Detroit Lions, 4:05 p.m. E.T. on Fox — Like Carolina and Tennessee, Oakland and Detroit are mostly flying under the radar. The playoffs don't seem likely for either team, but with a win the Raiders would improve to 4-4, and Detroit could get to 4-3-1, which is a reasonable position to be in at this point of the season.