9... that's the magic number.

With the Cowboys traveling to the undefeated Atlanta Falcons Sunday night, a lot is on the line. For all the trouble Dallas has had during this 2012 season, a 4-4 record and putting the first blemish on the Falcons so-far-perfect epidural might restore some faith into this campaign. It's Week 9, ladies and gents!

Tony Romo, #9, is of course at the center of the attention. This week, he said that he has asked Jason Garrett to call an offense similar to the one that was used in coming back from a 23-0 deficit against the Giants. Will that lead to a Cowboys victory? You'll have to make that decision as the Cowboys game is a mandatory pick in our contest, as always.

Last week was a tough for a lot of entrants, as most fell into having 6 or 7 correct. A few were able to navigate the week a bit better. For all the gory, Halloween week details, head on over and check out hookerhome's brilliant recap post. It will be well worth your time to read. As some have said, his recaps and trend analysis has become as much a part of the contest as picking the 10 games themselves.

Here's a look at our stagnant Hall of Fame, as no one was able to add their name to the ledger (though I did my best, going 9 for 10 and missing out on the Cowboys-Giants selection).

So who has what it takes to go 10 for 10 this week?

CONTEST RULES

1 - YOU MUST PREDICT A WINNER OF THE DALLAS COWBOYS GAME IN YOUR TEN PICKS. If you leave off the Cowboys game, then only nine other games get counted, and the Cowboys game is scored as "wrong", no matter who wins.

2 - You must pick ONLY 10 games. If you pick more than 10, I will score the first nine plus the Cowboys game. If you pick fewer than 10, then you need more fingers to count on; all non-picks will be scored as wrong.

3 - You must make your entry as a comment, not as a reply to another comment. I will only go down the left margin when scoring. Anything indented will get no love here, playa.

4 - You must include the entire matchup in your entry. Simply BOLD the team in the matchup you are picking to win. No lists of only the winners you pick. If you want me to take the time to score your entry, take the time to format it correctly. It's easy, just copy and paste all the matchups from the post, then highlight your pick for each game and hit the B button. Oh, please do me and hookerhome a favor - leave the games in the same order, and delete the extra games that you are not picking (leave just the ten that you want scored). It makes tabulation much easier.

5 - Hit the preview button, because once it's submitted, that's it - there's no turning back.

6 - Picks must be in before the early games of Sunday kickoff in order to try to score 10-for-10. Here are two exceptions:

• If you're including THURSDAY night's game in your picks but not ready to pick Sunday's games, post 'THURSDAY GAME ONLY' in your subject line.
• If you miss the early games kickoff deadline with your picks, you can still submit picks for games that have not kicked off (as long as the Cowboys haven't kicked off). You won't be able to score 10-for-10 without the early games, but that might help you in the overall season-long race.
• Don't forget to look for the "10 For 10" hub on the new front page! You'll always be able to find the latest article or Fan Post there for easy access to get your picks in!

WEEK 9 GAMES (14 Total)

HOME TEAM IN CAPS

Thursday--------------

Kansas City at SAN DIEGO

Sunday/Monday-----

Denver at CINCINNATI
Baltimore at CLEVELAND
Arizona at GREEN BAY
Buffalo at HOUSTON
Miami at INDIANAPOLIS
Detroit at JACKSONVILLE
Chicago at TENNESSEE
Carolina at WASHINGTON
Tampa Bay at OAKLAND
Minnesota at SEATTLE
Pittsburgh at NEW YORK GIANTS
Dallas at ATLANTA (mandatory; must include)
Philadelphia at NEW ORLEANS

WEEK 8 Leaderboard