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NFL Betting Preview: Week 9

If the first game of Week 9 was any indication, we are in for a thrilling week of football. Last night we actually got to see 35-year-old Josh Johnson record his first 300-yard game of his career, 12 years after making his debut.

The Indianapolis Colts ended up still covering the spread and beat the New York Jets by 15 points, but who would’ve expected those two teams to put up a combined 75 points! Just shows you that anything can happen in the NFL.

This week we have some other great games to watch, like the Cincinnati Bengals vs. the Cleveland Browns in a battle of AFC North teams trying to prove they belong. We have the tank bowl between the Texans and the Dolphins, where only one of those teams was trying to tank this year.

We also have great matchups that could have been much better if not for injuries/COVID, with Derrick Henry, Jameis Winston and Aaron Rodgers all being absent from their teams after playing huge roles prior to this week.

Last week was the best week we’ve had with these NFL Betting Previews, as nine of my 13 picks came in as winners. Now for the season my record is 49-37 on these best bets.

Hopefully the winning continues this week!

*All odds and betting lines provided by WynnBet

Denver Broncos (4-4) vs. Dallas Cowboys (6-1)

Spread: DAL (-9.5)

Money Line: DEN (+350) DAL (-440)

Over/Under: 49.5 Points

The Denver Broncos may still have a chance to make the playoffs this year, but their moves at the deadline certainly paint the picture of a team that does not view themselves as a legit contender. Denver traded franchise icon Von Miller, bringing in future draft picks in exchange for the future Hall of Famer.

The Broncos defense has a tough first task after losing Miller, as they head out to Dallas to take on the red-hot Cowboys.

After losing the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Cowboys have reeled off five-straight victories to take a commanding early season lead in the NFC East. Dallas is outscoring opponents 121-69 when playing at home this season.

Best Bet:

Take the Cowboys to win by double digits at home and cover the spread.

Cleveland Browns (4-4) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (5-3)

Spread: CIN (-2.5)

Money Line: CLE (+120) CIN (-140)

Over/Under: 46.5 Points

The Cincinnati Bengals have something to prove this week after being the laughingstock of the NFL last week. Everyone expected the Bengals to blow out the New York Jets, but they ended up just losing outright.

Things did not go much better for the Browns either, as the Pittsburgh Steelers went into Cleveland and won on the road. Cleveland only managed to score 10 points in that game and their offense is only getting weaker now that Odell Beckham Jr. has been released.

Right now the AFC North is widely competitive, with all four teams being at .500 or better. This matchup could have serious playoff implications, so it will be interest to see who comes out on top.

Best Bet:

The Bengals are coming off the more embarrassing loss, but they have also been the better team this year. In a game that could go either way, it is always good to be pulling for the home team.

Take the Bengals to win by a field goal and cover the spread.

Las Vegas Raiders (5-2) vs. New York Giants (2-6)

Spread: LV (-3)

Money Line: LV (-155) NYG (+135)

Over/Under: 46.5 Points

The Las Vegas Raiders currently sit atop the AFC West with five victories in their first seven games before heading into their bye last week. They should be well-rested and prepared to face a New York Giants team that is playing on a short week after losing on MNF against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Still, we have no idea what Giants team will show up on Sunday. New York has been up-and-down all year, but have at least shown they can compete on any given Sunday. The one thing that has been consistent though is their lack of offensive firepower.

Saquon Barkley continues to be in and out of the lineup and the Giants have really struggled to get the ball in the end zone. They have scored 20 points or less in five of their first eight games and have yet to eclipse 30 points all season.

Best Bet:

Between the Giants inability to score and the Raiders inconsistency offensively, the best bet this week is to take the under in total points.

New England Patriots (4-4) vs. Carolina Panthers (4-4)

Spread: NE (-3.5)

Money Line: NE (-190) CAR (+170)

Over/Under: 41.5 Points

The New England Patriots are coming off a very impressive win, traveling all the way across the country to beat the Los Angeles Chargers. The Patriots have picked up wins in three of the last four weeks and really seem to be finding their stride this season.

The problem is that outside of the New York Jets, the Patriots aren’t blowing anyone out this season. The 3.5-point spread doesn’t seem like a lot, but the Pats seem to be only beating most teams by a field goal.

Meanwhile the Carolina Panthers have become a very difficult team to bet on, as they had lost four-straight games before finally earning a win against the Atlanta Falcons last week.

Best Bet:

The best bet is probably to just take the Patriots -190 on the money line, but if we are picking against the spread, New England should be able to win by more than a field goal anyway.

Houston Texans (1-7) vs. Miami Dolphins (1-7)

Spread: MIA (-7)

Money Line: HOU (+245) MIA (-290)

Over/Under: 46 Points

This is a fascinating matchup, but it has nothing to do with what we are about to see play out on the field. These two teams have been connected in the news non-stop this season, with wide-ranging reports about the Miami Dolphins interest in trading for controversial quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Now with the deadline passed, Tua Tagovailoa will remain the Dolphins quarterback for at least the rest of this season and will certainly have something to prove squaring off against the lowly Texans this weekend.

Miami has to be looking at this as a prime opportunity to get their second victory of the season, but will they be able to beat the Texans by more than a touchdown?

Best Bet:

An argument can be made that this is a matchup of the two worst teams in the NFL this season, if not at least two of the worst four. The Dolphins should be the better team on paper, we just haven’t seen them be good all season.

Two weeks ago, the Dolphins played a really good game at home against the Atlanta Falcons, they just lost on a last-second field goal. Maybe this week they can put it all together for a full game against a terrible team and give their fans something to celebrate for the week.

Reluctantly take the Dolphins to cover.

Buffalo Bills (5-2) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6)

Spread: BUF (-14)

Money Line: BUF (-1000) JAX (+650)

Over/Under: 48.5 Points

Outside of a surprising loss against the Tennessee Titans a few ago, the Buffalo Bills have just been steamrolling teams this season.

Buffalo has a +120 point differential and has won by 15 or more points in all five of their wins this season.

The Jacksonville Jaguars lone victory this season came in London, where they always play well, and they are coming off a week where a Geno Smith-led Seahawks team beat them by four touchdowns.

Best Bet:

This one is pretty easy to call. Buffalo covers the big spread and wins by more than two touchdowns.

Minnesota Vikings (3-4) vs. Baltimore Ravens (5-2)

Spread: BAL (-5.5)

Money Line: MIN (+200) BAL (-240)

Over/Under: 49.5 Points

The Minnesota Vikings have been one of the most difficult teams to pick so far this season. Every week they seem to be playing a close game, even if they are coming out on the losing end of it more times than not.

Minnesota has only had one game this season that has been decided by more than seven points, when they beat the Seahawks by 13 points back in Week 3. The Vikings need to start wining soon if they want to remain in the hunt for the playoffs, but this will certainly be tough task to go into Baltimore and get a victory.

The Ravens enjoyed a bye last week, so they should be well-rested for this game on Sunday. Baltimore’s last game heading into the bye did not go how they would have liked, with the Bengals winning 41-17.

Regardless of who comes out on top, we could see a high-scoring game in this one, as Lamar Jackson’s offense should be firing on all cylinders early, forcing the Vikings to try to keep up in a shootout.

Best Bet:

Take the over in total points.

Atlanta Falcons (3-4) vs. New Orleans Saints (5-2)

Spread: NO (-6)

Money Line: ATL (+210) MIA (-250)

Over/Under: 42.5 Points

The New Orleans Saints were just starting to find their footing and then disaster struck. Jameis Winston is now out for the year after suffering a knee injury last week and New Orleans also announced they will be without Michael Thomas for the remainder of the season as well.

Thomas had not play yet this season, but could have provided the offense without Winston a big boost had he been able to return off his ankle injury. Now it will either be Trevor Siemian or Taysom Hill taking over as the quarterback this week, which makes the Saints a far less attractive team to bet on.

While it is hard to bet on the Saints to win by more than six points with their backup quarterbacks, it is also tough to lay any money on the Atlanta Falcons right now.

The Falcons won three out of their last four games before playing the Carolina Panthers last week, but those wins came against some really bad teams in the Giants, Jets and the Dolphins. Atlanta then lost to the Panthers at home, only bringing more doubts about their ability to win this tough divisional game this week.

Best Bet:

I really think the Saints still find a way to win this game, but that offense is going to be really shaky. Take the Falcons, but only because you are getting six points.

LA Chargers (4-3) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (3-5)

Spread: LAC (-2)

Money Line: LAC (-130) PHI (+110)

Over/Under: 50 Points

How do you score 44 points in a week where you starting quarterback only throws for 103 yards?

Just ask the Philadelphia Eagles, who somehow accomplished that feat last week, as their defense was so dominant against the Detroit Lions that there offense didn’t have to do much of the heavy-lifting. Considering how bad Detroit is though, it is hard to draw too many conclusions from what we saw in that game.

Philadelphia has still lost more than they have won this season and have not found any consistency whatsoever.

The Chargers on the other hand started the year great, winning four of their first five games, but have since dropped the last two. This is a prime opportunity for them to break that streak and get their season back on track.

Best Bet:

The Philadelphia Eagles have yet to win a home game this season. That is a trend that will not last all year and could end on Sunday. Take the Eagles to pull off the upset on the money line.

Green Bay Packers (7-1) vs. Kansas City Chiefs (4-4)

Spread: KC (-7)

Money Line: GB (+250) KC (-300)

Over/Under: 49 Points

When I first saw this spread I was almost tripping over myself to lay down some action on the Green Bay Packers getting a touchdown against the struggling Kansas City Chiefs. Then a I realized why the spread had moved, because Aaron Rodgers will be out this week after testing positive for COVID.

Suddenly that seven-point spread looks like a lot more of a necessity to bet on the Packers, as Jordan Love will be making his first NFL start in Rodgers place.

Kansas City now has no excuse to lose this game as they desperately try to get their season back on the rails. It took a three-point sloppy win against the New York Giants on Monday night for the Chiefs to get back to .500.

The NFC East has been the only thing keeping the Chiefs afloat this season, as their last three wins came against the non-Cowboys teams from that otherwise terrible division. The last time the Chiefs beat a team outside of the NFC East was a Week 1 narrow victory over the Cleveland Browns.

Even without Rodgers, there is a good chance that Green Bay can at least keep this one close considering how well they have been playing as of late.

Best Bet:

Take the Packers with the points.

Arizona Cardinals (7-1) vs. San Francisco 49ers (3-4)

Spread: ARI (-1)

Money Line: ARI (-120) SF (+100)

Over/Under: 45 Points

This is a really interesting play right now, because the Cardinals have kept things very tight-lipped as to whether Kyler Murray will play this Sunday as he nurses an ankle injury. He has been absent from the practice field all week, but has yet to be ruled out.

If Murray was 100%, the spread for this game would likely be for more than just one point, but instead you are basically making a bet on his health. These two teams met less than a month ago and the Cardinals won 17-10, as the 49ers defense played great but they couldn’t do enough offensively to earn the win.

This a huge game for San Francisco to get back in the division mix, especially since it is the last time they will meet Arizona this season. Expect the 49ers to give the Cardinals all they can handle this week, but if Murray plays it might not be enough.

Best Bet:

At the end of the day, the Cardinals have a +108 point differential this season. You have a chance to bet on them now, where they basically just have to win to cover the spread.

Take the Cardinals now and keep your fingers crossed that we see Kyler Murray active on Sunday.

Tennessee Titans (6-2) vs. LA Rams (7-1)

Spread: LAR (-7.5)

Money Line: TEN (+280) LAR (-340)

Over/Under: 54 Points

The Tennessee Titans suffered a massive blow this week, as Derrick Henry was lost for the season due to a foot injury that required surgery. Henry has been the best running back in the NFL the last three years and a real driving force for the Titans.

Already sitting at 6-2, the Titans have a great chance to make the playoffs still, but it is hard to expect them to play at the same level when they are missing their best offensive player.

Meanwhile the Los Angeles Rams got a huge addition this week, adding Von Miller to an already strong defense. The Rams are going all-in on this season and are clearly one of the top favorites to come out of the NFC.

Best Bet:

The Rams have won by at least nine points in each of the last three weeks and in every game but two this season. All told, their point differential is +87 for the season.

Playing at home, take the Rams to cover that spread and win by at least eight points.

Chicago Bears (3-5) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3)

Spread: PIT (-6.5)

Money Line: CHI (+225) PIT (-265)

Over/Under: 40 Points

If there is one thing these two teams have in common, it is that they both suck at scoring points. At least at this stage of the season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have won three-straight games, but only by a combined 16-point margin. Pittsburgh has failed to reach 20 points four times this season and has yet to eclipse 30 points.

The Bears have yet to even eclipse 25 points this season and are currently the lowest scoring offense in the NFC. That is why this game’s over/under has been set at just 40 points, as there is no guarantee either team will score this weekend.

At the end of the day though, the Steelers should run away with this one. The Bears have lost by 10 or more points in each of the last three weeks and only have one road victory this season.

Best Bet:

Take the Steelers to win by a touchdown and cover the spread.

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