Week eight in the NFL was of the cardiac variety. The Colts won on a field goal, the Bears lost because they couldn’t make one, the Lions held on for a five point win and the Titans edged out the Bucs by four.
The Atlanta Falcons remain the only undefeated team left in the league heading into Week 9 of the season, and they've also been a solid option on the NFL betting lines at the sportsbooks through the first eight weeks. The Falcons hold down a record of 5-2 ATS to go along with their 7-0 SU mark, and they opened as 5-point home favorites at custom:5dimes-link for their game.
And that was all before a dazzling Packers vs. Chiefs tilt on Sunday Night Football.
NFL Lines Playoffs 2020 Las Vegas NFL football betting lines for wild card weekend are posted for newsmatter and entertainment only. Lines are displayed in full NFL line form with both the point spread and the over/under line, also known as the total points or totals. Week 8 was a pretty good week for me, as I went 9-4 straight up and 7-6 against the spread. My picks are steadily improving! As a reminder, each week I’ll add an.asterisk next to my picks against the spread that I’m extremely confident in.
Put simply, week eight was why we love to watch football and arguably why people like to bet on it as well. Luckily, we can dive right back into the madness, with week nine picking things right back up on Thursday Night Football.
The football betting landscape is graced by a slew of interesting showdowns in week nine, with the Vikings visiting the Chiefs in Kansas City, New England heading to Baltimore and a few other teams perhaps fighting for their playoff lives.
It’s wild to think of that in only week nine, but a few teams are almost certainly already out of the mix. Depending on how this week shakes out, more could follow.
Your job as a sports bettors isn’t necessarily to figure out who will win Super Bowl 54 just yet, but finding out who you think wins in week nine can still be helpful to your bottom line.
Getting a start on the week usually aids you in that process. Join me as I do just that, with a look at the early NFL betting lines for week nine, as well as my favorite pick for each game:
- San Francisco 49ers (-8) -105 @ Arizona Cardinals (+8) -115
- Houston Texans (-3) -110 @ Jacksonville Jaguars (+3) -110
- Washington Redskins (+10) -110 @ Buffalo Bills (-10) -110
- Tennessee Titans (+3.5) -115 @ Carolina Panthers (-3.5) -105
- Chicago Bears (+5) -115 @ Philadelphia Eagles (-5) -105
- New York Jets (-5.5) -110 @ Miami Dolphins (+5.5) -110
- Indianapolis Colts (PK) -115 @ Pittsburgh Steelers (PK) -105
- Detroit Lions (+2) -110 @ Oakland Raiders (-2) -110
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+6.5) -105 @ Seattle Seahawks (-6.5) -115
- Cleveland Browns (+1.5) +100 @ Denver Broncos (-1.5) -120
- Green Bay Packers (-3) -105 @ Los Angeles Chargers (+3) -115
- New England Patriots (-3.5) -110 @ Baltimore Ravens (+3.5) -110
- Dallas Cowboys (-7) -115 @ New York Giants (+7) -105
Week nine gets the ball rolling with an underwhelming Thursday Night Football affair between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals. It’s probably going to be an awful game, but at least Kyler Murray could add some juice to it.
After that, this week nine Vikings vs. Chiefs battle could become the game of the week if Patrick Mahomes suits up. He made enough progress last week that he nearly played against Green Bay, but with another tough opponent coming to town, he may decide to press the issue a bit.
This looks like a pretty loaded week of NFL action, as bettors get 11 games with -7.5 point spreads or better. That could make for some quality competitive play, or it could seriously complicate how you bet on the NFL in week nine.
No matter, I’ve got you covered with a quick breakdown of each game, as well as my favorite bet to target at the top NFL sportsbooks.
Prepare for a bloodbath. Arizona has displayed some solid offensive ability and impressive fight in 2019, but they’re far from an elite team and they just got housed in week eight.
They’ll be at home and the Niners will be on a short week, but San Francisco just obliterated the Carolina Panthers. This isn’t the easiest of spots to win games, but the 49ers look like they just might be the most complete team in football.
It’s hard to envision the Niners’ first loss of the season coming to the Cardinals. That said, their 8-point spread advantage seems pretty light.
- San Francisco 49ers (-8)
Minnesota Vikings @ Kansas City Chiefs
If Patrick Mahomes is on hand for this one, it gets very interesting. Kansas City did prove last week against the Packers that they can go to war with anyone on their home field, though, so I’m not so sure I’d bet too strongly against them.
Minnesota is on a roll and their have a great combination of rock solid defense and a dynamic offense. But they’re still on the road against a Chiefs offense that is explosive at every level.
Betting information will be hard to come by for this one until Mahomes is either ruled in or out. For now, it sounds like he’s in doubt to the point where bettors could get nice value with the Chiefs.
- Kansas City Chiefs to Win
Houston Texans @ Jacksonville Jaguars
The Texans had a bittersweet week eight, as Deshaun Watson was magical during a clutch 27-24 home win. The team also lost stud pass rusher J.J. Watt for the year with a torn pectoral muscle, however
J.J. Watt to miss rest of season in Texans nightmare https://t.co/i35i3xrcJrpic.twitter.com/rvYEXNpVyW
— New York Post (@nypost) October 28, 2019
That is a bummer.
While Watt’s injury doesn’t totally derail the Texans, it’s still not good news. Luckily I don’t see this week’s task as insurmountable. Minshew Magic has been fun to watch, but I’ll back Watson and the more explosive Houston offense in this one.
- Houston Texans (-2.5)
Washington Redskins @ Buffalo Bills
The Washington Redskins were surprisingly competitive last Thursday, but they still limp into this week nine date with the Bills at a pathetic 1-6. Buffalo, meanwhile, looks to lick their wounds after suffering just their second defeat of the year against the Eagles.
Buffalo’s defense has been less than elite over the team’s last two games, but this is still an extremely favorable matchup for the Bills. This is also a matchup on the other side that appears to set up nicely for Josh Allen and Buffalo’s offense.
This spread is a bit rich, but the fact that Washington’s quarterback situation is a hot mess makes me love Buffalo in this spot.
- Buffalo Bills (-10)
Tennessee Titans @ Carolina Panthers
Ryan Tannehill seems to have the magic touch, as the Titans moved to 2-0 this past weekend since benching former starting quarterback, Marcus Mariota.
Tannehill has the Titans in good spirits, but they face a tough task in going into Carolina to battle the Panthers. It’s possible this could be the game where the Panthers get star passer Cam Newton back, while Tennessee would have their hands full with stud running back Christian McCaffrey, regardless.
The top NFL betting sites are right to price this one tightly, but it’s hard to go against Carolina at home.
- Carolina Panthers (-3.5)
Chicago Bears vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles may have saved their season in week eight, when they marched into Buffalo and handled the Bills. Philly got back to pounding the rock on the ground and playing sound defense, which could easily be their recipe for success going into a tough week nine tilt with the Bears.
Nobody will be hungrier than Chicago this week, as the former Super Bowl contenders have lost three in a row. The Bears have a championship-level defense and got back to running the football, but quarterback Mitch Trubisky continues to hold them back.
I like the Eagles to win here, but there is so much at stake in this game. Chicago should come to play in this one and +4.5 points is a big enough spread to warm up to them.
- Chicago Bears (+4.5)
New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins
I’m writing this week nine NFL betting preview prior to the week eight MNF game, but I’ll assume the Dolphins find a way to lose again. They’re in serious contention for zero wins on the year and it’s likely we’ll look back at their 17-16 loss to the Washington Redskins as their lone real shot at preventing history.
But the Jets might tease us the upset.
I hate to pour it on for a guy like Sam Darnold who is seeing ghosts, but he’s been abysmal over the past two weeks. It is quite possible he has the “yips” and if he ever rediscovers his magic, it’s arguable it’ll take some time.
Miami may not win here, but it shouldn’t shock anyone if they do. This spread isn’t where I’d prefer it to be considering how awful the Dolphins are, but maybe the Jets give them a run for their money.
- Miami Dolphins (+4.5)
Indianapolis Colts @ Pittsburgh Steelers
A few weeks ago this wouldn’t have been a tough game to peg, but should the Steelers exit MNF with a win, they’re suddenly a win from .500 football.
Pittsburgh has the advantage with this game going down at Heinz Field, while Mason Rudolph could start to hit a groove in this offense. More importantly, James Conner leads a solid Pittsburgh running game that could look to control this game.
Indy is sitting pretty at 5-2, but winning road games at Heinz Field never comes easy. In a true pick’em, I like the Steelers at home.
- Pittsburgh Steelers (PK)
Detroit Lions @ Oakland Raiders
Oakland nearly helped me nail a terrific upset call in week eight, but going into week nine all they have is a 3-4 record to show for it. This team is a little bit better than advertised, but I’m still surprised to see the top football sportsbooks mark them as favorites.
Yes, Oakland gets to go back home for the first time in seemingly forever, but they welcome a pesky Lions team into town. Detroit has been in just about every game this year and while they’re a pedestrian 3-3-1, they could easily have two more wins if things broke a different way.
The Lions pass the eye test a lot easier than Oakland does. I like what I’ve seen out of Derek Carr and the Raiders offense, but there’s no getting around Detroit’s edge defensively. I’ll take the Lions and the points.
- Detroit Lions (+2)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Seattle Seahawks
Jameis Winston can’t stop turning the ball over. While he was actually responsible for nearly taking down the Titans in week eight, that former reality could bleed into more disastrous results in week nine.
Tampa Bay’s offense is built to kill through the air, but the Bucs are not finishing games and Winston can’t be trusted. That, and he’s on the road against legit NFL MVP candidates, Russell Wilson.
Wilson just got done torching the Atlanta Falcons and has the 6-2 Seahawks in position to take down the 49ers in the NFC West. Even if that doesn’t actually happen, it stands to reason that Seattle would come to play at home in this one.
That has me loving Seattle to get the win, but one thing about these Seahawks is they do not have an elite defense and overall they have not been dominant. Seattle owns just one victory by more than a touchdown and with the Bucs needing a win just as badly, I like Tampa Bay to keep this one close.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+6.5)
Cleveland Browns @ Denver Broncos
Baker Mayfield and Nick Chubb couldn’t stop turning the football over in week eight, making sure the Browns would never threaten the unbeaten Patriots.
Cleveland was supposed to be everyone’s Super Bowl darling, but here they are going into Denver in week nine at 2-5. That’s a familiar spot for this franchise, but the Broncos are a beatable opponent that could help right the ship.
For what it’s worth, Denver almost got a win in week eight and had won two of their previous three contests. It isn’t easy to win in Denver, but the Broncos are in worse shape. I’ll take the value with Cleveland as the straight up winners in a game they have to get.
- Cleveland Browns to Win
Green Bay Packers @ Los Angeles Chargers
The Packers are one goal-line score away from potentially being undefeated right now. A tough road date against a talented Chargers team awaits, but Green Bay is fresh off a clutch win over the Chiefs in Kansas City.
Green Bay has been quite impressive lately and on the year, which very well could set rookie head coach Matt LaFleur as the favorite to win NFL Coach of the Year.
Regardless, the Packers aren’t likely to be huge favorites when they take on the Bolts and L.A. has allowed teams to stay in games all year long. Traveling out west could complicate matters, but the Chargers don’t really play true “home” games these days.
- Green Bay Packers to Win
New England Patriots @ Baltimore Ravens
Bill Belichick’s defense smothered the Browns in week eight, as they continued their march toward history and also moved to a perfect 8-0. New England has been amazing, but they head into a pretty rough stretch of their schedule.
That begins this week in Baltimore, where that mighty Patriots defense could be tested against stud dual threat quarterback, Lamar Jackson.
The top NFL betting sites appear to be hesitant to hand the Pats the win here, as Sportsbetting.ag and other sportsbooks lists New England as mild 3.5-point favorites.
I certainly understand the level of opponent stiffens up a bit here, but I won’t go against New England’s defense just yet. Lamar Jackson’s accuracy issues and Mark Ingram’s fumble woes could both be problematic for the Ravens here.
- New England Patriots (-3.5)
Dallas Cowboys @ New York Giants
The last game of week nine goes down in New York, where NFC East rivals face off. Dallas is 4-3 and sits atop the division, but Dak Prescott and co. can’t get complacent against a Giants team that is the healthiest they’ve been all year.
New York dropped their fourth game in a row in week eight, but they played the Lions well and will be at home in this one. The Cowboys have done a fantastic job – for the most part – against weaker competition, however, and it’d be silly for them to lose this game a week after pushing their way back to the top of the division.
Dallas should win here and I won’t be shocked if it’s not particularly close.
- Dallas Cowboys (-7)
Summary
Things are starting to get pretty real for a lot of NFL teams. Teams like the Cowboys, Packers, 49ers and Colts are all in position to keep winning games to protect their leads in their respective divisions.
A week nine loss, however, and all of these teams would either risk relinquishing their hold atop their division or at least give the second place team a real shot at gaining serious ground.
If there aren’t teams looking to nurse division leads, there’s other talented teams just trying to keep their head above water. That applies to the likes of the Eagles, Bears, Lions, Chargers and Panthers – all of which have flashed high-level ability in 2019 – but have struggled to close games.
Week nine will tell us a lot about the NFL as a whole, while both undefeated teams are again in action. Place your wagers for whether one of these teams will go 16-0 (as well as whether the Dolphins will go 0-16) and see what another week tells us.
For all your other NFL betting needs, be sure to hit up our sports betting HQ, which offers updated odds, expert picks and much more.
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Week eight in the NFL was fairly anticlimactic. That’s not very true when it comes to the afternoon games (Rams vs. Packers was fun as heck), but the schedule as a whole delivered disappointingresults.
I will give that Rams/Packers game props, though. And even though Green Bay didn’t give Aaron Rodgers the chance he deserved, the Packers at least tossed it back in Vegas’ face, easily beating athick +9.5 point spread.
Not to pat myself on the back, but I actually saw that coming. I strolled into week eight’s NFL betting scene with a healthy 56-47-3 record and tacked on a nice 11-2 record (not counting week 8MNF), and that included nailing the Packers as +9.5 underdogs.
It was a great week, and if you rolled with me, you should have done all right. Whether it was just week eight or as a whole (67-49-3 on the year), it’s been a solid run throughout 2018.
Let’s get ahead of everyone else and try to keep it going as we break down the early NFL betting lines for week nine.
Oakland Raiders (+3.5) @ San Francisco 49ers (-3.5) Total: 47
The Raiders put up a valiant effort but fell yet again in week eight in a crazy shootout with the Colts. That drops them to 1-6 on the year, and at this point, they are awfully tough to getbehind.
Jon Gruden is dismantling this team with each passing week, but as bad as the Raiders have been, this might be a week to target them.
The 49ers are without much reliable talent these days. I know they’re at home, but they’re just as bad at 1-7 and just got swept by the Arizona Cardinals.
It’s not easy to mutter these words, but give me the value with Oakland to at least keep it interesting.
Detroit Lions (+6.5) @ Minnesota Vikings (-6.5) Total: N/A
The NFC North will start deciding things in week nine, as the Lions and Vikings – both fresh off of tough home losses – will send someone in this matchup closer to the bottom of the division.
Detroit is admittedly closer to that fate, but you at least have to give them a look. They have some solid wins on the year and have been competitive at nearly every turn.
I love the Vikings to win here, but this is a divisional clash, and the Lions will be desperate. Minnesota is the straight-up call, but the Lions should be able to stay within a touchdown.
Kansas City Chiefs (-8) @ Cleveland Browns (+8) Total: 52
Aaron Rodgers and co. go into LA as +9.5 underdogs, and the 7-1 Chiefs are barely favored to win by a touchdown? That’s rich.
Cleveland has largely been competitive this year, but they’re no match for the Chiefs. The Browns were supposed to be strong defensively, too, and in recent weeks, they’ve gotten blasted for 45,38, and 33 points.
Patrick Mahomes will probably go nuts in Ohio, and I highly doubt the Chiefs have a difficult time covering this palatable spread.
Pittsburgh Steelers (+3) @ Baltimore Ravens (-3) Total: 47.5
Baltimore took care of business at Heinz Field earlier this year, and in week nine, they will go for the sweep of the Steelers. Vegas likes them here, as they’re on their own turf and badly needa win after dropping three of their last four.
The Ravens are dangerously close to falling out of the playoff picture, so I do acknowledge the value associated with them. Not only are they at home against a rival, but they already beatPittsburgh.
The problem here is that the Steelers are the better overall team, and they’re running hot at the moment (three straight wins). I appreciate where Baltimore is and the importance of this game,but these are two teams headed in very different directions.
Pittsburgh feels like a fun straight-up road dog, but I’ll just bank on this one at least being a tight game.
New York Jets @ Miami Dolphins Total: N/A
This is the only game for week nine that does not currently have any odds. That’s because Miami isn’t quite sure what they’ll be doing at quarterback or wide receiver.
The Dolphins have been surprisingly competitive all year and will be at home, so even though they are kind of in limbo right now, I feel like they’ll be a solid bet.
Fortunately, Vegas may not back them too hard due to their current issues. I just don’t love the idea of rolling with a rookie quarterback on the road against a rival.
Sam Darnold can be great, but he turns the ball over quite a bit and really doesn’t have many weapons to work with at the moment. Miami could be a sneaky play this week.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+6) @ Carolina Panthers (-6) Total: N/A
The Bucs are back to square one, as they benched Jameis Winston after a four-pick effort and nearly beat the Bengals with Ryan Fitzpatrick.
For at least one day, #Fitzmagic was a trending narrative on Twitter again, and the Bucs had some hope. Truly, they were toast in a 34-16 beatdown on the road, yet Fitzpatrick led them to an 18-0 run and nearly forcedovertime.
That didn’t happen, though, and now Tampa probably has a locker room divided. The Bucs are going nowhere, and I doubt a change under center rescues them from a tough spot in Carolina.
Atlanta Falcons (+2.5) @ Washington Redskins (-2.5) Total: 48
The Falcons are a very weird team, as they got off to an extremely slow start but are immensely talented and have been in just about every game this year.
Their schedule started easing up two weeks ago, and since then, they have won two straight and can make it three in DC this week. It’s impossible to ignore what is happening with the 5-2Redskins, but just how long can bettors actually trust Alex Smith and Adrian Peterson?
Washington has the framework of a playoff contender, and they’ve been good (3-1) at home, but Atlanta is easily the more talented team. With their season hanging in the balance, I have to thinkthe Falcons stay hot and get back to .500.
Atlanta ATS is a fine play, but let’s aim higher and go for the nice road upset.
Houston Texans (+2.5) @ Denver Broncos (-2.5) Total: 47
Denver is merely a favorite in name this week. The Broncos did put up a heck of a fight against the mighty Chiefs in Kansas City, but that loss has to take the air out of this team.
Now 3-5, Denver is going nowhere in a hurry, and now they have to tackle the red-hot Texans (5 straight wins!). Houston could falter here, but I’m not ready to bet against Deshaun Watson rightnow.
Houston is also figuring out how to run the ball and defend. Case Keenum has an argument for the revenge narrative here, but I’ll pass.
Los Angeles Chargers (+1.5) @ Seattle Seahawks (-1.5) Total: 48
The Bolts have historically been the bane of my NFL betting existence, but they’ve actually surprised with a sweet 5-2 record. Los Angeles has done that without the help of star pass rusher JoeyBosa, too.
I like the Bolts as they stand, but going on the road and taking down the Seahawks is a tall order. Seattle just scored a big road win over the Lions and at 4-3 looks like a potential playoffthreat again.
LA is more talented and needs to hang tight if they want to take down the Chiefs in the AFC West, but this could be a trap game for them.
Los Angeles Rams (-1) @ New Orleans Saints (+1) Total: N/A
I felt the first loss could potentially come for the Rams last week. It didn’t, but I’m ready to bite down on a big upset in week nine.
LA is stacked and probably one of the best Super Bowl 53bets out there, but going on the road and taking down the red-hot Saints is just asking a lot.
Green Bay exposed some flaws in the Rams, and they’ve honestly had several close games already in 2018. They’re undefeated and obviously ablaze, but they’re facing a New Orleans team that isusually deadly at home and is looking pretty unstoppable themselves with six consecutive wins behind them.
If the Saints defend their home turf here, they get a signature win and suddenly look like the new favorite in the NFC. Even if the latter doesn’t last, I do love the value associated with NewOrleans as a home dog this week.
Green Bay Packers (+6) @ New England Patriots (-6) Total: N/A
The Packers did a terrific job beating a gaudy +9.5 point spread last week. Their defense showed real potential, and had it not been for some painfully conservative play-calling and a brutalfumble, perhaps we’d be talking about an amazing upset.
That didn’t happen, and now I have to think Green Bay is on full tilt. That was a potentially season-changing road win, and they have to turn right back around and go face Tom Brady on the road?
I’m not digging that at all, so while I would normally jump at Aaron Rodgers as an underdog, this is more about the Packers (and the Pats) as a whole.
Tennessee Titans (+4.5) @ Dallas Cowboys (-4.5) Total: N/A
The last game of the week goes down in Jerry World, where the Cowboys will lick their wounds stemming from last week’s loss to the Redskins.
Nfl Gambling Lines
Dallas doesn’t have much time to reflect on the past, though, as they need to try to regain their footing in the NFC East. I’m rarely into doubting Dallas at home, and I haven’t trusted theTitans much at all in 2018.
Nfl Week 9 Gambling Lines 2016
Dak Prescott gets to play with new toy Amari Cooper, and I’m guessing any amount of success down the field works wonders for Ezekiel Elliott and the ground game. That being said, I don’ttrust Dallas to win by five. The price isn’t amazing, but give me Dallas to simply win this one.
Summary
This sets up as a very fun week. I think it’s very important to take this early look at NFL lines, and that’s going to be the case whether you actually act on those odds right away or not.
For week nine, there is plenty to get excited about. My favorite play of the entire week might be the Saints being loudly doubted at home against the Rams.
Is Los Angeles for sure the superior team? I’m not even sure. They arguably have more talent, but Sean Payton has a terrific system, and I tend to trust the veteran Drew Brees over Jared Goff.
I’m positive it’ll be a terrific showdown, and in all, this shapes up as a fantastic week. Whether you roll with my week nine NFL picks or not, hopefully I shed some light on a few of these gamesand set you up for success.
Either way, good luck this week, and enjoy the games!