{"id":255863,"date":"2025-11-02T03:04:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T03:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/255863\/"},"modified":"2025-11-02T03:04:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T03:04:08","slug":"best-nfl-week-9-picks-and-predictions-top-bets-and-underdogs-to-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/255863\/","title":{"rendered":"Best NFL Week 9 picks and predictions: Top bets and underdogs to back"},"content":{"rendered":"

As you pick through the remnants of your leftover Halloween candy, the NFL<\/a> is jam-packed with a loaded Week 9 slate. Of course, the most notable of the bunch is the latest chapter in the rivalry between Josh Allen<\/a> and Patrick Mahomes<\/a> as Buffalo hosts the Chiefs at Highmark Stadium. While that matchup will dominate the late window, the early collection of games packs a punch as well, with the Vikings and Lions squaring off from Detroit, the red-hot Patriots hosting the Falcons, and two of the top defenses in the league clashing between the Broncos and Texans.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But before you kick back, relax and unwrap your latest Reece’s peanut butter cup, you need to get your bets in order. In case you were too busy with the holiday to zero in on best bets for the weekend, we’re here to help. Below, you can find our best bets for Week 9 and picks for every game on the slate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Teams with bye weeks in Week 9:\u00a0Cleveland, New York (Jets<\/a>), Philadelphia, and Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n

NFL odds<\/a>\u00a0courtesy of\u00a0FanDuel Sportsbook<\/a>. Bet\u00a0NFL<\/a>\u00a0at\u00a0FanDuel<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0get $300 in bonus bets with a winning $5 wager.<\/a><\/p>\n

Monday, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN\/ABC |\u00a0Fubo<\/a>, try for free)<\/p>\n

Even with Kyler Murray<\/a> still dealing with injury, Jacoby Brissett<\/a> is good enough to exploit this poor Dallas defense. The Cowboys are allowing opposing quarterbacks to post a 112.0 passer rating this season — worst in the league. With Marvin Harrison Jr<\/a>. and Trey McBride<\/a>\u00a0in the fold, Brissett has plenty of weapons to do damage and have Dallas on upset alert.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On the flip side, Arizona’s defense is solid. The Cardinals rank top 10 in opponent passer rating, and if they can dilute Dak Prescott<\/a> and Co. even a touch, it could tip the scales in their favor. While Arizona has dropped five-straight, they’ve been kind to bettors over that stretch, owning a 3-2 ATS record.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Projected score: Cardinals 30, Cowboys 27
The pick: Cardinals +3<\/p>\n

Sunday, 1 p.m. (Fox |\u00a0Fubo<\/a>, try for free)<\/p>\n

I’ll believe it when I see it with J.J. McCarthy<\/a>, who is slated to make his return this week for Minnesota. This only comes after Carson Wentz<\/a> was placed on injured reserve, and I’m not totally convinced Kevin O’Connell is thrilled about putting his young quarterback out there, but he’s been painted into a corner. Outside of a fourth-quarter run against the Bears<\/a> in Week 1, McCarthy has seven quarters of bad football on his short r\u00e9sum\u00e9. That includes a Week 2 performance where he couldn’t lead the Vikings to double-digit points as he tossed two interceptions and fumbled three times (one lost).<\/p>\n

And he’s supposed to now come back aboard and go toe-to-toe with a Lions team entering Week 9 on a four-game home winning streak — each by at least 15 points? Detroit is also averaging 36.7 points per game at Ford Field in 2025. On top of that, the Lions are 4-0 ATS as a favorite this season, and I expect that streak to continue here.<\/p>\n

Projected score: Lions 33, Vikings 21
The pick: Lions -8.5<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Agent’s Take: Did the Vikings miscalculate their quarterback decisions by going all in on J.J. McCarthy?<\/p>\n

\n Joel Corry <\/p>\n

\"Agent's<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nSunday, 4:05 p.m. (Fox |\u00a0Fubo<\/a>, try for free)<\/p>\n

There’s something I don’t quite trust about the Jaguars, despite coming out of the bye with a 4-3 record and in the hunt in the AFC playoff picture. A chunk of that skepticism centers around Trevor Lawrence<\/a>, who has yet to impress me as a passer in 2025. Currently, Lawrence has an 80.6 passer rating, which would be the lowest since his rookie season. The offensive line also hasn’t done him many favors, contributing to his 20 sacks on the season. With Maxx Crosby<\/a> ready to wreak havoc off the edge, the Raiders have a path to pulling off the home upset.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Geno Smith<\/a> hasn’t been good in 2025, but he’s also been playing somewhat with one hand tied behind his back with tight end Brock Bowers<\/a> limited since Week 1 with a knee injury. Bowers, along with wideout Jakobi Meyers<\/a>, are expected to be back this week, which should give the Raiders’ passing attack some juice, particularly against a Jags defense that is surrendering 245.7 passing yards per game (27th in the NFL<\/a>). \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Projected score: Raiders 23, Jaguars 20
The pick: Raiders +2.5<\/p>\n

Sunday, 8:20 p.m. (NBC |\u00a0Fubo<\/a>, try for free)<\/p>\n

Jayden Daniels<\/a> is another star in line to return this week, which should boost the spirits of a Commanders team that is 3-5 on the year. Is it enough to boost them to victory? I have my doubts, especially against an underrated Seahawks club. Seattle is top 10 in the NFL in points scored (27.6) and points allowed (19.4) per game this season, and also ranks third in yards per play (6.0) and yards per play allowed (4.7).\u00a0<\/p>\n

This could be another game where Washington’s defense is exposed. In the past three contests, the Commanders are giving up a league-high 32.3 points per game, and opposing quarterbacks are averaging a 111.2 passer rating over that stretch. The duo of Sam Darnold<\/a> and Jaxon Smith-Njigba<\/a> could go off in prime time. While laying points on the road is already a risky endeavor, Seattle is 3-0 straight up and ATS on the road this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Projected score: Seahawks 30, Commanders 24
The pick: Seahawks -3<\/p>\n

Sunday, 1 p.m. (Fox |\u00a0Fubo<\/a>, try for free)<\/p>\n

How much of Houston’s resurgence was the Texans finally flipping a switch, and how much was it injuries finally catching up to the San Francisco 49ers<\/a>? I think we’ll find out this weekend, and I expect it to be more of the latter. The notable nugget out of last week’s dominating win by Houston was that C.J. Stroud<\/a> went through the contest unscathed with zero sacks. It’s hard to imagine that happening again; I assume the third-year quarterback will be back under siege, particularly against the Broncos. Denver leads the NFL with 36 sacks on the season, which is 10 more than any other team.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On top of getting after the quarterback, this defense should exploit a key weakness of the Texans’ offense: red zone efficiency. Houston is scoring touchdowns on just 42.1% of its red zone trips, which is second-lowest in the league. Now, they face a Denver red zone defense allowing touchdowns on just 40% of opponents’ trips, which is tied for the best in the NFL. This could be a little more lopsided than the minuscule spread suggests.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Projected score: Broncos 24, Texans 20
The pick: Broncos +1.5<\/p>\n

Rest of the bunch<\/p>\n

Bears at Bengals<\/a>
Projected score: Bengals 27, Bears 24
The pick: Bengals +2.5<\/p>\n

Panthers<\/a> at Packers<\/a>
Projected score: Packers 33, Panthers 17
The pick: Packers -13.5<\/p>\n

Chargers<\/a> at Titans<\/a>
Projected score: Chargers 28, Titans 14
The pick: Chargers -9.5<\/p>\n

Falcons<\/a> at Patriots<\/a>
Projected score: Patriots 27, Falcons 20
The pick: Patriots -4.5<\/p>\n

49ers at Giants<\/a>
Projected score: 49ers 24, Giants 17
The pick: 49ers -2.5<\/p>\n

Colts<\/a> at Steelers<\/a>
Projected score: Colts 30, Steelers 21
The pick: Colts -3.5<\/p>\n

Saints<\/a> at Rams<\/a>
Projected score: Rams 27, Saints 17
The pick: Saints +14.5\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chiefs<\/a> at Bills<\/a>
Projected score: Bills 28, Chiefs 24
The pick: Bills +1.5<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As you pick through the remnants of your leftover Halloween candy, the NFL is jam-packed with a loaded…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":255864,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[436],"tags":[1745,1766,1742,1767,1748,2216,49,48,1744,43032,1735,1740,1762,1721,1743,3163,1768,1730,1737,1732,1771,1725,99839,20995,29901,2483,2212,1727,13294,1736,2210,1749,19251,14624,1720,1726,1718,1734,1728,1723,514,91509,118883,118882,78910,118881,117091,117755,2218,949,1756,948,1739,82,1741,3947,19256,1758],"class_list":["post-255863","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-arizona-cardinals","tag-atlanta-falcons","tag-baltimore-ravens","tag-brock-bowers","tag-buffalo-bills","tag-c-j-stroud","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-carolina-panthers","tag-carson-wentz","tag-chicago-bears","tag-cincinnati-bengals","tag-dak-prescott","tag-dallas-cowboys","tag-denver-broncos","tag-detroit-lions","tag-geno-smith","tag-green-bay-packers","tag-houston-texans","tag-indianapolis-colts","tag-j-j-mccarthy","tag-jacksonville-jaguars","tag-jacoby-brissett","tag-jakobi-meyers","tag-jaxon-smith-njigba","tag-jayden-daniels","tag-josh-allen","tag-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-kyler-murray","tag-las-vegas-raiders","tag-los-angeles-chargers","tag-los-angeles-rams","tag-marvin-harrison-jr","tag-maxx-crosby","tag-miami-dolphins","tag-minnesota-vikings","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-new-orleans-saints","tag-new-york-giants","tag-new-york-jets","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-ats-picks","tag-nfl-betting-picks-week-9","tag-nfl-expert-picks-week-9","tag-nfl-picks-against-the-spread","tag-nfl-week-9-best-bets","tag-nfl-week-9-picks","tag-nfl-week-9-predictions","tag-patrick-mahomes","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-sam-darnold","tag-san-francisco-49ers","tag-seattle-seahawks","tag-sports","tag-tennessee-titans","tag-trevor-lawrence","tag-trey-mcbride","tag-washington-commanders"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255863\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}