It was a bad week to be a favorite in the NFL with teams laying points in Week 9 splitting the 12 games straight up through the Sunday Night Football matchup. Several of the “favorites” lost, though the games could easily have gone the other way on the NFL betting lines. A late surge at the betting window moved the line in favor of the Rams for their tilt at New Orleans, and the Superdome is always a tough venue. The Saints covered the 2-point line and handed the Rams their first loss of the season. Denver, Washington and Baltimore all lost as home chalk, though the closing line stayed at 1.5-points or lower.
With seven of the 12 games playing below the closing total, under bettors had the upperhand at the betting window for a third consecutive week. With touchdowns and points being scored at a record pace, oddsmakers have made their adjustments. Having two of the three highest scoring teams play each other took one potential over off the board and the Rams and Saints easily went over the 57.5 point closing total. Four games had a total above 50 in Week 9 with the over going 3-1 in those contests.
NFL Week 9 Betting Summary
| WAGER | Favorite/Underdog |
| Straight Up | 6 – 6 |
| ATS | 6 – 6 |
| WAGER | Total(O/U) |
| Over/Under | 5 – 7 |
Biggest Week 9 Upsets
There were no major upsets with all six teams falling as favorites laying 2-points or fewer. The Rams were the only team giving a pair of points, and many felt the Saints had the advantage with that game played in the Big Easy. Those who felt that way would have cashed in as New Orleans burst out to a big lead, withstood a Rams rally that eventually tied the game in the fourth quarter, then scored the final 10 points to hand the Rams their first loss and cover the line.
Taking down the NFL’s last unbeaten team, the Saints can now lay claim to the best and hottest team in the league. They’ve won seven straight since that season-opening dud against Tampa Bay and they’ve gone 6-0 ATS in their last six.
News that the San Francisco 49ers would be starting rookie Nick Mullens in their Thursday night affair with the Raiders moved the line in favor of Oakland by 1.5-points. It didn’t matter. Mullens had a scorching hot debut and the Niners pounded the hapless Raiders 34-3. At this point it’s safe to say the silver and black is the worst team in the NFL.
Baltimore and Washington each closed as 1.5-point chalk for their Sunday tilts that I saw going the other way. The Ravens’ defense, which was so good through the first five weeks of the season, is showing cracks and the Steelers took advantage. James Conner has filled in nicely for Le’Veon Bell and rushed for over 100 yards in his fourth straight game as the Steelers won their fourth in a row SU and ATS. They’ve held opponents to an average of 18 points per game during the run and suddenly look like contenders again in the AFC.
Taking a three-game winning streak and the NFC East lead into Sunday’s matchup with Atlanta, the Skins couldn’t escape the injury bug and were scalped 38-14 by the Falcons. The only thing Washington did well in that game was get hurt as three-fifths of the offensive line retreated due to injuries and Alex Smith never had a chance as the Falcons continued their upward swing to get back to .500.
Biggest Week 8 Spreads
Playing as a double-digit favorite for the first time since the 2012 season, the Chicago Bears took care of business in Buffalo, steamrolling the Bills 41-9 to maintain their lead in the NFC North. Playing without Khalil Mack for a second straight week, the Bears forced four turnovers with two of them leading directly to touchdowns.
Kansas City didn’t let the emotion of a coaching change in Cleveland affect them, as the Chiefs rolled to an easy 37-21 win, covering the 7.5-point line. Patrick Mahomes threw only three touchdown passes in this game and the Chiefs hit their scoring average to improve to 7-1 ATS.
Only one other team was laying at least 6-points and the Panthers made it a clean sweep for the biggest favorites of the week by handling the Bucs 42-28, covering the 6-point closing line. Cam Newton put on another impressive display and looks a lot like the guy who won the MVP following the 2015 season. Carolina beat Philly and Baltimore outright as an underdog in its previous two games.
NFL Betting Odds
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