NFL Week 9 Picks: Early Odds Tips, Spreads and Predictions for Latest Schedule
With Week 8 of the NFL season nearly in the books, it's time to look ahead to Week 9 as teams push past the midway point of the 2016 campaign and turn their attention to postseason contention.
And with a fresh slate of compelling games to examine, it's never too early to break down the latest lines and odds.
As a bit of housekeeping, please note that the lines used below are opening Week 9 lines from Odds Shark.
However, there was no line available for next Monday night's matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills as of Sunday evening, which is why there are only 12 games listed below.
| Thursday, Nov. 3 | Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | TB -1 | ATL |
| Sunday, Nov. 6 | Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens | BAL -3 | PIT |
| Sunday, Nov. 6 | Philadelphia Eagles at New York Giants | NYG -3 | PHI |
| Sunday, Nov. 6 | New York Jets at Miami Dolphins | MIA -3 | MIA |
| Sunday, Nov. 6 | Dallas Cowboys at Cleveland Browns | DAL -6.5 | DAL |
| Sunday, Nov. 6 | Jacksonville Jaguars at Kansas City Chiefs | KC -7.5 | KC |
| Sunday, Nov. 6 | Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings | MIN -6.5 | MIN |
| Sunday, Nov. 6 | Carolina Panthers at Los Angeles Rams | CAR -2 | CAR |
| Sunday, Nov. 6 | New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers | NO -3 | NO |
| Sunday, Nov. 6 | Tennessee Titans at San Diego Chargers | SD -5 | TEN |
| Sunday, Nov. 6 | Indianapolis Colts at Green Bay Packers | GB -7 | GB |
| Sunday, Nov. 6 | Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders | DEN -1 | DEN |
Preview and Tips
First up is Thursday night's meeting between the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which will take place at Raymond James Stadium.
Tampa will be looking to bounce back from Sunday's back-breaking loss to the Oakland Raiders, but recent trends don't favor the Bucs at home.
The Falcons are 5-0 against the spread in their last five road games, according to Odds Shark, and they should feast against a Tampa Bay secondary that was positively shredded by Raiders quarterback Derek Carr to the tune of 513 yards and four touchdowns.
Matt Ryan has been scorching-hot all season long, and he'll enter Thursday's NFC South tilt fresh off a win over the Green Bay Packers that saw him throw for 288 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
And after Ryan burned the Bucs for 334 yards and two scores in the Falcons' Week 1 loss over at the Georgia Dome, bettors should be confident in his ability to pile up numbers in an Atlanta win.
Speaking of the NFC South, another team worth keeping tabs on next Sunday is the Carolina Panthers.
The reigning NFC champions came off their bye week and drubbed the Arizona Cardinals, 30-20, and a swarming defensive performance that included eight sacks and two forced turnovers buoyed the Panthers' impressive effort.
As if that wasn't reason enough to like them against the Los Angeles Rams this week, here's some more food for thought: According to VegasInsider.com's Marc Lawrence, the Panthers are 28-18 against the spread in November over their last 46 games.
One final game to monitor will be the Detroit Lions at the Minnesota Vikings.
Even though Minnesota opened as a hefty 6.5-point favorite, laying the points in this situation should be the smart play.
Not only does the Vikings defense have the personnel to stifle quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Lions' high-flying offense, but Detroit has historically played some of its worst football late in the season.
According to Lawrence, the Lions are 16-29 against the spread on the road in November dating back to 1990.
With that nugget in mind, Minnesota should be a no-brainer selection as it seeks to maintain a stranglehold on the top spot in the NFC North.
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