NFL Picks Week 9: Advice on Latest Vegas Odds and Spreads for Upcoming Schedule

Week 8 has come and gone. Like the festive holiday on which it ended, the week brought its fair share of shocking twists and turns.

The Carolina Panthers beat down the Arizona Cardinals, and in the process, may have saved their season. The Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Redskins produced the year's second tie game in as many weeks. The Chicago Bears, meanwhile, showed that quarterback Jay Cutler might not be so bad after all with a win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.

What sorts of surprises await in Week 9? With 13 games on the slate, there should be plenty of them. Today, we're going to look ahead at the coming schedule, the latest Vegas odds—courtesy of Odds Shark—and make our predictions against the spreads. We'll also take a closer look at some of the top matchups of the coming week.

NFL Week 9

Day, Time (ET)	Game	Line	Prediction
Thur. 8:30 p.m.	Atlanta at Tampa Bay	ATL -3.5	ATL
Sun. 1 p.m.	Pittsburgh at Baltimore	BAL -2.5	PIT
Sun. 1 p.m.	Philadelphia at NY Giants	NYG -3	NYG
Sun. 1 p.m.	NY Jets at Miami	MIA -3.5	MIA
Sun. 1 p.m.	Dallas at Cleveland	DAL -7.5	DAL
Sun. 1 p.m.	Jacksonville at Kansas City	KC --9	KC
Sun. 1 p.m.	Detroit at Minnesota	MIN -6.5	MIN
Sun. 4:05 p.m.	New Orleans at San Francisco	NO -3	NO
Sun. 4:05 p.m.	Carolina at Los Angeles	CAR -3	CAR
Sun. 4:25 p.m.	Tennessee at San Diego	SD -5.5	SD
Sun. 4:25 p.m.	Indianapolis at Green Bay	GB -7	IND
Sun. 8:30 p.m.	Denver at Oakland	OAK -1	DEN
Mon. 8:30 p.m.	Buffalo at Seattle	SEA -7	BUF

Matchups to Watch

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Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The week starts off with an intriguing game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There is quite a bit at stake in this game as the Falcons hold a game-and-a-half lead over the Buccaneers in the NFC South. Tampa Bay won the first head-to-head meeting so it can close in on Atlanta with a win on Thursday night.

The Falcons, though, will be seeking revenge. Given the team's offensive firepower and the inconsistencies on the Buccaneers defense, they may well get it.

Atlanta is currently averaging 32.8 points per game, which is most in the NFL. The Buccaneers defense, which is rated 30th overall by Pro Football Focus, is allowing an average of 27.0 points per game.

While it's true the Buccaneers could get a bit of a boost from playing at home, they were the home team last week and surrendered 626 yards of total offense to the Oakland Raiders. Tampa Bay will likely need to score a lot to keep pace in this game.

With the possibility of playing without injured running back Jacquizz Rodgers, that could prove difficult.

While this game should still be relatively close, the Atlanta offense should prove to be a bit more than the Buccaneers can handle. Winning by a touchdown sounds about right here.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens

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The rivalry between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens is still one of the NFL's most intense, even if both teams are struggling right now.

The Ravens have dropped four in a row and have struggled to produce points all season. The team is averaging just 19.0 points per game. The Steelers, meanwhile, have lost two straight without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (knee).

The big question here is whether or not Roethlisberger can return for the matchup. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, the quarterback was back at practice on Monday and even took some first-team reps.

"Ben looked really good," Steelers tackle Marcus Gilbert said, per Fowler. "Ben is a competitor. Never count him out. We're optimistic where he stands right now. As far as him being healthy, 100 percent, that's where I want him to be. Seeing that is very encouraging."

According to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, the Ravens will approach the game as if Roethlisberger will play:

If Roethlisberger can play, expect the line in this game to shift dramatically. As of Tuesday, the Ravens are a 2.5 point favorite, according to Odds Shark. Even without Roethlisberger, there might be enough weapons on the Pittsburgh offense to keep the score within a few points.

The trick will be getting enough out of a Steelers defense that is rated 24th overall by Pro Football Focus to slow the Baltimore offense.

Expect a hard-hitting defensive struggle, regardless of who is under center for Pittsburgh.

Indianapolis Colts at Green Bay Packers

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The defense of the Indianapolis Colts is, well, not good. Indianapolis is rated dead last in defense by Pro Football Focus and is allowing an average of 28.8 points per game (28th in the NFL). If the Colts want to keep things close with the Green Bay Packers in Week 9, they're going to have to score early and often.

Luckily, the Colts happen to have one of the most gifted quarterbacks in Andrew Luck. He has already passed for 2,284 yards with 16 touchdowns, and he has Indianapolis scoring an average of 26.0 points per game.

This is why the Colts can indeed keep this game within a touchdown. While the Packers are solid against the run, they are susceptible to the pass. Pro Football Focus rates Green Bay just 28th in pass coverage for the year so far.

Expect a shootout between Luck and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in this contest. Also expect the Colts to pull within a touchdown late, even if they cannot do enough to actually have a shot at winning at Lambeau.

NFL Week 9 line spreads courtesy of Odds Shark and current as of Tuesday, Nov. 1.