NFL Odds Week 9: Early Locks and Best Bets on the Schedule
The 2023 NFL season has nearly reached the halfway point. The trade deadline will arrive on Tuesday afternoon, and Week 9 will start on Thursday night with a battle between the Pittsburgh Steelers
We're not in the playoff stretch just yet, but we have a much better idea of how competitive teams can be. The Denver Broncos, for example, looked like perhaps the worst team in the NFL early in the season. After beating the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, though, the 3-5 Broncos could suddenly become very relevant.
Denver will be out of action this week, along with the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers—all teams on bye.
Below, we'll dive into the Week 9 schedule and identify a few enticing picks based on recent results, the latest injury information and the early lines.
Check the latest lines at DraftKings.
Titans and Steelers Under 36.5 Points
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Week 9 will open with the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night. This is a tricky game to pick because there's quarterback uncertainty on both sides.
Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett suffered a rib injury on Sunday, and according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, Pittsburgh isn't optimistic that he'll be available on a short week. Tennessee may or may not start rookie Will Levis for the second straight week as Ryan Tannehill battles an ankle injury.
"Titans coach Mike Vrabel on Monday confirmed that Levis would start if Tannehill isn't ready to play Thursday," ESPN's Turron Davenport wrote.
Levis tossed four touchdowns in his starting debut, but the Titans still face the daunting challenge of starting a rookie in Pittsburgh on a short week and in prime time.
Don't expect either offense to play particularly well, even if a shift from Pickett to Mitch Trubisky doesn't change a whole lot for the Steelers.
This is an extremely low line, but it's also a line under which three of the last four Pittsburgh contests have fallen.
Eagles -3 Versus Cowboys
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At first blush, Sunday's game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys feels like a veritable coin flip. Dallas has only one more loss than Philadelphia and is coming off a dominant win against the Los Angeles Rams.
However, it's important to recognize that L.A. is an average team at best. The last time Dallas faced a legitimate title contender, San Francisco, it lost by 32 points.
Things should be closer in this one, but the Eagles are still a top NFC team that will have home-field advantage. Philly also has a dynamic rushing attack that can exploit a middling Dallas run defense and a dominant defensive front.
The Cowboys have struggled to run the ball consistently, Dak Prescott has been sacked 17 times in seven games, and the red zone remains a problem area for Dallas. Barring a complete collapse by the Eagles secondary, the Cowboys will likely struggle to rack up points.
Eagles receiver A.J. Brown has shown that he can take over games, and as long as the line remains around a field goal, the home team feels like the safe choice here.
Buccaneers +2.5 at Houston Texans
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The matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Texans could be one of the more sneaky-fun games of the week.
Houston has been surprisingly competitive, and rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud is looking like a future star. The Buccaneers have lost three straight, but Tampa is still firmly in the mix in the NFC South.
The Bucs are road dogs for this one, but it wouldn't be a shock to see Tampa win outright. The Buccaneers still have a top-10 scoring defense, and quarterback Baker Mayfield has played better ball than most expected.
The Buccaneers actually had a chance to upset the Buffalo Bills last Thursday, and if a Bucs receiver like Chris Godwin had noticed Mayfield's last-second desperation heave into the end zone a split-second earlier, they would have.
Houston's defensive strength has been against the run, and the Bucs are likely to use Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to attack through the air. After dealing with a brutal road crowd in Buffalo and with extra time to prepare, Tampa has a very good chance to get back into the win column in Week 9.
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