NFL Week 9 Odds: Building the Best Parlays from Early Spreads, Lines and Over/Unders
Week 8 was another unpredictable one, with more upsets wild finishes and, unfortunately, significant injuries.
The San Francisco 49ers lost their third straight, while the Carolina Panthers picked up their first victory of 2023. The biggest news to come out of Week 8, however, is that Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins suffered a torn Achilles and is expected to miss the rest of the season.
There's plenty upon which to reflect. Below, we'll dive into the recent results and the latest intel to build three distinct parlays for Week 9.
Check the latest lines at DraftKings.
Three-Game Parlay
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Tennessee Titans +3 at Pittsburgh Steelers
Arizona Cardinals +8 at Cleveland Browns
Atlanta Falcons -5 versus Minnesota Vikings
Week 9 will kick off with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans. Pittsburgh will be playing host, and the Steelers are tough to beat at home in prime time. However, the Titans have a good chance to keep things extremely close or win outright.
Tennessee's offense got a huge spark from rookie quarterback Will Levis on Sunday. Levis tossed four touchdowns and helped open up the Titans' deep-passing game. The Titans can attack Pittsburgh's 28th-ranked run defense with Derrick Henry, and the Steelers will be shorthanded.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Pittsburgh will be without safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring) and could be without quarterback Kenny Pickett (ribs)—though the Steelers are keeping an "open mind" with Pickett.
The Cleveland Browns are coming off a devastating loss to the Seattle Seahawks. Cleveland had a three-point lead and the ball late in the fourth quarter, but P.J. Walker's pass ricocheted into the arms of the defense, and Seattle quickly scored the go-ahead touchdown.
The Browns now return to Cleveland to face a scrappy Arizona Cardinals team, and while the Browns should win, their offense hasn't been consistent enough to predict a large margin of victory.
Without Cousins or Justin Jefferson, it's hard to see the Vikings keeping things close with the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta's offense got a spark when it turned to Taylor Heinicke at quarterback. Starter Desmond Ridder was evaluated for a concussion and was cleared but did not return.
Heinicke finished with 175 yards and a touchdown, while the Falcons scored 20 of their 23 points in the second half.
We'll have to see which quarterback gets the start for Atlanta this week, but it's hard to put a ton of faith in Vikings rookie quarterback Jaren Hall without Minnesota's best receiving threat on the field.
Jefferson remains on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
Single-Game Parlay
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Arizona Cardinals +8 at Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns -355 (bet $355 to win $100) to win
Cardinals and Browns Over 37.5 Points
We'll take the Browns to beat a Cardinals team may or may not have Kyler Murray under center.
Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon stated that Joshua Dobbs will get the start for Week 9. However, he changed his mind on Monday, and according to ProFootballTalk's Josh Alper, it'll either be either Murray or rookie Clayton Tune against Cleveland.
However, Cleveland isn't expected to have starting quarterback Deshaun Watson, as he continues to rehab a shoulder injury. Schefter reported on Saturday that Watson's recovery is likely to take another two weeks—putting him on track for Week 10.
Walker has been a serviceable quarterback for Cleveland, but his six turnovers in three games are problematic. The Browns have gone 2-2 in games that Watson hasn't finished this season, and they have yet to play a turnover-free game.
Expect more turnovers to keep Arizona in the game, while Dobbs, Marquise Brown and the Cardinals offense get enough offense to help hit the over.
Cleveland's vaunted defense has been burned for 62 points over the past two weeks, while the Cardinals are surrendering an average of 26.6 points per game.
The points line is simply too low to take the under here.
Over/Under Parlay
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Cardinals and Browns Over 37.5 Points
Seahawks and Ravens Over 43 Points
Colts and Panthers Over 44 Points
We have three over picks for this parlay. In addition to the Cardinals and Browns game, we're targeting games involving the Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers.
Baltimore's defense has looked tremendous at times, but it just surrendered 24 points to the Cardinals. Seattle has a much better offense than Arizona, and this game should have the makings of a Lamar Jackson-Geno Smith duel.
The Ravens are averaging just over 25 points per game, while the Seahawks are averaging 24 points per contest.
This is a pretty low line for a game featuring so much offensive potency.
The Colts and Panthers game should also feature plenty of scoring. The recent trend for Indianapolis has been to engage in offensive battles, and each of the last three Colts games has topped 55 points.
Indy's offense has been formidable with Gardner Minshew II at the helm, and the Carolina offense finally showed signs of life in Week 8.
Rookie quarterback Bryce Young got his first win as a pro while throwing for 235 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. Expect Young to continue building momentum against a Colts team that loves to score and allow points.
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