Week 9 NFL Picks: Teams Who Are Locks to Cover the Spread This Weekend

NFL Week 9 has a couple locks that are sure to cover the spread. Make sure to check these early-week picks out and make these bets before the spread moves.

Sometimes it’s pointless to favor a team even when playing at home because, quite frankly, they just aren’t very good.

That’s the case here in Week 9 as I’m going with three road teams as locks to cover the spread.

CHICAGO BEARS (-3.5) at Tennessee Titans

Chris Johnson has disappeared in games against tough run defenses and the Chicago Bears are the NFL’s best when it comes to stopping opponent’s rushing games (77.9 yards per game).

There’s no doubt that the Titans have been playing better as of late but they’ve done it against mediocre teams like the Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills and an injury-riddled Pittsburgh Steelers team.

Chicago’s offense hasn’t exactly taken flight as they had hoped with the offseason additions of Michael Bush and Brandon Marshall. Still, the odds of them having success against a Titans D that is allowing 32 points per game are really high.

Look for the Bears to win by a touchdown or more in what will likely be a low-to-mid scoring game in which the Bears harass Hasselbeck and bottle up Johnson.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (+1) at Oakland Raiders

The Bucs are a lot better than their 3-4 record indicates. They’re definitely much more of a complete team than the hosting Oakland Raiders are.

Despite having Darren McFadden on the roster, the Raiders have been forced to play-from-behind and rely heavily on Carson Palmer to lead the team. This has had mixed results but will likely be the case as the team faces a tough challenge from a pretty formidable Bucs offense.

Tampa boasts two excellent receivers in Vincent Jackson, a guy the Raiders are all too familiar with, and Mike Williams opposite of him. Williams has been a huge big-play threat so far this season thanks to Jackson drawing coverages away from him.

Oakland has a chance, though, as the Bucs' pass defense is also very poor, allowing 309 yards per game through the air. That’s good enough for 31st in the NFL.

This game will likely come down to the wire but the Bucs will win by a field goal and get a key midseason road victory.

DETROIT LIONS (-3.5) at Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars have yet to win in front of their hometown crowd at EverBank Field and that trend isn’t likely to end as the Lions come to town in Week 9.

Jacksonville’s competed at times but failed to take advantage of a much depleted Green Bay Packers team last week.

They rank near the bottom in the league in every statistical category and are dead last in sacks with only seven on the season.

The lacking pressure will allow Matthew Stafford ample time to find Calvin Johnson and his other receivers who make up the league’s second-ranked pass offense.

Detroit is starting to turn the corner defensively also, which doesn’t bode well for Blaine Gabbert and an offense that will be without Maurice Jones-Drew.

Mike Hoag Jr. is a B/R Breaking News Team writer and covers the NFL and the Cleveland Browns for the site. Follow him on Twitter for analysis and updates on the latest news and happenings in the sports world.

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