NFL Picks Week 9: Breaking Down Top Selections Against the Spread

With many NFL teams having reached the halfway point of their season, Week 9 represents the start of the run toward the playoffs.

Much of the league is very much in contention, and there is no question that teams in the hunt want to get the second half started on the right foot. Luckily for many of them, there are some potential mismatches on the Week 9 slate.

That doesn't necessarily guarantee anything in the current volatile state of the NFL, but it certainly creates some tempting situations for bettors.

Here is a full listing of picks for every Week 9 game along with further analysis regarding some of the top selections against the spread.

*Point spreads courtesy of Odds Shark

Date	Away Team	Home Team	Spread	Pick Straight Up	Pick ATS
Sunday, Nov. 2	Philadelphia Eagles	Houston Texans	PHI (-2)	PHI	PHI
Sunday, Nov. 2	Arizona Cardinals	Dallas Cowboys	DAL (-3)	ARI	ARI
Sunday, Nov. 2	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Cleveland Browns	CLE (-7)	CLE	TB
Sunday, Nov. 2	Washington Redskins	Minnesota Vikings	Even	MIN	MIN
Sunday, Nov. 2	Jacksonville Jaguars	Cincinnati Bengals	CIN (-11)	CIN	CIN
Sunday, Nov. 2	San Diego Chargers	Miami Dolphins	MIA (-1)	SD	SD
Sunday, Nov. 2	New York Jets	Kansas City Chiefs	KC (-10)	KC	KC
Sunday, Nov. 2	St. Louis Rams	San Francisco 49ers	SF (-10)	SF	SF
Sunday, Nov. 2	Oakland Raiders	Seattle Seahawks	SEA (-14.5)	SEA	SEA
Sunday, Nov. 2	Denver Broncos	New England Patriots	DEN (-3.5)	DEN	DEN
Sunday, Nov. 2	Baltimore Ravens	Pittsburgh Steelers	BAL (-1)	PIT	PIT
Monday, Nov. 3	Indianapolis Colts	New York Giants	IND (-3.5)	IND	NYG

Kansas City Chiefs (-10) vs. New York Jets

The New York Jets have struggled mightily this season to the tune of just one victory, and things won't get any easier Sunday, as they must travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Not only will the environment be raucous, but Gang Green will have to deal with a red-hot opponent.

KC has won four of its past five games, including blowouts over the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots, as well as an impressive close victory over the AFC West rival San Diego Chargers.

The Chiefs won't have the good fortune of facing second-year quarterback Geno Smith, as the Jets will instead turn to Michael Vick. While the veteran provided New York with a bit of a spark in relief of Smith last week against the Buffalo Bills, he still turned the ball over three times.

In addition to that, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid knows Vick like the back of his hand after coaching him while with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to Bob Glauber of Newsday:

The Chiefs defense is on a roll, as it is first in the NFL against the pass. It also has yet to allow a rushing touchdown, which doesn't bode well for a team like the Jets that relies on the likes of Chris Ivory, Percy Harvin and Vick.

Kansas City figures to have an advantage offensively as well. The Chiefs average over 140 rushing yards per game, with Jamaal Charles and Knile Davis doing the heavy lifting. Although they aren't a big passing team, the Chiefs have a reliable quarterback in the form of Alex Smith.

Smith could be in line for a huge game since the Jets secondary is in disarray. Per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, they are looking for answers at the cornerback position:

The Chiefs and Jets are two teams heading in opposite directions, and that should lead to a blowout in favor of Kansas City.

Seattle Seahawks (-14.5) vs. Oakland Raiders

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Things haven't come easily for the Seattle Seahawks this season on the heels of a Super Bowl title, as they are just 4-3. After gutting out a tough victory on the road against the Carolina Panthers last week, though, they may very well be back on track.

Aside from a 20-point win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 1, all of Seattle's games have been close. That is why the Seahawks laying 14.5 points this week may seem excessive, but the punchless Oakland Raiders are coming to town.

Oakland is 0-7, and it has a rookie quarterback at the helm in Derek Carr. While Carr has shown some impressive flashes at times, he will be going up against a defense that ranks in the top 10 against both the run and the pass.

Not surprisingly, the first-year pro is somewhat in awe of his opponents, according to Gregg Bell of The News Tribune:

Despite Carr's level of respect for Seattle, the expectation is that he will be aggressive Sunday. That suits the Seahawks' Legion of Boom secondary well, and All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman almost seems to be goading the rookie into making mistakes, per Bell.

"He's not afraid to take shots. He's a gunslinger," Sherman said. "I'm not really surprised, at all. I mean, he doesn't know any better."

The odds certainly seemed stacked against the Raiders, as they have the NFL's worst running game, which means Seattle's defense will be able to focus on making life miserable for Carr. 

In addition to that, the Seahawks have a huge advantage on offense as one of the best running teams in the league. With running back Marshawn Lynch and dual-threat quarterback Russell Wilson combining to form the NFL's No. 2 rushing offense, Seattle should be able to control the ball at will.

Although the Seahawks have a large spread to cover, they should be able to do so at home against a winless team.

San Diego Chargers (+1) at Miami Dolphins

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

In a clash that could very well have significant AFC playoff implications, the Miami Dolphins will host the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. Both teams figure to be in contention for a wild-card spot as the season progresses, which means a win could be huge for either side in terms of gaining some separation.

The Bolts are 5-3 after consecutive losses to AFC West foes, but they were heralded by many as one of the NFL's elite teams before that. San Diego shocked the Seahawks in Week 2 after nearly knocking off the Arizona Cardinals on the road, which would have been a hugely impressive win in retrospect.

San Diego is strong statistically on both sides of the ball, and the Dolphins are well aware of the ability and depth that they possess, according to ESPN.com's James Walker:

The Chargers defense has been particularly good, as it ranks sixth against the pass and 14th against the run. San Diego is dealing with some injury issues in its secondary currently, though, and it was just carved up by Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos in Week 8 to the tune of 286 yards and two touchdowns.

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill is no Manning, however, and Miami's offense hasn't exactly been on a roll. The Phish beat the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, 27-13, but they needed two interceptions returned for touchdowns in order to do so.

In fact, Dolphins wide receiver Mike Wallace was disgusted by the offense's performance following the victory, per Adam H. Beasley of The Miami Herald.

"We didn’t do nothing," Wallace said. "Our offense was (expletive). We've got to do better. ... We're not going to get nowhere like that."

Perhaps Wallace's anger will result in a better showing against the Chargers, but it clearly speaks to the notion that there is some frustration within the ranks regardless.

The true difference in this game figures to be the play of Bolts quarterback Philip Rivers. He already has 20 touchdown passes as well as a fantastic QBR of 85.5. He is very much in the running for the NFL MVP award, and he will put the team on his back to avoid three straight losses.

Miami is only 1-2 at home this season, and Rivers will ensure that it drops to 1-3.

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