NFL Week 9 Predictions: Early Vegas Odds Advice, Lines and Spread Picks

The St. Louis Rams have unleashed a sensational talent on the NFL in running back Todd Gurley. He has run for 125 yards or more in four straight games, and he is taking the NFL by storm.

He is going to get challenged on two fronts when the Rams travel to Minnesota for their Week 9 game. He is going to see one of the hardest-hitting and best tackling teams, and he will also confront the league's best running back in Adrian Peterson.

This has suddenly become a game that is worthy of national attention. The Rams and Vikings are both much-improved football teams, and the chance to see both Gurley and Peterson run with the football is an exciting proposition.

The running game has largely ceded its importance to the passing game in the last 20 years, but perhaps old-school football can make a comeback in a game between these two straight-forward teams.

The Vikings are 2.5-point favorites, according to Odds Shark, and they have reeled off three wins in a row in building their record to 5-2. The Rams have won two games in a row since their bye week and have improved their record to 4-3.

While Gurley may have just a little more pizazz than Peterson at this point in their careers, the Vikings running back is still special and can punish tacklers.

In addition, it's hard not to be impressed with Teddy Bridgewater's steady progress. He led the Vikings to consecutive road wins and while he was not at his best at Chicago in Week 8, he came through in the fourth quarter with the game-tying TD pass in the late going and then set up the game-winning field goal with a clutch pass in the final possession.

This should be a classic game, but the Vikings have the home-field edge and are just a bit more polished at this point. Look for Minnesota to win the game and get the cover.

Game	Line	Selection
Cleveland at Cincinnati	Cincinnati -11	Cincinnati
Miami at Buffalo	Buffalo -3	Buffalo
Green Bay at Carolina	No line	Carolina
St. Louis at Minnesota	Minnesota -2.5	Minnesota
Washington at New England	New England -15	Washington
Tennessee at New Orleans	No line	New Orleans
Jacksonville at N.Y. Jets	No line	N.Y. Jets
Oakland at Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh -5.5	Oakland
Atlanta at San Francisco	Atlanta -4	Atlanta
N.Y. Giants at Tampa Bay	N.Y. Giants -2.5	Tampa Bay
Denver at Indianapolis	No line	Denver
Philadelphia at Dallas	Philadelphia -2.5	Dallas
Chicago at San Diego	No line	San Diego

Improving Bucs have road block ready for Giants

The New York Giants' inability to finish games has cost them dearly through the first half of the season.

After dropping a 52-49 shootout to the New Orleans Saints in Week 8, the Giants have seen their record drop to an unimpressive 4-4.

Poor play in the final minutes kept them from winning three of those games, including the last-second loss to the Saints.

Much of the responsibility for the ineffective end-of-game execution is on the shoulders of Eli Manning and head coach Tom Coughlin. 

It would have been one thing if the Giants had blown one or even two games, but now it's three, and it seems to be part of a pattern.

While Manning threw six TD passes against the Saints and the Giants had a bushel basket of highlight-film plays, their defense was awful, and their inability to run out the clock in regulation and force overtime led to this defeat.

The Tampa Bay Bucs are coming off an impressive road win over NFC South-leading Atlanta. Rookie quarterback Jameis Winston is not close to a finished product, but he is getting better every week. He drove the Bucs down the field in overtime and led them to the go-ahead field goal that proved to be the winning points.

Coughlin may have two Super Bowl titles to his credit, but his team plays tight late in games, and it is a reflection of his personality. 

Lovie Smith's team may be a reflection of his calm demeanor. His team is playing more competitive football on a weekly basis.

The Giants have explosive offensive talent with Odell Beckham Jr. and Rueben Randle on the receiving end of Manning's passes.

But we will go with the improving Bucs getting 2.5 points at home over a Giants team that feels the pressure every week.

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Surging Raiders will give desperate Steelers all they can handle

The return of Ben Roethlisberger was supposed to get the Pittsburgh Steelers back on track in their Week 8 home game against the division-leading and undefeated Cincinnati Bengals.

While Roethlisberger led the Steelers to a touchdown on their first possession of the game, it was tough sledding for Big Ben from that point forward. After his opening touchdown pass to Antonio Brown, he threw three interceptions and did not look sharp.

The Steelers lost a tight game to the Bengals, and running back Le'Veon Bell suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury (h/t Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports).

The Steelers have seen their record drop to 4-4 with the loss. If they don't want to see their season slip away, they have to turn things around when the Raiders come to Pittsburgh.

That will not be easy, because the Raiders are coming off a 34-20 victory over the New York Jets in which second-year quarterback Derek Carr threw for 333 yards and four TDs.

They are a young, hungry team, and they are improving steadily. 

While we think Roethlisberger will improve in his second game back, don't expect the Steelers to blow out the Raiders. Oakland is getting 5.5 points, and we like the Raiders to cover the spread.