NFL Week 9 Picks: Vegas Odds, Advice and Midweek Score Predictions

Midweek is as good a time as any for NFL bettors to throw down on the lines out of Las Vegas.

For those who didn't want to mess with the opening offerings or simply needed a day of rest in a season that never ends, the middle of the week is a good time to figure things out. That way, some of the risk leaves the equation as the moving lines tell bettors where things continue to trend and why.

Below, let's take a look at the entire slate of matchups and how Las Vegas feels about each, with projections on both final scores and over/unders based on history, outlooks and more.

NFL Week 9 Odds

Game	Spread	O/U	Predicted Winner
Cleveland at Cincinnati	CIN -12	45.5	CIN 24-17
Miami at Buffalo	BUF -3	44	MIA 23-20
Green Bay at Carolina	GB -2.5	46.5	CAR 27-24
St. Louis at Minnesota	MIN -2.5	39.5	MIN 17-14
Washington at New England	NE -14.5	52	NE 30-24
Tennessee at New Orleans	NL	--	NO 27-20
Jacksonville at N.Y. Jets	NL	--	NYJ 23-17
Oakland at Pittsburgh	PIT -4	48	OAK 20-17
Atlanta at San Francisco	ATL -7.5	45	ATL 34-20
N.Y. Giants at Tampa Bay	NYG -1	48	NYG 33-24
Denver at Indianapolis	DEN -5	45	DEN 27-14
Philadelphia at Dallas	PHI -2.5	44.5	PHI 24-20
Chicago at San Diego	SD -4	49	SD 21-20

Odds courtesy of Odds Shark.   

Analyzing Toughest Lines

Cleveland at Cincinnati (-12)

An AFC North rivalry doesn't figure to end by this wide of a margin, and if it does between these in-state teams, it usually isn't the expected outcome.

Case in point, last year. Cleveland went to Cincinnati and stole a victory in 24-3 fashion. Cincinnati returned the favor in Week 15 in a shocking 30-0 shutout considering the Browns had looked respectable all season.

This one isn't any easier to figure out. Cincinnati looks like a completely different team after several late comebacks and a 7-0 mark. Cleveland only has two wins but is a few weeks removed from taking Denver to overtime.

The difference in this one? Cincinnati is at home riding wild momentum after another AFC North victory and shouldn't have any problems running the ball against a defense letting up 147 rushing yards per game and 27 points.

Given the differences between this year's Bengals team and the one from a year ago, it's hard to imagine Andy Dalton and Co. give up another Thursday home game to the Browns.

Prediction: Bengals 24, Browns 17

Green Bay (-2.5) at Carolina

Call it a tale of two teams thought to be two of the league's best. 

Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers hit the road to Denver this past weekend and took a 29-10 loss, as Rodgers mustered all of 77 passing yards against what might be the league's best defense.

ESPN's Adam Schefter provided a staggering stat:

The staggering part? Rodgers and Co. don't get a break, not with a trip to Carolina to face the Panthers on the schedule.

The Panthers happen to tout one of the league's best defenses, too, and just picked off Andrew Luck three times in an overtime affair. On the other side, Cam Newton was his usual self, throwing for 248 yards and two scores with another 41 yards on the ground.

With a blueprint on how to stop Rodgers in hand, look for the Panthers to grind this one out and control the clock. The Green Bay defense let Denver's C.J. Anderson rush for 7.2 yards per carry, something Jonathan Stewart and Newton himself shouldn't have any problems doing as they look to keep Rodgers off the field at home.

Prediction: Panthers 27, Packers 24

St. Louis at Minnesota (-2.5)

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

This would be the tale of two shocking teams.

The St. Louis Rams sit at 4-3 with a perfect mark in the division, a red-hot start for a team most didn't expect much from. It's all about upstart rookie running back Todd Gurley, who has 575 yards and three scores already, good for a 6.1-yards-per-carry average.

"I expected to be here in years past; things didn't work out," coach Jeff Fisher said, per ESPN.com. "I'm not satisfied at all, and that has to carry over to the players as well."

The Minnesota Vikings aren't ready to celebrate, either.

Mike Zimmer's team has a 5-2 mark and, in one of those losses, only went down by three in Denver. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater looks efficient with a 64.5 completion percentage, and Adrian Peterson is, well, Adrian Peterson.

This is going to be a gritty, low-scoring affair, and there's not much of a discernible difference between these two from a stats standpoint, as both defenses allow under 18 points per game and hardly a six-yard difference against the rush.

When in doubt, though, pick the team at home with the better quarterback and the proven running back. That would be Minnesota on all counts, a team capable of pulling ahead and then shutting things down.

Boring? Maybe, but bank on the home team.

Prediction: Vikings 17, Rams 14

Stats courtesy of NFL.com and accurate as of Nov. 3. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.