NFL Predictions Week 9: Odds, Spreads and Picks for Entire Schedule

It's time for another day of NFL action, football fans. Week 9 got underway Thursday, when the Atlanta Falcons earned a 43-28 victory over the rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The week will conclude Monday night, when the Seattle Seahawks host the Buffalo Bills.

Sunday brings the bulk of the NFL excitement, though, and there are 11 games on the day's slate. There are some interesting matchups—such as the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Baltimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos against the Oakland Raiders—and there should be a lot of hotly contested games.

Let's take a look at what's left on the Week 9 schedule. We'll examine every matchup and the latest lines—courtesy of Odds Shark—and pick our winners against the spread.

Week 9 Lines and Picks

Away Team	Home Team	Line	Prediction
Pittsburgh Steelers	Baltimore Ravens	BAL -2.5	PIT
Philadelphia Eagles	New York Giants	NYG -2.5	NYG
New York Jets	Miami Dolphins	MIA -4	MIA
Dallas Cowboys	Cleveland Browns	DAL -7.5	CLE
Jacksonville Jaguars	Kansas City Chiefs	KC -7.5	KC
Detroit Lions	Minnesota Vikings	MIN -6.5	DET
Carolina Panthers	Los Angeles Rams	CAR -3	CAR
New Orleans Saints	San Francisco 49ers	NO -4.5	NO
Tennessee Titans	San Diego Chargers	SD -4.5	SD
Indianapolis Colts	Green Bay Packers	GB -7.5	IND
Denver Broncos	Oakland Raiders	OAK -1	DEN
Buffalo Bills	Seattle Seahawks	SEA -7	BUF

Matchups to Watch

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens (-2.5)

Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images

As far as rivalries go, the one between the Steelers and Ravens is still one of the league's best. Though both teams have flaws this season, Sunday's game promises to be an intense and physical affair.

In addition to the mutual dislike that exists between the teams, there is a lot to fight for. Both teams are looking to halt losing skids—Baltimore has dropped four in a row, while Pittsburgh has lost two straight—and each team will be looking to take control of the AFC North.

The Ravens have a good chance thanks to home-field advantage and a stout defense that Pro Football Focus ranks seventh overall. The Steelers' strengths reside in their offense, which is averaging 24.3 points per game (12th in the NFL).

Even though the Steelers will boast offensive weapons such as Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell regardless of who is under center, the team should be more potent if quarterback Ben Roethlisberger can make his return.

Roethlisberger suffered a torn meniscus during Pittsburgh's loss to the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 16. Three weeks after undergoing surgery, he has returned to practice.

According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, Roethlisberger is questionable for Sunday's contest:

Though he might not be 100 percent, we're guessing Big Ben will suit up Sunday. That should give the Steelers the edge they need to pull off a victory. Even if Roethlisberger isn't his usual mobile self, he will still have the field vision, accuracy and arm strength to cut through Baltimore's defense.

We'll take Pittsburgh in a tight contest.

Dallas Cowboys (-7.5) vs. Cleveland Browns

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

The matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns isn't especially interesting on the surface. The Cowboys will be looking to stay atop the NFC East, while the Browns are still trying to find their first win of the season.

All signs point to the Cowboys achieving their goal. Pro Football Focus ranks Dallas third in overall offense and 19th in overall defense; Cleveland ranks 18th in offense and 27th in defense.

The intrigue regards whether the Browns can stay within a touchdown. Two of Cleveland's three home games this season have been decided by five points or fewer.

For the Browns to keep this one close, they'll need to slow Dallas' top three offensive weapons: Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Dez Bryant. If they can keep those three from running wild, they should be able to keep the Cowboys from running away with the game early.

Browns cornerback Joe Haden, for one, is looking forward to his matchup with Bryant.

"Always looking forward to playing against the best," Haden said, per Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com. "And he definitely is one of them."

The Browns will also have to score some points, of course, a challenge that the return of quarterback Cody Kessler and speedy receiver Corey Coleman should make easier, per the Chronicle-Telegram's Scott Petrak:

Coleman and budding star Terrelle Pryor should give the Browns enough firepower to make their mark on the scoreboard. While we don't believe it will be enough to get Cleveland a win, it should allow the team to make the game look closer than it really was.

Denver Broncos vs. Oakland Raiders (-1)

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

Sunday Night Football will feature old rivals, the Broncos and Raiders, in a battle for control of the AFC West.

A win for the Raiders would officially mark Oakland's return to relevance, while a Denver victory would prove to the world that the defending Super Bowl champions are ready to make another run at the title. 

There are stakes in spades as well as an interesting clash of styles.

The Broncos are a defensive team that likes to keep games close with efficient offensive play and win by keeping opponents off the scoreboard. Pro Football Focus ranks Denver first in overall defense.

While the Raiders are beginning to show signs of improved defensive play, they are primarily built to win with offense. Racking up the points—Oakland has averaged 26.9 per game—is this team's key to coming out on top. Pro Football Focus ranks the Raiders second in overall offense.

A similar offense vs. defense battle played out in Super Bowl 50, when the Broncos matched up with the Carolina Panthers. Denver came out victorious in February, and we believe they will do so again Sunday.

However, this game will likely come down to more than X's and O's. Denver's experience and disciplined approach should give it the final edge. Oakland is still a young and shaky team—as its frequent penalties have demonstrated, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport:

If the Raiders cannot dramatically cut down on silly mistakes, they're going to be outclassed.