Week 9 NFL Picks: Full Lines, Best Odds, Spread Advice and Predictions

It's supposed to get easier from here for those who enjoy playing the NFL lines. 

The halfway point of the season usually marks the spot where things start to normalize. Yet would-be bettors and oddsmakers alike still watch teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets excel most weeks. 

Right now, the schedule doesn't help matters. Week 9 starts with a tough Thursday game, then gives bettors tough matchups like Cincinnati-Jacksonville, Denver-Philadelphia and Kansas City-Dallas, not to mention a few divisional games that act as the proverbial cherry on top. 

In short, it isn't hyperbole to call this the toughest week yet. Here's a look at the full spreads and predictions. 

NFL Week 9 Schedule, Odds

Buffalo (-3.5) at N.Y. Jets | O/U 42.5

Atlanta at Carolina (-2) | O/U 43.5

Baltimore at Tennessee (-4.5) | O/U

Cincinnati at Jacksonville (-4.5) | O/U 39.5

Denver at Philadelphia (-7) | O/U

Indianapolis at Houston (-13) | O/U 49

L.A. Rams (-3.5) at N.Y. Giants | O/U 42

Tampa Bay at New Orleans (-7) | O/U

Arizona (-2.5) at San Francisco | O/U 39.5

Washington at Seattle (-7) | O/U 45

Kansas City at Dallas (-1) | O/U

Oakland (-3) at Miami | O/U 44

Detroit (-2.5) at Green Bay | O/U 43

Buffalo (-3.5) at N.Y. Jets

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

Say hello to the tough Thursday game. 

This one, at least, should entertain. The Buffalo Bills already have a win over these Jets, not to mention triumphs against the Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons and Oakland Raiders, the middle of the list a stunning road affair. 

Tyrod Taylor makes the Bills tick thanks to his eight passing scores and 44 rushing attempts that have him tied for the team lead in average at four yards. He's backed by what is quietly one of the better defenses in the NFL, which to date has 11 interceptions and permits less than 17 points per game. Said unit held Matt Ryan and Derek Carr to one touchdown apiece while picking them off multiple times. 

The Jets are quite similar, though the offense does most of the heavy lifting. Few could have seen this coming, but Josh McCown has thrown 12 touchdowns while completing 70.5 percent of his passes and targets Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse have combined for seven receiving scores. Resurgent tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins has added another three. 

The word "resurgent" might be the best description for these Jets, especially when McCown is dishing dimes like this: 

These two met back to start the season and the Bills escaped at home with a 21-12 win while McCown got blanked in the touchdowns department and his rushing offense ran for 2.5 yards per carry. 

At home, look for the improved Jets to slip by in this one with a more balanced, efficient attack. It's going to come down to the wire, but both Buffalo losses this year have come on the road and this is a short turnaround. 

Prediction: Jets 24, Bills 21

Cincinnati at Jacksonville (-4.5)

This one could get ugly. 

A year ago, one might guess the above description meant the Cincinnati Bengals would tear through the Jaguars, creating one of the week's easier lines. 

Not quite. 

These Bengals are a mess who can't protect quarterback Andy Dalton, recipient of 22 sacks and countless other hits that led to a throwaway on fourth down with the game on the line a few weeks ago. 

These Jaguars specialize in bullying quarterbacks, hence the 33 sacks so far to help the team to 4-3 and first in the AFC South. Calais Campbell (10 sacks), Yannick Ngakoue (6.5) and Dante Fowler Jr. (5.5) have simply terrorized quarterbacks, from forcing Ben Roethlisberger into his five-interception game to outright allowing 15.7 points per game.

NFL Matchup detailed where both teams stand in regards to pressure: 

Make no mistake—the Jaguars aren't doing anything special on the offensive side of the ball unless Leonard Fournette is healthy and active. 

But it doesn't seem to matter here—and oddsmakers have sided with the Jaguars by more than the usual three-point home spread for a reason. The Bengals don't have the offensive weapons to counteract the Jaguars defense, which is why they needed a defensive touchdown just to escape the lowly Colts in Week 8. This date with the AFC South won't go as well. 

Prediction: Jaguars 27, Bengals 20

Washington at Seattle (-7)

How about an easier one to round out the opening look at the slate? 

The Washington Redskins don't look the way most might have expected before the season. Kirk Cousins hasn't been on the same page with new arrival Terrelle Pryor and the team has now outright dropped two games in a row. Even worse, both of those came against the NFC East, putting them in an 0-3 hole in the division. 

Now these bumbling Redskins have to hit the road and take on a surging Seattle Seahawks team that just got extra serious about its Super Bowl ambitions by trading for Houston Texans offensive tackle Duane Brown, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"He's an alpha male, he's a leader, he's been through a lot of the NFL battles," Seahawks general manager John Schneider said, according to ESPN.com's Brady Henderson. "These guys know who he is. He's one of those guys. It's kind of like what you saw with Dwight Freeney coming in here last week..."

Even without Brown, the Seahawks have now won four games in a row to sit at 5-2. Russell Wilson has worked some magic behind a terrible offensive line on his way to 15 touchdowns and four interceptions while his defense has performed as expected. 

At home, the Seahawks shouldn't have a problem forcing Cousins and a spotty passing attack to the air in a hostile environment. A Washington defense allowing north of 25 points per game should be a good way for Wilson's offense to stick to the upward trajectory, too. 

Prediction: Seahawks 30, Redskins 17

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Odds according to OddsShark.