NFL Week 9 Picks: Predictions for Vegas Odds Before Thursday Night

One of the NFL's two remaining undefeated teams will kick off the action in Week 9 and look to avoid a road loss to a division rival.

The 7-0 San Francisco 49ers are traveling to take on the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night, when they'll aim to continue their impressive start to the year and keep control over the NFC West. The 49ers have won seven consecutive games to open a season for the first time since 1990.

Although the Cardinals are in last in the division, they're still 3-4-1, and they've had some strong moments over the first eight weeks of the season.

Before a deeper dive into that matchup, here's a look at the full slate of games this week, along with odds and predictions.

Week 9 Odds, Picks

San Francisco (-10) at Arizona; Over/Under 43 points

Houston (-1.5) vs. Jacksonville in London; O/U 46.5

Washington at Buffalo (-9.5); O/U 37

Tennessee at Carolina (-3.5); O/U 42

Chicago at Philadelphia (-4.5); O/U 42.5

Minnesota at Kansas City (no line)

N.Y. Jets (-3) at Miami; O/U 41.5

Indianapolis (-1) at Pittsburgh; O/U 42.5

Detroit at Oakland (-2); O/U 50.5

Tampa Bay at Seattle (-6); O/U 51

Cleveland (-3.5) at Denver; O/U 39

Green Bay (-3.5) at L.A. Chargers; O/U 47.5

New England (-3) at Baltimore; O/U 45

Dallas (-7.5) at N.Y. Giants; O/U 48

Picks made against the spread. Odds courtesy of Caesars.

Thursday Preview, Predictions

For some teams, Thursday night games can be difficult because of the quick turnaround. But the 49ers are on a roll, and perhaps some of that momentum can carry over into their division matchup against the Cardinals.

Plus, San Francisco tweaked its practice schedule this week, holding a late walkthrough on Tuesday rather than an afternoon practice.

"I feel like sleep is so important on these quick turnarounds, so we wanted the guys to sleep in a little bit more than usual," 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com).

San Francisco is having a huge turnaround from last season, when it went 4-12 and missed the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.

Of course, it wasn't that long ago that the 49ers had a stretch as one of the best teams in the NFL. They won at least 11 games and made the NFC Championship Game in three straight seasons from 2011-13, which also included an appearance in Super Bowl XLVII.

Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson remembers playing against those San Francisco teams, and he sees some similarities in this year's 49ers squad.

"To me, it resembles that same style of football," the 29-year-old said, per AP. "Building that team up front on both sides of the ball, taking their shots when they can and playing great defense. They have their personnel and they're playing some real good football."

However, the 49ers will need to continue to play well in the second half of the season, during which they'll have a much more difficult schedule. Thursday's game is the first of five remaining contests against NFC West opponents, and they'll also go up against strong non-division teams such as the Packers, Ravens and Saints.

For now, though, San Francisco should have no trouble continuing its unbeaten start. The 49ers lead the NFL with only 224.4 yards allowed per game, and they should shut down the Cardinals' offense, which ranks 22nd in the league in offense at 342.9 yards per game.

After routing the Panthers last week, expect the 49ers to get off to a strong start on Thursday and be in control the entire game.

So, San Francisco will improve to 8-0, but things will get tougher in Week 10 when it hosts Seattle for a Monday night matchup.