NFL Picks Week 9: Underdogs Guaranteed to Beat the Spread on Sunday

So you've been hitting the Las Vegas sports books pretty hard recently, you've made a few bad bets on the NFL (perhaps more than just a few) and, as a result, you're looking to make a few bucks back.

I might first encourage you to rethink your gambling habits, but, if you are, indeed, determined to ride Lady Luck (not Andrew Luck) back to a steady bank account, there are some easy pickin's for underdogs primed to beat the spread on Sunday.

(Note: all betting lines mentioned herein are courtesy of sportsbook.com)

Cincinnati Bengals

I was as flummoxed as anyone to find the Bengals, winners of their last four games in a row, as three-point road 'dogs against the teetering Titans on Sunday. Cincy's situation, between the improvement of Andy Dalton under center and AJ Green out wide to the return of Cedric Benson from suspension to its top-ranked defense, just seems to get better and better, while Tennessee can't seem to keep Matt Hasselbeck from tailing off and Chris Johnson from taking excessively long baths in his new money.

Granted, the Titans are 3-1 at home, though that lone blemish—a 41-7 loss to the Texans in Week 7—opened up quite a few eyes as to the team's viability over the long haul.

No such questions have yet begun to plague Marvin Lewis' squad. The only danger for the Bengals in this game, other than the fact that it's on the road, is that they may get caught looking ahead to next week's home game against the Steelers.

For now, though, don't be afraid to wager a few shekels on Cincy.

St. Louis Rams

Who would bet on the Rams, you ask?

Anyone who notices that St. Louis is a two-point underdog at Arizona just a week after notching its first win of the season against New Orleans at home.

A win, by the way, that came with AJ Feeley, not Sam Bradford, under center. Bradford will be joined in sweats on the sidelines by Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb, who will sit out Sunday's "Battle for the Basement" in the NFC West with a toe injury.

And if you're worried about Feeley, don't be; he should be just fine against the NFL's 30th-ranked pass defense. 

New York Giants

Why the Patriots, nine-point favorites against New York on Sunday, continue to get so much respect from bookies, when it's clear that their defense stinks and they're no longer the dominant team they once were, is beyond me.

Not that I think the Giants will necessarily win in Foxborough, but I can't help but imagine they'll beat the spread in this one while reminding people that they are, in fact, the class of the NFC East right now.

Eli Manning is enjoying the finest season of his career, with 2,127 yards, 13 touchdowns, five picks and a passer rating of 102.1 through seven games, and will have the privilege of leading his team against a pass defense that's not only the worst in the NFL right now, but may also be among the worst of its kind of all time!

True, Big Blue's defense isn't exactly stellar, but at least it can hold its own against Tom Brady's arm, especially with a vicious pass-rush that should make minced meat of the Pats' pass protection.

If nothing else, the G-Men can always feed off the memories of their glorious victory over the 18-0 Pats in Super Bowl XLII, with or without an amazing, against-the-helmet catch by David Tyree.