My week 9 NFL Predictions against the spread this week are locked and loaded. Last week we were 2-3 thanks to Todd Gurley taking a dive in the bad beat of the year. But hey, that’s gambling. And yet another reason why you should be playing at Wannamakeabet.com instead of playing for real money. Let’s get back on the horse and find the winners this week. There are a number of great games to discuss.
Packers +5 over Patriots. We’ve heard it all week: Aaron Rodgers vs. Tom Brady. Sunday Night Football is giving us the best matchup of the week and putting it in prime time as well. The Packers need to find a way to win this game, or as we say in sports betting, at least find a way to cover the spread. (currently +5 +190 and o/u 56 at Wanna)
It’s must win time. If the Packers lose Sunday night, they’ll be 3-4-1 halfway into the season. That means they’ll need to go 7-1 in the second half to reach 10 wins, which is highly unlikely. Even if we lower the bar to nine wins to get a playoff spot, the Packers would still need to go 6-2 to reach that if they lose Sunday.
Now the Packers go from west coast to east coast to face the best home team in the NFL over the past 10 years. But we’re backing the Pack this week in a must win game. They may not get the win in the end, like last week, but we feel strongly they’ll take the Pack to the wire in a great game where getting 5.5 points will matter when it counts.
Here are the rest of our predictions against the spread for the other key games in week 9.
Redskins (-1.5) over Falcons: There is simply no respect for the Redskins this season. They’re 5-2 straight up and 5-2 against the spread as well. They’ve won and covered six of their last seven home games. The public still loves the Falcons and doesn’t respect the Skins ability to win. We like the Skins this week laying a small number.
Baltimore -2.5 versus Pittsburgh. The opening line here was 3 and public and sharp money has moved it to the current 2.5 at Wannamakeabet.com. The Steelers might just be putting things together, despite the continued holdout of running back Le’Veon Bell. The Steelers (4-2-1 SU, 4-3 ATS) have won and cashed four of their last five, including a 33-18 victory over Cleveland giving 8.5 points at home in Week 8.
On the flip side, Baltimore has lost three of its last four SU and ATS while dropping back to .500. The Ravens (4-4 SU and ATS) tumbled to Carolina 36-21 as 2.5-point road pups in Week 8.
These AFC North rivals met in Week 4, with Baltimore nabbing a 26-14 victory as a 3-point ‘dog at Pittsburgh. We like Baltimore to bounce back and get things on track this week. We smell a struggling Ben with some key sacks and interceptions at inopportune times. Take Baltimore -2.5.
LA Rams – 2 at New Orleans Saints. Los Angeles took a few jabs to the jaw in Week 8, but escaped with its perfect record still intact. The Rams (8-0 SU, 4-4 ATS) got a late field goal to pull ahead of Green Bay, then forced a fumble on the kickoff and ran out the clock for a 29-27 victory laying 7.5 points at home.
New Orleans lost in Week 1, but hasn’t been beaten since, grabbing six consecutive SU wins while cashing in its last five games. The Saints (6-1 SU, 5-2 ATS) went to Minnesota as 2.5-point faves and emerged with a 30-20 Week 8 victory.
The game opened this week as Rams -1 in Vegas and Jersey and immediately saw money come in on L.A. to push the line to -2.5. It’s currently at -2 at Wannamakeabet.com. The Rams finally looked beatable last week. And now they have their toughest test of the season. This one, like the New England Packers game will be a fun one to watch as these are the two most productive offenses in the NFL. When it comes down to the wire though, we think the Rams have the better defense, especially with the addition this week of Dante Fowler from Jacksonville. This will be a barn burner but we think the Rams stay unbeaten and prove they are the team to beat this year in the NFC.
Jack Kincaid is a senior Wannamakeabet.com analyst.