We got back to our winning ways with our best bets last week. Here are the five best bets in the NFL this weekend as we head into Week 9 of the 2017 season.
After a terrible week on my part in Week 7, Week 8 turned out the be pretty solid for me against the spread. While taking the Miami Dolphins getting three points on the road against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football was an absolutely horrible idea, I still managed to go 3-2 against the spread in Week 8.
The Dolphins made a lot of people cry with a Cutlerian performance sans Jay Cutler. Just some awful, uninspired football. Baltimore pushed it over by slaughtering the Dolphins 40-0 by themselves. The Atlanta Falcons may have ended their three-game skid, but covered the four-point spread to be the New York Jets by five in a soupy mess at MetLife.
Winning for us last week were the Carolina Panthers, the Los Angeles Chargers and the Chicago Bears. Carolina dominated the reeling Tampa Bay Buccaneers when the Panthers were getting a point on the road. If you got the line locked in early, the Chargers did cover the nine-point spread on the road against the New England Patriots. Los Angeles only lost by eight points.
Finally, the Chicago Bears held their own against the New Orleans Saints down in the Big Easy. They covered the 10-point spread by only losing by eight points at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday afternoon.
Here are my five best bets against the spread heading into Week 9. Lines are courtesy of SportsBook Review.
Jacksonville Jaguars (-2) vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Swallow the two points to take the Jacksonville Jaguars to win by at least a field goal on Sunday at home over the visiting Cincinnati Bengals. Jacksonville is the better team over the Bengals. However, Las Vegas views the Bengals as being slightly better if these two were to play on a neutral site.
The Bengals just beat the horrible Indianapolis Colts by a point at home in Week 8. Jacksonville was just on its bye and should be healthier when the Bengals come to town on Sunday afternoon. An interesting wrinkle in this season is that the Jaguars are 4-0 on odd-numbered weeks, but 0-3 in even-numbered weeks.
Not that it is merely more than a coincidence, but the Jaguars have proven that they can bounce back after a bad game or when they are being overlooked. Cincinnati does have a solid defense, but Jacksonville’s is elite. That will matter in this game.
Assuming Jacksonville will have running back Leonard Fournette available, the Jaguars can win by more than a touchdown over the Bengals. For the first time in a decade, the Jaguars will be playing a meaningful football game in November. Look for this team to take back the AFC South lead by the end of the day on Sunday.