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NFL Best Spread Picks for Week 9 (Target Las Vegas, New England, Chicago)

Three ATS bets to consider in the NFL for Week 9.

By Shelby Dermer

Oct 27, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew (15) throws the ball against Kansas City Chiefs safety Chamarri Conner (27) in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Oct 27, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew (15) throws the ball against Kansas City Chiefs safety Chamarri Conner (27) in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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As we approach the halfway point of the regular season, we have a solid foundation for determining which NFL teams are for real and which are more focused on rebuilding. 

With another loaded slate to attack, here are three against the spread bets to consider for Week 9. 

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

NFL Best Spread Picks for Week 9

  • Las Vegas Raiders (+7.5) at Cincinnati Bengals 
  • New England Patriots (+3.5) at Tennessee Titans 
  • Chicago Bears (+1) at Arizona Cardinals

Las Vegas Raiders (+7.5) at Cincinnati Bengals 

At this point, it’s hard to fathom the 3-5 Bengals laying over a touchdown against any team in the NFL. Cincinnati is 0-2 straight up and against the spread as a favorite north of a touchdown and though the Raiders (2-6) season is lost, they are coming off back-to-back covers and have found ways to stick in games with veteran Gardner Minshew under center.

Minshew has been up and down this season, but has kept the Raiders in a handful of games like the team’s road upset of the Ravens in Week 2 and last week’s seven-point loss to Kansas City as an 8.5-point underdog. The big thing for Minshew’s success, like most quarterbacks, is having time in the pocket. He should get plenty of it against a Cincinnati defense that is struggling to get any pressure on the quarterback outside of Pro Bowl edge rusher Trey Hendrickson. The Bengals’ pass defense is an absolute mess after getting shredded through the air by Jalen Hurts last week. 

Offensively, Cincinnati has not looked the same while being held under 20 points in three consecutive games (the Bengals had a kick return touchdown in Week 7 against Cleveland). The Bengals have had no home-field advantage this season, either, going 0-4 straight up and against the spread. 

New England Patriots (+3.5) at Tennessee Titans 

Speaking of teams who shouldn’t be favored, the Titans have lost their last two games by a combined 62 points and are trading assets ahead of the deadline in an obvious rebuild. 

Will Levis’ turnovers hampered Tennessee’s chances early in the season and Mason Rudolph is struggling just as much with a sub-70 passer rating, two touchdowns and three interceptions in three games (two starts). A once vaunted Tennessee defense has the feel of a unit that has lost its firepower with no help on the offensive end, plus the special teams is a mess after allowing 260 return yards in Week 8.

The New England quarterback situation is still up in the air with Drake Maye in concussion protocol. We could have a battle of veteran backups if Jacoby Brissett gets the nod. Brissett has struggled to manufacture consistent offense for New England, but did lead a game-winning drive in last week’s upset of the New York Jets. 

In a season where scoring is up across the league, this matchup is the only one with a point total south of 40, which makes grabbing the Patriots at north of a field goal even more enticing. 

Chicago Bears (+1) at Arizona Cardinals 

The biggest question for the Bears is how the team can recover from losing to Washington in such a devastating fashion. From both sides of the ball, Chicago has a nice advantage in this road tilt against the Cardinals where the opportunity to bounce back is right in front of them.

We’ll start on offense. No. 1 pick Caleb Williams was trending in the right direction before being knocked around for three-plus quarters by the Commanders. Williams hung in there, though, leading Chicago on two game-winning drives. The first resulted in a fumble by an offensive lineman at the goal line, but the second gave the Bears the lead and should’ve been enough to pick up a nice road win. Williams shouldn’t spend most of the game under duress in the desert, though. The Cardinals rank No. 32 in pass-rush win rate and a clean pocket will be a rare site for Williams, who has been under constant threat of opposing defensive lines this season. If the Bears want to turn to the ground game, they can lean on it with Arizona’s inability to stop the run (No. 26 in run-stop win rate).

Defensively, the Bears held the high-flying Commanders out of the endzone until the Hail Mary debacle and to a season-low 18 points. The Bears can get Kyler Murray off balanced with constant pressure as they rank No. 2 in pass-rush win rate and rank No. 14 in the league against the run. After winning two toss-up games by a combined three points, the Cardinals are a little overvalued right now while you’re getting Chicago at a discount after a heartbreaking loss. 

Game odds update periodically and are subject to change.

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