NFL picks for Week 9 include Thursday Night Football, Bengals-Bills, Chiefs-Dolphins
Editor's note: The picks discussed in this column are for fun and not gambling advice. All records stated are against the spread and may not reflect the actual records of those teams. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
Welcome to NFL Week 9, which kicks off with the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Tennessee Titans on Thursday Night Football (8:15 p.m. on Amazon Prime Video). This week's slate of games is highlighted by the Kansas City Chiefs facing the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany, and the Cincinnati Bengals hosting the Buffalo Bills on Sunday Night football.
Here are five picks for this week's slate of games:
Pittsburgh Steelers -2.5 (-120) vs. Tennessee Titans +2.5 (+100)
The Steelers are coming off a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars while the Titans are riding high after rookie Will Levis' impressive debut against the Atlanta Falcons. The Steelers, under Mike Tomlin, are the best team against the spread as a home favorite (55-32-5 since 2007). Meanwhile, the Titans, under Mike Vrabel, are the 11th best team in the league as a road underdog (16-11-1 since 2018).
One more number to consider is the Steelers are 2-2-0 against the spread following a loss this season, while the Titans are 0-2 against the number following a win.
The pick: Steelers -2.5
Kansas City Chiefs -1 (-110) vs. Miami Dolphins +1 (-110)
This should be a pick 'em game (no spread) by the time kickoff arrives Sunday morning (9:30 a.m. on NFL Network or stream live on Fubo). After suffering a 24-9 loss to the Denver Broncos last week, the Chiefs are looking to keep their perfect record (4-0) against the spread going during the Andy Reid era. The Chiefs also are 25-21 against the spread following a loss since 2013, when Reid took over as head coach.
On the other sideline, the Dolphins are 3-2 against the spread after a win this season. Miami also is tied for the best record against the spread this season at 6-2.
The pick: Chiefs -1
Las Vegas Raiders -1.5 (-110) vs. New York Giants +1.5 (-110)
The Raiders enter Week 9 with a new head coach, general manager and offensive coordinator yet are still favored over the Giants, who've underwhelmed thus far. Neither of these teams have a winning record against the spread and the only scenario in which either team is at least .500 against the spread is the Raiders as a favorite at 2-2.
It would make sense if the Giants were the favorite in this game because of all the chaos going on in Las Vegas, yet they're still the underdog. This is what is generally referred to as a "sucker's line," which means I'll be backing the team with all the chaos to win.
The pick: Raiders -1.5
Cincinnati Bengals -1.5 (-110) vs. Buffalo Bills +1.5 (-110)
Quarterback Joe Burrow and the Bengals' offense officially appeared back in the win over San Francisco. This week will be another chance to get a big win over a contender with Buffalo coming to town. Cincinnati is the second-best team in the NFL against the spread since Zac Taylor's arrival (45-31-3) and the best in the league when at a rest disadvantage (8-3-1). The Bills beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football last week and had what's referred to as a "mini-bye" in the NFL.
The Bengals also cover 60% against the spread after a win in the Taylor era (21-14-0). All these numbers lead me to think we'll see the Bengals cover the 1.5-point spread.
The Pick: Bengals -1.5
Player prop of the week
Burrow looked to be all the way back from his calf injury in the win over the 49ers, which means it's time to cash in on the rare quarterback touchdown proposition. I'm going to add a Tee Higgins touchdown as well to capitalize on the odds.
The pick: Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins anytime touchdown currently +1250 at BetMGM ($50 bet returns $675, including $50 stake)
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: NFL Week 9 picks for Thursday Night Football, Bengals-Bills, Chiefs
