NFL Week 9 Betting Previews and Picks

The playoff picture is still coming into focus as the month of November arrives and October fades away. There’s one more game to be played in October as the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins tangle on Halloween night. The rest of the Week 9 schedule follows suit on Sunday with a number of matchups that manage to capture the nation’s attention.

Here’s the inside scoop on Week 9 of the NFL season.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Miami Dolphins

Game Line: Bengals -3, 42 O/U

The Bengals are taking care of business – at least for now. Coach Marvin Lewis might be finally turning the corner in Cincinnati where he’s coached for a full decade without winning a single playoff game. The Bengals have opened up a 2.5-game lead in the AFC North Division and if they can win on the road in a night game against a Miami team whose defense is entirely respectable, the Bengals would have to feel that much more confident about their ability to win the division and host a playoff game in the month of January. Miami, of course, has lost four straight after starting the season at 3-0. The Dolphins are running out of chances to salvage their season and this is where their effort at a rebound must begin. Teams generally don’t make the playoffs when they fall to 3-5 at the midpoint of the season. Bank on a sense of urgency as the impetus for a renewed performance from the Dolphins. They will outlast Cincinnati both straight up and on the NFL odds in a slugfest.

[geo-link-us]Free Pick: Take the Dolphins +3 and the under. Dolphins, 20-17.[/geo-link-us][geo-link-ca]Free Pick: Take the Dolphins +3 and the under. Dolphins, 20-17.[/geo-link-ca]

New Orleans Saints @ New York Jets

Game Line: Saints -5.5, 45.5 O/U

The Saints are one of the NFC’s best teams and have continued to pass the various tests that have come their way. They were one first down away from beating New England on the road a few weeks ago and could be sitting with an undefeated record right now. Nevertheless, the Saints have lost only once and will try to affirm their greatness against the New York Jets. Coach Rex Ryan has done a good job with the Jets this season, guiding his team to a .500 record despite enduring the growing pains that come with having a mistake-prone rookie quarterback. The Jets seem to get up for the competition; they play well against good teams – especially at home. The Saints will need to be ready to absorb the Jets’ best punch and they should be up for the challenge. Lay the points with them on the NFL lines.

[geo-link-us]Free Pick: Take the Saints -5.5 and the over. Saints, 30-23.[/geo-link-us][geo-link-ca]Free Pick: Take the Saints -5.5 and the over. Saints, 30-23.[/geo-link-ca]

Minnesota Vikings @ Dallas Cowboys

Game Line: Cowboys -10.5, 47.5 O/U

Those who bet on the NFL have watched the Dallas Cowboys the past few years know that this team seems to land at 8-8 all the time. The Cowboys take one step forward and one step backward. This time around, Dallas is coming off an awful loss to the Detroit Lions, which was a last-minute defeat caused by a baffling and inexcusable holding penalty with little more than one minute left in regulation. Detroit was given 40 extra seconds to work with and those 40 seconds mattered on a scoring drive that ended with 12 seconds left in regulation. After blowing that game, Dallas should be able to play with a lot of passion and fury as they know they let something get away from them last week. As they host a Minnesota team that has tried three different starting quarterbacks this season, the Cowboys have to like their chances. While the Vikings have suffered all season long on the offensive side of the ball, it was their defense that – yet again – got torn apart last week. If Dallas plays poorly, Minnesota has a chance to win but the Vikings have played well in only one game this season. One shouldn’t expect Minnesota to have much success against a passing game as good as the one fielded by the Cowboys. Tony Romo and Dez Bryant should reconnect in this game and the Cowboys should cover the NFL point spread.

[geo-link-us]Free Pick: Take the Cowboys -10.5 and the over. Cowboys, 38-20.[/geo-link-us][geo-link-ca]Free Pick: Take the Cowboys -10.5 and the over. Cowboys, 38-20.[/geo-link-ca]

Pittsburgh Steelers @ New England Patriots

Game Line: Patriots -7, 44 O/U

In the past decade, the best quarterback battle has been the one between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Another really good competition has involved Brady and Ben Roethlisberger. The two veterans get to match wits this Sunday in one of the AFC’s most significant rivalries from the past 12 years. The Patriots are trying to play for a top-two seed in the AFC while the Steelers are really playing for little more than pride at this point. Yet, the matchup on the NFL betting odds and the matchup of Brady and Big Ben is going to generate a lot of publicity. New England is likely to control the flow of play and defeat a team that once stood in their way on the road to the AFC championship and the Super Bowl.

[geo-link-us]Free Pick: Take the Patriots -7 and the over. Patriots, 31-17.[/geo-link-us][geo-link-ca]Free Pick: Take the Patriots -7 and the over. Patriots, 31-17.[/geo-link-ca]

Home Dog with the Best Chance to Win is… The Cleveland Browns

Those looking for the weekly NFL betting tips should note that there are slim pickings for home dogs. It’s either the Browns, Miami Dolphins (who we already picked up above), Houston Texans or Buffalo Bills. We’ll take a shot with the Browns, who are playing a Baltimore team that’s coming off a bye week. Cleveland has been very scrappy this season and fields a pretty good defense. They’ll be fueled by the home audience and should be able to limit a Baltimore offense that has been wretched almost all season long.

Home Dog of the Week: Browns +2.5

Most Important Injury of the Week is…

Jay Cutler. NFL online betting cappers know that this is a matchup for first place in the NFC North but the Bears are shorthanded. They need their veteran quarterback to match up with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers but Cutler is out with an injury and will continue to sit on the sidelines for a few more weeks. The Bears have little chance against the Packers without Cutler under center.

7-Point Teaser of the Week: Seahawks -10 & Panthers -2

One of the biggest benefits of betting a teaser is it allows us to knock down big favorites. Case and point: the Seahawks and Panthers this week.

The Seahawks are laying 17 points at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and pretty much everyone will be expecting the Bucs to get drilled. Instead of laying three scores, we’ll knock the Seahawks down to -10, which is much more manageable.

As for our second game, we’ll tie in the Carolina Panthers, who are one of the hottest teams in the league right now. They’ll face the horrible Atlanta Falcons this week and considering the Falcons just lost in Arizona, there’s a small chance they win in Carolina.