These are my picks to win every Week 9 NFL game straight up, tiered by confidence level and ranked within each tier. You can bet on any of these games at DraftKings Sportsbook.
NFL Week 9 Confidence Picks
High Confidence
Bengals over Raiders – The Bengals have not had the season they hoped for but at 3-5 their season isn’t quite dead yet. This game over the Raiders is the definition of a must-win and if the Bengals have any fight in them, they should be able to get this done. The Raiders are spiraling and selling off players with Antonio Pierce’s job in real jeopardy. This should be a comfortable win for Joe Burrow and company.
Chiefs over Bucs – The Chiefs are undefeated and their schedule is shaping up to give them a lot more easy wins. The Bucs are a competitive team but they are really depleted with injuries at the moment, especially on offense. Their defense has struggled to get stops in recent weeks and Mahomes should be able to move the ball easily against their secondary. The Chiefs have found ways to win games all year and should be able to do so in this spot as well.
Ravens over Broncos – The Ravens have been on fire in recent weeks and should keep it rolling in this spot. The Broncos’ defense has been really good but the Ravens’ offense has looked virtually unstoppable. Bo Nix should be forced into mistakes by the Baltimore defense and ultimately, the Denver offense won’t be able to keep up with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry.
Saints over Panthers – The Saints are on a six-game losing streak and have been missing Derek Carr for the past few weeks. Derek Carr is back this week and that should give the Saints’ offense a spark they desperately need. This is the perfect spot for the Saints to get back on track against a bad Panthers team. Bryce Young will be starting for Carolina and the offense has been non-existent in his career as a starter.
Eagles over Jaguars – The Eagles have been playing really well in recent weeks and should keep the momentum going here. The offense has been rolling with Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley both playing at a high level. The Eagles have some issues on defense but the Jaguars don’t have the firepower to exploit those issues. The Eagles should be able to pick up a win in this spot on the back of their offensive firepower.
Medium Confidence
Bills over Dolphins – The Bills’ offense is on fire having scored 65 points in the last two weeks. Even with Tua Tagovailoa making his return last week, the Dolphins lost to the Cardinals. Their team is totally lost at the moment on both sides of the ball. The Dolphins were unable to stop the Bills’ offense when they played earlier this season and the Bills should hang a big number again and get the win.
Commanders over Giants – The Commanders are having an incredibly special season. These divisional road games are often really tough in the NFC East but the Commanders keep finding ways to win games while the Giants keep finding ways to lose games. This game could be close but Jayden Daniels will find a way to win this game while Daniel Jones is likely to make a key mistake or two that costs them the game.
Vikings over Colts – The Vikings have lost back-to-back games after starting the season 5-0. They really need to get back on track, especially in such a competitive division. The Colts are turning to Joe Flacco at quarterback and while he has been much better than Anthony Richardson, the Colts still have issues on both sides of the ball. The Vikings should shut down the Colts’ offense and have enough firepower of their own to take the win here.
Rams over Seahawks – The Rams looked like the old Rams last week with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua back at wide receiver. Their offense should get back to being one of the top units in the league. The Seahawks defense has really struggled this season and Matthew Stafford should be able to hit all of his targets to move the ball effectively against them. It could be a high-scoring game between these two offenses but ultimately the Rams look like the more dangerous team at the moment.
Jets over Texans – The Jets are in total free fall but this couldn’t be a more perfect spot for them. The Texans are missing Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs and Dameon Pierce in this game. In his career, CJ Stroud is just 5-6 on the road, including a blowout loss to the Jets last season at MetLife Stadium. The Jets’ defense is finally getting healthy and they should be able to focus on Joe Mixon and make Stroud beat them with inexperienced wide receivers. If the Jets’ offense can avoid mistakes, they should find a way to win this game.
Coin-Flip Games
Titans over Patriots – The Titans have had a disaster of a season but if there is ever a time to get a win, it is here. The Patriots picked up a big win last week but there could be a letdown here against a bad Titans team. Tennessee is solid on the defensive end and should make this a really low-scoring game. It’s hard to trust either team in this matchup but at home with jobs on the line, the Titans should pull it out.
Cowboys over Falcons – The Cowboys need a win against Atlanta. The Falcons have been playing well and are in control of the NFC South at the moment. However, they still have some major faults on the defensive side of the ball. The Cowboys should be able to move the ball effectively against the Atlanta defense and CeeDee Lamb should bust some big plays. The Cowboys are the more desperate team and should show it with their effort in this game.
Cardinals over Bears – Arizona picked up a big win over the Dolphins last week. They are starting to figure things out offensively and they should be able to move the ball against the Bears. It took the incredible Hail Mary for the Commanders to beat the Bears last week but it should not have been that close as the Commanders moved the ball up and down the field against them but were held to field goals instead of touchdowns. If Arizona can move the ball the same way, they should get in the end zone and score too much for the Bears to keep up with.
Packers over Lions – The Packers are the best home team in the NFL during Matt LaFleur’s tenure as head coach. Jared Goff has traditionally played way worse outdoors in his career than at home. That makes this the perfect spot to upset the Lions for Green Bay. LaFleur has proven that he can have a high-octane offense whether it is Jordan Love or Malik Willis at quarterback. The different styles of the two quarterbacks make it harder to prepare for their offense since both could possibly start on Sunday. The Packers should force a couple of mistakes out of Goff and score enough to get the win at home.
Browns over Chargers – The Browns found a major spark with Jameis Winston at quarterback last week. Nick Chubb’s return has also given their offense a good run/pass balance that they have been missing. The Chargers’ offense has not shown the ability to score a lot of points and the Cleveland defense has the pieces to really limit any explosiveness. If they can keep this a lower-scoring close game, the Browns should be able to use their home-field advantage and momentum from last week to pick up this win.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is blakekrass) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and cannot access any non-public information.
