Week 9 of the NFL season is here, and that means the halfway point of the campaign has arrived. Eight weeks are in the books. Eight weeks are still to come. And here we are in the middle.
In this space, the first half of the season was not at all kind on the whole, but we did post a winning record in Week 8. Perhaps that is a sign of things to come. At least I will tell myself that until Week 9.
Before getting to the five-pack of selections, let’s take stock.
- Week 8: 3-2
- 2024 Season: 14-25-1
Come get these winners.
TEASER: Cleveland Browns (+7.5) over Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals (-1) over Las Vegas Raiders – Widely Available
We’re going back to the Jameis train after an outright win a week ago. I do like the Browns as a standalone investment at +1.5, but the teaser is even more appealing against a low-octane Chargers offense in a game with a very modest total. On the other side, the Bengals burned us a week ago, but this is a good spot for Cincinnati at home in what amounts to a virtual must-win.
New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers OVER 43.5 points – Widely Available
This is a tail of UPROXX colleague and editor Robby Kalland and I like it quite a bit. NFC South overs might be a principle until it falls off, and Carolina’s defense is just as bad as it seems to be. Take us there, Derek Carr.
Jacksonville Jaguars (+7.5) over Philadelphia Eagles – Widely Available
The Eagles have won three in a row and all is right with the world again, right? Well, I don’t quite buy it yet. Jacksonville isn’t very good, which I will acknowledge, but the Jags have played at a much higher level in recent weeks, including in Week 8 against Green Bay. I like this above 7.
Green Bay Packers (+2.5) over Detroit Lions – Widely Available
In the interest of transparency, I nabbed this at 3 earlier in the week, but that line is gone now outside of opportunities to buy the half-point. Alas, I still like it at 2.5. Detroit has the best point differential in the league and things are rolling, but I’m a bit skeptical of the Lions defensively right now and, perhaps more importantly, this is the first trip outdoors for Jared Goff and the offense this season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+9) over Kansas City Chiefs – BetMGM
The Bucs are very banged-up, which is part of why this line is where it is. With that said, I think Tampa Bay is the side against a Chiefs offense that is still figuring things out. Kansas City is unbeaten and rightly so, but the Chiefs haven’t exactly dominated from an ATS perspective when laying more than a touchdown. We were right against them in Week 8. Going back to the well here.