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NFL Week 9 predictions, best bets: Picks against the spread for every game
The article gives against-the-spread picks for NFL Week 9, while noting that its forecaster is level at 59-59-3 overall and 12-12 on Best Bets. It argues that the Giants could take advantage of a struggling Eagles side, and weighs recent form, rest and travel when assessing several other match-ups.
The Eagles have lost six straight, with Saquon Barkley and DeVonta Smith listed as injured, while the Giants are coming off a bye. The article also questions whether Kansas City can cover a double-digit spread amid a recent scoring dip, leans towards Atlanta against Cincinnati, and suggests Carolina could trouble Denver after a rest advantage. The supplied text ends during its discussion of Miami and Detroit, so it does not include all the picks.
In short
- The forecaster’s season record is exactly even.
- The Giants are backed against the injury-hit Eagles.
- Rest, recent form and travel shape several picks.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Backing the picks, recent form and player availability can reveal meaningful differences between teams: the Eagles’ six-game losing run and key injuries, for example, give the rested Giants a plausible opportunity. Rest, travel and scoring trends also offer reasonable grounds to question large spreads or favour Atlanta and Carolina in their match-ups. The forecaster’s even overall record makes these contestable judgements rather than an established edge, but readers may value them as informed ways to assess the lines.
The case against
Sceptics can argue that short-term runs and injury reports do not reliably predict whether a team will cover, and that a bye or travel difference may matter less than the market already accounts for. An even record overall and on Best Bets provides little evidence that these selections outperform the spreads, while the supplied text is incomplete and does not show every pick or its full reasoning. On that view, the predictions are useful opinion but not a sound basis for treating any outcome as especially likely.