Week 9 of the NFL season was interesting in a number of ways, with a few headline-worthy victories for teams like the Saints and Patriots, and a few head-scratching losses. Amusingly, we were on the losing side of two of those decisions when the Raiders no-showed on Thursday and Broncos head coach Vance Joseph led us astray with conservative play on Sunday. Fortunately, though, the rest of the five-game slate in this space went very well and the end result was another winning week.
Before we roll through five picks against the spread for Week 10, let’s check up on the season-long progress.
- Week 9: 3-2
- 2018 Season: 26-17-2
Come get these winners.
Cincinnati Bengals (+5.5) over New Orleans Saints
Upon first glance at the schedule this week, it was a mortal lock that the Bengals would be in this column. The Saints are riding high after an impressive win over the Rams and Cincinnati has cooled after a hot start. Furthermore, the Bengals will be without A.J. Green in this spot, with the public jumping all over the favorites and pushing the line up to an even more valuable range. For me, Cincinnati is the only side at home and there is real line value.
Arizona Cardinals (+16.5) over Kansas City Chiefs
It would be better if we could grab 17 here. The number opened at 17 or 17.5 but, in a hurry, sharp action grabbed the underdog and the margin for error dwindled a bit. At 16.5, though, I’m still good in taking the Cardinals. Yes, the Chiefs are covering virtually every week but Arizona isn’t as bad as some might believe and, when you’re catching more than two touchdowns, that definitely matters. Everyone is on Kansas City. We are not.
Jacksonville Jaguars (+3) over Indianapolis Colts
The public likes Indianapolis in this spot, which makes sense after back-to-back wins. In support of that sentiment, the Jags have been a colossal disappointment through eight weeks and Jacksonville is riding a four-game losing streak. Still, the visitors have the better roster from top to bottom and, provided you can get a full field goal (an important distinction), the underdog is the side. The stars have aligned and, for good measure, Jacksonville is pretty clearly a side that the sharp guys like this week.
Oakland Raiders (+10) over Los Angeles Chargers
As noted in the intro above, the Raiders laid an egg on Thursday evening and no one on the planet actually wants to bet on Oakland right now. Naturally, we find ourselves on the Raiders side of things yet again this week, simply because the line is (way) too high. It’s entirely possible that the Raiders are blown out again and, if that happens, we may have to cross them off entirely. For now, Oakland is the side and we like fading the 80-plus percent of people that are laying double-digits on the road.
New York Giants (+3) over San Francisco 49ers
Somehow, this game will exist in front of a national audience on Monday night. The handicap is (very) simple. I don’t buy the Nick Mullens hype train and, provided he turns back into a pumpkin, the Giants are the side here. Honestly, it is more than okay to just ignore this football game completely but, if you’re planning to watch it, just take the points. It’s the move.
