It’s an interesting Week 9 in the NFL. There are a lot of matchups that leave plenty to be desired, but then Sunday ends with two of the most important games of the 2018 regular season: Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints, and Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots.
Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com
The Rams remain the only threat to the 1972 Miami Dolphins to complete a perfect season (through the Super Bowl) as Los Angeles is 8-0 for the first time since 1969. The Rams nearly lost at home last Sunday to the Packers, though, and are actually 1.5-point underdogs in New Orleans. While the Rams are the only team with zero losses in the entire league, the Saints are the only one in the NFC with a single defeat. The winner will be in the driver’s seat for the top seed in the conference. The Rams have covered six of the past eight in this series.
Packers-Patriots could be a Super Bowl preview, and it’s just the second-ever meeting between future Hall of Fame quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, both on the short list of the best in history. At 3-3-1, the Packers need this a lot more than the 6-2 and AFC East-leading Patriots do, but New England is a 6-point favorite. The Patriots are 9-2 ATS during an 11-game home winning streak.
The Cleveland Browns play their first game since head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley were fired. Not an easy task for interim coach and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams as the Browns host the 7-1 Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City is a 9-point favorite but has failed to cover its past three against Cleveland.
NFL history could be made Sunday when the Minnesota Vikings host the Detroit Lions as Vikings receiver Adam Thielen has had 100 yards receiving in all eight games this season — no one has ever had a nine-game streak overall. Thielen could also hit 1,000 yards on the season already. The Vikings are 5-point favorites and likely to cover because it’s ahead of their bye, at least according to recent history. They have done so the past nine years in that scenario.
Week 9 closes with two teams off a bye and two of the worst passing attacks in the NFL as the Tennessee Titans visit the Dallas Cowboys, who are -6. Dallas is 10-3 ATS in its past 13 out of the bye.
