Entering the ninth week of action in the 2023-24 season, the NFL Playoff picture is beginning to take shape. Injuries are also beginning to take a toll on the league, impacting NFL betting lines across the board.
Here are three Week 9 NFL betting lines that caught our attention at online sportsbooks.
Arizona Cardinals vs. Cleveland Browns Betting Line
- Point Spread: Cardinals +8.5, Browns -8.5
- Moneyline: Cardinals +300, Browns -400
- Over/Under: 37.5
Rookie quarterback Clayton Tune will get the start for the Arizona Cardinals when they face the struggling Cleveland Browns in Ohio on Sunday. Joshua Dobbs has played respectably, but head coach Jonathan Gannon has opted for Tune while the team waits for Kyler Murray to return in Week 10.
Gannon has to see something he likes in Tune. With the Browns struggling to score points without Deshaun Watson, we believe that Arizona will cover the +8.5 points. It appears that P.J. Walker will get the start against the Cardinals, so expect a back-and-forth matchup that’ll turn out closer than 8 points.
Chicago Bears vs. New Orleans Saints Betting Line
- Point Spread: Bears +8.0, Saints -8.0
- Moneyline: Bears +285, Saints -370
- Over/Under: 41.0
Sunday at 1:00 PM, the Chicago Bears travel to Louisiana to face the New Orleans Saints, who are trying to keep up with the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South standings.
The Bears are 2-6 thus far and do not appear poised for a run for the NFL Playoffs. Quarterback Justin Fields has shown some progress this season, but he will miss the game against the Saints due to a lingering thumb injury.
In Fields’ place will be Tyson Bagent, who will make his third start in a row. He is currently 1-1, but now teams have enough game film on him to figure out what he’s doing. Despite the massive 8-point spread, we expect the Saints to cover against Bagent and the Bears this Sunday.
Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals
- Point Spread: Bills +3.0, Bengals -3.0
- Moneyline: Bills +130, Bengals -150
- Over/Under: 49.0
Sunday night at 8:20 PM, the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals kickoff, where both teams are looking to keep pace with division leaders. The Bills are 5-3 and, despite the occasional dominant performance, are also susceptible to losing to lesser teams.
The Bengals got off to a rough start this season but now stand at 4-3 in a three-way tie for second place in the AFC North.
Cincinnati is favored by a field goal at home this Sunday, but we are betting on the Buffalo Bills to cover. We expect Buffalo to win the game, but we’ve been burned by moneyline bets in recent weeks, so we’re hedging a little by laying some action on the point spread.
Sources:
- NFL Odds: Bovada Sportsbook (Bovada LV Review)
- CBS Sports
- Cleveland.com
- NBC Sports Chicago
