Best NFL underdog bets and predictions of Week 9
The first portion of the climb is complete, and we're back on level ground here in underdog corner.
A rough start to the season left us with a 2-10 record following the first four weeks of underdog selections, but we've gone 10-2 in the four weeks since to get back to .500 at 12-12 on the season.
Last week produced our second straight 3-0 weekend as the Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers and Denver Broncos all came through as underdog plays, with the latter two winning outright.
Of course, a .500 record in the single-bet sports wagering world means you're still in the red, so there is still work to be done, starting with Week 9.
NFL underdog predictions: Week 9
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports' betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 6:50 a.m. ET.
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New York Giants +2.5 (-106) at Washington Football Team
The 1-7 Giants are a league-leading 4-0 against the spread as road underdogs this season and 8-3 since the start of the 2019 campaign. Going back even further, the Giants have covered a league-best 18 times (18-6) as road dogs since 2017.
During that same span, Washington is only 4-7 (.364) ATS as a favorite and now finds itself giving points for the first time this season and for only the third time in its last 32 contests overall.
The Giants prevailed 20-19 when the two teams met three weeks ago in New Jersey, and it's not hard to envision N.Y. completing the season sweep with another narrow win Sunday.
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New Orleans Saints +4.5 (-110) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Through Week 8, we made 24 underdog selections, and a full quarter of those picks have been on the team playing the Saints. That's proved to be profitable as we've gone 4-2 fading New Orleans, taking ample advantage of the overvalued Saints' 2-5 ATS record (tied for the fourth-worst mark in the league).
This week, though, we're switching sides for Sunday night's monster NFC South clash in Tampa and backing these Saints against QB Tom Brady and Bucs, who are 6-2 overall but a meh 4-4 ATS.
The Saints find themselves as underdogs for the first time this season, and they've been boffo in this situation during the Sean Payton/Brees era (since 2006) with a 44-28-2 (.611) ATS record, including a league-best .875 ATS winning percentage (7-1) when getting points since 2018.
We still like Brady and Co. to avenge their 34-23 Week 1 loss in the Big Easy, but we'll swoop up the 4.5 points and bank on the Saints keeping things close Sunday night.
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Also see:
- Mel Kiper: Let's lay off Giants QB Daniel Jones (Giants Wire)
- Kamara on foot injury: "Ever stub your toe on the corner of your bedpost?" (Saints Wire)
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