NFL Week 9 Best Bets: Top Picks for Sunday's Games

This week we hit the halfway point in the 2026 NFL regular season with Week 9. Thursday Night Football saw the Jaguars earn another dominant victory, this time against a Ravens team down to its third-string QB, but now we turn our attention to a stacked Sunday slate featuring 13 games. The day gets started in Madrid with Bengals vs Falcons, before an avalanche of games across the 1:00 PM ET and 4:00 PM ET windows. We wrap things up with Buccaneers vs Bears on Sunday Night Football.

Four of our top NFL handicappers have locked in their NFL best bets for what should be another crazy Sunday of NFL action. Let's break down our expert predictions, while you can find out our NFL picks for every game this week and throughout the entire season.

NFL Week 9 Best Bet: Denver Broncos -2.5 over Carolina Panthers (-115)

Odds available at Fanatics Sportsbook at time of publishing.

The Denver Broncos will be looking to build on a big win over the Chiefs when they visit the Carolina Panthers on Sunday afternoon. Denver improved to 6-2 this past weekend by beating Kansas City 28-21 for their fourth victory in a row. The Broncos' only losses this season have come at the Chiefs in Week 1 and at the 49ers in Week 4. Needless to say, both of those teams are far better than Carolina. The Panthers were once 3-2 but proceeded to get blown out 43-13 at home by a previously 1-5 Tampa Bay squad and then fell 27-19 at Green Bay in Week 8. The bottom line is that this is a tale of two teams going in opposite directions. As such, my Broncos vs Panthers prediction is for the visitors to win and cover.

Carolina quarterback Bryce Young was red-hot earlier in the year, but he has thrown more interceptions (three) than touchdowns (two) over the past two weeks while completing only 54.4 percent of his attempts during this stretch. Young now faces a Denver defense that is #8 in the NFL in yards per pass attempt allowed (6.5) and has made seven interceptions while allowing just 11 TDs through the air. It is also a unit that is tied for fourth in sacks with 23. Left guard Damien Lewis being out with a knee injury certainly doesn't help matters for the home side. Denver is pretty much healthy up and down the lineup and should be able to maintain momentum.

Pick and analysis from expert handicapper Ricky Dimon.

For the best odds on our Broncos vs Panthers best bet, head over to Fanatics Sportsbook, where new users can sign up now and receive $350 in FanCash when they make their first $20 bet!

NFL Week 9 Best Bet: Detroit Lions -7 over Miami Dolphins (-105)

Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.

All of a sudden, the Miami Dolphins are winning games and covering spreads? Well, they may have picked on someone over their size, as the high-powered offense of the Lions is coming to town. Miami’s newfound trend of keeping things close, are likely coming to an end. The problem with laying the points with Detroit is their defense, specifically their secondary, but what the Lions lack in stopping power, they more than make up for on offense. Seven points may seem like a lot in today’s NFL, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Dolphins were down by 9 or 10 by the end of the fourth quarter.

The Dolphins blew a halftime lead last week against the Patriots and ultimately fell 24-19, though they still managed to cover the 6.5-point spread. The week before, they traveled to New Jersey and knocked off the Jets on their own field. To Miami's credit, they've consistently found ways to compete and keep games close against AFC East rivals. The problem is that Detroit is a different beast entirely. Both the Patriots and Jets were able to reach the mid-20s against this Dolphins defense, and now Miami must deal with an offense that ranks third in scoring and #1 in total yards. I simply don't believe Miami has the firepower to respond score-for-score for all four quarters.

Miami ranks 25th in points allowed, surrendering 25.9 per contest. Jared Goff has been firing on all cylinders, and not only does he have Amon-Ra St. Brown at his disposal, but explosive playmakers like Jahmyr Gibbs and Jameson Williams as well. The Dolphins also rank among the league's worst teams in covering tight ends, which could spell trouble against one of the NFL's premier receiving tight ends in Sam LaPorta. There are simply too many matchup concerns for Miami, and the Dolphins have proven they don't always have the answers defensively. I expect Miami to put up a fight and get somewhere near 20, but Detroit should find the end zone at least four times and a likely field goal or two. I'll gladly lay the seven points with the Lions.

Pick and analysis from expert handicapper Aaron Taylor.

Head to DraftKings Sportsbook to bet on our Lions vs Dolphins pick, where new users can get $200 in bonus bets AND 3 months of NBA League Pass FOR FREE when they sign up and make their first $5 bet.

NFL Week 9 Best Bet: Green Bay Packers +3 over New England Patriots (-105)

Odds available at BetMGM and Fanatics Sportsbook at time of publishing.

Both these teams enter at 5-3 in this critical interconference matchup at Gillette Stadium. The Packers bounced back from a three-point loss at Detroit to take care of Carolina last Thursday, 27-19. It marked the fifth consecutive cover for Green Bay, while the Pack have won four of five games since a 1-2 start.

The Patriots seek their fourth win in four tries at home, returning to Foxborough following a 24-19 victory at Miami. New England erased a 13-3 deficit with three consecutive TDs, but the Pats couldn’t cover as 6.5-point favorites as the Dolphins scored a long TD with a shade over two minutes left. The last three wins for the Pats have come against teams with losing records, but New England does own victories over a pair of division leaders (Buffalo and Pittsburgh). 

Both Green Bay and New England have not run the ball well this season. The Packers are 32nd in EPA/Rush as no running back has amassed more than 149 yards. However, QB Jordan Love enters Week 9 with the most passing yards in the NFL with 2,246, while averaging 279.3 passing yards in the past three games.

The Patriots never suffered through a three-game against-the-spread slide during their Super Bowl run last season, but have not covered in three consecutive outings. WR A.J. Brown and RB TreVeyon Henderson both sat out practice on Wednesday, as Henderson has been held to 31 or fewer rushing yards in three straight games. Packers star pass-rusher Micah Parsons returned to practice following his torn ACL last December, but his status is still unclear for Sunday. Let’s back the Packers here as a road underdog to pick up another cover.

Pick and analysis from expert handicapper Kevin Rogers.

Bet on our Packers vs Patriots prediction with BetMGM, where you can sign up and get up to $1,500 in bonus bets back if your first bet doesn't win!

NFL Week 9 Best Bet: Chicago Bears -6.5 over Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-105)

Odds available at FanDuel Sportsbook at time of publishing.

In what was easily the most impressive statement of Week 8, the Bears didn't just beat the reigning Super Bowl champions, they dominated them on their home turf. Surrounded by the “12th man,” the lauded Seattle defense had very few answers for Caleb Williams and his offense, a group that totaled 22 first downs and 363 yards while scoring in every quarter. When the Seahawks looked like they might be building towards a comeback, Ben Johnson's offense always had an immediate response. 

Even more exciting for fans of the new-look Bears was the arrival of Jeffery Simmons, one of the NFL’s best interior defensive lineman. Traded for earlier in the week, Simmons made an instant impact on the field, seen constantly pressuring and harassing Sam Darnold from Seattle’s very first snap. In his first game under coordinator Dennis Allen, Simmons earned six total tackles, three solo, two for a loss, one sack, one QB hit, and one pass deflected. Needless to say, the big man was everywhere. 

His presence cleared the way for other Chicago defenders, like Montez Sweat (three QB hits) and Devin Bush (one sack, one tackle for a loss, one QB hit). Throughout the game, Simmons and his fellow teammates largely made the home-team offense look incompetent; Seattle accrued just 81 rushing yards and 171 passing yards.

Leading up to the Monday Night Football clash, the spread was rising on Seattle, for good reason. Few bettors, including yours truly, thought that a young and still relatively newly assembled Bears roster would simply waltz into the Pacific Northwest and dethrone the champs, but that’s exactly what happened. It felt like a changing of the guard, the proverbial “new sheriff in town,” where even the Bears’ special teams made a huge impact (a Jason Myers field goal, which would have brought the game to within one score, was blocked late in the fourth quarter). 

On a short week but no doubt riding a high, Chicago returns home to host a resurgent Tampa Bay Bucs’ squad, now off two straight wins. Thrusting themselves right back in the NFC South conversation, Tampa Bay won an ugly battle in South Florida last Sunday. The rain and muck largely tempered any offense on either side, except for the home team’s rushing attack. The Bucs ran for a ridiculous 324 total yards, earning 15 first downs on the ground. Even more startling, Baker Mayfield failed to complete a single pass in the inclement weather. Thanks to his running backs and defense, he didn't need to. Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr. threw four sloppy interceptions to wreck one drive after another for the visiting Falcons, while a top-tier Tampa run defense kept Bijan Robinson to only 81 yards on 19 carries.

While we were surprised and somewhat impressed by Tampa’s win, there were many unpredictable elements, most notably a deluge of rain and wind, that contributed to their victory. Tampa’s rushing attack is very legitimate (5.1 yards per carry, 2nd overall), but the Bears are a top-5 rush defense, too (only 86.8 rushing yards allowed per game). They’re also a more complete offense, at home, and we’re bullish that the newly added Jeffrey Simmons will only catalyze their continued success. We’re also not inclined nor incentivized to step in front of the Bears in their current form at under a touchdown. In fact, we could easily make a case that Chicago should be -7 to -7.5, especially in the Windy City. This is a deal.

Pick and analysis from pro NFL bettor Chris Farley.

Get NFL stats, trends and more in our full Buccaneers vs Bears predictions for Sunday Night Football. And if you want the best odds, head over to FanDuel Sportsbook, where you can join now and get $200 in bonus bets when you wager $5 for four days!

NFL Week 9 Picks

Find out our expert NFL predictions for every Week 9 matchup below:

• Bengals vs Falcons predictions
• Giants vs Eagles predictions
• Broncos vs Panthers predictions
• Browns vs Saints predictions
• Jets vs Chiefs predictions
• Rams vs Commanders predictions
• Lions vs Dolphins predictions
• Cowboys vs Colts predictions
• Packers vs Patriots predictions
• Raiders vs 49ers predictions
• Texans vs Chargers predictions
• Cardinals vs Seahawks predictions
• Buccaneers vs Bears SNF predictions
• Bills vs Vikings MNF predictions

Get some NFL betting action with Polymarket, where you can sign up from nearly every US state and new users get a $25 Trading Bonus when they make their first $10 deposit!