We’re on to Week 9 in the NFL, which kicks off Thursday with the New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts facing off. That means it’s time once again for our weekly look at the point spreads in order to help you win some money.
Last week, Charles Curtis went 9-6 (58-64 record overall) and Charles McDonald went 6-9 (45-50 overall).
We now go to them for a comment before the Week 9 picks.
Charles C: The climb back to .500 continues! LET’S GOOOOOOO. My confidence is at an all-time high.
Charles M: As the great entertainer Aubrey Graham said, “checks bounce, we bounce back.”
(All odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook.)
1
Jets and Colts (-10.5)
Charles C: Jets
I can’t help it. The Mike White allure is too much and the Colts are all over the place. Plus, Thursday nights are weird.
Charles M: Jets
The Colts shouldn’t be favored by 10 points against anyone. Rolling with my guy Mike White.
2
Browns at Bengals (-2.5)
Charles C: Browns
I’m not sure why this spread isn’t reversed. The Bengals beat the Ravens one week and then lost on the road to the Jets. The Browns shouldn’t be underdogs here even with their struggles.
Charles M: Browns
I still believe in the overall talent of the Browns roster, even if they’ve had some hiccups on offense in the past few weeks.
3
Patriots at Panthers (+3.5)
Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
Charles C: Patriots
Have you seen Sam Darnold play lately? And he might not even play this game. While P.J. Walker might be fun to watch, I’m taking the Pats here.
Charles M: Patriots
Even though their records are similar, I still think the Patriots are a much better team than the Panthers. I don’t see how Sam Darnold makes it into the endzone.
4
Vikings at Ravens (-6.5)
Charles C: Ravens
I know the Vikings offense can move the ball, but Baltimore coming off the bye should win this one by 10.
Charles M: Vikings
Ravens win, but the Vikings have enough talent to play just about everyone closely. I think their offense will actually be able to put up some points.
5
Bills at Jaguars (+14.5)
Charles C: Bills
Too easy. The Jags are bad, the Bills are good.
Charles M: Bills
The Jaguars just got destroyed by Geno Smith. Buffalo will do unholy things to them.
6
Texans at Dolphins (-6.5)
Charles C: Dolphins
Miami is a bad team, but the Texans are the Texans.
Charles M: Texans
I promised myself I would stop picking the Texans, but the Dolphins just have no value against anyone.
7
Broncos at Cowboys (-9.5)
Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Charles C: Cowboys
Dak back (I think)! I’ll say Dallas puts up 25 and Teddy Bridgewater struggles.
Charles M: Cowboys
The Cowboys should be getting Dak Prescott back, which will help them tremendously against a team that just shipped Von Miller to a new team.
8
Raiders at Giants (+2.5)
Charles C: Raiders
With a spread that close, I take the more talented team.
Charles M: Giants
The Giants have been playing teams tough lately, including a near upset of the Chiefs on Monday Night Football. I think they can actually beat the Raiders, who quickly have to reshuffle their offense after losing Henry Ruggs.
9
Falcons at Saints (-5.5)
Charles C: Saints
The Charleses (Charlesi?) are agreeing a lot this week! The Saints D is more than good enough to keep the Falcons from scoring and Taysom Hill — if he starts — will run all day.
Charles M: Saints
It pains me to say this, but the Saints are just a better team than the Falcons are right now. They beat the Falcons with Taysom Hill at quarterback twice last season, what’s one more attempt.
10
Chargers at Eagles (+2.5)
Charles C: Chargers
I know L.A. has had its share of questions on both sides of the ball but Philly is kind of terrible.
Charles M: Chargers
This Eagles team is not good. Maybe they can garbage time their way into a cover, but even the struggling Chargers should be able to put them away.
11
Packers at Chiefs (-7.5)
Charles C: Packers
Congrats to any of you who took the Chiefs before the Aaron Rodgers news. But: How am I supposed to bet on a KC team that’s been a mess as of late? Even against Jordan Love making his first start? I say the Packers cover.
Charles M: Chiefs
No Aaron Rodgers against a desperate Chiefs team. The Chiefs haven’t been good against the spread recently, but they should be able to handle Jordan Love.
12
Cardinals at 49ers (-0.5)
Michael Chow-USA TODAY Sports
Charles C: Cardinals
Arizona rebounds from a surprise Thursday loss to the Packers and wins this one.
Charles M: Cardinals
The 49ers had an impressive win against the Bears last week, but this Cardinals team is a different animal. Take Arizona.
13
Titans at Rams (-7.5)
Charles C: Rams
Kind of an easy pick here. The offense will struggle against the Rams’ D — now starring Von Miller — and the defense won’t have any answers.
Charles M: Rams
Rams, Rams, Rams. The Titans offense will have to evolve on the fly with the loss of Derrick Henry and they probably don’t have the juice to keep up with the Rams anyway.
14
Bears at Steelers (-5.5)
Charles C: Bears
Two iffy offenses means I’m taking the points. But I’m not actually betting on this game, nope.
Charles M: Steelers
Justin Fields has a tough test against the Steelers defense this week. I think they’ll put the clamps on the Bears offense in a low scoring affair.
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