Can Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens bounce back from their humbling loss to take down their longtime AFC North division rivals when Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers visit the town on Sunday?
Can Alex Smith and the Washington Redskins extend their winning ways to strengthen their hold on first place in the NFC East when Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons visit the nation’s capital?
Last but not least, can Case Keenum and the struggling Denver Broncos avoid a home loss against Deshaun Watson and the streaking Houston Texans?
If you like betting on value-packed underdogs that offer you the chance to cash in bigger than you would be betting on a favorite, then look no further, I’ve got a trio of Week 9 underdogs picks featuring dogs that are all barking loudly!
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens
Game Information
🏈: Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2-1) at Baltimore Ravens (4-4)
⏰: Sunday, November 4, 2018, 1:00 PM ET
🏟️: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
📺: CBS, DTV: 705
🎰: Baltimore Ravens: -3 +100 | -155 | U 47 -110
The Pittsburgh Steelers have won three straight in beating the Falcons, Bengals and Browns the last three weeks while the Baltimore Ravens have lost two straight and three of their last four games overall. Pittsburgh smacked Cleveland around on Sunday as Ben Roethlisberger tossed a pair of TD passes and James Conner rushed for a stellar 146 yards and two scores on 24 carries. Baltimore got overpowered in their humbling 36-21 road loss to Carolina on Sunday as quarterback Joe Flacco tossed two costly interceptions and Alex Collins lost a fumble.
Simply put, the Steelers and Ravens are heading in polar opposite directions and the Ravens clearly haven’t improved much offensively despite adding a bunch if veteran wide receivers to help Joe Flacco and the passing attack have more success. Pittsburgh will be looking to get revenge for their 26-14 home loss against Baltimore and I believe they’ll get it. The road team in this series has gone 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings, making the Steelers the easy underdog pick for me in this contest.
Predicted Score: Steelers 27 Ravens 23
Atlanta Falcons at Washington Redskins
Game Information
🏈: Atlanta Falcons (3-4) at Washington Redskins (5-2)
⏰: Sunday, November 4, 2018, 1:00 PM ET
🏟️: FedExField, Landover, MD
📺: FOX, DTV: 711
🎰: Washington Redskins : -1½ -110 | -125 | U 47½ -110
After getting off to a difficult 1-4 start that saw them lose a trio of games in mostly heartbreaking fashion, Matt Ryan and the Falcons have won two straight by beating the Giants 34-29 and Bucs 23-20 in Weeks 6 and 7 respectively. Atlanta is also well-rested heading into their Week 9 matchup against the Redskins after getting a bye this past weekend.
Washington has been impressive in winning three straight games including their 20-13 road win over Eli Manning and the woeful New York Giants on Sunday. Alex Smith passed for 178 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions, but as it has been in each of their last three games, it was future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson that carried the Skins by rushing for 149 yards and one score on 26 carries. Just as important, was Washington’s defense which picked off Eli Manning twice in the win while limiting rookie running back Saquon Barkley to just 38 yards on 13 carries.
The Redskins may be playing at home and they may have won three straight games, but they’re not my pick to get the win as a slight home favorite in Week 9. For me, I like Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons to extend their winning ways by outscoring an offensively-challenged Washington team that has scored 23 points or less in each of their last four games. I believe Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons are far more explosive offensively than Alex Smith and the Skins and they’ve gone 4-1 ATS in their last five games in the month of December. Washington’s 4-10 ATS mark in their last 14 games following an SU win doesn’t bode well!
Predicted Score: Atlanta 27 Washington 23
Houston Texans at Denver Broncos
Game Information
🏈: Houston Texans (5-3) at Denver Broncos (3-5)
⏰: Sunday, November 4, 2018, 4:05 PM ET
🏟️: Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Denver, CO
📺: CBS, DTV: 712
🎰: Denver Broncos: -2½ -115 | -140 | U 46 -110
Not only has Houston won five consecutive games including their commanding 42-23 win over Miami on Thursday night, but more importantly, star quarterback Deshaun Watson is starting to look and play as he did before tearing his ACL midway through his rookie season a year ago. Watson completed 16 of 20 passes against the Dolphins for 239 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. Veteran running back Lamar Miller rushed for 133 yards and one score on 18 carries. One week after routing Arizona, Denver was back to its losing ways by falling to Kansas City 30-23 in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score indicates. Case Keenum tossed two TD passes but threw one interception and lost one fumble in the loss.
This pick is as simple as pie NFL betting enthusiasts. Houston is playing its best football of the season, plus they have the statistical edge on both sides of the ball. Denver has gone 0-5 ATS in their last five games in the month of November, 5-15-1 ATS in their last 21 games against their AFC rivals and 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games following a straight up loss. The Texans are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games against a team with a losing home record and they’ve got everything going for them. In this one.
Predicted Score: Texans 35 Broncos 21
