When we look back at the 2024 season, we might pinpoint Week 8 as the moment when teams truly started to separate from one another. The Buffalo Bills gained a three-game advantage in the AFC East, and the Washington Commanders continue to have the inside track in the NFC East. At the same time, the Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons secured key divisional wins to further establish their first place standing.
For teams like the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys, two betting favorites to make the playoffs entering the year that has since fallen off, it will be fascinating to see how the sportsbooks view them going forward, starting with Week 9. Below, we will take our first look at the upcoming week of the regular season and get our impression on the early lines to see if there is anything they can tell us about who the oddsmakers believe will come out on top.
Note: Pittsburgh and San Francisco are on the bye in Week 9.
Week 9 early odds
All NFL sports betting odds via DraftKings Sportsbook. Check out the latest DraftKings promo code to get in the game.
| Game | Early line | Early total | Early moneyline |
|---|---|---|---|
Texans at Jets (Thursday) | Texans -1 | 42.5 | Texans -112, Jets -108 |
Ravens -8 | 44 | Broncos +380, Ravens -500 | |
Commanders at Giants | Commanders -3.5 | 43 | Commanders -162, Giants +136 |
Raiders at Bengals | Bengals -8 | 45.5 | Raiders +350, Bengals -455 |
Saints -6.5 | 45 | Saints -285, Panthers +230 | |
Chargers -2.5 | 40.5 | Chargers -125, Browns +105 | |
Titans -3 | 39 | Patriots +130, Titans -155 | |
Dolphins at Bills | Bills -6.5 | 48.5 | Dolphins +240, Bills -298 |
Cowboys at Falcons | Falcons -2.5 | 49 | Cowboys +114, Falcons -135 |
Cardinals -1 | 45.5 | Bears -110, Cardinals -110 | |
Eagles -7 | 47.5 | Jaguars +270, Eagles -340 | |
Lions -4.5 | 48.5 | Lions -205, Packers +170 | |
Seahawks -1 | 48.5 | Rams +100, Seahawks -120 | |
Vikings -7 | 46 | Colts +270, Vikings -340 | |
Buccaneers at Chiefs | Chiefs -9 | 45.5 | Buccaneers +350, Chiefs -455 |
Notable movement, trends
Texans at Jets (Thursday)
The Texans have jumped out to slim road favorites, with the spread coming in at Houston -1 after it initially opened at Jets -3. Neither of these teams has been a particularly sharp bet throughout the season, however, as the Texans are 3-4-1 ATS while the Jets are 2-6 ATS. As a road favorite, the Texans are 1-2 ATS. Meanwhile, New York has failed to cover its lone game as a home underdog.
Broncos at Ravens
The Broncos are getting some added respect from the betting sites, albeit still a sizable underdog to Baltimore. This line at DraftKings initially opened at Ravens -10.5, but it has since come down below the double-digit number to Ravens -8. Denver has been a stellar team to back this season, as they are 6-2 ATS. That 75% cover rate ranks third-highest in the NFL. They've also covered all four of their road games this season. As for Baltimore, they are a respectable 4-3-1 ATS this season but just 1-1-1 ATS at home.
Commanders at Giants
The Commanders continue to have a magical season with Jayden Daniels under center, and the books are treating them like one of the elite teams in the conference. Initially, the Giants opened up as a 1.5-point favorite for the NFC East head-to-head, but Washington has since surged and is laying 3.5 points on the road. The Commanders are 6-1-1 ATS this season overall and 2-1-1 ATS on the road. The Giants, who'll be playing on a short week after taking on the Steelers on Monday, are 1-3 ATS at MetLife Stadium this season.
Raiders at Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals have zero margin for error going forward after falling to 3-5 with a loss to the Eagles on Sunday. That desperation may be what has the books giving even more points to Las Vegas for this upcoming matchup. Cincy opened as a 6.5-point favorite, but that line has since jumped over the touchdown threshold and the hook as they are now laying 8 points. The Bengals have yet to cover at home this season, owning a 0-4 ATS record at Paycor Stadium. The Raiders are 4-4 ATS on the season, which includes a 2-2 ATS mark on the road.
Saints at Panthers
The Carolina Panthers strike no fear in NFL sportsbooks. They opened as a small 1-point home underdog to the Saints, but that has since ballooned to New Orleans, laying 6.5 points for this matchup. Before targeting this game, however, it may be wise to wait and see the quarterback room for the Saints come into clearer focus as Spencer Rattler was benched this past Sunday, and the health of Dereck Carr is still in question. That said, Carolina is 1-7 ATS on the season (worst in the NFL) and is 0-3 as a home underdog. The Saints are 2-2 ATS on the road this season.
Chargers at Browns
The Los Angeles Chargers are gearing up for a Week 9 matchup in Cleveland, where they are now 2.5-point road favorites. This is a rather significant swing after the Browns opened as a 3-point favorite. Given Jameis Winston leading the Browns to an upset win over Baltimore on Sunday, it'll be curious to see how these lines continue to move, but the Chargers are a solid 4-3 ATS this season. Albeit with different quarterbacks under center, the Browns are 1-3 ATS at home.
Patriots at Titans
Even with New England snapping its losing streak with a win against New York and the Titans being blown out by the Lions on Sunday, Tennessee is favored here. In fact, after this line opened at Titans -2.5, it jumped up to the full field goal marker as they are now laying three points. Tennessee has yet to cover a game at Nissan Stadium this season, as they are 0-3 ATS. They are also 1-6 ATS on the season overall. The Patriots have not fared much better at 2-5-1 ATS this season and 1-2 ATS on the road.
Dolphins at Bills
The Bills have jumped out as a 6.5-point favorite over the Dolphins after initially sitting as a 3-point favorite at the open. Buffalo is 5-3 ATS on the season, which includes a 2-1 ATS home record. The Dolphins offense looked much improved with Tua Tagovailoa back under center but still were unable to come away with a win in Week 8, which dropped them to 1-6 ATS on the season.
Cowboys at Falcons
Dallas' season feels like it's teetering on a collapse. While Washington and Philadelphia have started to separate themselves from the pack, the Cowboys have lost two straight and are under .500. The latest signal that things are going off the rails for Dallas comes via the odds shift for this matchup. Initially, they were road favorites, laying a point. Now, the Falcons are back as a home favorite and laying nearly a field goal at -2.5. Dallas is 2-5 ATS this season, but both of these covers have come on the road (2-2 ATS on the road overall). Atlanta is 1-4 ATS at home this season, so something will need to give between these two NFC squads.
Bears at Cardinals
This is another game where the road team opened as the favorite but has since seen the odds flip. Chicago was a 1-point favorite, but it's the Cardinals who are now laying the point in this matchup. The Bears are coming off a last-second defeat thanks to a Jayden Daniels Hail Mary, while the Cardinals were on the winning side of a game-winning field goal in Miami. Arizona is 5-3 ATS this season, which includes a 2-2 ATS mark at home. Meanwhile, the Bears are 0-2-1 ATS on the road in 2024.
Jaguars at Eagles
The Eagles have jumped out as a 7-point favorite after originally opening as a 3.5-point favorite. They seem to have gotten the train back on the tracks with three straight wins to move them to 5-2 on the season. Meanwhile, they take on a depleted Jaguars team that saw wideouts Brian Thomas Jr., Christian Kirk, and Gabe Davis all go down with injuries in Week 8. That is likely a key reason why these odds continue to move in Philly's direction. However, the Eagles are 0-2 ATS at home this season, so they are still searching for an ATS win at Lincoln Financial Field. The Jaguars are 2-1 ATS as the away team so far this season.
Lions at Packers
The Green Bay Packers opened as a small 1.5-point home favorite, but the Lions have since flipped the script. They are now laying 4.5-points against their NFC North rival. Jordan Love left Sunday's game against Jacksonville with a quad injury, so his status will be worth monitoring. However, Detroit continues to look like a wagon and is a perfect 3-0 ATS on the road this season to cap off their 6-1 ATS record overall. Green Bay is 2-2 ATS at Lambeau Field this season.
Rams at Seahawks
This line surprised me a bit. The Seahawks have moved as a 1-point favorite after the Rams opened laying 1.5 points. Judging how these two teams fared in Week 8, coupled with the Rams coming off a mini-bye after playing on Thursday, one would think we would've seen Seattle open as the favorite with L.A. surging coming out of the weekend. The Seahawks are 1-4 ATS at Lumen Field this season, while the Rams are 0-3 ATS on the road.
Colts at Vikings
Minnesota has jumped out to a full touchdown favorite over the Colts, laying 7 points after the line opened at Vikings -1. The Vikings are looking to snap a two-game losing streak after beginning the season undefeated. However, there is the chance that this game is a bit closer than folks realize, as the Colts have been a tremendous team to back through the first eight weeks of the year. Indy is a league-best 7-1 ATS this season, which includes a 3-1 ATS mark on the road. Minnesota is 2-1 ATS at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Buccaneers at Chiefs
The Chiefs remain undefeated on the season and are now a 9-point home favorite against the Bucs next Monday night. This comes after K.C. opened as a 7-point favorite. The Chiefs are 2-1 ATS at Arrowhead Stadium this season and 5-2 ATS overall. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers are 4-4 ATS in 2024 and 2-1 ATS on the road.
