Another strong Offensive showing has kept the Colts in front with the 7-1 record, but Indianapolis will still have work to do if they are going to make everyone believers in what they are putting together. The reality is that they have been playing in a weak Division and taken advantage of what has looked a manageable schedule.
The Colts will soon be heading into the Bye Week and they will certainly be tested on the return- in the 'second half' of their schedule, they will face the improving Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars twice, which will determine how the AFC South shakes out, while also having road games against the Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks.
For now all credit has to be given to a team and management who have rallied together and they will certainly be making Jim Irsay very proud as he looks down on his team.
November is a very important time in College Football as the regular season winds down and teams look to earn spots in the Conference Championship Games and then the College Football Playoff, but it also significant in the NFL.
Bye Weeks are concluded over the next month and teams will really begin to feel the post-season as they move into the second half of the schedule.
We might not have any unbeaten teams, but there are plenty who have lost fewer than three games, while the Kansas City Chiefs have back to the head of the outright market despite being at 5-3.
Only four teams are priced up at single digits to win the Super Bowl, which underlines how wide open things continue to feel, and that is where November really begins to help sift through the pack and identify those who can have the big run through to February.
The fact there are not too many teams really pulling clear from the pack does offer opportunities to those making slower than expected starts.
One oft hose teams are playing on Thursday Night Football this week and the Baltimore Ravens also benefit from playing in a Division where the leading team is only a couple of games in front of them. Injuries are looking to be clearing up and Baltimore could see their Super Bowl price come in dramatically over the next few weeks if they can string the wins together.
Four teams have ever begun 1-5 and made the Playoffs in the NFL, but this Ravens team are capable, especially with two games against the Pittsburgh Steelers still on the schedule. They are beginning a three game road trip in Week 9 and if they can return home back at 0.500, everything is possible for this team.
The Ravens are 20-1 to win the Super Bowl, while teams like Tampa Bay, Los Angeles Chargers and Seattle Seahawks are bigger prices and deserve more respect.
You can't really argue with the facts that Kansas City, Detroit, Green Bay and Buffalo are the only single digit prices for the Super Bowl, but those four teams mentioned all could end up trading much shorter, which should be reassessed at the end of the month.
After losing the opening three selections in Week 9, four straight winners ensured a slight winning week.
There is still room for improvement and it would help if the Week 9 Picks can get off to a good start on Thursday Night Football where so many wrong selections have meant playing from behind.
Like any good team, it is important to get in front of the chains and make plays from there and that is the ambition to open this Week 9 schedule and then push onto the rest of the week.
Picks for the remainder of Week 9 will be added to this thread in the days ahead.
Baltimore Ravens @ Miami Dolphins Pick: Two teams who won for just the second time in 2025 in Week 8 will meet in South Florida in this Thursday Night Football game, but it does still feel like only the road team can be considered as one capable of climbing out of a poor spot.
The Baltimore Ravens (2-5) and Miami Dolphins (2-6) may both be aware that only four teams have made it through to the post-season after beginning the season at 1-5, but the former play in a much less competitive Division.
While the Pittsburgh Steelers lead the way in the AFC North, the Ravens are only 2 games behind them in the standings.
On the other hand, Miami play in the AFC East where the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills both reside and who have a combined 11-4 record.
There is also the biggest factor of the Baltimore Ravens having Lamar Jackson returning with the team still close enough to the AFC North leading Steelers to get things moving back in their own direction. Unfortunately for the Miami Dolphins, players like Tyreek Hill are not going to be able to return, while there is still real uncertainty about the long-term belief in Quarter Back Tua Tagovailoa and a Head Coach in Mike McDaniel who is almost certainly leaving.
None of that had an impact as the Miami Dolphins upset the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8 behind Tagovailoa's best performance of the season, but sustaining that level against this Baltimore team is going to be far from easy.
Injuries have decimated the Ravens on the Defensive side of the ball, but they certainly looked a lot better all around out of the Bye Week when beating the Chicago Bears and ending their run of losses. It would have been a time when Head Coach John Harbaugh was just able to help the team reset and the boost of a returning Lamar Jackson will be felt on both sides of the ball.
The Miami Offensive Line may still feel they can help establish the run, which is extremely important for the Quarter Back and for the game-calling. but there will be a feeling within the Baltimore camp that the Defensive Line will settle down. They are without some important names, but the players who have come in will know the job is to keep for the rest of the season and they may be able to slow down Miami for just long enough to give the team a chance.
There have been some improvements in the play of the Secondary too and this inconsistent Miami passing game is without key contributors. That made no impact in Week 8 in Atlanta, but the challenge will be different on this short week and Lamar Jackson's presence could mean the road team are putting scoreboard pressure on the Dolphins.
It was clear the NFL have not been happy with the injury reporting that Baltimore put together last week and even Head Coach John Harbaugh admitted there had been mistakes. They had been implying that Lamar Jackson had been practicing in the lead up to the game against Chicago, but that proved to be untrue and the Ravens are likely to be punished for the incorrect reports they had handed out.
This week Lamar Jackson has been practicing with the first team and his return could spark the Baltimore Ravens after they had been treading water without him.
The whole Offensive game-plan changes with Jackson behind Center rather than Cooper Rush- Tyler Huntley does a decent Jackson impression and led the way in the win over Chicago, but the latter is a much stronger Quarter Back and everyone on this unit benefits with him playing.
Derrick Henry will certainly look to have a big impact running the ball against a Miami Defensive Line that have been absolutely battered up front at times this season. Credit has to be given to the Dolphins for containing Bijan Robinson in Week 8, but a mobile Quarter Back like Lamar Jackson makes things that much more difficult for any team and both the Quarter Back and Derrick Henry are expected to have some real success on the ground.
This will open up the passing lanes against an injury-hit Secondary, while the Quarter Back is expected to have time in the pocket to make his plays down the field from third and manageable spots.
You cannot ignore the fact that this is a big spread when you think of how competitive some of the Miami defeats have been this season- they were blown out by the Cleveland Browns in a miserable effort in miserable conditions, but Miami have pushed the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Chargers in home losses by a combined 8 points.
The road losses have been much more straight-forward, but Miami have not covered in any of their last four games played against non-Divisional opponents after winning as an underdog.
In their last eleven Thursday night games, the straight up winner has covered the spread each time and that is an issue for the Miami Dolphins who are not expected to win this one.
Lamar Jackson is only just returning from a hamstring issue so there are some concerns about this selection and so units must remain at a minimum for this one, even though the Ravens feel the right choice to show what they may still achieve this season.
Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions Pick: Three teams in the NFC North have a winning record as we have entered Week 9 of the season and that will not surprise anyone considering the Division sent three teams to the Playoffs last season.
However, the one surprise may be the fact that the Minnesota Vikings (3-4) are the one team that are below 0.500 and the entire team needs to just reset.
A decision was made to move on from Sam Darnold and hand the keys to the First Round Draft Pick JJ McCarthy, who had spent the entire 2024 season on the sidelines. After a couple of mixed starts, McCarthy picked up another injury and has been out of action with Carson Wentz filling in, although the latter has been playing through the pain.
In Week 9 the ball will be back in JJ McCarthy's hands and the Vikings need him to get up to speed pretty quickly as they prepare to travel to the Detroit Lions (5-2).
The Bye Week came at a good time for the Lions and it may have given some key players the chance to get through the injury problems that have been holding them back. They are still without a couple of solid performers, but Detroit have to be really happy with the first seven games of the 2025 season as they look to finally end the long, long wait to reach the Super Bowl.
Nothing much has been wrong with the way the Detroit Lions have played on the Offensive side of the ball, although they are going up against a tough Minnesota Defensive unit.
In recent games the Vikings Defensive Line have improved the performance against the run, but slowing down Sonic and Knuckles is a different test. The Lions imposed themselves on the ground against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7 and they will certainly be confident in the ability of the Offensive Line to open up some solid running lanes in this one to ease the pressure on Jared Goff.
The Quarter Back has been under a bit more pressure in the pocket than he has perhaps been used to since signing with the Detroit Lions, but that should be eased if the team are running the ball as they were against the Buccaneers.
Jared Goff has plenty of weapons to target down the field if given the time to allow routes to develop and this Minnesota Secondary have had some problems in stopping the pass.
With the balance that the Lions can produce Offensively, they should be able to move the chains with some consistency and the pressure will be on the Minnesota Vikings to try and keep up on the scoreboard with a returning Quarter Back.
It may all be on JJ McCarthy's arm with the Vikings struggling for some consistency when it comes to running the ball, but it is simply important for Minnesota to at least keep the young Quarter Back in third and manageable spots.
Doing that will allow McCarthy to make some plays against a banged up Secondary, especially with the top Receivers that are around him. It would also be key to find some time in the pocket with the Vikings struggling in pass protection and facing a Lions pass rush that will be desperate to rush the Quarter Back and try and protect the Secondary by speeding up the passes that need to be delivered.
Turnovers could be key and that is where the Lions may have an edge as they look to move to 2-1 within the NFC North.
Last season they blew out the Minnesota Vikings at home and the latter are a team that are just 1-8 against the spread in the last nine games when facing an opponent playing with rest.
This is a big spread, but the Lions may keep the scoreboard pressure on this Divisional rival and that may ultimately see them come away with a big home victory.
Los Angeles Chargers @ Tennessee Titans Pick: An Interim Head Coach will take over the rest of the way, but the Tennessee Titans (1-7) are going to have to make big decisions at the end of this season. They do feel that they have the franchise Quarter Back in the building, but there is very little around Cam Ward right now and the Titans may end up with the top Draft Pick again.
That may actually speed up any rebuild with the likelihood that the Titans would trade out of the position, but none of the players on the roster right now can think ahead to April.
Instead they are fighting for their own jobs and Tennessee need to find something positive as they prepare to host the Los Angeles Chargers (5-3) who are a game behind the Denver Broncos in the AFC West.
Injuries are hurting both teams, but the Los Angeles Chargers have to be credited for fighting through adversity. They can certainly be grateful to Justin Herbert at Quarter Back and this is a big chance to pump out some strong passing numbers against this banged up Secondary.
Justin Herbert does not have to do everything himself- the Chargers Offensive Line have been opening up some big running lanes and Kimani Vidal has made full use of his opportunity at Running Back to impress. This looks to be another game in which Vidal can rip off some huge gains and keep the Los Angeles Chargers Offensive unit in positive field position.
The Offensive Line have not been as strong in pass protection, but they may not have to hold up that long with Herbert likely able to get the ball out of his hands pretty quickly. Running the ball well should mean Justin Herbert can employ play-action to attack Tennessee down the field and this should be a day in which the Chargers have plenty of Offensive success.
As has been the case for much of the season, the question for the Tennessee Titans is whether they can do enough when they have the ball to keep themselves competitive on the scoreboard?
While the game is close, the Titans may be able to rely on the run against this Chargers Defensive Line that have just had some issues up front, especially in recent games. This is important to put Cam Ward in a good position on the field and to just allow the rookie to make quick, decisive plays, although the Titans are struggling without any real standout skill players to aid Ward.
A real problem for Tennessee is when they have fallen behind- the Offensive Line have simply not offered much protection for their rookie Quarter Back. This is something that the Los Angeles Chargers can exploit and it is a reason the Titans have fallen away in games and we could see something similar here.
Having a mini-Bye to prepare for this game should suit the Chargers too and they can win this game by double digits and cover the mark set.
San Francisco 49ers @ New York Giants Pick: Two teams that have major names out through injury face one another in Week 9 of the 2025 season, but it is 'next man up' situations for both.
The San Francisco 49ers (5-3) are still very much in contention in the NFC West, although it is a much tougher turnaround for the New York Giants (2-6).
Once again it is Mac Jones who will be playing at Quarter Back even though Brock Purdy is edging closer and closer to a return. It is the second consecutive road game for the 49ers who were beaten at the Houston Texans last week, but that was a tough match up for them, especially on the Offensive side of the ball.
It is not expected to be the same challenge for Mac Jones and the 49ers in this one and the Offensive Line is certainly going to feel they can open up some running lanes for Christian McCaffrey. The season has been one of inconsistency when it comes to pounding the rock, but the 49ers will not have played too many teams that give up the amount of yardage on the ground that the New York Giants have allowed.
You would have to lean towards the 49ers being successful rather than the Giants finding a way to clamp down on the run and this is going to make life more comfortable for Mac Jones who has not had too many of his top skill players available at the same time.
Being able to throw from third and manageable spots will help and there are areas to exploit in this Giants Secondary.
This is something that Mac Jones has shown he can do and the 49ers can keep the chains moving with a lot more consistency than they could against a tough Houston Defense last week.
Since Jaxson Dart took over at Quarter Back, the New York Giants have won both home games played, but the team have lost Cam Skattebo to a season ending injury after the rookie Running Back had given them a big spark. Malik Nabers is already out and you do have to wonder if the Giants have enough emotional energy to help them through this difficult time.
Recent games have seen the New York Giants produce inconsistent running numbers, but Cam Skattebo's energy was a huge boost for the team. Tyrone Tracy Jr can step in, but he is not expected to have a lot of room up front against this San Francisco Defensive Line, which has remained pretty solid even as the pass rushers continue to go down with injuries.
They are trying to bring in players to give that pass rush a boost, but it should mean Jaxson Dart has a bit more time to throw the ball when he drops back. However, the injuries to key players on this side of the ball may just lead to some inconsistency, even against this banged up San Francisco Secondary.
Ultimately that is where the 49ers may eventually do enough to secure an important road game and with the likelihood that they can establish the run better than they have for much of the season.
It is unlikely to be a blowout, but the road team can do enough to win this one and cover the spread set.
MY PICKS: Baltimore Ravens - 7.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Detroit Lions - 8.5 Points @ 1.91 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
Los Angeles Chargers - 9.5 Points @ 1.86 Bet365 (1 Unit)
San Francisco 49ers - 2.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
San Francisco 49ers - 2.5 Points @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Week 8: 4-3, + 0.52 Units (7 Units Staked, + 7.43% Yield)
Week 7: 3-2, + 0.69 Units (5 Units Staked, + 13.80% Yield)
Week 6: 3-4, - 1.09 Units (7 Units Staked, - 15.57% Yield)
Week 5: 3-3, - 0.33 Units (6 Units Staked, - 5.50% Yield)
Week 4: 2-3, - 1.14 Units (5 Units Staked, - 22.80% Yield)
Week 3: 5-3, + 1.56 Units (8 Units Staked, + 19.50% Yield)
Week 2: 3-2, + 0.67 Units (5 Units Staked, + 13.40% Yield)
Week 1: 0-2, - 2 Units (2 Units Staked, - 100% Yield)
2025 Season: 23-22, - 1.12 Units (45 Units Staked, - 2.49% Yield)
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