NFL Week 9 Betting Picks

Published|Updated

Special to Outkick The Coverage from OddsShark.com

Where are the money-making opportunities on the Week 9 NFL betting slate? Here's a breakdown of two matchups that have the potential to fatten your wallet on Sunday.

Rams vs. Vikings 

The Rams (4-3) and Vikings (5-2) have been two of the surprise teams with winning records through the first half of the season. Many liked Minnesota to be improved over last year, but winning five of six since suffering a 20-3 season-opening road loss to the San Francisco 49ers has surpassed expectations and put the team just one game back of the Green Bay Packers for the lead in the NFC North. Still, the Vikings were gashed by San Francisco running back Carlos Hyde and will face another top rusher here in Todd Gurley of the Rams.

Gurley is the favorite to win NFL Offensive Player of the Year at 1/3 odds and has been inspired by the comeback of Minnesota's Adrian Peterson, who returned from ACL surgery to lead the league with 2,097 rushing yards in 2012. But Gurley is nine years younger and leads a St. Louis team that has gone 6-1 against the spread in its last seven games as road underdogs during the month of November. The road team has also won the last four meetings both straight-up and ATS according to the OddsShark NFL Database, so put your money on the Rams to knock off the Vikings.

Broncos vs. Colts

The Colts (3-5) are coming off an exhausting 29-26 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers on the road Monday night, rallying from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game before falling in the extra session. Meanwhile, the Broncos (7-0) had an easy 29-10 win over the previously unbeaten Green Bay Packers last Sunday to stay perfect. Both teams covered the spread, and Denver seems to be the obvious choice in this matchup to do it again.

However, Indianapolis has won two of the past three meetings with former quarterback Peyton Manning, including a stunning 24-13 divisional playoff win on the road back in January as a 9.5-point underdog. Manning and the Broncos also lost 39-33 in his only previous trip to Lucas Oil Stadium two years ago as a 6.5-point road favorite. The Colts are a desperate and motivated team right now that has beaten the spread in eight straight meetings with Denver overall -- winning seven of them -- and they will make it nine covers in a row as dogs again.


Check out detailed matchup reports for every NFL game for this week at OddsShark.com.

Tags
Written by
Clay Travis is the founder of the fastest growing national multimedia platform, OutKick, that produces and distributes engaging content across sports and pop culture to millions of fans across the country. OutKick was created by Travis in 2011 and sold to the Fox Corporation in 2021. One of the most electrifying and outspoken personalities in the industry, Travis hosts OutKick The Show where he provides his unfiltered opinion on the most compelling headlines throughout sports, culture, and politics. He also makes regular appearances on FOX News Media as a contributor providing analysis on a variety of subjects ranging from sports news to the cultural landscape. Throughout the college football season, Travis is on Big Noon Kickoff for Fox Sports breaking down the game and the latest storylines. Additionally, Travis serves as a co-host of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, a three-hour conservative radio talk program syndicated across Premiere Networks radio stations nationwide. Previously, he launched OutKick The Coverage on Fox Sports Radio that included interviews and listener interactions and was on Fox Sports Bet for four years. Additionally, Travis started an iHeartRadio Original Podcast called Wins & Losses that featured in-depth conversations with the biggest names in sports. Travis is a graduate of George Washington University as well as Vanderbilt Law School. Based in Nashville, he is the author of Dixieland Delight, On Rocky Top, and Republicans Buy Sneakers Too.