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Free NFL betting picks for every Week 9 matchup in 2025. Expert analysis and predictions for NFL Week 9. Who should you bet in Week 9? Analysis for every game on the slate.
Week 9 of the NFL season brings fans a slate that's loaded with intrigue. At this point in the season, playoff implications are becoming a very real thing, especially in a marquee matchup such as the Chiefs vs. Bills.
We'll kick things off with a Thursday night meeting between the Ravens and Dolphins, and ultimately close with a Monday night showdown between the Cowboys and Cardinals.
Through the good, bad, and ugly, we'll dive into all the unique spots on this slate, as we go through every Week 9 game in this article, offering picks, predictions, and analysis for each and every one. Thanks for joining us here at RotoBaller; let's dive in!
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Baltimore Ravens 31, Miami Dolphins 20 (Thursday Night)
Baltimore took a step in the right direction with last week's win over the Bears. It was the team's first victory since Week 2. The Ravens are expected to have Lamar Jackson back in the lineup for this Thursday night matchup against the Dolphins, as John Harbaugh's squad will attempt to continue their climb out of the hole following a disastrous start to the season.
Lamar Jackson in 4 career games vs. Miami 😈
142.7 passer rating
1,400 total yards
15 total TDs
1 INTWhat’s Lamar’s line tonight? ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/eV64NwP7ae
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) October 30, 2025
Miami's 2-6 record bares out their issues, but they've been sneakily competitive. Outside of a windswept blowout at Cleveland, the Fins have either won or lost by one score in their last five games. That said, it's tough to envision a Dolphins run front that coughing up 145 rushing yards per game successfully slowing down Derrick Henry in this one. Baltimore has their backs firmly against the wall and this will be the healthiest they've been since Week 1.
Denver Broncos 21, Houston Texans 20
Though Denver appears to be finding its stride offensively - scoring 77 combined points across their last two games - we can expect this meeting with Houston to be a defensive slugfest, as these are two of the top units in the NFL.
The Texans are allowing the league's fewest points per game (14.7), while the Broncos stand fifth in points allowed (18.9). Denver will be without superstar corner Patrick Surtain, though their elite depth will help to soften the blow of his absence.
We'll give the edge to the Broncos, as Houston's never-ending offensive line issues will likely be exposed by Denver's top-notch pass rush this week, while the Texans boast few offensive playmakers outside of Nico Collins.
San Francisco 49ers 24, New York Giants 21
Both teams enter this one on the heels of Week 8 losses. For the Giants, it wasn't just a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but also the end of the season for rookie sparkplug running back Cam Skattebo, who suffered a gruesome ankle injury.
Now without Skattebo, it's fair to wonder how much juice the Big Blue offense will have going forward. The bigger issue for New York is a run front that's coughing up the league's third-most rushing yards per game (148.9), that will be tasked with containing San Fran's dynamic Christian McCaffrey. Look for the Niners to control this one on the ground and to contain rookie QB Jaxson Dart.
Indianapolis Colts 28, Pittsburgh Steelers 23
For all the offseason buzz garnered by Pittsburgh's addition of Aaron Rodgers, it's been the long-vaunted Steelers defense that's been the real story for Mike Tomlin's squad in 2025. Far from a Steel Curtain, Pittsburgh is allowing the third-most total yards per game (406.1) in the NFL.
"[Jonathan Taylor] should be #1 in the MVP race."@RanCarthon @_HaileySutton break down Jonathan Taylor's 3-touchdown game vs the Titans. pic.twitter.com/m8cDXEMWU2
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) October 27, 2025
A Colts offense that's firing on all cylinders should be able to capitalize on those defensive lapses this week. Indy running back Jonathan Taylor has earned serious MVP consideration en route to 850 rushing yards and 14 TDs through the first eight weeks of the season. Colts' QB Daniel Jones has also been highly efficient. He's capable of attacking a Steelers secondary that's currently ranked dead last in the league in passing yards allowed (273.3) per game.
Green Bay Packers 28, Carolina Panthers 13
The Packers will look to defend their home turf at Lambeau against a Panthers squad fresh off a 40-9 beatdown at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in Week 8. Carolina was without Bryce Young in last week's loss, and it will likely be veteran Andy Dalton once again under center against Green Bay.
Jordan Love and the Packers offense overcame a sluggish first half to score on five consecutive drives and defeat the Steelers in a Week 8 Sunday night matchup. Love and company should continue finding success against a Panthers defense that was just tagged for 40 points last week, while Micah Parsons and the Green Bay defense should wreak havoc on the slow-footed Dalton against a Carolina offensive line that relinquished seven sacks in Week 8.
Detroit Lions 31, Minnesota Vikings 17
The losers of two straight, Minnesota travels to the difficult environment of Ford Field to face a tough divisional rival in the Lions. With a 3-4 record, it feels as though the Vikings season is on the brink of unraveling. With veteran QB Carson Wentz now done for the season with a shoulder injury, Kevin O'Connell will turn back to rookie signal caller J.J. McCarthy in Week 9.
Fresh off a bye, Detroit has had plenty of time to prepare for this NFC North matchup. The Lions pass rush has been rocket-fueled of late, amassing 23 sacks across their last six games. Look for Aidan Hutchinson and company to force the inexperienced McCarthy - who has thus far looked out of his depth at the NFL level in limited action - into some costly mistakes.
Los Angeles Chargers 34, Tennessee Titans 16
Running pure both on and off the field, quarterback Justin Herbert leads his Chargers to Music City for a Week 9 meeting with the lowly Titans. The mid-season firing of Tennessee head coach Brian Callahan has done little to spark this squad, as the Titans have been outscored by a combined 42 points across their last two games.
A west coast team traveling east for a 1:00 kickoff normally gets our antennae up - and the Bolts have struggled in similar spots against New York & Miami this year - but the Titans pose such a little threat that it's hard to picture Jim Harbaugh's squad struggling in this one.
New England Patriots 23, Atlanta Falcons 20
The only predictable thing about the Atlanta Falcons is that they are completely unpredictable. Atlanta dropped a shocker last week to the scuffling Dolphins in a 34-10 blowout loss at home. It was a performance reminiscent of the Falcons' surprising shutout dud against the Panthers in Week 3.
A bounce-back performance wouldn't be completely shocking, although it will be a tall order against a surging Patriots group in Foxboro. Mike Vrabel's reconfigured New England roster has now reeled off five straight wins behind the stellar play of Drake Maye and a defense that's held opponents to just 15.6 points per game across their current winning streak.
Drake Maye has joined an elite list 😮💨
All the other QBs to achieve this won MVP in that season 👀 pic.twitter.com/JG20WJ5Bwy
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) October 27, 2025
The Pats are allowing the league's second-fewest rushing yards per game, which makes them uniquely suited to contain a run-oriented Atlanta offense that enters Week 9 with key playmakers Michael Penix and Drake London banged up.
Cincinnati Bengals 31, Chicago Bears 28
This one depends on the availability of Bengals QB Joe Flacco - who is listed as questionable as of this writing. Assuming Flacco plays, the Bengals are live home dogs in this spot, despite a gut-wrenching loss to the New York Jets in Week 8.
The Cincinnati defense is undeniably putrid and enters the week allowing a league-worst 31.6 points per game. However, the Bears have little chance of slowing down the dynamic receiving duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins with a secondary that's been ravaged by injuries and coughed up 30 points to a Snoop Huntley-led Ravens offense last week.
Chicago's offense is certainly improved following Ben Johnson's arrival, and is capable of scoring against a sieve-like Bengals defense. This has the makings of a high-scoring shootout if Flacco is able to suit up.
Jacksonville Jaguars 24, Las Vegas Raiders 17
Both of these AFC squads enter this matchup fresh off byes and in desperate need of a win. Jacksonville has lost two straight following a 4-1 start to the season, while Las Vegas has dropped five of their last six while largely being uncompetitive.
The offseason acquisition of Geno Smith has been a disaster for the Raiders to this point, as their offense's paltry 14.7 points per game is the second-worst mark in the NFL. Smith and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty haven't been done any favors by the Silver & Black's swiss-cheese offensive line. The Jags have been solid defensively, but have struggled to get pressure on opposing QBs in 2025. That will change this week against a lifeless Vegas squad.
Los Angeles Rams 27, New Orleans Saints 10
Following a 1-7 start, the Saints will turn the keys of their sputtering offense over to second-round rookie Tyler Shough in Week 9. The 26-year-old Louisville product was reportedly underwhelming throughout New Orleans' training camp, but the organization will likely be in evaluation mode for the remainder of 2025.
Shough enters a harsh environment against a Rams defense that's averaging the second-most sacks per game (3.7) in the NFL this season. Jared Verse and company have clamped down on opponents of late, allowing just 10 total points across their last two games.
L.A. is expected to have superstar receiver Puka Nacua back for this matchup, and should have little trouble carving up a mediocre-at-best Saints defense.
Kansas City Chiefs 28, Buffalo Bills 27
These teams have provided us several "instant classics" when meeting in recent years. Buffalo has gone 4-1 in regular season matchups against Kansas City over the last five years, while the Chiefs have dominated the postseason meetings. Once again ahead of this Week 9 clash, these are two of the top teams in the NFL.
Bills vs Chiefs in their last seven matchups, including playoffs:
Win
Loss
Win
Win
Loss
Win
LossWinless in January. pic.twitter.com/iOIaWJwAku
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 30, 2025
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have battled back to win five of their last six following an 0-2 start to the season, though the unsung here in KC has been a rugged defense that's second in the NFL in total yards (286.3) and points (16.4) allowed per game.
Conversely, Buffalo's biggest flaws have been on the defensive side of the ball, where they've been gashed for just over 150 rushing yards per game in 2025. While it's never a great feeling to pick against Josh Allen in Orchard Park, the Chiefs appear to be the more complete team at the moment.
Seattle Seahawks 26, Washington Commanders 17 (Sunday Night)
With Washington receiver Terry McLaurin already ruled out, much of this Sunday night matchup's outlook will weigh on the availability of Commanders QB Jayden Daniels - who is still questionable as of this writing. Whoever is under center for Dan Quinn's bunch in Week 9 will be forced to face a Seahawks defense that's trending toward becoming one of the league's best units.
Outside of a 38-35 Week 5 loss to Tampa Bay, Seattle has not allowed an opponent to score more than 20 points this season. Mike Macdonald's aggressive front is holding opposing runners to a league-low 75.7 rushing yards per game. Offensively, offseason acquisition Sam Darnold has formed an elite rapport with second-year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the 'Hawks offense averaging over 27 points per game.
Washington has lost three straight while dealing with injuries to key players - this doesn't feel like a great spot for them to stop that slide.
Dallas Cowboys 35, Arizona Cardinals 31 (Monday Night)
The recipe for success for the current version of the Cowboys is simple...outscore everybody. This Dallas defense has been abysmal, and currently ranks 30th or worse in the NFL in total yards, passing yards, and points allowed per game. If you're a Dallas fan, you've at least had a very good Dak Prescott-led offense to keep you relatively competitive.
The Cowboys defense has served as a "slump buster" for opposing offenses this season, and the Cardinals are in need of such treatment. Following a 2-0 start, Arizona has lost five straight - the last two without franchise QB Kyler Murray in the lineup. Murray is trending toward playing as of this writing, although his presence far from guarantees a win.
Dallas is averaging just over 41 points at home this season, while the Cards defense has coughed up 58 combined points over their last two. Look for the high-octane Cowboys offense to outpace Arizona on Monday night.
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