Cash line picks for this week’s video games

Nicely, that was a tough week to be chalky. Week 8 delivered a handful of upsets, a few of which had been hilarious sufficient to justify no matter misplaced cash adopted them — together with Aaron Rodgers’s schadenfreude and regardless of the hell the Chicago Bears did within the fourth quarter of their recreation in Washington.

Week 9 is likely to be equally difficult. The season’s midway level is marked by a bunch of street groups who look higher than their opponent on paper however who you don’t fairly belief. Will the Houston Texans deal with enterprise in opposition to a New York Jets workforce who completely wants a win? Will the Washington Commanders have a let-down recreation in a divisional showdown in New York? What the hell is Sunday’s New England Patriots-Tennessee Titans matchup going to be, except for Pink Zone’s least thrown-to recreation?

Nicely, let’s have a look and decide some winners.

I ended 2023 as Pickwatch’s high skilled in a discipline of tons of. In truth, I’m now performing some aspect work in Pickwatch’s VIP Discord channels if you wish to speak extra about these video games.

Becoming a member of me for 2024 is a six-person panel starting from FTW editors (Charles Curtis, Mary Clarke) to betting analysts (Prince Grimes) to NFL writers (Robert Zeglinski, Andrew Joseph and Meghan Corridor, who’s off this week). Listed below are our Week 9 picks:

All odds through BetMGM

and:

Since our enhancing software program sometimes struggles to make these picks tremendous clear, right here they’re in a neater to learn (however unimaginable to chop and paste) jpg:

Let’s break down three video games based mostly on what I do and don’t like.

Robert Deutsch-Imagn Pictures

Why I like this decide:

Cincinnati is approaching must-win standing. After falling aside in Week 8, the Raiders present an important get-right alternative. The Bengals’ greatest weak spot is a all of a sudden miserable protection. Luckily for them, Las Vegas arrives with Gardner Minshew and the league’s Thirty second-ranked offense.

Why I don’t like this decide:

The Raiders have engineered an undermanned, in the end futile in-season rally earlier than below head coach Antonio Pierce. Granted, the keenness and pleasure that comes with now not having to play for Josh McDaniels is now not in play, however nonetheless.

Final week: 1-0
2024 so far: 6-2 (.750)

USA In the present day Sports activities

Why I like this decide:

New England got here to play in opposition to the Jets, as a result of this can be a franchise that hates the Jets. Additionally it is a franchise ambivalent to the Titans. Drake Maye is working via the concussion protocol and Jacoby Brissett has been one of many few quarterbacks within the NFL much less environment friendly than Will Levis. The Patriots’ depleted offense leans closely on the run, the place the Titans boast a high 10 protection.

Why I don’t like this decide:

The Pats are trending barely upward. From a rebuild standpoint, there’s extra worth to Tennessee in shedding this recreation (and floating to the highest of subsequent yr’s draft to discover a quarterback) than successful it. If Drake Maye does play, he’ll be the sport’s greatest QB even when he’s solely 85 p.c.

Final week: 1-0
2024 so far: 4-4 (.500)

Greg Fiume/Getty Pictures

The Bears closed final week as underdogs, which stored this part alive. They didn’t shut out a rattling factor on the Commanders’ Hail Mary, nevertheless, which is why I’m now batting .250 in terms of selecting canine.

And but, right here I’m as soon as extra, screaming into the void and anticipating to listen to one thing past my very own echo.

Caleb Williams struggled in opposition to a nasty protection, however finally got here on-line to search out his rhythm with three drives of at the least 59 yards within the last 17 minutes of Week 8. Now he goes from Washington’s Twenty second-ranked unit to the Twenty seventh-ranked Cardinals. The Bears protection simply stifled a dynamic dual-threat quarterback and stored him out of the top zone for 60 full minutes final week. Now that unit will get to play indignant after getting torched after the clock ran down.

Arizona is 3-1 when James Conner averages greater than 3.5 yards per carry. Chicago is permitting 4.7 yards per rush this season and ranks solely seventeenth in EPA allowed on speeding performs.

Uh… (factors to the overall neighborhood of Week 8).

Final week: 0-1
2024 so far: 2-6 (.250)