NFL Week 9 Sunday picks

Week 9 of the 2024 NFL campaign kicked off with the New York Jets defeating the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football. Now it’s time to turn our attention toward Sunday, and an intriguing schedule is in the cards. It includes a huge NFC North showdown between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers and an AFC East matchup that pits the Buffalo Bills against the Miami Dolphins, before the Minnesota Vikings host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football. Let’s get into our NFL Week 9 best bets for Sunday’s action.

Predictions 

PICK #1: Washington Commanders -3.5 over New York Giants (-108) 

PICK #2: Cleveland Browns +1.5 over Los Angeles Chargers (-110) 

PICK #3: Philadelphia Eagles -7.5 over Jacksonville Jaguars (-110) 

PICK #1: Commanders -3.5 over Giants (-108) 

This is a tale of two NFC East teams going in different directions. Let’s start with the bad and get that out of the way. New York is 2-6 and currently mired in a three-game losing streak. During this stretch, the Giants have scored a grand total of 28 points. Daniel Jones has been struggling – what's new? – and it doesn’t help the much-maligned quarterback’s cause that left tackle Andrew Thomas is on injured reserve. Running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. is questionable due to a concussion, too. 

Times are much better in Washington these days. The Commanders’ immediate resurgence behind No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels has them at 6-2. They were all but 5-3 at the tail end of their Week 7 game against the Chicago Bears, but a Hail Mary from Daniels to Noah Brown on the last play of the game turned defeat into victory. It was an otherwise benign performance by the Commanders, but keep in mind that Daniels was questionable to even play because of a rib injury. He should be much more consistent on Sunday, paving the way to a big division win for Washington.

PICK #2: Browns +1.5 over Chargers (-110) 

It’s Jameis Winston time in Cleveland, but not because the Browns made a move of their own accord. Deshaun Watson somehow managed to avoid getting benched before ultimately suffering a torn Achilles two weeks ago. Winston got the start last Sunday and promptly led his team to an improbable upset of the Baltimore Ravens. Winston passed for 334 yards and three touchdowns.  

The other side of the ball has never been an issue for Cleveland. It boasts one of the best defenses in the league and will likely give a mediocre Los Angeles offense all kinds of problems. If Winston plays even close to as well as he did in Week 8, the Browns should be in good shape to pull the small upset.

PICK #3: Eagles -7.5 over Bears (-110) 

Philadelphia will be trying to extend its winning streak to four games when it hosts Jacksonville. The Jaguars are without question one of the most disappointing teams in football this season. Expectations were relatively high going into the 2024 campaign, but they are 2-6 through eight weeks. Head coach Doug Pederson’s team has not defeated a single opponent that currently has a winning record. Trevor Lawrence has been underwhelming and now has to face a Philly defense that is in the top 10 in passing yards and yards per pass allowed while giving up only eight touchdowns through the air. 

The Eagles’ two most recent victories have been especially impressive. They erased the division-rival New York Giants 28-3 in Week 7 before rolling to a 37-17 road win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Jalen Hurts has gone four straight games without throwing an interception and has delivered five rushing touchdowns in the last two games. Saquon Barkley has surpassed the 100-yard mark on the ground twice in a row. Both of those stars are playing at an elite level, which is why head coach Nick Sirianni’s squad has turned things around following a relatively slow start to the season. Philadelphia should be able to prevail by more than a touchdown.