San Francisco 49ers v Oakland Raiders
The Battle of the Bay this Friday will be a matchup of two struggling teams in 2018. The 1-6 Raiders head to San Francisco and take on the 1-7 49ers. The home side is ridding a 6 game winning streak and have been poor ever since Jimmy G went down with an ACL. Last week, they gave up a late touchdown to the Cardinals as they went down by 3 points in another disappointing loss. It’s a similar story for the Raiders. They’ve lost their last 3 and the margin has been 14+ in all 3. Their offence did find some life last week as they scored 28 points in a 42-28 loss against the Colts. Raiders QB Derek Carr had his best game of the season with 3 touchdown passes. Friday games this season are trending towards the Overs and both of these teams don’t like playing defence. The Raiders are giving up 31.1 points per game, which is 31st in the NFL. They’ve also lost all 3 on the road this year. The 49ers offence seems to enjoy playing against team’s outside the NFC West as they’ve scored 30 points in Green Bay and 27 points in LA against the Chargers in recent games. So with home field advantage, they should have success against the Raiders D. On the other side, Oakland are coming off 28 points and Carr should continue his form against a 49ers defence that allows 29.5 points per game.
Stadium Record
The 49ers are 1-2 at home this season and have lost back to back games against divisional opponents. The Raiders have lost their last 2 games in San Francisco against the 49ers.
Head to Head Record
Since 2000, the 49ers just lead the series head to head 3-2. The last meeting was back in 2014 and the Raiders won 24-13 in Oakland.
Best Bet
New Orleans Saints v Los Angeles Rams
One of the best games of the week will take place in New Orleans. The 6-1 Saints will take on the red-hot 8-0 Rams in what could be a playoff preview. New Orleans have not lost since Week 1 as they’ve strung together 6 straight victories. Last week on this same stage, they went to Minnesota and knocked off the Vikings 30-20. They thrashed the Redskins in their last home game as well, 43-19. With Drew Brees at the helm, this team is looking like a major challenger to the Rams. LA were slow starters last week against the Packers but their offence came alive in the second half. Rams RB Todd Gurley continues to push his case for MVP honours with another huge performance. He will have a tough matchup against the Saints number #1 ranked rush defence this week. The key to this game will be the matchup between Brees and Goff. Brees is having another great season as he pushes towards 40 years of age. Goff is an upcoming star and has enjoyed the addition of Brandin Cooks to his weaponry in the air. Goff is currently ranked 3rd in the NFL for passing yards and has tossed 17 touchdowns vs 5 interceptions. He should enjoy a favourable matchup against the Saints pass D which allows 300 pass yards per game. But in the end, it’s tough to win 9 straight games in the NFL and I think the Saints are looking the goods in this matchup. They have the run defence to stop Gurley’s influence and have the experience of Brees to lead them to victory. They have beaten 3 very good team’s in their last 3 overall games (Vikings, Ravens, Redskins). The Rams slow start last week and the fact their on the road this week is another factor when betting on the Saints to win.
Stadium Record
The Saints are 2-1 at home this season and beat the Redskins 43-19 in the last home game. The Rams have lost their last 2 games here by an average of 23 points.
Head to Head Record
The two sides met last season and the Rams won 26-20 in Los Angeles. The last meeting in New Orleans was in 2016 and the Saints were big winners, 49-21.
Best Bet
New England Patriots v Green Bay Packers
Tom Brady vs Aaron Rodgers will happen for just the 2nd time in history as their two sides clash in Monday’s feature game. At home, the Patriots are overwhelming favourites and they have hit mid-season form. They come into this home game having won 5 straight games and have scored 38 or more in their last 3 home games. Last week, they played in a fairly comfortable 25-6 win over the Bills in Buffalo. Meanwhile, the Packers are 3-3-1 on the season and while they haven’t won on the road this season, they almost pulled off an upset last week in LA. Against the undefeated Rams, their defence had their number and it was looking like a huge upset. In the end, the Packers faded and they recorded a pretty disappointing 29-27 loss. In this clash with the Patriots, I can see a high scoring affair. The Patriots last game at this venue and in this timeslot, ended in a 43-40 shootout against the Chiefs. The Packers defence has allowed an average of 30 points in their last 3 games and will likely struggle to stop Brady’s offence. On the other hand, the Patriots pass D is giving up 277 pass yards per game and that should open up the game for Aaron Rodgers and his receivers. In the end, their last 2 games have beaten 54.5 points and the Packers have gone 5-2 against the over this season. In 3 of the last 4 games involving the Pats, the total has gone over 54.5 points as well.
Stadium Record
New England is undefeated at home in their 4 games thus far. The Packers last travelled here in 2010 and went down 31-27.
Head to Head Record
Since 2002, the two sides have won 2 games against each other. The last meeting was in Green Bay and the Packers won 26-21.
Best Bet
Dallas Cowboys v Tennessee Titans
Two sides with 3-4 records will clash on Tuesday as the Dallas Cowboys host the Titans. They also face each other after the bye. The Cowboys return to their home turf after a 20-17 loss against the Redskins in Washington. In their last home game, they trashed the Jaguars 40-7 and that made it 3 straight home wins for the year. Interestingly, they’re 3-0 at home but 0-4 on the road. So they definitely enjoy home games! The Titans played over in London in their last game and lost 20-19 against the Chargers. The Tennessee offence is a real concern as they travel to Dallas. They rank 30th in the NFL for points scored per game and Marcus Mariota isn’t having much of an impact. Neither is RB Dion Lewis after switching from the Patriots. They will also face a tough test against the Cowboys defence. They’re allowing just 17.6 points per game and that ranks them as the 2nd best team in the NFL. So it’s looking like the Cowboys D will keep the Titans off the field and that should open up the game for Ezekiel Elliott. The Titans aren’t great at stopping the run and Elliott is one of the best in the league. He’s averaging 88.4 rush yards per game and has recorded 100+ rush yards in back to back home games. So with the Titans offence struggling to move the ball, the Cowboys at the line looks the best bet. Dallas has a 3-1 record against them and smashed the last AFC South team they played at home (Jags 40-7).
Stadium Record
Dallas has won all 3 games at home this season. The Titans last game in Dallas was back in 2010 and they won 34-27.
Head to Head Record
The last meeting was in 2014 and the Cowboys won 26-10 on the road. Since 2002, they’ve won 3 of the last 4 meetings.
Best Bet
Other NFL Week 9 Tips:
| Game | Venue | Best Bet |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears at Buffalo Bills | Buffalo | UNDER 38.5 points $1.74 |
| Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns | Cleveland | Chiefs -8.5 $1.91 |
| New York Jets at Miami Dolphins | Miami Gardens | UNDER 46.5 points $1.76 |
| Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings | Minnesota | OVER 48.5 points $1.87 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers | Carolina | OVER 54.5 points $1.89 |
| Atlanta Falcons at Washington Redskins | Washington | Redskins WIN $1.78 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens | Baltimore | Under 48.5 points $1.76 |
| Houston Texans at Denver Broncos | Denver | OVER 46.5 points $1.96 |
| Los Angeles Chargers at Seattle Seahawks | Seattle | OVER 46.5 points $1.73 |
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