NFL Week 9 betting, odds, lines: 5 biggest storylines, including a historic week for favorites

Week 8 of the NFL season was marked by a high level of predictability, with favorites dominating the outcomes. Only one game, the New York Jets' comeback win over the Cincinnati Bengals, was decided by single digits, and just two underdogs covered the spread, making it a historic week for favorites. This resulted in an 11-2 record against the spread, the best performance for favorites since December 1985, offering an easy betting week for those who backed favorites.

The trend of favorites covering spreads is not isolated to Week 8, as they have gone 21-7 over the last two weeks and hold a 69-51-1 record for the season. This pattern may be attributed to an unusually high number of uncompetitive teams in the bottom half of the league early in the season. While oddsmakers are expected to adjust, favorites have been ruling the betting landscape, benefiting casual bettors who typically lean on favorites and overs.

In addition to favorites performing well, overs (games with total points exceeding the set line) also had a strong showing in Week 8, finishing 9-4. This continues a positive trend for overs this season, which are 64-54 overall, hitting at a 54.2% rate. Factors such as new kickoff rules leading to more returns may be contributing to higher scoring, though it remains to be seen if this persists as weather conditions worsen.

Looking ahead to Week 9, the dominance of favorites has influenced point spreads, with six games featuring spreads of 5.5 or more, including three double-digit spreads. The largest is Rams -13.5 over the Saints, partly due to the Saints' struggles and potential quarterback changes. Meanwhile, a notable betting storyline from Week 8 involved the Baltimore Ravens, where the point spread shifted significantly after Lamar Jackson was ruled out, dropping from -6.5 to as low as -1.5, though the Ravens still covered with backup Tyler Huntley at quarterback.