NFL Week 9 Lines: Time To Learn About AFC Contenders, Pretenders

It’s quite clear as we enter Week 9 of the NFL season that one of the most common preseason predictions is coming true: The AFC is a far superior conference than the NFC.

As of Monday morning, seven of the top 11 teams by Super Bowl odds reside in the American Football Conference, with all of those clubs — the Chiefs, Dolphins, Ravens, Bills, Bengals, Jaguars and Browns — coming in at 28-1. And in reality, that only tells part of the story, as those AFC teams are probably better than even some of the NFC contenders, but the NFC numbers are shorter simply because they get to through the easier conference.

The standings and stats back it up, too. Four of the five best teams by winning percentage reside in the AFC, and the same could be said for DVOA. Not only that, those figures do tend to back up what the eye test is telling us about the league’s best teams, too.

Looking ahead to Week 9, we’re going to really start to test the mettle of the AFC’s contenders with a couple of must-see intraconference clashes. There’s no better matchup on the slate than the Dolphins and Chiefs doing battle in Germany to open Sunday, bookending a day that will see the Bills and Bengals tangle in Cincinnati on “Sunday Night Football.”

Speaking of bookending, we’ll get even more intel on the next tier of AFC contenders — or pretenders. “Thursday Night Football” features a showdown between two teams — the Titans and Steelers — who play a well-coached, physical brand of ball and are both one hot streak away from becoming a team no one wants to see down the stretch. Then, the week ends with a “Monday Night Football” matchup in the Meadowlands between the Chargers and Jets. New York keeps finding ways to win (4-3 with a negative point differential for the season), while the Chargers are probably feeling a lot better about themselves following a Sunday night get-right game against the Bears.

Let’s dive into the point spreads and totals for those games and the rest of the NFL Week 9 slate below.

(Odds from FanDuel Sportsbook)

THURSDAY, NOV. 2

Tennessee Titans at (-2.5) Pittsburgh Steelers, 36.5

SUNDAY, NOV. 5

Miami Dolphins vs. (-2.5) Kansas City Chiefs, 50.5 (in Germany)
Los Angeles Rams at (-2.5) Green Bay Packers, 39.5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at (-2.5) Houston Texans, 39
Washington Commanders at (-2.5) New England Patriots, 38.5
Chicago Bears at (-5.5) New Orleans Saints, 41.5
Minnesota Vikings at (-3.5) Atlanta Falcons, 36.5
Arizona Cardinals at (-7.5) Cleveland Browns, 38.5
Seattle Seahawks at (-5.5) Baltimore Ravens, 42.5
(-2.5) Indianapolis Colts at Carolina Panthers, 44.5
Dallas Cowboys at (-2.5) Philadelphia Eagles, 46.5
New York Giants at (-3.5) Las Vegas Raiders, 37.5
Buffalo Bills at (-1.5) Cincinnati Bengals, 47.5

MONDAY, NOV. 6

(-2.5) Los Angeles Chargers at New York Jets, 42.5

Bye weeks: Denver, Detroit, Jacksonville, San Francisco