Welcome to Week 9 of the 2025 NFL season.
As always, this piece will focus on 3 plus-money bets to consider for the upcoming NFL Sunday. Last week, we went 1-2 with the victory being Saquon Barkley going over 100 yards (+165). Unfortunately for us, the Patriots went over their team total and the Saints failed to win outright as an underdog.
3 NFL predictions for Week 9
Here are 3 plus-money bets for this week:
Broncos money line
I like Denver to go into Houston and pick up an outright win on Sunday. Both of these teams are coming off of victories in Week 8. The Broncos smashed the Cowboys while the Texans had arguably their best offensive game of the season against the 49ers. I think Denver deserves a bit more credit — Dallas has been pretty scrappy in most games this season. Meanwhile, the San Francisco defense that Houston dominated now ranks outside the top-20 in EPA-per-play allowed. CJ Stroud has also been terrible against pressure this season and no defense in the NFL has registered pressure more often than Denver’s through 9 weeks.
Pick: Broncos +110 on bet365
Looking to bet on NFL football this Sunday? Here’s everything you need to know before picking the best sports betting app to join!
Xavier Worthy to score
I think Xavier Worthy will find the end zone on Sunday. The former Texas wideout has been good when healthy this season. He’s gained 1.89 yards per route run against zone coverage this season, per PFF. Buffalo’s cornerbacks are much better in zone than in man, so I’d expect Kansas City to see quite a bit of zone on Sunday. Rashee Rice and a few other KC pass-catchers are also excellent against zone, but they don’t have Worthy’s downfield threat. Worthy’s average depth of target this season is 14.4 yards — his speed makes him a threat to score from the red zone or an explosive play.
Pick: Xavier Worthy anytime touchdown +200 on DraftKings
Jaguars-Raiders alternate total under
The Jaguars and Raiders will face off in Las Vegas this weekend in a matchup involving 2 of the very worst offenses in the NFL. It seems to be fairly common knowledge that Vegas’s offense is bad — the Raiders are 2-5 on the season and have scored a total of 26 points over their last 3 games. But the Jags are almost as bad on offense. Vegas ranks 30th in points per drive this season, Jacksonville is 27th. The Raiders are 25th in early-down success rate, the Jaguars are 22nd. Jacksonville is +8 in turnover margin this season and yet has a negative point differential on the season because of how its offense has under-performed. And with Travis Hunter now on IR, the Jaguars have lost a key difference-maker on offense. The total for this game is currently priced at 44.5 across the board, which I think is a field goal too high.
Pick: Alternate total under 41.5 (+118 on BetMGM)
Searching for a new sportsbook to join? Here’s a BetMGM bonus code to help you get started with one of the best betting apps available!
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
