NFL Week 9 Underdogs Who Will Pull Upsets
A Number of Small Underdogs Have Chance to Win Outright
Those looking at the Week 9 NFL schedule will notice quite a few games with point spreads of three or lower. Nine of the games this week fall into that category, which often means there will be some live underdogs ready to pull off the upsets. Underdogs greater than three points are also capable of pulling out a win or two. Let’s look at a few NFL Week 9 underdogs that can pull off the upset and will be decent wagers against the point spread.
Minnesota Vikings vs Atlanta Falcons 
Day/Time:
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Streaming: FOX
Line: Atlanta -4
Total: 37
The Minnesota Vikings have won three straight games after a slow start and are back at .500 for the year. Minnesota lost Kirk Cousins for the season to the NFL injuries last week, so that it will be up to Jaren Hall in this game. Cousins was the leader of the Vikings, but often, you’ll see a team rally for the first game or two after suffering the loss of a key player or two. That may be the case here. Hall isn’t going to be as effective as Cousins, but he could be a little more cautious. Minnesota is -5 in turnovers for the season, and that’s why it’s 4-4 and not 5-3 or 6-2.
Minnesota’s running game hasn’t done a whole lot this season. The Vikings may run a little more with Hall at QB. But the Vikings will likely throw more short, high-percentage passes, and Hall could thrive there.
Minnesota’s defense has been a pleasant surprise this season, allowing 20.3 points and playing well against the run and the pass. It’s a significant improvement from last year. But the defense will have to be challenging the rest of the way.
The Falcons are also 4-4 and run the ball better than Minnesota. Atlanta’s passing game hasn’t hit full stride yet, with the team throwing for 214.9 yards per game. Atlanta’s defense has been pretty solid, allowing 20.1 points per game.
This one should be low-scoring and could go either way. When that’s the case, you’re usually better off taking the underdog and will grab Minnesota +4 for one of our NFL Week 9 underdogs. The current NFL odds have the Vikings +175 on the moneyline, and they’re worth a small wager at generous odds there.
Seattle Seahawks vs Baltimore Ravens 
Day/Time:
Location: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
Streaming: CBS
Line: Baltimore -6
Total: 44
The Seattle Seahawks (5-2) visit Baltimore (6-2) in an early Sunday game. Sure, it will be 10 a.m. in Seattle when the game is played, but that hasn’t had the same effect on NFL players lately as in the past. The days of automatically wagering against West Coast teams when they played an early road game in the East are over.
The Seahawks aren’t necessarily a pretty team to watch. But Seattle is winning. The Seahawks can run the ball but prefer to let Geno Smith and the passing game take over the offense. Seattle runs the ball 25 times per game and throws 33. But the Seahawks average 4.3 yards per carry running the ball, which isn’t bad at all. Seattle will need the ground game to do something to take a little pressure off Smith.
Seattle’s defense hasn’t been bad. It hasn’t been great, but the Seahawks are allowing 19.7 yards per game and doing a solid job against the run. That’s always a key factor when going up against the Ravens.
Baltimore has been on a bit of a roll, but returns to division play next week against Cleveland, followed by Cincinnati. Those two games are more important to the Ravens than this one. Baltimore likes to run the ball, averaging 32.4 rushes and 28.5 passes per game. If Seattle can disrupt the Ravens’ rushing attack, they can make things interesting in this one.
Baltimore’s defense has been solid this season. The Ravens are allowing just 15.1 points per game. The rushing defense has been slightly better than average. But the pass defense has been tough all season long. The Seahawks may run a bit more than usual in this one. You can’t blame them for that.
Take Seattle +6 for one of your NFL Week 9 underdogs. The Seahawks are quietly having a good season and, at their best, are one of the top teams in the league. Seattle is worth a shot in your point spread NFL picks and parlays. The Seahawks should be able to keep things close in this one.
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