Place Your Bets: Week 9

If you live in Nevada, Oregon, Montana or Delaware, you're in luck. Otherwise, go to Canada or Europe, or those rogues in New Jersey and get your bet on for the NFL weekend! All games are Sunday unless otherwise noted.

1. Atlanta at Carolina (-7.5) — The Falcons are reeling, due to injuries and just plain lack of effectiveness. Julio Jones is out for the year. Steven Jackson is just working his way back and hasn't been very good anyway. Roddy White is battling injury and Matt Ryan's top receiver is Harry Douglas. Cam Newton is on a hot streak, so just ride him with the Panthers at home.

2. San Diego at Washington (+1.5) — This game will be hotly contested and most likely a shootout between Philip Rivers and Robert Griffin III. The old adage says a West Coast team traveling to the East Coast for a noon kickoff usually doesn't cover and rarely wins. The Redskins are playing well, as evidenced by their 21-7 lead over Denver last week before the Redskins' wheels fell off in a hurry.

3. Tampa Bay at Seattle (-16.5) — The Seahawks looked very mortal on Monday night, barely escaping St. Louis with a win over the Rams as the Seahawks' running game was non-existent and Russell Wilson struggled, as well. The Seahawks return home this week and get to host a sacrificial lamb in the Bucs, a team in an all-out freefall. It's a big line, but don't worry. Take the Seahawks.

4. Pittsburgh (+6.5) at New England — Tom Brady hasn't just been average. He's been bad this year. It certainly hasn't helped that he's been throwing to an empty cupboard of receivers, either. The Steelers have their fair share of troubles, but they'll still present plenty of problems for a very average Patriots team.

5. Minnesota at Dallas (-10.5) — The Vikings are an absolute mess, and the Cowboys should take full advantage of it. That statement alone, from a Cowboys perspective, shows just how bad the Vikings are right now. Even Adrian Peterson seems mortal, and Christian Ponder is likely going to be under center. The Cowboys should have a field day here, plus they get the return of DeMarco Murray after two weeks on the sidelines with a sprained MCL.

Last week: 2-3. 2013 season: 14-21*