The Minnesota Vikings, the NFL's last unbeaten team, enter Week 9 as 3-point home underdogs against the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills. Meanwhile, the 6-1 San Francisco 49ers host the Las Vegas Raiders as 10-point favorites, and the Arizona Cardinals visit the Seattle Seahawks in an NFC West clash where the line has shifted after news that quarterback Sam Darnold will miss the game with a quad injury.
Arizona rallied from 14 points down to defeat the Dallas Cowboys 33-30 in overtime in Week 8, with Gardner Minshew set to start at quarterback following Jacoby Brissett's trade to Baltimore. Running back Tyler Allgeier leads the Cardinals' ground game with 72 carries for 323 yards and two touchdowns, including a 147-yard, one-score performance against Dallas. Tight end Trey McBride paces the receiving corps with 66 catches for 544 yards and five touchdowns. For Seattle, Drew Lock steps in for Darnold and will rely on wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has 64 receptions for 985 yards and nine touchdowns.
A computer model that simulates every NFL game 10,000 times has produced a 60-51 record on top-rated picks dating back to 2024, returning more than $5,000 for $100 players on betting sites. The model's top Week 9 selection is the Over 39.5 points in the Cardinals-Seahawks matchup, which hits in 76% of simulations. The Over has cashed in six of Arizona's last 10 games and three of Seattle's last five. Seattle's offense ranks 11th in scoring at 24.0 points per game, while Arizona averages 21.9 points per game, 21st in the league.
The model also identifies four other Week 9 matchups where it believes the betting line is significantly off, including multiple spread picks that hit well over 50% of the time in simulations. Combining all five best bets into a parlay would yield a potential payout of nearly +3000.
