NFL odds, lines, picks, spreads, bets, top predictions for Week 9, 2021: Model loving Saints, Steelers

SportsLine's advanced model has locked in its Week 9 NFL picks for every game on the NFL schedule

By CBS Sports Staff

Nov 7, 2021 at 11:41 am ET • 3 min read

The Patriots have quietly been one of the best teams over the last month. They've won three of four, with the only loss coming in overtime to the Cowboys. New England will visit Carolina as part of the Week 9 NFL schedule, and the Patriots are one of four road favorites in the latest Week 9 NFL odds at Caesars Sportsbook. The Patriots are 3.5-point favorites over Carolina in the latest Week 9 NFL spreads at Caesars Sportsbook.

Bill Belichick's crew has covered in its last two games, while the Panthers have failed to cover in four of their last five. Should you expect those trends to continue when placing your Week 9 NFL bets? Which other Week 9 NFL odds should you pay close attention to? All of the Week 9 NFL lines are listed below, and SportsLine's advanced computer model has all the NFL betting advice and predictions you need to make the best Week 9 NFL picks now.

The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up almost $7,800 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception six-plus years ago. The model enters Week 9 of the 2021 season on an incredible 128-86 run on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season.

The model also ranked in the top 10 on NFLPickWatch four of the past five years on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 94 percent of CBS Sports Football Pick'em players four times during that span. Anyone who has followed it is way up.

Now, it has turned its attention to the latest Week 9 NFL odds from Caesars and locked in picks for every NFL matchup. Head here to see every pick.

Top Week 9 NFL predictions

One of the model's strongest Week 9 NFL picks is that the Saints (-6.5) cover the spread against the Falcons, as it has New Orleans winning by 10 points. New Orleans is coming off a 36-27 win over Tampa Bay despite losing quarterback Jameis Winston to a knee injury and having to turn to Trevor Siemian.

Siemian went 16-of-29 for 159 yards and a touchdown in relief of Winston, who will now miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. That performance proved that the Saints' offense could sustain with Siemian as the starter, but there's still optimism that Hill could play this week against the Falcons.

The Falcons are coming off a week where they gave up 203 rushing yards to the Christian McCaffrey-less Panthers. Even if Hill can't play, Alvin Kamara is enough of a threat on the ground to protect Siemian, especially against an Atlanta defense that ranks 26th in run defense. That's a big reason why the Saints cover in well over 50 percent of simulations.

Another one of its Week 9 NFL predictions: The Steelers (-6.5) cover against the Bears at home. These teams are going in opposite directions, as Pittsburgh has won three straight while the Bears have lost three in a row. Chicago is also 0-3 against the spread over that stretch.

Bears quarterback Justin Fields has been unable to generate any semblance of offense for Chicago, as the team ranks 32nd in yards and 31st in points. Despite starting just six games, Fields has been sacked (21) the most times in the NFL and now faces a defense that's allowed just five TDs over the last three games. The Steelers have also sacked opponents on 7.3 percent of passing plays, the fifth-best mark in the league.

The model sees Pittsburgh's defense wreaking havoc by getting at least three sacks and two turnovers. It projects Fields as having two turnovers compared to just one total touchdown. With Chicago's offense held in neutral, the model projects Pittsburgh (-6.5) to cover in almost 60 percent of simulations. It also expects a low-scoring game with the under (39) hitting well over 50 percent of the time.

How to make Week 9 NFL picks

The model has also made the call on who wins and covers in every other game on the Week 9 NFL schedule, and it's calling for a Super Bowl contender to go down hard. You can only get every pick for every game at SportsLine.

So which NFL picks can you make with confidence, and which Super Bowl contender goes down hard? Check out the latest NFL odds below, then visit SportsLine to see which teams win and cover the spread, all from a proven computer model that has returned almost $7,800 since its inception, and find out.