NFL Week 9 Sunday Guide: Bengals in Madrid, Packers at Patriots, and Broncos at Panthers

Week 9 of the NFL season kicks off before most people have finished breakfast, with the Bengals and Falcons playing in Madrid at 9:30 a.m. ET, and it ends Monday night with Bills at Vikings. In between is a full Sunday of football, including a Packers-Patriots matchup between two 5-3 teams, a Broncos team trying to avoid a trap game, and a Bengals offense that has been scoring at will. If you are newer to football or betting and just want to know which games deserve your attention this weekend, this is your guide.

All of the lines below are from DraftKings and were current as of Saturday morning. Spreads can move before kickoff, so check the latest numbers on the live NFL odds page before you place anything. A quick refresher for beginners: the spread is the number of points a team has to win (or avoid losing) by, and the total is the combined score that bettors predict the teams will finish over or under.

Bengals vs. Falcons in Madrid: Can Anyone Stop Joe Burrow?

The early window is a trip to Spain. Cincinnati (5-2) is a 3-point favorite against Atlanta (3-5) at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, and the total sits at 52.5, the highest on the board for the week. The moneyline is roughly Bengals -166 and Falcons +140. If the Bengals win, they would move to 6-2, which would be their best start since 2015.

The reason that total is so high is Joe Burrow. He leads the league with a 73.0 completion percentage, 302.1 passing yards per game, and 20 touchdown passes. Last week he threw six touchdowns and three interceptions in a 43-36 overtime win over Tennessee, and Cincinnati has scored 78 points over its last six quarters or so. With Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins on the outside, defenses have no good answer.

Atlanta is hard to pin down. This is the same team that beat the Packers at Lambeau and handed the 49ers their only loss, but it was shut out by Tampa Bay last Sunday in a rainstorm, with Michael Penix Jr. throwing four interceptions. Bijan Robinson is the league’s leading rusher and a threat in any game, though the Falcons are without running back Brian Robinson and receiver Zachariah Branch, and the Bengals are missing safety Kyle Dugger. Atlanta’s secondary has been strong on deep throws, but it is hard to see the Falcons keeping pace if this turns into a shootout. Casual fans who want to watch one game start to finish should pick this one: expect points and an unusual setting.

Packers vs. Patriots: Two 5-3 Teams and Two Gunslinging Quarterbacks

The featured game of the late window is at Gillette Stadium at 4:25 p.m. ET on Fox. New England is a 3-point home favorite, with the total around 46.5 at DraftKings (other books have it a point or two lower). Both teams are 5-3 and have won four of their last five. The Patriots beat Miami 24-19 in Week 8, and the Packers beat Carolina 27-19 at home. It is the first meeting between the teams since 2022, when Green Bay won 27-24 in overtime.

The story is the quarterbacks. Jordan Love leads the NFL with 312 pass attempts, and Green Bay has the second-highest pass rate in the league at 66.1 percent. That is partly by necessity: the Packers have the league’s worst rushing attack at 60.6 yards per game, and Josh Jacobs has averaged only 2.3 yards per carry since returning from injury. On the other side, Drake Maye has been terrific, earning AFC Offensive Player of the Month honors, and he has taken much better care of the ball lately, with only three turnovers over his last five games after seven in his first three.

The matchup comes down to health and turnovers. New England is thin at receiver, with A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, and Hunter Henry all dealing with injuries heading into the weekend, while Green Bay’s defense has 15 takeaways, second in the NFL. The Patriots also blitz often, and Love leads the league with 824 passing yards against the blitz, so that could backfire. Home field matters here, but with the Packers getting a field goal and a moneyline around +142, they look like the better value.

Broncos at Panthers: Trap Game or Easy Win for Denver?

Denver (6-2) is a 2.5-point road favorite at Carolina (3-4), and the total is a low 43.5 at 1 p.m. ET on CBS. The Broncos have won four straight and are 4-0 against the spread when favored this season, and they come in off a 28-24 win over Kansas City. Next week is their bye, which is exactly the kind of situation where teams look past an opponent.

The Panthers have some real problems and some real weapons. They fired defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley on October 30 after the loss to Green Bay, so Todd Wash makes his debut as interim coordinator. The run defense gives up 140.7 yards per game, third-worst in the league, and quarterback Bryce Young was pressured on half of his dropbacks in each of the last two weeks while facing one of the league’s best defensive lines. Young has improved, with 7.14 yards per attempt and a 117.1 passer rating on deep throws, and Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker give him real targets.

Denver has its own weaknesses. It converts only 29.7 percent of third downs, the worst rate in the NFL, and safety Brandon Jones is dealing with a hamstring injury. That makes the field goal-sized spread a little scary. The Broncos should win on defense, but this is the type of game that can be decided by one late possession.

This Week’s Best Bets

Here is where we land across the three games above. Remember that these are opinions, not guarantees, and you should only bet what you can afford to lose. If you are new to sports betting, our responsible gambling guide is a good place to start, and a betting calculator can help you understand what a payout looks like before you wager.

• Bengals vs. Falcons: Over 52.5 and Bengals -3, with Burrow and Chase hard to slow down.
• Packers vs. Patriots: Packers +3, because the line is short and the quarterback matchup is so even.
• Broncos vs. Panthers: Broncos -2.5, with Denver’s pass rush facing a shaky Carolina line.

Whatever you play, enjoy the full slate. It starts with football in Madrid and ends with a Monday night showdown, and there is something to watch in every window.