Even with six teams on bye in Week 9, there is plenty to keep NFL fans excited about the upcoming slate of games.

The week begins with a battle between the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, which could end up being huge in the NFC South. On Sunday, five of the 11 games feature two teams currently .500 or better, including a highly anticipated matchup between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots.

Of course, the best games to watch are not always the best ones to bet on. Here is a look at predictions for each matchup against the spread along with a full breakdown of the top bets throughout the weekend.

Best Bets

Carolina Panthers (+2.5) vs. New Orleans Saints

After watching the Saints dominate the Green Bay Packers Sunday, it is understandable to be cautious about betting against Drew Brees and this explosive offense. However, the team is still 0-4 on the road this season and has lost its last seven away from home in the regular season.

The Saints are averaging 33.7 points in three home games but have just 24.5 points per game on the road (which includes three out of four games indoors). In Week 9, the squad will have to go to a true outdoor facility for only the second time this year.

Brees is certainly confident, telling reporters after the latest win:

We’re on our way to getting that first win on the road in a while, and we all believe it’s gonna be this week. We’re not making it any more difficult or any bigger deal than it already is. We’re just gonna play our game.

Unfortunately, it will be a tough task to get it this week. Carolina is coming off a loss, but it had a great defensive effort Sunday to limit the Seattle Seahawks to just 13 points.  

On the other side of the ball, the Panthers will see the return of running back DeAngelo Williams, according to Jonathan Jones of The Charlotte Observer:

Rivera said DeAngelo Williams will start Thursday night. Williams again declined to talk to reporters today.

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) October 28, 2014

Meanwhile, the biggest flaw for Carolina has been a weak offensive line that puts pressure on Cam Newton in the pocket. Considering the Saints have struggled to create a pass rush this season, this should not be a major issue.

Newton should be able to have a big game against a poor secondary and earn the upset win to stay on top of the NFC South. 

Jacksonville Jaguars (+12) at Cincinnati Bengals

Rob Foldy/Getty Images

Am I really picking the Jaguars as a top bet against a team that doesn’t lose at home? Absolutely.

Despite the 1-7 record, Jacksonville has played very good football lately, especially on defense. In the last four games, the defense has allowed just three touchdowns, including just one to a Pittsburgh Steelers team that just scored 51 points against the Indianapolis Colts.

Pat Thorman of Pro Football Focus provides a look at how the unit continues to improve:

#Jaguars have given up 276.5 yds/gm over last 4 gm. Yards allowed by week: 372, 290, 266, 178 The defense is allowing 10.8 pts/gm in last 4

— Pat Thorman (@Pat_Thorman) October 27, 2014

The only real problem has been Blake Bortles, who has thrown three pick-sixes in that same stretch to really hurt his team. Pete Prisco of CBS Sports states that the key for the quarterback is to find a way to respond to the struggles:

I love how they are calling Blake Bortles a bust. It’s not about this season. It’s 2015. It’s how he responds to the picks.

— Pete Prisco (@PriscoCBS) October 27, 2014

While Cincinnati does have an opportunistic defense, the squad also ranks 29th in the NFL against the run. Jacksonville can lean on Denard Robinson and even Toby Gerhart to move the ball and control this game.

As long as Bortles can take better care of the football, the Jaguars should at least be able to keep the game close.

The Bengals have played a tough stretch of teams but still only have one win in the last four games. They will probably pull out a win, but Jacksonville can keep it close enough to cover this massive spread.

Indianapolis Colts (-3) at New York Giants

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Even though Indianapolis suffered an embarrassing loss to the Steelers in Week 8, Andrew Luck still found a way to make the game much closer than it should have been.

The near comeback led Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller to send this tweet:

Never, ever, ever, ever bet against Andrew Luck.

— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) October 26, 2014

Taking this advice to heart, we should expect the Colts to have a bounce-back effort in Week 9. The quarterback should have an easier time moving the ball against a New York Giants defense that ranks 25th in the NFL against the pass, especially if Reggie Wayne is healthy.

Most importantly, the Colts pass defense is not as bad as it showed against Pittsburgh. This is still the same team that shut out the Bengals in Week 7. The real team is somewhere in between these two efforts.

Against an inconsistent Eli Manning, the secondary should be able to make better plays on the ball and limit the scoring.

The Giants have played four games against teams with a winning record this season and have lost all four, getting outscored 118-49. This one should be more of the same.

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