Week 9 kicks off before most people have finished their coffee, with the NFL back in Madrid at 9:30 a.m. ET, and it doesn’t slow down until Chicago hosts Tampa Bay on Sunday Night Football. Fifteen games are on the schedule for the week, with the Titans and Steelers on bye, and the Bills visiting the Vikings on Monday night to cap it off. If you only have time to watch a few games, this is the short list: a high-scoring Spanish showcase, a shootout between two of the league’s best deep-ball passers, a backup-quarterback opportunity in New Orleans, and a Bay Area homecoming. Here is what to watch, when to watch it, and where the numbers sit.
Bengals and Falcons Turn the Bernabeu Into a Shootout
Set your alarm: the Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) and Atlanta Falcons (3-5) play at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu at 9:30 a.m. ET on NFL Network. Cincinnati is a 3-point favorite at DraftKings, and the total is 51.5, one of the highest numbers on the Week 9 board. The Bengals come in on a three-game winning streak after a 43-36 overtime win over the Titans in which Joe Burrow threw six touchdowns and three interceptions.
Burrow leads the NFL in completion percentage (73.0), passing yards per game (302.1) and touchdown passes (20), and he has Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins to throw to. The Falcons present a real test downfield: they have allowed only 2.0 yards of separation on deep targets, the second-lowest mark in the league, and are one of two defenses yet to give up a touchdown on a pass traveling 20-plus air yards. They also grab at least one takeaway in seven of their eight games. Atlanta is erratic, though. The same team beat San Francisco for the 49ers’ only loss and then got shut out 16-0 by Tampa Bay last week, when Michael Penix Jr. threw four interceptions. Bijan Robinson, the league’s leading rusher, gets an exclusive TV window to show off, though Atlanta will be without running back Brian Robinson and wide receiver Zachariah Branch.
This is the most fun game of the week to watch, simply because of the setting and the scoreboard potential. If you are new to reading a total like 51.5, our how betting odds work guide breaks it down in plain English.
Packers at Patriots: Two Big Arms, One Banged-Up Offense
The 4:25 p.m. ET window on FOX belongs to Green Bay (5-3) and New England (5-3), and it is a quarterback lover’s dream. The Patriots are 3-point home favorites with a total of 47.5. Jordan Love leads the league in pass attempts (312) and sits second to Burrow in passing yards per game (280.8), and he throws 20-plus-yard passes on 14.7 percent of his dropbacks, second most in the NFL. Drake Maye is right behind him at 13.7 percent and is tied for second in yards per attempt at 8.5.
The twist is that Maye might be short on targets. A.J. Brown and running back TreVeyon Henderson are both out, and tight end Hunter Henry and receiver Mack Hollins are questionable, which leaves DeMario Douglas as the headliner of the New England passing game. Green Bay has its own problems: Micah Parsons is out with a knee injury, and the Packers have the worst rushing attack in the league, facing a Patriots run defense that allows just 92.6 yards per game. Expect Love and Maye to do most of the work through the air.
| Sunday, November 8 at 4:25 PM | Spread | Money | Total |
| Green Bay Packers |  +3 (-110) |  +143 |  O 45.5 (-108) |
| New England Patriots | -3 (-117) |  -165 | U 44.5 (-110) |
Shedeur Sanders Gets His Moment in New Orleans
At 1 p.m. ET on CBS, the Cleveland Browns (5-3) visit the New Orleans Saints in a game that suddenly has a story. Deshaun Watson is in the concussion protocol and listed as questionable, and Shedeur Sanders is set to make his first start of the 2026 season. The Saints are 3-point favorites and the total is 43.5, one of the lowest on the slate. Cleveland scored just six points in a 27-6 loss in Pittsburgh last week despite gaining 319 yards, and the Browns have slipped to third in the AFC North.
Sanders went 3-4 in seven starts last season, completing 56.6 percent of his passes for 1,400 yards with 7 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. A Superdome crowd is a rough place for a first start of the year, but it is exactly the kind of low-expectations game that makes a quarterback storyline fun to follow.
Raiders Come Home to the Bay, and Bears Close It Out Under the Lights
The Las Vegas Raiders (4-4) visit the San Francisco 49ers (6-1) at 4:25 p.m. ET, their first trip to the Bay Area since leaving in 2020, and it comes with a family subplot: Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak faces his brother Klay, the 49ers offensive coordinator. San Francisco is a 9.5-point favorite with a total of 51.5, and Nick Bosa is set to return after missing five games, while DeForest Buckner is back in the Bay following a trade from Indianapolis. Kirk Cousins, Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers lead a Las Vegas offense averaging 27.6 points per game.
Then comes Sunday Night Football at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC: the Chicago Bears (6-2) host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5) with Chicago laying 6 points and the total at 46.5. The Bears have won three straight, including a 34-17 Monday night win over Seattle, and Caleb Williams has been efficient since coming back from injury. The Buccaneers are the NFL’s top rushing team, and they ran for a franchise-record 324 yards in a 16-0 shutout of Atlanta, becoming the first team in 52 years to win a game without completing a pass. Run-heavy teams usually mean shorter games, so this one may not play like a shootout, but it will be a good one.
This Week’s Best Bets
If you want a lineup to follow this Sunday, here is how we would play the featured games, using the DraftKings numbers listed above. Check current prices at your sportsbook before placing any wager, take a look at the latest NFL odds, and see our NFL betting guide if you are getting started.
- Bengals vs. Falcons: Over 51.5 total points
- Packers at Patriots: Packers +3
- Browns at Saints: Saints -3
- Raiders at 49ers: 49ers -9.5
- Bears vs. Buccaneers: Under 46.5 total points
The common thread this week is star quarterbacks and fun storylines, so pick your favorite window and enjoy the show. Bet responsibly, and only wager what you can afford to lose.
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