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Battle for NFC North this Sunday

By Rob Maaddi

The Associated Press

A first-place showdown, five road favorites and an old Super Bowl rematch highlight the NFL’s Week 9 schedule.

The NFC North will be on the line when the Detroit Lions (6-1) visit the Green Bay Packers (6-2) on Sunday. The Lions handed Minnesota its first loss of the season in a battle for first place two weeks ago.

The Los Angeles Rams (3-4) are a surprise road favorite at Seattle (4-4) in an NFC West matchup. The Seahawks, Cardinals and 49ers are locked in a three-way tie for first place with the Rams right behind.

The injury-depleted Buccaneers (4-4) visit the Chiefs (7-0) on Monday night without several key players in the lineup. Tampa Bay has lost three of four. The teams met in the Super Bowl four years ago with Tom Brady leading the Buccaneers to a 31-9 victory that prevented Kansas City from repeating.

Tampa Bay (4-4) at Kansas City (7-0): The Chiefs (-9) have won 13 in a row and they’re still not clicking completely on offense. Patrick Mahomes played better in his first game with new receiver De’Andre Hopkins. Best bet: Chiefs, 33-20

Los Angeles Rams (3-4) at Seattle (4-4): The Seahawks have lost four of five after a 3-0 start, including a lopsided loss at home last week to Buffalo. The Rams (-2) are coming off a mini-bye following an impressive win over Minnesota last Thursday. Upset special: Seahawks, 24-23

Houston (6-2) at New York Jets (2-6): Aaron Rodgers and the struggling Jets (-1.5) continue to get respect from oddsmakers. Despite losing five consecutive games, they’re favored against the AFC South-leading Texans. Jets: 19-16

Washington (6-2) at New York Giants (2-6): Jayden Daniels saved Washington (-3.5) from defeat with a Hail Mary pass against Chicago, and the NFC East-leading Commanders are one of the biggest surprises of the season. They can’t afford a letdown against the overmatched Giants. Commanders: 22-20

Dallas (3-4) at Atlanta (5-3): If the Cowboys are going to turn their season around, it has to start in Atlanta. It is a defense that desperately needs Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and DaRon Bland to return. Kirk Cousins has helped the Falcons (-2.5) gain control of the NFC South. Cowboys, 27-26

Las Vegas (2-6) at Cincinnati (3-5): Joe Burrow and the Bengals (-7) are running out of time to turn things around. The Raiders are 8-4 against the spread in their past 12 games. Bengals, 27-18

Los Angeles Chargers (4-3) at Cleveland (2-6): Justin Herbert has found a strong connection with Ladd McConkey, the run game is working for the Chargers (-2) behind J.K. Dobbins and the defense is top 10. The Browns were rejuvenated by QB Jameis Winston last week. Chargers, 20-17

New England (2-6) at Tennessee (1-6): This matchup features two of the three worst offenses in the NFL. The Patriots are 32nd while Tennessee (-3.5) is ranked 30th. Titans: 17-13

New Orleans (2-6) at Carolina (1-7): Another game involving two teams that have lost at least three-fourths of their games. The Saints (-7.5) are favored. Saints, 23-20

Denver (5-3) at Baltimore (5-3): The Broncos have won five of their past six, rookie QB Bo Nix is coming off his best game and the defense is ranked No. 3 in the NFL. Yet, Denver is nearly a double-digit underdog against Baltimore. The Ravens (-9) just need their defense to step up after a letdown in a loss at Cleveland last week. Ravens: 23-16

Miami (2-5) at Buffalo (6-2): Tua Tagovailoa returned last week. Now, the Dolphins need to get back on the winning track. Josh Allen and the Bills (-6) dominated Seattle on the road last week. Bills: 27-23

Jacksonville (2-6) at Philadelphia (5-2): Jalen Hurts is playing his best stretch of football since he was MVP runner-up in 2022 and the Eagles (-7.5) have won three straight to silence the critics. Trevor Lawrence and a short-handed offense are up against it. Eagles: 27-22

Chicago (4-3) at Arizona (4-4): Caleb Williams and the Bears have to shake off the Hail Mary loss and go back to work. Kyler Murray was superb in a comeback win in Miami and the Cardinals (-1) have won two in a row to get in the playoff race. The Bears need to find a way to slow Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride. Chicago is 7-2 against the spread in the past nine games vs. NFC opponents. Bears: 25-23

Detroit (6-1) at Green Bay (6-2): It’s a battle for first place in the NFC North between two streaking teams. Jared Goff is playing at an MVP level and the Lions (-3.5) have won five straight games. Their defense, however, is missing Aidan Hutchinson. They’re not pressuring quarterbacks enough without him. Jordan Love is banged-up again for Green Bay and is trying to play through a groin injury. The Packers have won four in a row and may need to rely more on Josh Jacobs’ running. Lions: 29-23

Indianapolis (4-4) at Minnesota (5-2): Joe Flacco’s return to the starting lineup didn’t change the spread, but the Colts are a bigger threat with him than Anthony Richardson right now. The Vikings (-5.5) have lost two in a row and their staunch defense has been leaky. They also need to cut down on the all the pre-snap penalties. Vikings, 27-24

Last week: Straight up: 11-5. Against spread: 8-8. Overall: Straight up: 83-40. Against spread: 65-56-2. Prime-time: Straight up: 18-10. Against spread: 13-14-1. Best Bet: Straight up: 6-2. Against spread: 6-2. Upset Special: Straight up: 6-2. Against spread: 6-2

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