Our NFL Premium Package is Now Available for the 2022 season! Get full access to our best bets, given out early in the week, in real time: sides, totals, player props, and more, all in one place, through the end of the Super Bowl. Get $15 OFF with code "NFL15" - offer valid through October 31st
With NFL Week 8 officially in the books, we adjust our power ratings and look forward to a new slate of games for NFL Week 9. As with every week, to determine a power-rated line, take the difference between the teams' power rating and factor in home field advantage. Remember, power ratings are the start of the handicap and should be a foundation to build upon. These values represent what a team is on any given week. It will certainly fluctuate as the year progresses.
Biggest Upgrade: Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, & New Orleans Saints
All 3 of these teams were upgraded for different reasons. The Eagles have been a power house all season and I’m beginning to shed my preseason expectation and power ratings influence for them. They are firmly entrenched as the league's third best team for me. San Francisco has been upgraded based on their play and the addition of Christian McCaffrey. Not only is McCaffrey one of the best running backs in the league, he finds himself with a coach that will know how to maximize his talents. He alone might be worth a point to the line. New Orleans is a team that has been all over my power ratings. I had high hopes for the Saints and they have been downgraded some based upon injury. If they could ever get healthy, they could make a playoff push. After a strong Week 8, I upgraded them with the hope that some of their injured players return to health.
Biggest Downgrade: Las Vegas Raiders & Los Angeles Rams
I’ve downgraded both of these teams by 1.25 points this week. The Raiders were absolutely abysmal this week losing 24-0. The Raiders looked much better than their record suggested losing all 4 games by one score before dominating the Texans at home. But this embarrassing shut out, combined with the reality of their 2-5 record, has to take a toll on the team. They are doing the right thing by keeping the team on the East Coast for the Jaguars game, which can only be a benefit. The Rams, on the other hand, were destroyed by the 49ers. LA isn’t a great team. They have a lot of holes, not a lot of depth, and a lot of aging players. The Super Bowl hangover has hit this team hard. But there is still talent in LA and with Kupp avoiding serious injury, I think there is value on them this week.
Something to Note:
There have been a lot of trades at the deadline, significantly more than I ever remember. This can be a profitable endeavor, even more than seeing who was added and subtracted from each team. Identifying what weaknesses were addressed and who’s weren’t is something the market may not account for. Also, determining which teams were buyers and which were sellers can be a profitable endeavor. What a front office does at the deadline carries weight in a locker room. The players know the team’s needs and the GM’s action can show a belief in a team, which can be a catalyst on the field. Some teams may be sellers which may signal the white flag. Even if the players don’t give up, perhaps the front office and coach may prioritize the long term plan rather than the short term win.
Week 9 Power Ratings
Week 9 Power Ratings vs. Lines
By Steve Rieder
@AvoidTheVig
Want to have direct access to our network of Betting Predators handicappers? Sign up for our FREE Discord channel to get 24/7 direct access to our handicapping team, as well as our community of sharp bettors
Want an easy to find all of our Betting Predators content in one place? Sign up for our free newsletter, Substack and receive a weekly roundup on everything we've published (FREE + PREMIUM), and all that we're up to throughout the week. We promise we'll never give your email address out for advertising purposes.