Last week, we suspected the Ravens might stick the pointy end of a first down yard marker into the Lions' bloated balloon on Sunday. Sure enough: Baltimore 38, Detroit 6.

Yet we did not count on the Raiders to get similarly blasted by the Bears. Behind a rookie quarterback from a school that sounds made up by internet pranksters, Chicago stuffed Las Vegas 30-12. Take a bow, Tyson Bagent of Shepherd University. The oddsmakers assessed the Vegas loss as more egregious than the Lions'. Hence, what seemed an appealing lookahead line last week of +7.5 is attractive no more. By waiting until this week, we could have snared the Raiders at +8 in Detroit on Monday. 

The slight movement on another spread worked to our advantage. Wishing and hoping they would dispose of Miami, we went with the Eagles at -6 against Washington. They did so, though the more impactful factor in the shift to -6.5 might have been the Commanders sleepwalking to seven points while falling to the Giants.

Our spot-on prediction was on the Texans-Panthers game. With both teams on a bye, we figured the line (Houston -3) was locked in, barring off-the-field injuries or arrests over the weekend. Evidently, all was calm, and the spread has not budged. We liked Houston then and still do.

Try these three lookahead from Week 9 on for size.

Week 9 lookahead lines

(Odds via Caesars Sportsbook)

Titans at Steelers (-4), O/U 37
Dolphins at Chiefs (-2.5), O/U 51.5
Seahawks at Ravens (-4.5), O/U 43.0
Commanders at Patriots (-2.5), O/U 39.0
Buccaneers at Texans (-3), O/U 39.5
Bears at Saints (-5.5), O/U 41.0
Vikings at Falcons (-1), O/U 41.5
Cardinals at Browns (-8.5), O/U 39.5
Rams (-1) at Packers, O/U 42.5
Colts (-2.5) at Panthers, O/U 43.5
Cowboys at Eagles (-3.5), O/U 46.5
Giants at Raiders (-3), O/U 40.0
Bills (-1) at Bengals, O/U 46.0
Chargers (-1.5) at Jets, O/U 43.0

Which Week 9 sides make for great plays before Week 8 kicks off? And which underdog offers a great betting opportunity? ... Join SportsLine right now to see Week 9 lookahead picks from NFL expert Mike Tierney!