The trade deadline lands Monday. Bonfire Night has come and gone, and the NFL is playing a game in Madrid at an hour when most of us are still deciding whether to get out of bed. It’s Week 9, there are 15 games, and Ryan and Wade have picked every one of them with the confidence of two men who have never been wrong. (They have both been wrong-many times.) Make sure you listen to the podcast as well, for all the latest news.
Bengals vs. Falcons (Madrid)
Bengals -3 | O/U 52.5
Joe Burrow has turned every Bengals game into a hostage situation he has to resolve personally. Cincinnati needed overtime to beat a Titans team that had just traded its best player. Atlanta, meanwhile, lost to a team that completed zero passes, so the motivation is there. Ryan expects a track meet. Wade expects nobody to want to get hurt in Spain and has Atlanta covering.
Wade: Bengals 23-21. Ryan: Bengals 27-24.
Cowboys at Colts
Cowboys -5.5 | O/U 51.5
The Colts are being sold for parts and Shane Steichen is now a lame-duck coach. Ryan describes the Irsays stripping him and flogging him in the streets, which is a lot, but the Colts did just lose 42-7. Dallas has a defense nobody can explain, but Dak Prescott should be able to move the ball on anyone. Jerry Jones was heckled in the tunnel last week, so he’s in a great mood.
Wade: Cowboys 31-18. Ryan: Cowboys 29-20.
Commanders at Rams
Rams -5.5 | O/U 47.5
The Rams finally have back-to-back wins and a soft stretch of schedule, and they’re leaning on their running game while they heal. Ryan says Puka Nacua is getting so many targets that the plan seems to be to wear him out so they don’t have to pay him. Wade thinks Washington throws a few punches and won’t make it easy, but still has Los Angeles by six.
Wade: Rams 24-18. Ryan: Rams 24-17.
Browns at Saints
Saints -2.5 | O/U 43.5
The Saints are 2-5 and coming off a bye, and the Browns are 5-3 after getting run over by the Steelers. Ryan admits he always picks the Saints for reasons he can’t explain. Wade picks them too, citing the bye week and the fatigue in Cleveland’s offensive line, which is leaking like a paper bag. He might even take the under.
Wade: Saints 21-16. Ryan: Saints 24-20.
Jets at Chiefs
Chiefs -9.5 | O/U 46.5
Five of the Jets’ six losses have been by fewer than seven points, so this spread looks a little greedy. Ryan, who sits with Jets fans on Sundays and has seen things, says the Jets are at least fun this year. Both guys have Kansas City winning, but neither trusts Patrick Mahomes to hand out a blowout when his receiver room looks like an empty pantry.
Wade: Chiefs 26-20. Ryan: Chiefs 23-20.
Lions at Dolphins
Lions -7 | O/U 50.5
Detroit will be playing for Jack Campbell, who was still in hospital after last week’s scary neck injury. Ryan says Dan Campbell will have them fired up, and he’s picking a blowout. Miami is 1-6 but keeps games close for some reason, so Wade has the Lions winning and the over hitting.
Wade: Lions 33-20. Ryan: Lions 41-17.
Broncos at Panthers
Broncos -3 | O/U 44.5
Here’s the first split. Ryan likes Sean Payton and Denver’s defense to rattle Bryce Young, whose recent form has dropped off. Wade is calling an upset because Carolina has had 10 days to stew after the Packers loss, and Denver is still riding an emotional win over the Chiefs. Wade says if you disrupt Bo Nix, you’ve seen what happens.
Wade: Panthers 24-21. Ryan: Broncos 27-20.
Giants at Eagles
Giants -3
Split number two, and it’s a spicy one. Ryan thinks Philly’s season is a year from hell and the Giants, who are coming off a bye and leading the division, will take care of business. Wade says that’s exactly why the Eagles show up: they’re 2-6, they’ve heard the chatter, and Saquon Barkley gets to run against the team that let him go. Wade expects a cold, dirty slugfest and is picking the upset.
Wade: Eagles 23-21. Ryan: Giants 27-17.
Texans at Chargers
Texans -4.5 | O/U 41.5
Houston is coming off a bye and needs this one to stay alive in the division. The Chargers are 0-7 and Ryan has stopped believing in their famous defense, saying he has “no proof” it exists. Wade compares Houston’s defense to Live Golf: everyone said it was great, and then it went bankrupt.
Wade: Texans 27-17. Ryan: Texans 24-21.
Raiders at 49ers
49ers -9.5 | O/U 51.5
San Francisco is rested and healthy, with Joey Bosa back and Quenton Nelson’s old Colts teammate DeForest Buckner in the building. Ashton Jeanty has been demoted to third-down duty. Wade thinks the Niners cover and Ryan thinks it turns into a shootout, but both have a comfortable home win.
Wade: 49ers 31-21. Ryan: 49ers 33-26.
Packers at Patriots
Patriots -3.5 | O/U 46.5
Two 5-3 teams. Ryan calls the Packers a Jekyll and Hyde team, with drops, a kicker they don’t trust and a defense that’s sneakily fun. Wade has been burned by the Patriots’ soft schedule and thinks Miami exposed them last week. Green Bay is a road underdog both of them like.
Wade: Packers 26-23. Ryan: Packers 27-24.
Cardinals at Seahawks
Seahawks -8 | O/U 42.5
Ryan admits he’d take Arizona if Gardner Minshew were coming off the bench, because Minshew Magic only works as a surprise. Starting him is like opening your own surprise party. Seattle has Drew Lock and a receiver problem behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but the two teams already played in Week 2 and Seattle won 31-7.
Wade: Seahawks 28-16. Ryan: Seahawks 26-21.
Buccaneers at Bears (Sunday Night)
Bears -6.5
The Bears are the belle of the ball, with Caleb Williams having a great year and Jeffery Simmons just added to the defense. Tampa is coming off a game where it threw three passes in the rain and won anyway. Ryan compares Baker Mayfield’s 64 passing yards over two games to a Canadian high school box score. Wade, a Bears fan, thinks Tampa’s defense keeps it close and takes the Bucs to cover.
Wade: Bears 28-23. Ryan: Bears 27-16.
Bills at Vikings (Monday Night)
Bills -3 | O/U 45.5
Both teams are 6-1, and Minnesota is coming off its first loss with Carson Wentz at quarterback. Detroit showed how to handle Brian Flores’ blitzes, and Josh Allen can run when the house comes calling. Wade doubts Wentz can stretch the field. Ryan reminds us that Buffalo and Minnesota always end up in a weird game.
Wade: Bills 24-18. Ryan: Bills 24-23.
The Scoreboard
| Game | Wade | Ryan |
|---|---|---|
| Ravens at Jaguars | Jaguars 30-16 | Jaguars 31-17 |
| Bengals vs. Falcons | Bengals 23-21 | Bengals 27-24 |
| Cowboys at Colts | Cowboys 31-18 | Cowboys 29-20 |
| Commanders at Rams | Rams 24-18 | Rams 24-17 |
| Browns at Saints | Saints 21-16 | Saints 24-20 |
| Jets at Chiefs | Chiefs 26-20 | Chiefs 23-20 |
| Lions at Dolphins | Lions 33-20 | Lions 41-17 |
| Broncos at Panthers | Panthers 24-21 | Broncos 27-20 |
| Giants at Eagles | Eagles 23-21 | Giants 27-17 |
| Texans at Chargers | Texans 27-17 | Texans 24-21 |
| Raiders at 49ers | 49ers 31-21 | 49ers 33-26 |
| Packers at Patriots | Packers 26-23 | Packers 27-24 |
| Cardinals at Seahawks | Seahawks 28-16 | Seahawks 26-21 |
| Buccaneers at Bears | Bears 28-23 | Bears 27-16 |
| Bills at Vikings | Bills 24-18 | Bills 24-23 |
The guys agree on 13 of 15 winners, which makes the Broncos-Panthers and Giants-Eagles games the ones to circle if you want to see somebody eat their words. Check back for Week 10 once the trade deadline has done its damage.
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