Week 8 of the 2025/26 National Football League (NFL) regular season played true to form, for the most part, with most of the JustBet favourites, except the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals, registering convincing wins against their less-favoured opponents. Week 9 though, officially halfway through the season, is looking a lot different, and in the shadow of the Halloween weekend, seasoned NFL aficionados may have a nightmare picking winners from these matchups.

Firstly, the shortcomings of Dallas and Cincinnati. The Cowboys visited the Denver Broncos late Sunday afternoon and showed nothing different from what they have been doing all season, good offence (in patches) and a very absent defence, especially when it matters most. The Broncos, fresh off their historic collapse the previous week against the New York Giants, was having none of that last weekend and rubbed a lot off the Dallas shine, winning 44-24. The Cowboys have now lost eight straight games to the Broncos, dating back to over 30 years ago, and their last win in this matchup came on September 10, 1995, when Troy Aikman and John Elway led the respective teams.

The Broncos (6-2) visit NRG Stadium to tackle the Houston Texans (3-4) this Sunday afternoon, where JustBet favours the home team, but the result is anybody’s guess, and the Cowboys (3-4-1) welcome the Arizona Cardinals (2-5) into AT&T Stadium on Monday night, where the home team is expected to get to 500.

The Bengals welcomed the winless New York Jets into Paycor Stadium last Sunday afternoon and had the visitors on the ropes, leading 31-16 at the end of the third quarter, and appeared to be cruising to an easy victory, but quarterback (QB) Justin Fields and the rest of the New York offence had other ideas. With a 23-point fourth quarter, where the Bengals could only manage seven, the Jets clawed their way to a very narrow 39-38 win, their first of the season, and proved that wins can come unexpectedly. The Bengals demonstrated that their offence can still function with QB Joe Burrow sidelined, but a 15-point lead entering the final quarter should easily translate into a win, especially at home, instead it ended in a solid punch to the gut for the Bengals, and an inspiring win for the Jets.

The Jets (1-7) are on their bye this weekend and get some time to bask in their win, but the Bengals (3-5) are at home again on Sunday afternoon, and they welcome the Chicago Bears (4-3) for what is expected to be a battle of the beasts. JustBet offers the Bengals as underdogs in this matchup, based primarily on their underperformance against the Jets, but this has the feel of an enticing upset, as the Bears are coming off a 16-30 defeat against an undermanned Baltimore Ravens team. This should be an entertaining watch as both team chart a path of redemption.

Looking ahead to Week 9, of the eight divisions in the NFL, only two are being led by teams that were expected to be there: the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) and the Green Bay Packers (5-1). That said, the two most appealing encounters this weekend will be between two of those unexpected division leaders, and two teams that were expected to be leading their respective divisions at this point.

The surprising Indianapolis Colts (7-1), find themselves leading the American Football Conference (AFC) South Division, with the best record in the league, and they visit Acrisure Stadium early Sunday afternoon to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) in one of the weekend’s highlights. This rivalry has been played 35 times (including five postseason games), with the Colts winning eight games and the Steelers winning 27, but Indianapolis won the last two, in 2023 and 2024. Of course, the dynamics of both teams have changed significantly this year, but if the losses a placed in perspective, Pittsburgh has lost two straight weeks, including last week at home to the Packers. There is no doubt that this will be entertaining and JustBet has the visitors favoured by only a field goal, indicating how little separation there is between these team, this season. It’s hard to pick a winner, but if forced to make a pick, the suggestion would be to go with the favourite, if only for their consistency.

The Buffalo Bills (5-2) welcome the Kansas City Chiefs (5-3) into Highmark Stadium late Sunday afternoon to renew one of the most engaging rivalries in the new-age NFL. The clashes between Buffalo’s QB Josh Allen and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes have already been legendary, with two of the league’s best two-way QBs making sure each encounter is a spectacle. The Bills started the season with a bang, winning their first four games, while the Chiefs came slowly out of the blocks with two defeats, however, the five wins for Buffalo have come against teams with losing records, while the victories for Kansas City include wins against teams over 500.

JustBet has the Chiefs favoured by less than a field goal, which would indicate a very close encounter, and there is no good reason why anyone should doubt this. This AFC Championship Game rematch, from the January 2025 encounter, should carry electricity, emotion, and sheer star power. It is recommended to be a must-watch, but while Kansas City prevailed in the January encounter, Buffalo has won the last four regular-season games against Kansas City, while losing all four playoff matchups. This again is a hard call, and it wouldn’t be surprising if this ended up being the second drawn game this season.

The NFL slate on tap is filled with potential twists and turns. There are very few teams favoured by a wide margin, which proves parity in the league, and promises entertainment all around. Are you ready for some football?

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Super Bowl LX Champion – February 8, 2026

Team Odds

Kansas City Chiefs 5.60

Detroit Lions 7.60

Green Bay Packers 8.20

Buffalo Bills 8.80

Los Angeles Rams 11.00

Indianapolis Colts 11.00

Philadelphia Eagles 11.00

Denver Broncos 21.00

Baltimore Ravens 21.00

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23.00

*Only Top 10 odds are shown (see website for full list)

Note: Odds are subject to change