Week 9 will mark the final slate of games in the first half of the 2024 NFL season. Not only do teams have one more game at halftime to improve their standings, but we bettors only have this final week to improve our record in the first half of the season.

If you’re looking for a few bets to place today to hopefully boost your balance before the second half of the season, you’ve come to the right place. You can check out this week’s Road to 272 Bets to find out my best overall bet for each game, but here I’ll give you my very best favorite, underdog and total bet.

Let’s dive in.

Cowboys +142 vs. Falcons

My favorite surprise bet of the day is for the Dallas Cowboys to beat the Atlanta Falcons.

I have major concerns about the Falcons’ defense, which ranks 23rd in opponents’ EPA per game and 26th in opponents’ success rate. They also rank 30th in the NFL in opponent third down conversion rate, allowing opposing offenses to successfully convert third downs 49.04% of the time.

I still believe we will see a positive regression from the Cowboys in the coming weeks. They are too talented a team to continue playing so poorly. Let’s remember that this is largely the same squad that went 12-5 last season, but had much better numbers.

I think Dallas will get back on track with a win on Sunday.

Bengals -7.5 (-110) vs. Raiders

There are a lot of big point spreads this weekend and I’m confident the Bengals can cover the big numbers.

The Raiders’ offense was terrible this season, ranking last in the league in EPA per game, even worse than the Carolina Panthers. They are unable to play football and Gardner Minshew makes too many mistakes to sustain the offense for the entire duration of a game.

The Bengals’ strong offense will help Cincinnati pull away in this game.

Chargers vs. Browns OVER 42 (-110)

The Browns are a different team with Jameis Winston at quarterback. The Browns were able to upset the Ravens in his first start while averaging 6.1 yards per game last week, tied for the 10th-best mark in the entire NFL. I can imagine they can do some damage to the Chargers’ defense, which has largely overperformed this season. Their defense has benefited from playing against the NFL’s worst defenses to start the year, including the Carr-less Raiders, Panthers, Steelers, Broncos and Saints.

Meanwhile, the Chargers’ offense has started to find its rhythm, and Ladd McConkey had his breakout game against the Saints last week.

Even though the Chargers have been a strong UNDER bet all season, I think we’ll see some regression in that area on Sunday. I love the OVER at 42.

Odds are updated regularly and are subject to change.

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You can check out all of Iain’s bets here!