NFL Week 9 Point Totals: With Gregg Williams as Interim, Take Browns-Chiefs Under
Gregg Williams could not have asked for a much tougher test in his first game as interim head coach of the Cleveland Browns (2-5-1).
The longtime defensive coordinator was promoted from that position with the Browns when they fired head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley earlier this week heading into a difficult matchup with the AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs (7-1) as 8.5-point home underdogs on the NFL Week 9 odds.
Williams will have an excellent opportunity to showcase his head coaching skills on Sunday against the Chiefs, who currently lead the league in scoring with 36.3 points per game.
Kansas City also ranks third in total offense with 425.3 yards per game, but the team has surprisingly seen the UNDER cash four times in its last five games, according to the OddsShark NFL Database. And that recent trend does not figure to change here with a high number of 51 points posted at most sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The UNDER is 3-1 in the past four meetings between these teams and has also gone a remarkable 13-3 in the previous 16 home games for Cleveland (averaging 36.3 points). In addition, the Browns have struggled to score recently overall during their three-game losing streak—averaging 18.3 points—and their previous win before that saw them total 12.
With Williams looking to make an immediate impact defensively versus Kansas City and several betting trends supporting it, the UNDER is this week's best totals bet.
On the opposite side of the spectrum later in the day, a key NFC matchup has OVER written all over it as the New Orleans Saints (6-1) host the undefeated Los Angeles Rams (8-0) as 1.5-point home favorites.
Like the Chiefs, the Saints and Rams also boast two top offenses, ranking second (33.4) and third (33) in points per game, respectively. The total in this matchup appears to be very high at 59.5 points, although bettors have seen some other high-profile games like Kansas City against the New England Patriots three weeks ago go OVER easily despite similar numbers.
The OVER has cashed for New Orleans in six of the team's last eight home games. The OVER is also 4-1 in the previous five between the teams in the Superdome. In what will be another high-scoring affair between the NFC's best, this one will go OVER too.
