Nat Coombs' NFL Week 9 Tips Including Colts @ Steelers
It's the halfway stage of the NFL season, and the play-off picture is beginning to take shape.
After the New York Jets beat the Cincinnati Bengals 39-38 in thrilling fashion, every team now has at least one win on the board.
The 7-1 Indianapolis Colts have the best record but they will be tested with a trip to Pittsburgh to face a Steelers team looking to end their two-game losing streak.
Our NFL expert Nat Coombs is on a roll and back-to-back clean sweeps takes his success rate for the season to 83%.
To see Nat's three selections for this weekend's action with the latest odds from BetMGM, sign up to Gambling.com for free.
Colts @ Steelers: Indy To Continue Winning Streak
With a hit rate of 83%, I'm feeling like the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL picks world right now.
It's been a strong first half of the season, but am I going to maintain or crash and burn?
Come the deep waters of the playoffs, is Daniel Jones going to thrive, or make like Sam Darnold and fall off?
AFC | Seeds | NFC |
Indianapolis Colts | 1 | Green Bay Packers |
New England Patriots | 2 | Philadelphia Eagles |
Denver Broncos | 3 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 4 | Seattle Seahawks |
Buffalo Bills | 5 | Detroit Lions |
Los Angeles Chargers | 6 | Los Angeles Rams |
Kansas City Chiefs | 7 | San Francisco 49ers |
We'll find out soon enough, but it's the Colts I'm going with first this week, because irrespective of the impressive comeback arc of their quarterback, this team's totemic figure is their remarkable running back Jonathan Taylor.
Taylor won't win MVP – because running backs will need a 3,000-yard season to break the quarterback monopoly of that award.
However, like Saquon Barkley last season, he should be firmly in consideration and he is one of the favourites for the award on betting apps.
Colts Form Guide:
Week | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Result | W | W | W | L | W | W | W | W |
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense that Taylor faces on Sunday has been disappointing, from both the potential upside of the collective talent and also given the oversight of Mike Tomlin, who usually presides over much more disciplined units.
They've been mid-level against the ground game, but shocking against the pass (they are ranked 32nd in passing yards per game) and they’re giving up 25 points per game.
They've still got bite up front courtesy of TJ Watt, but they're up against one of the best offensive lines in the game.
Aaron Rodgers Comparison 2024 Vs 2025:
Year | Completion % | Yards | TDs | INTs | QBR | Sacked |
2024 | 63.0 | 229.2 | 28 | 11 | 90.5 | 40 |
2025 | 68.3 | 212.7 | 16 | 5 | 104.4 | 12 |
Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers has impressed in a limited, but solid, Steelers offense.
If they can course correct their defense over the coming weeks, they could be a hard out in the Wild Card round - assuming they dip over the line in an AFC North that is suddenly harder than it looked a few weeks back.
Nat Coombs' Panel Pick 1: Colts (-3) To Beat The Steelers - 41/50 With BetMGM
Jaguars @ Raiders: Turnovers Leads To 'Over'
This may rank as one of my most leftfield picks of the season, but for game two I’m heading to the Jaguars' trip to Las Vegas to face the Raiders.
Both teams come into Week 9 off a bye, and both were nursing bloody noses after a Week 7 shellacking.
The Raiders are probably the biggest disappointment of the season - relatively speaking - and the Jags continue to flatter to deceive.
Raiders/Jaguars Form Guide:
Week | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Raiders | W | L | L | L | L | W | L | Bye |
Jaguars | W | L | W | W | W | L | L | Bye |
Jacksonville rolled into London with the chance to lay down a marker as bona fide play-off contenders, but left looking like chancers.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence personifies their team – from world-beater to also-ran – often in the same drive. He's a maddening player given the obvious talent he possesses.
Travis Hunter had a big game at Wembley and it feels like Jacksonville are comfortable leaning into him increasingly on offense.
Ashton Jeanty Rookie Season Stats:
Carries | Yards | TDs | Longest |
111 | 445 | 3 | 64 |
Conversely, Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty has been ticking along without too much attention, but there’s a sense that a breakout, highlight-reel game is imminent.
Turnovers are likely, indifferent coverage a lock, so I’m taking the over here.
Nat Coombs' Panel Pick 2: Jaguars @ Raiders: Over 44.5 Total Points - 9/10 With BetMGM
Vikings @ Lions: Spread Isn't Big Enough For Detroit
I was at SoFi Stadium last week to watch a resurgent Los Angeles Chargers steamroll the Minnesota Vikings.
Carson Wentz’s lacklustre performance now makes sense after it was revealed he was playing with a serious shoulder injury.
He's done for the season, which means the Vikes can't hide JJ McCarthy anymore and the rookie quarterback will be thrown right into a buzzsaw.
Aidan Hutchinson's Sacks This Season:
Week | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Total |
Sacks | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6.0 |
The Lions, featuring the recently re-upped Aidan Hutchinson, continue their march to the number one seed in the NFC.
Detroit are legit, the Vikings are not. Even though it is a big number, I like Detroit (-8.5) to cover on NFL betting sites.
Nat Coombs' Panel Pick 3: Lions (-8.5) To Beat The Vikings - 22/25 With BetMGM
Nat's Week 9 treble pays out around 11/2 With BetMGM.
Which bet do you like in the NFL this weekend? Let us know in the comments below.
