It's always tempting to bet on an underdog in the NFL, but there are a number of teams that are favorites in Week 9 that will have no problem covering the spread.

Keep in mind that there are six teams on bye this week, including the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers.  While those teams are usually favored by quite a bit, there are still others with big spreads.  The Seattle Seahawks are 17-point favorites against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Dallas Cowboys are 10.5-point favorites over the Minnesota Vikings.

Let's take a look at a few teams that will be able to cover the spread followed by a breakdown of why they will be able to do so.

Note: All information regarding betting lines is provided by Bovada.com

 

Cincinnati Bengals (-3) at Miami Dolphins

Date: Thursday, Oct. 31

Time: 8:25 p.m. ET

TV: NFL Network

This is one of those betting lines that really surprised me, with the Cincinnati Bengals being just 3-point favorites over the Miami Dolphins.

Right now, the Bengals are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, winning four straight games and blowing out the New York Jets 49-9 last week.  Andy Dalton was huge in the win, throwing for a career-high five touchdowns and 325 yards.

A.J. Green has been having another great season for the Bengals.  He's second in the NFL with 734 receiving yards to go along with five touchdowns on 46 receptions.

Meanwhile, the Dolphins are ice cold.  They've lost four straight games and allowed at least 23 points in every one.  For as much as Ryan Tannehill has progressed as a passer in his sophomore season, he's still thrown nine interceptions and fumbled eight times.

Based off of how these two teams have been playing recently, the Bengals should have no problem covering the spread.  They have a solid defense and an offense that's heating up, which is very bad news for Miami.

 

Tennessee Titans (-3) at St. Louis Rams

Date: Sunday, Nov. 3

Time: 1:00 p.m. ET

TV: CBS

Some will think that the Tennessee Titans aren't very good because they've lost three straight games.  However, those three losses came to teams with a combined record of 21-3, and Jake Locker only played in the most recent game.

Locker is having the best season of his career, and the Titans are thrilled that he's back.  He's completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 1,047 yards, eight touchdowns and just one interception this year, showing that he's ready to be the franchise quarterback.

The St. Louis Rams will be playing without Sam Bradford for the rest of the year due to a torn ACL, meaning Kellen Clemens will have to step up.  He almost led a fourth-quarter comeback against the Seahawks but went 15-for-31 with 158 yards and two interceptions.

Defensively, the Rams have a lot of nice talent, including players like Chris Long and Robert Quinn, who have a combined 15.5 sacks this season.  However, they're also giving up 343.6 yards and 24.8 points per game.

The Titans are coming off of a bye week with their starting quarterback healthy once again.  Locker may not be elite, but I'll choose him over Clemens any day.

 

Chicago Bears (+11) at Green Bay Packers

Date: Monday, Nov. 4

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

An 11-point spread is no joke, but the Green Bay Packers are playing so well right now that they shouldn't have much of a problem against the Chicago Bears.

The Bears are currently without Jay Cutler and Lance Briggs, who are both dealing with injuries that will sideline them for the next few games.  Without Cutler, Josh McCown will have to start.  He was able to throw for 204 yards and a touchdown against the Washington Redskins, but they have one of the weaker defenses in the NFL.

Without Briggs, the defense for Chicago will be in even bigger trouble.  They're already giving up 391 yards and 29.4 points per game, and those numbers will likely go up while Briggs is gone.

The Packers have been dealing with some injuries of their own, but they haven't missed a beat offensively.  They're riding a four-game win streak and have scored 75 points in their last two games.

The ground game has emerged as a real threat for Green Bay this season.  They're running for 141.4 points per game, which is the third-most in the league thanks to guys like Eddie Lacy and James Starks.

Defensively, the Packers have improved as well.  Even without Clay Matthews, other players like Mike Daniels and A.J. Hawk have stepped up.

With this being a rivalry game, I don't expect the Packers to let up.  They want to make a statement that they're still one of the best teams in the NFC on a national stage, and they will look to be aggressive against the Bears.