Heading into the 2017 NFL season the New Orleans Saints got less attention than any other team in the NFC South and then lost their first two games for the fourth year in a row.

But going into Week 9 the Saints (5-2) sit atop the division and host a team Sunday that was supposed to take another step forward in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-5), who are 7-point road underdogs on the NFL Week 9 odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

The Buccaneers are having a disappointing season after going 9-7 in 2016. Tampa Bay split two meetings with New Orleans last year and has dropped nine of the previous 11 games between the teams straight up, according to the OddsShark NFL Database.

However, the Bucs are 5-1-1 against the spread in their last seven as road underdogs, and the Saints are 3-8 ATS in their past 11 at home versus teams with losing records.

Two other NFC South teams that have struggled lately despite strong starts will also meet in Charlotte when the Carolina Panthers (5-3) host the Atlanta Falcons (4-3) as 2-point home chalk. Both the Panthers and Falcons are coming off wins last week but had suffered through losing streaks before that.

Atlanta will be playing its first divisional game of the season, and the visiting team is just 2-7 ATS in the last nine meetings.

Other divisional matchups to watch in Week 9 include the Arizona Cardinals (3-4) visiting the San Francisco 49ers (0-8) as 1.5-point road favorites. The 49ers just made news on Monday when they acquired quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots (6­-2) for a 2018 second-round draft pick.

While they are still winless and have failed to cover their last two, they are 3-1 ATS in the past four meetings.

The Houston Texans (3-4) are coming off a tough loss to the Seattle Seahawks (5-2) last Sunday yet are the biggest favorites in Week 9 as they host the Indianapolis Colts (2-6) in an AFC South game. Houston fell 41-38 at Seattle but is listed as a 12.5-point home favorite against a team that has won 23 of the previous 30 meetings.

The Seahawks next host the Washington Redskins (3-4) off consecutive losses as 7.5-point home chalk. The favored team is 6-1 SU and 5-1-1 ATS in the past seven head-to-head matchups, and the Redskins have lost 23 of their previous 32 on the road.

Finally, another divisional game wraps up Week 9 when the Green Bay Packers (4-3) host the Detroit Lions (3-4) as 2.5-point home dogs on Monday Night Football. The Lions have won only four of the past 23 meetings, riding a 1-5 ATS run on the road.