NFL Week 8 Odds and Predictions: Best Picks Against the Spread
Week 8 around the NFL is fairly normal schedule-wise with no overseas games and just the one on Monday night, but a lot of teams are on the bye: Arizona, Detroit, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle. Check Sports Interaction for the latest Week 8 NFL odds.
Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Chargers, Thursday
Both 2024 playoff teams are coming off losses. The Vikings played a fourth straight game without injured young QB J.J. McCarthy on Sunday and lost out of their bye, 28-22, at home to Philadelphia. If McCarthy couldn’t play there out of an off week, it seems likely to be Carson Wentz again here. The Chargers are usually a good defensive team but were shredded at home by the Colts on Sunday, 38-24. Justin Herbert threw two picks and is now 1-9 in his career when having at least two.
Pick ATS: Los Angeles (alt -2.5)
Miami Dolphins at Atlanta Falcons
A rare matchup of left-handed QBs in the NFL in Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa and Atlanta’s Michael Penix Jr. That’s assuming Tua starts. He was absolutely horrendous again in Sunday’s ugly loss in Cleveland in becoming only the third Miami QB since the merger with back-to-back games of three picks. That entire franchise needs a reboot, and it’s shocking coach Mike McDaniel is still employed. Atlanta has made major strides but was caught in a bit of a tricky spot Sunday night and lost 20-10 in San Francisco. Star tailback Bijan Robinson was held under 100 scrimmage yards for the first time this year.
Pick ATS: Atlanta (alt -7)
New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals
This could be truly ugly offensively. Cincinnati is on extra rest as it beat Pittsburgh, 33-31, on Thursday in Week 7 in a pretty shocking display of offence considering how the Bengals had looked since Joe Burrow went down injured. Ageless Joe Flacco threw for 342 yards and three scores. At least the Bengals know Flacco will start Sunday. The winless Jets yanked struggling Justin Fields from Sunday’s 13-6 home loss to Carolina for veteran Tyrod Taylor, but he was no better. Already embattled coach Aaron Glenn says no decision yet for this one. Probably doesn’t much matter.
Pick ATS: Cincinnati
Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots
Cleveland played easily its best game of the season Sunday in a 31-6 home blowout of Miami behind three TD runs from rookie tailback Quinshon Judkins. It was the Browns’ first time scoring at least 20 points since early December 2024. New England is rising with a bullet in the AFC and won at Tennessee on Sunday, 31-13, in the Mike Vrabel Homecoming Game. Drake Maye was 21-for-23 passing with that completion per centage of 91.3 setting a team record (min. 10 attempts).
Pick ATS: New England
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles
Could the Giants complete the unlikely sweep? They routed the visiting Eagles, 34-17 on Thursday night in Week 6 behind two total TDs from rookie QB Jaxson Dart and three from rookie RB Cam Skattebo. Those two have led a major resurgence for the team even though it suffered a crushing 33-32 loss in Denver on Sunday, blowing a 19-0 fourth-quarter lead. Dart threw for three scores and rushed for one, and Skattebo had a rushing TD. That New York offence looks light years better than it did about a month ago. The Eagles impressed Sunday in a 28-22 win at Minnesota as A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith combined for 304 receiving yards and three scores. Philly is 12-0 all-time when both have a receiving TD.
Pick ATS: Philadelphia (alt -6.5)
Buffalo Bills at Carolina Panthers
Buffalo comes out of its bye week following back-to-back upset losses and Josh Allen suddenly looking very mortal with four picks over his past three. Allen’s 12 sacks taken on the season are two away from his total in the 2024 regular season. Coach Sean McDermott said the team would use the bye to “start from ground zero.” Carolina is ascending without question and won, 13-6, at the Jets on Sunday to get over .500 for the first time since 2021. But starting QB Bryce Young sprained his ankle so it is expected to be Andy Dalton this week.
Pick ATS: Carolina
Chicago Bears at Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore comes out of its bye as easily the NFL’s biggest disappointment by far 1-5, meaning the team probably has to finish on an 8-2 kick to have any playoff shot. The Ravens have been ravaged by injury with two-time MVP Lamar Jackson missing the past two. He and many others should return. Chicago won its fourth game in a row Sunday, 26-14, although QB Caleb Williams was rather mediocre again. Yet the Bears have scored at least 20 points in all six games, their longest such streak to start a season since 1995.
Pick ATS: Baltimore
San Francisco 49ers at Houston Texans
Short week for Houston as it came out of its bye in Week 7 quite healthy and visited Seattle. San Francisco was decidedly not healthy on Sunday night but beat Atlanta, 20-10. The Niners did get back Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle from injury, and there’s a good shot they will get back QB Brock Purdy and wideout Ricky Pearsall this week. But backup QB Mac Jones is now 4-1 as a starter.
Pick ATS: Houston (if no major MNF injuries)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints
Are the Bucs the best team in the NFC? Should Baker Mayfield be the MVP right now? The answer to both questions was perhaps yes entering Tampa Bay’s Monday night game in Detroit to conclude Week 7. The Bucs were down quite a few injured starters. New Orleans lost 26-14 in Chicago to drop to 1-6, its worst start this century. QB Spencer Rattler had three TD passes on Sunday but four turnovers. The Bucs swept the Saints last season.
Pick ATS: New Orleans (alt +7.5)
Dallas Cowboys at Denver Broncos
The Broncos were down 19-0 at home Sunday in the fourth quarter vs. the Giants and still 18 with about six minutes left but won, 33-32. Those 33 points were the most scored in a game in NFL history by a team that was being shut out entering the fourth quarter. QB Bo Nix became the first player in history with two pass TDs and two rushing TDs in a quarter. The Cowboys can score, we know that, and they beat Washington, 44-22, on Sunday. Dallas is now only the fifth team since the merger to average 35.0 PPG and have zero turnovers in a four-game span within a season.
Pick ATS: Denver (alt -2.5)
Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts
Indy sits atop the AFC at 6-1 and very impressively rolled 38-24 at the Chargers on Sunday. Tailback Jonathan Taylor had his third game this season with three rushing scores. The Colts are averaging 33.1 PPG, which is third-highest in team history in the first seven games of a season. The Titans, meanwhile, are wretched offensively behind rookie No. 1 overall QB Cam Ward and lost 31-13 at home to New England on Sunday. Ward has now been sacked an NFL-high 30 times. The Colts have won five straight in this series, including 41-20 in Nashville in Week 3 behind 102 yards and three scores from Taylor.
Pick ATS: Titans (alt +14.5)
Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday night game and perhaps a Super Bowl preview between two historic franchises that enter as division leaders. And of course, it’s Aaron Rodgers against his former franchise for the first time. He can become the fifth-ever quarterback to beat all 32 NFL teams. Rodgers comes off a 36th career four-TD game. The last Super Bowl for both teams was following the 2010 season when the Packers won to give Rodgers his only title thus far.
Pick ATS: Pittsburgh (alt +3.5)
Washington Commanders at Kansas City Chiefs, Monday
This was to be such a fun matchup between the NFL’s best quarterback currently in two-time league MVP winner Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs and maybe his eventual replacement as the best in Jayden Daniels of the Commanders, the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. But Daniels injured his hamstring in Sunday’s loss in Dallas and is in major question. Daniels already has sat out two games this season because of a sprained left knee. Marcus Mariota is his backup. The Chiefs won for the fourth time in five games Sunday, 31-0 over Las Vegas. Amazingly, it was the first shutout win in the 427th regular-season game for Chiefs coach and future Hall of Famer Andy Reid.
Pick ATS: Wait on Daniels
