NFL Week 8 Predictions: Best Picks Against the Spread
Here’s a quick look at all the Week 8 matchups with Sports Interaction NFL odds. Games Sunday unless noted. Dallas and Baltimore are on the bye.
NFL Week 8 Betting Odds
Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings, Thursday
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins plays against the Redskins for the first time since leaving that franchise after the 2017 season for a big-money free-agent deal with Minnesota. Cousins struggled early this season but has been excellent during his team’s three-game winning streak. Washington was blanked Sunday in a home loss to San Francisco and is averaging the third-fewest points in the league.
Pick ATS: Washington
Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons
Will Atlanta have starting quarterback and former NFL MVP Matt Ryan for this one? He left Sunday’s home loss to the Rams with what is believed to be a sprained ankle, although he was to undergo more tests on Monday. Many around the NFL believe this will be the last game for Falcons coach Dan Quinn as it’s rumoured he will be fired during the team’s Week 9 bye.
Point spread: TBA on Ryan
Pick ATS: TBA
Philadelphia Eagles at Buffalo Bills
The Eagles have not looked good in back-to-back lopsided losses to the Vikings and Cowboys, both on the road. Carson Wentz had three turnovers in Sunday’s 37-10 defeat in Dallas. Buffalo played horrible football for three quarters Sunday at home vs. winless Miami but rallied for a 31-21 victory. The Bills’ 5-1 start ties their best in 11 years.
Pick ATS: Philadelphia
Los Angeles Chargers at Chicago Bears
Two of the NFL’s most disappointing teams. The heat is on both head coaches as well. The Chargers had two potential game-winning touchdowns reversed on replay Sunday at Tennessee and then Melvin Gordon fumbled at the goal line in a crushing defeat, the Bolts’ third in a row. Chicago has been horrid on offence and regressed in Sunday’s 36-25 home loss to the Saints that wasn’t that close. And that was with the Bears coming off a bye week.
Pick ATS: Chicago
New York Giants at Detroit Lions
Detroit lost its third in a row Sunday, 42-30 at home to Minnesota – it was the first Detroit game all year decided by more than four points. Matthew Stafford did become the fastest player in NFL history with 40,000 career passing yards, while Marvin Jones became the first Lions player in the Super Bowl era with four receiving scores in a game. New York got back top tailback Saquon Barkley and tight end Evan Engram from injury on Sunday but was still upset at home by the Cardinals for a third straight loss.
Pick ATS: Detroit
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tennessee Titans
Tampa Bay comes off its bye week. The story here would have been a matchup between two former Heisman Trophy winners and the first two picks in the 2015 draft in the Bucs’ Jameis Winston and Titan’s Marcus Mariota, but Mariota was benched last week for Ryan Tannehill – who led a home win over the Chargers. Mariota is probably gone from Tennessee next season and trending like Winston may not be with Tampa Bay in 2020, either.
Pick ATS: Tennessee
Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts
The Broncos were laughable on offence in last Thursday’s 30-6 loss to Kansas City. Denver scored on its first possession and then not again. The Broncos had 205 yards (much of that on first drive) and allowed nine sacks. It was the most surrendered in a game by Denver since 1983. The Colts knocked off Houston 30-23 on Sunday behind a career-high four TD passes from Jacoby Brissett. That put Indy in first place in the AFC South.
Pick ATS: Indianapolis
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Los Angeles Rams
This one from Wembley Stadium in London with the Rams as the home team. Cincinnati remained winless with a 27-17 home loss to Jacksonville on Sunday. Andy Dalton threw three fourth-quarter picks with many now calling for Coach Zac Taylor to bench him for rookie Ryan Finley. Taylor didn’t rule it out afterward. Star running back Todd Gurley returned from injury Sunday for the Rams and they ended a three-game skid with an easy win in Atlanta. Gurley caught a TD pass. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey made his Rams debut and had four tackles.
Pick ATS: Los Angeles
Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints
New Orleans is now 5-0 behind backup QB Teddy Bridgewater following Sunday’s 36-25 upset win in Chicago – Drew Brees will miss at least one more game. Bridgewater threw two TD passes. Arizona won its third in a row Sunday, matching its win total from all of last year, 27-21 at the Giants. Tailback Chase Edmonds filled in for a banged-up David Johnson (he played but only briefly) with 126 yards rushing and three scores.
Point spread: Saints -9.5
Pick ATS: New Orleans
New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars
Short week for the Jets as they hosted the unbeaten Patriots on Monday. Jacksonville stopped a two-game slide with a 27-17 win in Cincinnati on Sunday. The Jags picked off three Bengals passes in the fourth quarter, one returned 23 yards for a touchdown by Yannick Ngakoue.
Point spread: Jaguars -4.5 (may change after Monday’s game)
Pick ATS: Jacksonville
Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers
Carolina comes off its bye week. Will starting QB Cam Newton be ready to play from a foot injury that has kept him out since Week 2? Do the Panthers even want him ready considering they were 0-2 with Newton and are 4-0 behind backup QB Kyle Allen? The 49ers remain the NFC’s only unbeaten but weren’t exactly great on offence in Sunday’s 9-0 win at Washington.
Pick ATS: San Francisco
Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots
Cleveland, not New England, took the most bets in the pre-season among AFC teams to win the Super Bowl but has disappointed at 2-4 coming out of its bye week. Still, this is the best team the Patriots have played yet this season as they have had an incredibly weak schedule. That continued Monday night at the New York Jets.
Point spread: Patriots -10.5 (may change after Monday’s game)
Pick ATS: Cleveland
Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans
Oakland had a two-game winning streak snapped Sunday in a 42-24 loss in Green Bay. The defence was picked apart by Aaron Rodgers. Oakland fell to 3-14 following a bye since 2003. Houston was a 30-23 loser in Indianapolis. Deshaun Watson was surprisingly outplayed by Jacoby Brissett. Watson lost his No. 2 receiver, Will Fuller, with a hamstring injury on the Texans’ first drive.
Pick ATS: Houston
Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs
The Sunday night game looked to be a Top-10 matchup in the entire regular season as former NFL MVP quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes were to face off for the first time. However, Mahomes injured his knee in last Thursday’s win in Denver and will miss a couple of games. Now it’s quite possible that Rodgers and Mahomes never play one another in a game that matters unless they meet in a Super Bowl.
Pick ATS: Kansas City
Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers, Monday
Pittsburgh is gifted off its bye week with the winless Dolphins, who are quite likely the worst team this century to appear on Monday Night Football. Miami did actually lead entering the fourth quarter Sunday in Buffalo but then remembered it’s tanking. The Steelers are likely to get starting QB Mason Rudolph back after he missed the previous game with a concussion.
Pick ATS: Pittsburgh