We’re almost halfway through the NFL regular season, and Week 8 has an AFC matchup of struggling teams as the 3-4 Las Vegas Raiders, losers of four straight after a 35-21 home defeat to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7, head to MetLife Stadium to take on the 2-5 New York Jets.

The Raiders opened the Klint Kubiak era with a perfect 3-0 start, beating the Miami Dolphins at home before road wins over the Chargers and Saints. The schedule then turned especially brutal, as the Raiders dropped four in a row to the Chiefs, Patriots, Bills, and Rams.

Meanwhile, the Jets have only beaten the Titans and Browns this season. They dropped an overtime heartbreaker to the Packers and lost on the road in Detroit, Chicago and New England. To top things off, Gang Green were upset 28-25 at home last week by the winless Dolphins. Head coach Aaron Glenn’s seat is certainly getting hotter by the week. For more picks across the full slate, check out our NFL predictions for this week’s games.

Raiders vs. Jets Kickoff, Weather, TV, Streaming Info

In Canada, Raiders vs. Jets kicks off Sunday at 1 p.m. ET and can be streamed nationwide on DAZN through NFL Game Pass. The U.S. broadcast is on FOX.

The weather forecast for Week 8’s game calls for cool, mostly dry conditions, with temperatures around 16C and only a slight chance of rain.

NFL Betting Odds, Point Spread, Predictions

The home Jets are 1.5-point favourites with a -122 money line, while the visiting Raiders sit at +102 on the money line, making this essentially a pick’em. The game total is set at 46.5, as both teams have shown the ability to generate offence at times this season with somewhat aggressive quarterbacks.

This season, the Raiders have been one of the more entertaining teams in football, for better or worse. The Raiders are scoring 26.1 points per game but allowing 28.1, and the over is 5-2 in their games. Kirk Cousins has been a big reason why, throwing for 1,877 yards with a league-leading 16 touchdown passes against five interceptions. Despite the losing streak, the Raiders sit at 5-2 against the spread this year.

As for the Jets, Geno Smith has steadied the quarterback position for the first time in a long while, but the offence has been pretty inconsistent with Breece Hall sidelined for most of the season. His return could stabilize the run game and may move the line slightly, with definitive word on Hall’s health.

The Jets average 19.6 points per game, the offensive line has struggled to keep Smith clean, and losing at home to a previously winless Miami team as a 4.5-point favourite doesn’t inspire much confidence. The Jets are 4-3 against the spread, and the under is 4-3 in their games.

With Cousins slinging it and both defences giving up chunks of yards, the over may be very much in play for this game, as could backing the Raiders, who have played a far tougher schedule than their record suggests.

One thing to keep an eye out for is a potential swap to 2026 #1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. That variable is always in play with the Raiders, even with Cousins having early-season success. Mendoza getting the starting nod will affect every line in this game.

NFL Player Odds and Props

Brock Bowers OVER 7.5 receptions

Bowers showed what he can do when he’s the focal point in his season debut, hauling in 10-of-13 targets for 116 yards and a touchdown against the Saints. The Raiders have been trailing and throwing a lot during this losing streak, and Cousins, who leads the NFL with 16 touchdown passes, keeps the ball coming out quickly to his best target.

Bowers may be listed at tight end, but he operates as a wide receiver for most of the game, so fellow tight end Michael Mayer’s presence is just general target competition rather than a threat to his role, and Bowers remains the most dangerous receiving option on this roster.

This Jets defence just let Miami’s tight end Greg Dulcich put up five receptions for 86 yards and has allowed numerous big plays to a ton of different receivers this season. 7.5 is a high number, so this one is about volume: if Las Vegas is chasing points again, Bowers is the safest bet among these pass-catchers to see double-digit targets.

Mason Taylor OVER 3.5 receptions

Mason Taylor missed three games after Week 1 with a thumb injury, but has come back to run at least 63% of routes per dropback in each game. Taylor has eclipsed 3.5 receptions in his last two games, with four and five catches, respectively.

While Garrett Wilson and Omar Cooper Jr. get the headlines in this passing game, Taylor has been a focal point since returning to the lineup and should be able to eclipse this number against a Raiders defence that has allowed 8.9 targets per game and 7.3 receptions per game to opposing tight ends this season.

Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders’ offence runs through Cousins, but Ashton Jeanty is the engine in the backfield and has been a major factor as a receiver, pacing for 83 receptions and 758 yards. Bowers returned from a preseason knee procedure in Week 3 and made an immediate impact. As have Tre Tucker and Michael Mayer, providing the backbone of the Las Vegas passing attack.

The defence is the problem. Las Vegas has allowed 197 points through seven games, and it’s been gashed by the high-powered offences it faced during the losing streak. The Jets are a significant step down in competition, which is one of the main reasons this line sits near a pick’em despite the Raiders’ recent slide.

New York Jets

Smith has given the Jets a steady hand under center, and Wilson remains one of the most targeted receivers in the AFC. Adonai Mitchell and rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq have provided secondary options, and Braelon Allen has been a bright spot in the backfield with Hall sidelined by a quad injury. Hall’s status is up in the air, but his return would give the Jets a much-needed dual-threat weapon out of the backfield.

The bigger concern is up front. The Jets’ offensive line has allowed the fourth-most sacks in the NFL (21), and if the Jets can’t protect Smith or get home against a veteran quarterback like Cousins with limited mobility, this one could get away from them at home again.

Raiders vs. Jets Week 8 Score Prediction

RAIDERS

Away

20

JETS

Home

23

Score
Predictions

Matchup