Week 8 NFL Lines & Odds: Matchup Predictions

We are almost at the halfway point of the season and the numbers have been a bit crazy this season. Scoring numbers are way up and we have seen that reflected in the totals each week. There are also a few teams that might not have the best record but have made massive strides and are covering more games. The Chargers, Bengals, Broncos, and Dolphins are four teams that have covered over 65% of their games this season. The Titans, Saints, and Raiders have two of the best records for the over, while the Rams and Cardinals are two of the worst teams for the over. This week projects to be a little lower scoring despite five games over a 50 total, and the Chiefs are monster favorites against the hapless Jets.

ATL @ CAR

Atlanta is coming off a game that we have seen time and time again this season, a final drive by the opposing team to pull off a win. While Carolina is coming off back-to-back losses they have covered in four out of seven games and are better than the record indicates. There is a chance Christian McCaffrey returns but that doesn't mean much for me in saying Carolina will cover the spread here. Both offenses have put up strong numbers this season and most of it through the air. Defensively the Panthers have been better but Atlanta doesn't exactly set a high bar. I do like the over here as well with two offenses that can put up big numbers. I'd expect a better offensive performance from Atlanta than the 16 point game they put up in the prior meetings.

NE @ BUF

New England has given us no reason to believe they are worth betting on the last two weeks. There are a lot of odd things going on, like James White's usage last week in a game that screamed 15 touches for White. Now Cam Newton and this passing attack has certainly hit their wall which should have been expected with the group of receivers and tight ends lined up for him to throw to. The defense has also began to really struggle and the names that opted out this offseason are starting to make a difference. While Buffalo wasn't convincing last week, I'd buy a point where I can or find -3 and take the Bills here.

TEN @ CIN

No surprise to see a high total with these two defenses. Both have struggled this season and the opposing offenses have put up big numbers. That will be the case this week as the Titans should win this game comfortably, but the threat of a backdoor cover by Joe Burrow is looming. Burrow us up over 2,000 yards already this season and has thrown the ball 293 times over the span of six games. They have a high volume and Tennessee ranks 19th against the pass. Their secondary will have a tough task covering this squad. I like the over in this spot, but worry about the Bengals keeping this one close.

LV @ CLE

The Raiders are a competitive 3-3 team and are 2.5 point dogs on the road in Cleveland. I like this spot for the Raiders to pull off a win straight up. The Browns are down Odell Beckham Jr and while many will be saying Baker Mayfield played better without him, it was a one-game sample against Cincinnati. I like this matchup for Derek Carr, Henry Ruggs, and Darren Waller. I expect Las Vegas to put up plenty of points and get enough pressure on Baker Mayfield for him to struggle. It is a good spot to get the Raiders at these numbers, in reality it should be even or a point.

IND @ DET

Fresh off a bye week, the Colts will head on the road to Detroit where they are field goal favorites. The Colts haven't exactly done much to deserve to be field goal favorites on the road against a Detroit team that is decent. I like the under in this spot as the Colts have ground out a few games with their rushing attack and that is what they should do this week. Detroit is also not a high flying team either and we saw this last week with the Falcons-Lions game where I was expecting some points and it was a bit slow paced and both teams attacked on the ground.

MIN @ GB

While we will need to monitor the injury reports in this one on the running backs, I am still banking on the Packers covering regardless. They are the superior team and will be able to punish this Vikings defense that is in need of a rebuild once again this season. Davante Adams and Aaron Jones are in line for a monster day and at home the Packers should dominate. They have a strong secondary to match up against Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. They are 6.5 point favorites and while that might seem high to him that is actually in line with where I was expecting before they came out.

NYJ @ KC

A near 20 point spread int his one, as the Jets will roll into Kansas City. A 20 point spread is certainly a large one for teams to cover, and something I don't usually target, but this is different. This Jets team is historically bad and I don't see a way they can put points up on the board, even in garbage time. With the Jets lacking any sort of run game or passing game that can put up 20+ points, I don't see how the Jets cover this one. The Chiefs are coming off of a couple lackluster performances on offense and this week they should put up big numbers.

LAR @ MIA

The Rams are four-point road favorites this week and the Dolphins have made the change from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Tua Tagovaiola this week. While this isn't the team I would start a rookie quarterback against, but here we are. I am not so focused on the spread as much as the under in this one. I don't completely trust the Rams showing up this week, because their wins have come against Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington, and the New York Giants. Not the most noteworthy strength of schedule. Miami's defense isn't bad and Jared Goff hasn't been consistent this season. I will take both defenses limiting the opposing offenses this week.

PIT @ BAL

This is a premium game and deserves to be the Sunday Night Football game. Baltimore are favorites coming off the bye week and this is going to be the AFC North battle. Both defenses rank inside the top ten this season and these games have traditionally been low scoring affairs. Both teams have a lot of playmakers and Pittsburgh has shown some cracks against the pass at times. Baltimore is the team I am looking at off the bye. While I like Pittsburgh, the Ravens offense is a bit more potent to beat the Steelers defense instead of vice versa.

LAC @ DEN

The Chargers are 2-4 but have been covering games this season. They are three-point road favorites and I don't exactly put a ton of trust into rookie quarterbacks. Both defenses came into the season with a chance of being top ten defenses but injuries have hurt both sides. Public money is on the Chargers to cover and the under. Both teams have covered the spread at least four times this season. Denver has covered in two of the last three meetings and the under is 21, their average scores is a combined 35 points in the last three meetings. I do like the under in this one.

NO @ CHI

This is one of the lower totals of the weekend with the Bears and Saints squaring off. Public money is fairly split on this one with the Saints as favorites and public money slightly favoring them. They are split on the over. This feels like one of those defensive low scoring battles. The Saints defense will be able to get to Nick Foles and David Montgomery is a slug in the backfield. The Saints will rely on Alvin Kamara and this is going to be a grind it out game that the Saints win. It shouldn't be a blowout so the four point spread is a bit much for my liking.

SF @ SEA

Seattle is coming off their first loss of the season and are three point favorites against the 49ers back at home. Both teams have put up points but the 49ers injuries continue to pile up. Seattle's defense has really struggled so I still expect Kyle Shanahan and this offense to put up some numbers. Both teams have covered four times each this season and the over is favorable in Seattle with their offense putting up monster numbers and the defense struggling. The over is 2-0-1 in the last three meetings and the 49ers have covered two of the last three games.

DAL @ PHI

If you want to know how bad Dallas is, they are 7.5 point dogs against the Eagles, who are 2-4-1 and barely winning the games they have won. Both teams are in rough shape as is this whole division. With how bad Dallas has played and the shape their defense, offensive line, and quarterback play has been in it makes a lot of sense. Public money is hammering the Eagles. While I tend to avoid two teams in distress at such a large spread, I am banking on the Eagles putting up numbers still against this Dallas defense. The Eagles defense is also far better than the Cowboys.

TB @ NYG

This is quite the mismatch for the Monday night game as Tampa will travel to New York. The Buccaneers are averaging 31.7 points per game this season while the Giants are averaging 17.4. Tampa is 4-3 ATS and the Giants are as well. The difference for this one is going to be the Buccaneers defense dominating the Giants offense and holding them to minimal points. The Buccaneers offense will be without Chris Godwin but Tom Brady is slinging it all over and producing monster numbers. The Bucs should win this one easily.

NFL Week 8 FAQ

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