NFL Betting Preview: Week 8

Week 8 of the NFL season kicked off last night with a great matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Arizona Cardinals, and the game did not disappoint.

The Cardinals nearly remained undefeated, as they had the ball in the red zone down by three points at the end of the fourth quarter. Unfortunately Kyler Murray threw a pick in the end zone, giving the Packers the win and robbing fans of overtime.

That was not the only great matchup we have this week though. We have a handful of great games between division rivals, headlined by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. the New Orleans Saints.

Here is your full preview of this week’s NFL games and the best bets you should be laying action on.

*All odds and betting lines provided by WynnBet.

San Francisco 49ers (2-4) VS. Chicago Bears (3-4)

Spread: SF (-4)

Money Line: SF (-190) CHI (+170)

Over/Under: 39.5 Points

It is pretty hard to have much confidence in the Chicago Bears right now after the embarrassing display they put on last week. Rookie quarterback Justin Fields threw three interceptions, as the Bears offense only mustered 3 points.

Giving Tom Brady short fields is never a good idea either, allowing the Bucs to rack up 35 points in the first half alone. Tampa took their foot off the gas in the second half, keeping that game from getting any uglier than it had to be.

At the same time, it is also hard to bet on the San Francisco 49ers right now, who have lost four-straight games while having one of the worst offenses in the NFL.

Best Bet:

These are two of the three worst offenses in the NFC right now, with Chicago actually taking the title for being the lowest scoring team in the conference.

Betting on a game in today’s NFL to go under 40 points is not always advisable, but with these teams it is. Take the under in points.

Carolina Panthers (3-4) VS. Atlanta Falcons (3-3)

Spread: ATL (-3)

Money Line: CAR (+145) ATL (-165)

Over/Under: 47 Points

The Carolina Panthers hit a new low last week. After starting the year 3-0, the Panthers had already lost three-straight to even their record, but fell below .500 with a terrible performance against the New York Giants.

In his return to the Meadowlands, Sam Darnold could not move the football against the Giants defense and was eventually benched in favor of PJ Walker. New York won just their second game of the season, scoring 20 unanswered points in the second half.

Meanwhile the Atlanta Falcons find themselves favored for the second week in a row, after beating the Miami Dolphins with a late field goal last week.

Atlanta has won three of the last four weeks and has really started to find an offensive identity behind the standout performance of their dynamic rookie tight end, Kyle Pitts.

Best Bet:

If the Atlanta Falcons can beat their division rival at home this week, we could start to take them seriously as a fringe playoff contender. While that likely won’t last all season, it is much easier to bet on the momentum Atlanta is carrying into this week than to bet on Carolina.

Take the Falcons to win and cover the three-point spread.

Miami Dolphins (1-6) VS. Buffalo Bills (4-2)

Spread: BUF (-13)

Money Line: MIA (+575) BUF (-850)

Over/Under: 48.5 Points

Really the only question with this game is how many points will the Buffalo Bills win by. Buffalo is coming off their bye week and gets to face the lowly Miami Dolphins at home.

The Bills looked to be Super Bowl favorites a few weeks back when they blew the Chiefs out by 18 points in Kansas City. Since then, the Chiefs have continued to struggle to the point where that win looks slightly less impressive.

Still, that does not mean the Bills should have any real problem beating Miami at home.

The Dolphins are coming off one of their more encouraging losses of the season however. Miami lost against the Falcons on a late field goal last week and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa played pretty well.

Tua completed 32 of his 40 passes and threw four touchdown passes, albeit with two interceptions. There is a chance that the Dolphins can keep this game closer than we would expect, but it would be a stunning upset if they actually won outright.

Best Bet:

You never know what can happen when two division rivals square off, but the result of this game feels obvious. Buffalo is the better team and they will be well-rested and prepared coming off their bye.

Take the Bills to win by two touchdowns and cover that 13-point spread.

Philadelphia Eagles (2-5) VS. Detroit Lions (0-7)

Spread: PHI (-3)

Money Line: PHI (-170) DET (+150)

Over/Under: 47.5 Points

There really is no sugarcoating it, both of these teams are bad.

The Eagles have at least been keeping teams close in the games they have lost, but they still have only won once in the last six weeks.

Detroit could very well be heading towards another winless season, as the drop-off from Matthew Stafford to Jared Goff has taken an already bad team and made them that much worse.

The Eagles are favored on the road here and should be able to find a way, but it would not be shocking to see Detroit get their first win of the season in front of their home crowd.

Best Bet:

At the end of the day, these are two of the worst defensive teams in the NFL. Each of these teams has allowed 28 or more points four times this season. While they aren’t great offensively either, there is still a strong chance we see a high-scoring game on Sunday.

Take the over in total points.

Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3) VS. Cleveland Browns (4-3)

Spread: CLE (-3.5)

Money Line: PIT (+160) CLE (-180)

Over/Under: 42.5 Points

If the Cleveland Browns had a healthy starting quarterbacks, this game would be much easier to predict. Baker Mayfield is currently dealing with a shoulder injury that could compromise the rest of his season.

Right now, the Browns are trying to let Baker play through the injury without going under the knife to repair the damage to his shoulder. Last week, Case Keenum took the start against the Denver Broncos, allowing Baker to rest for a week.

All indications now appear that Mayfield will look to play this weekend against the Browns chief division rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh is coming off a win against the Seattle Seahawks, but a rather unimpressive one in which they had to win in overtime. The Steelers are definitely the worse team in this matchup, but they have always fared well against Cleveland.

Best Bet:

If he starts, Baker Mayfield is just one awkward throw or big hit away from being knocked out of the game. Then you are left pulling for Case Keenum to beat the Steelers by more than a field goal.

Take the Steelers with the points, that way if the game comes down to a field goal you win regardless.

LA Rams (6-1) VS. Houston Texans (1-6)

Spread: LAR (-14.5)

Money Line: LAR (-1000) HOU (+650)

Over/Under: 47.5 Points

The Houston Texans have lost by 25 or more points in three of the last four weeks and have lost six games in a row. Bottom line, they suck.

Meanwhile the Rams have one of the best point differentials in the NFL and have beaten every team they have played except for the Arizona Cardinals.

This is going to be a blowout, but can the Rams win by three scores on the road?

Best Bet:

The answer to that previous question is absolutely. Even with the spread set at 14.5 points, take the Rams to cover.

Tennessee Titans (5-2) VS. Indianapolis Colts (3-4)

Spread: IND (-1)

Money Line: TEN (-105) IND (-115)

Over/Under: 51 Points

I have to be honest, this is the line that surprised me the most this week. The oddsmakers must like the Indianapolis Colts a lot more than I do, or maybe they just aren’t as high on the Titans.

Personally, the Titans have shot up my short-list of Super Bowl contenders recently with their performance the last two weeks.

Tennessee found a way to beat the Buffalo Bills coming off their route of the Kansas City Chiefs two weeks ago. The Titans then went on to beat the Chiefs even worse than Buffalo did.

Derrick Henry continues to be an MVP candidate, while the Titans are always well-prepared under head coach Mike Vrabel.

The Colts are coming off two great weeks though and are always capable of winning games in the trenches with their dominant lines, practically their O-line which has been the best in the NFL over the last few years.

Best Bet:

This game really has the potential to be an awesome matchup. These are the two teams that will be going head-to-head to win the AFC South this year as the Jaguars and Texans are already out of the race.

At the end of the day, I believe the Titans are the class of the division and will prove it on the road this week.

Take the slight underdog Titans to win outright on the money line.

Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) VS. New York Jets (1-5)

Spread: CIN (-11)

Money Line: CIN (-490) NYJ (+390)

Over/Under: 42.5 Points

Let’s just take a look at last week’s games before picking a best bet from this matchup.

You have the Cincinnati Bengals, who went into Baltimore and crushed the Ravens 41-17. Then you have the Jets, who gave up a whopping 54 points to the New England Patriots in a 54-13 loss.

Is there any reason to think history won’t repeat itself this weekend?

Best Bet:

The Bengals should absolutely blow out the Jets and cover the 11-point spread.

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) VS. Seattle Seahawks (2-5)

Spread: SEA (-3.5)

Money Line: JAX (+155) SEA (-175)

Over/Under: 43.5 Points

Every week it becomes more painful to watch the Seattle Seahawks without Russell Wilson. Wilson can be seen on the sidelines during each Geno Smith loss, looking helpless as the Seahawks fall into a deeper and deeper hole.

Seattle needs to find a way to win a few games over these next few weeks, while Wilson rehabs from his thumb surgery. This is a perfect opportunity to do just that against the Jaguars.

Jacksonville started the season 0-5, before finally getting their first victory against the Dolphins in Week 6. That game took place in London, where the Jaguars have always played well, but it also marked the best game in Trevor Lawrence’s young career.

Lawrence had an extra week to prepare for this matchup against Seattle, as the Jaguars are coming off their bye.

Best Bet:

This feels like the type of game that Pete Carrol will find a way to win one way or another. The only problem is if they win by a field goal, Seattle won’t cover that spread.

At the end of the day, the Seahawks should be able to muster a strong performance at home, so take Seattle to cover.

New England Patriots (3-4) VS. LA Chargers (4-2)

Spread: LAC (-5.5)

Money Line: NE (+200) LAC (-240)

Over/Under: 49 Points

The last time Justin Herbert played against the New England Patriots, things did not go well for the young signal-caller. The Chargers quarterback completed less than 50% of his passes, threw two picks and was shutout.

The New England Patriots won that game against the Chargers 45-0, as another rookie quarterback struggled against Bill Belichick’s defense. Herbert is not a rookie anymore though.

This season, Herbert has come into his own and has the Chargers in contention with a 4-2 record. Coming off their bye and playing at home, expect L.A. to give the Patriots their best punch on Sunday.

Best Bet:

Take the Chargers to win by a touchdown and cover the spread.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-1) VS. New Orleans Saints (4-2)

Spread: TB (-5.5)

Money Line: TB (-245) NO (+205)

Over/Under: 50 Points

If the New Orleans Saints can find a way to pull off an upset this weekend, they will be right back in the mix in the NFC South. The Saints relied heavily on their defense to earn a victory on Monday night against the Seattle Seahawks, winning 13-10.

Jameis Winston and the Saints offense is going to have to do a lot more to keep up with Tom Brady and the Bucs on Sunday.

The Buccaneers entered this week as the NFL’s top-scoring offense, as they have eclipsed 30 points four times already this season. This week will be one of their toughest challenges though, as New Orleans features the best defense in the NFC right now.

Best Bet:

The Buccaneers may very well win this game, but that Saints defense can certainly keep the game close. The Saints will also be very motivated playing in front of their home crowd in a division rivalry game.

Take the Saints with the points.

Washington Football Team (2-5) VS. Denver Broncos (3-4)

Spread: DEN (-3)

Money Line: WFT (+140) DEN (-160)

Over/Under: 44.5 Points

My first reaction looking at the odds for this game was how are these two teams going to get to 44.5 points?

The Denver Broncos have only eclipsed 20 points once in the last four weeks, while the Washington Football Team has scored only 23 points in the last two weeks combined.

This a game that could very easily turn into a low-scoring defensive game of field position, especially considering the quarterback matchup of Taylor Heinicke vs. Teddy Bridgewater.

Best Bet:

Bet the under.

Dallas Cowboys (5-1) VS. Minnesota Vikings (3-3)

Spread: DAL (-2)

Money Line: DAL (-125) MIN (+105)

Over/Under: 55 Points

This week’s Sunday Night Football matchup will be between two well-rested teams, as the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings are both coming off their byes.

The Cowboys are currently on a five-game winning streak, putting together dominant offensive showings on a weekly basis. Meanwhile the Vikings have had a very up-and-down season, but have won their last two games.

Judging by point-differential, the Cowboys are the far more dominant team, as they are +59 for the season, where the Vikings are only +10. Even though they are the road team, it is hard to imagine the Cowboys losing on Sunday.

Best Bet:

The oddsmakers made this a very easy bet by only setting the spread at two points. Take Dallas to win by at least a field goal and cover the spread.

New York Giants (2-5) VS. Kansas City Chiefs (3-4)

Spread: KC (-9.5)

Money Line: NYG (+350) KC (-440)

Over/Under: 52 Points

The Kansas City Chiefs season is an a complete down-spiral. KC has lost two of the last three weeks in blowouts to some of their chief competitors in the AFC.

First the Buffalo Bills beat the Chiefs in Kansas City by 18 points, then two weeks later, the Tennessee Titans held them to just three points scored in another blowout.

The one game sandwiched in between those blowouts was a 31-13 rout of the Washington Football Team in Week 6. We could certainly see another performance like that against another lowly team from the NFC East on Monday.

Speaking of blowouts, the New York Giants just enjoyed being on the winning side of one for the first time this season last week. New York beat the Panthers 25-3, scoring 20 unanswered points in the second half.

While this one good performance was great for the Giants, it is not necessarily an indicator of more things to come.

Best Bet:

The Chiefs have to figure this out at some point if they are going to become a legitimate contender this season. Patrick Mahomes is going to make a statement playing under the bright lights of Monday Night Football.

Take the Chiefs to cover the spread and beat the Giants by double-digits.