National Football League

NFL Week 8 Picks Against the Spread for Each Game

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Returning once again to make NFL Week 8 picks against the spread for each game, braving the odds once more.

Last week turned out much better than it probably should have in terms of making picks against the spread. After the early games (and the Thursday and London games), I sat at an abysmal 1-8 and wondering whether this was all worth it. I finished strong, though, to make the week of pick simply bad as opposed to catastrophically horrible. Hopefully we’ll avoid both of those categories with my NFL Week 8 picks against the spread.

This is an interesting week for a number of reasons in the NFL. For one, there are simply a handful of great games throughout the league. Hell, even the London game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Redskins has some intrigue. Our friends across the pond rarely get to see that, sadly.

Then, of course, you have matchups like the Sunday Night Football NFC East showdown between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles or the rematch between the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots. There are real stakes on the line, which makes the NFL Week 8 picks all the more intriguing.

The good news is that I’m starting off 1-0 after winning on the Thursday game with the Tennessee Titans.

Pick against the spread for #TNF. I’ve got the #Titans -3 (and by more than that, FWIW). Full picks tomorrow.

— NFL Spin Zone (@NFLSpinZone) October 28, 2016

And for good measure, there’s also already a pick in for the London game between Cincy and Washington.

Official pick ATS for #WASvsCIN. Cincinnati -3. Full picks shortly

— NFL Spin Zone (@NFLSpinZone) October 30, 2016

I like that. Now onto the rest of the picks.

Week 7 Record ATS: 6-9

2016 Record ATS (No Week 1 Picks): 41-47-3

Oct 23, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) after a handoff against the San Francisco 49ers during the first quarter at Levi

Oakland Raiders (-2) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Conventional wisdom tells us that a West Coast team having to go east is a recipe for a letdown game. While that often holds true, it’s worth noting that the Raiders have been the exception in 2016. They’ve already won three games after traveling across the country for early starts. Considering that they’re also the better team when they match up against the Bucs, give the the road favorites and the Raiders staying perfect (straight-up) on the road.

Pick: Raiders -2

Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers (-3)

Remember the same rule that we just talked about with West Coast teams? That applies here with the Arizona Cardinals. Here’s a dirty little secret, though: I think this Panthers team is absolutely horrible and not going anywhere at all. Meanwhile, Arizona could be about to hit their stride.

Pick: Cardinals +3

Detroit Lions at Houston Texans (-2)

Of all the games on Sunday, this might be the most difficult to pick. The Lions and Texans are clearly trending in different directions right now. Matthew Stafford looks like an MVP-candidate while Brock Osweiler looks like he’d have been benched if not for his albatross contract. However, the Lions have long been a weird team on the road and that stands true still. In the end, though, I believe in Stafford far too much more than the Brock Lobster to take the home Texans here.

Pick: Lions +2

Oct 16, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) celebrates with tight end Coby Fleener (82) after a touchdown during the third quarter of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Panthers 41-38. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Seattle Seahawks (-1) at New Orleans Saints

Here we have your classic offense-defense matchup between two of the league’s best units on that side of the ball. Can the Seahawks slow down Drew Brees and the Saints inside the dome? That’s a difficult task, without question. However, they should be able to slow them without stopping them. And considering that Russell Wilson might actually have room to breathe against this paltry New Orleans defense, I like the road favorites here.

More from NFL Spin Zone

Pick: Seahawks -1

Kansas City Chiefs (-2.5) at Indianapolis Colts

I’m not going to overthink this one for a moment. Yes, I’ve taken a lot of road teams at this point. However, the Kansas City Chiefs are a good football team and the Indianapolis Colts are an atrocious unit wth a great quarterback. Give me the former when they match up.

Pick: Chiefs -2.5

New England Patriots (-5.5) at Buffalo Bills

Man, the Buffalo Bills really showed the New England Patriots earlier this year when they shut them out for the first time in over 30 years at Gillette Stadium. Oh, Jacoby Brissett started that game and now Tom Brady is back? Call me crazy considering the Bills’ inconsistency and the fact that they’re without LeSean McCoy, but I’ve got the fighting Rex Ryans pulling off the major upset on Sunday and going 2-0 over the Pats in 2016.

Pick: Bills +5.5

New York Jets (-2) at Cleveland Browns

One of these teams has won a game in the 2016 NFL season and the other is the Cleveland Browns. You probably think that I’m insane for how many times I’ve taken the Browns against the spread at this point. Well, so be it. With Josh McCown returning under-center, I think the Ryan Fitzpatrick train derails the New York Jets once again and the Browns move to an optimistic 1-7.

Pick: Browns +2

Oct 23, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) celebrates his touchdown pass during the third quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Vikings, 21-10. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos (-3.5)

As the San Diego Chargers have been in the business of saving Mike McCoy’s job in recent weeks, one such performance came with a win over the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Denver Broncos. Despite Denver coming off a win last week and holding the better record, this Chargers team is showing a ton of grit right now. Moreover, Trevor Siemian and that Broncos offense without C.J. Anderson is concerning. They may not win, but at least give me San Diego losing by a field goal.

Pick: Chargers +3.5

Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons (-3)

Oddmakers putting the Atlanta Falcons as three-point favorites at home essentially means that they see these two teams as even. That feels about right considering that they have near identical records and have both been maddeningly inconsistent. However, I still remain dubious of this Packers team, especially as they keep losing weapons to injury. With very little confidence, I’ll take the Falcons at home.

Pick: Falcons -3

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys (-5.5)

This spread has inflated a bit since the line opened with money coming in on the Dallas Cowboys. However, I still like the home team in this matchup. The defensive front of the Philadelphia Eagles isn’t going to be able to cause the Cowboys offensive line nearly the same trouble that they did the Vikings as they beat them in Week 7. What’s more, I simply think the Cowboys have more weapons at their disposal and will use them as such.

Pick: Cowboys -5.5

Minnesota Vikings (-4) at Chicago Bears

I wish there was some profound point to make here about the return of Jay Cutler, but there is no such point. The Chicago Bears stink and the now-one-loss Minnesota Vikings are still very good.

Pick: Vikings -4

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