Betting
10/24/24
13 min read
2024 NFL Week 8: Expert Picks, Predictions For Every Game
We are nearly halfway through the 2024 season, and NFL Week 8 should give us another great slate of games. There are no bye week teams in Week 8, and there isn't an overseas game, which means we will have 13 games on Sunday afternoon.
However, one of the biggest takeaways from this week is that we have several games with massive spreads. It's becoming clear which teams are contenders and which ones aren't.
But will they take care of business this week? Or will we see some massive upsets? Here are our thoughts and predictions for every game entering Week 8:
Minnesota Vikings (5-1) vs Los Angeles Rams (2-4)
Spread: Vikings -3.5
Total: 48
Cooper Kupp will finally be back for the Los Angeles Rams, and that’ll make this game more exciting, assuming he isn't traded before kickoff. Can Brian Flores and the Minnesota Vikings find ways to pressure Matthew Stafford? And can they stop Kyren Williams? We shall see, but the difference in this game is the Vikings' offense, which has been outstanding for most of the season.
Sam Darnold has just one game all season with a passer rating under 103, and it's becoming easier to trust him each week. With T.J. Hockenson (knee) likely to return, Darnold will have plenty of weapons to target. Look for the Vikings to hit a few big plays down the field and get a comfortable win against the Rams in primetime.
Score Prediction: Vikings 27, Rams 20
Atlanta Falcons (4-3) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3)
Spread: Falcons -2.5
Total: 46.5
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were 2.5-point favorites on the lookahead line for this game, but the injuries to Mike Evans (hamstring) and Chris Godwin (ankle) flipped it by five points. These two teams played just a few weeks ago, and the Atlanta Falcons won a thrilling game in overtime.
Losing Evans and Godwin might be too much for the Buccaneers to overcome, especially on a shorter week. Look for Tampa Bay to lean on its run game but for the Falcons to pull off the sweep here in Week 8.
Tampa Bay's defense has already struggled to get stops in recent weeks, and it needs the offense to play well to win these types of games. It's hard to imagine the offense having much success without its top two receivers.
Score Prediction: Falcons 30, Buccaneers 23
Indianapolis Colts (4-3) vs. Houston Texans (5-2)
Spread: Texans -6
Total: 46.5
The Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans faced off in Week 1, and Houston got the narrow victory. That was a game in which Nico Collins (six catches for 117 yards) had a massive impact. He’ll miss this contest with a hamstring injury, meaning C.J. Stroud will need to rely more on Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell.
Houston’s offense did not play well against Green Bay, as Stroud was held to just 86 passing yards. Indianapolis won’t accomplish anything close to that, but divisional games tend to be lower-scoring, and the Colts' run game could keep the score down.
Houston is a touchdown favorite in this game and should win, but we like the Colts to keep this one close. The X-factor will be Anthony Richardson, who is the most high-variance quarterback in the league. If he has one of those games where he is accurate, the Colts have a good chance to steal this game and get right back into the AFC South divisional hunt.
However, history says it’s pretty unlikely that Richardson will even come close to completing 60 percent of his passes. Take the Texans here.
Score Prediction: Texans 23, Colts 19
Baltimore Ravens (5-2) vs. Cleveland Browns (1-6)
Spread: Ravens -9.5
Total: 44.5
The early line on this game was Baltimore by double-digits, but the announcement that Jameis Winston would start for the Cleveland Browns at quarterback brought it down.
Winston is a capable NFL quarterback who can carve up defenses when protected. However, that’s been the issue for the Browns all season. That probably won’t be much better against the Baltimore Ravens, but Baltimore’s defense can be exposed through the air, and this is another short-rest week for it, coming off a win in Tampa Bay on Monday Night Football.
Divisional games are always hard to predict, but the Ravens should be able to run the ball with Derrick Henry at will. Expect a sloppy, low-scoring game for most of this contest, but expect the Ravens to pull away late.
Score Prediction: Ravens 24, Browns 16
New York Jets (2-5) vs. New England Patriots (1-6)
Spread: Jets -7
Total: 41.5
Drake Maye has been impressive in his first two NFL starts, but he’ll get his first taste of AFC East action in Week 8. The New England Patriots will be playing a 1:00 PM ET game after playing in London in Week 7, which could be a difficult task for Jerod Mayo’s team. However, the New York Jets are coming off a tough loss in Pittsburgh on Sunday Night Football and could be without several key starters in their secondary.
It’s difficult to trust either team right now, but the Jets did get a win against the Patriots once this season. Expect this to be a low-scoring game, but for Aaron Rodgers and company to make enough plays to win.
Score Prediction: Jets 23, Patriots 14
Green Bay Packers (5-2) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5)
Spread: Packers -4.5
Total: 49.5
This is one of the most confusing lines of the week. The Green Bay Packers are only 4.5-point favorites over the Jacksonville Jaguars, who spent the last two weeks in London.
Green Bay’s defense has been lights out this season and just held C.J. Stroud to 86 passing yards. Jacksonville isn’t good, and it seems unlikely that they can stop Jordan Love and the Packers from scoring at will.
Even though this is a road game in Jacksonville, expect the stands to be littered with Packers fans. Take the Packers to win by at least a touchdown in Jacksonville, as they are pretty clearly a top-eight team in the NFL.
Score Prediction: Packers 31, Jaguars 21
Tennessee Titans (1-5) vs. Detroit Lions (5-1)
Spread: Lions -10.5
Total: 45
The Tennessee Titans are expected to start Mason Rudolph this week, and he’ll have one less playmaker to throw to with DeAndre Hopkins being traded to the Chiefs. The Titans still have weapons on offense, including Tony Pollard and Calvin Ridley, but the quarterback situation remains a mess.
This should be another big victory for the Detroit Lions, as they are home and taking on one of the league’s worst teams. Expect Tennessee’s defense to hold up for a while, but things will get really ugly in Detroit by the second half. The Lions are just too talented and well-coached to slip up here.
Score Prediction: Lions 28, Titans 14
Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (3-4)
Spread: Bengals -2.5
Total: 47.5
This is one of the bigger games of the week since the Cincinnati Bengals are trying to get back to .500 for the first time this season. The good news for Cincinnati is that its defense has stepped up in a big way during the last two weeks, but now, its offense is struggling. This could be a tough matchup on that side of the ball; the Philadelphia Eagles recorded eight sacks against the Giants in Week 7.
Orlando Brown Jr. injured his calf last week, and the Bengals have already lost Trent Brown for the season. If Cincinnati can’t protect Joe Burrow, it'll have no chance of getting this win and improving to 4-4. The offense has already been a mess in recent weeks, and now it'll face one of the league's most aggressive defenses. Look for the Eagles to lean heavily on Saquon Barkley and A.J. Brown to win this contest.
Score Prediction: Eagles 27, Bengals 21
Arizona Cardinals (3-4) vs. Miami Dolphins (2-4)
Spread: Dolphins -3
Total: 47.5
Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) is expected to return to the field for the first time since Week 2. And it couldn’t come at a better time with the season on the line for the Miami Dolphins. The passing offense has been awful since he left, and the Dolphins went 1-3 without him. While he should provide an immediate boost to the offense, Miami’s defense has major issues.
Can they stop Kyler Murray and James Conner on the ground? We have our doubts, and that’s why the Arizona Cardinals are the pick here despite being a 3-point underdog. It will take Tagovailoa some time to get back up to the speed of the game, and the Cardinals are playing well right now. Take the Cardinals +3 this weekend in Miami.
Score Prediction: Cardinals 24, Dolphins 21
Buffalo Bills (5-2) vs. Seattle Seahawks (4-3)
Spread: Bills -3
Total: 47.5
This is one of the better games of the weekend, as the Seattle Seahawks are 3-point home underdogs to the Buffalo Bills. Amari Cooper immediately made his presence felt with the Bills in Week 7, scoring a touchdown in his first game. It will take a bit for him to be totally comfortable in the offense, but he gives the Bills another weapon that can beat 1-on-1 coverage.
Still, this could be a tough matchup for Buffalo. The Seahawks have one of the league’s most balanced offenses, and Kenneth Walker III is having a career season. Plus, Geno Smith is near the top of the league in passing yards.
Expect this to be a fairly high-scoring contest, with the Seahawks getting the home win. This truly feels like a 50-50 game, but the fact that Seattle is home could end up being the deciding factor.
Score Prediction: Seahawks 27, Bills 24
New Orleans Saints (2-5) vs. Los Angeles Chargers (3-3)
Spread: Chargers -7.5
Total: 39.5
The New Orleans Saints looked awful on Thursday Night Football, but there is no way that they should be a 7.5-point underdog to the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers are decimated at wide receiver, and their offense can’t stay out of its own way. The defense has been impressive, but the offenses' inability to score more than 21 points in most weeks means that games will continue to stay close.
With Chris Olave and Taysom Hill expected to return, this could be a much closer game than anyone anticipates. Plus, there is a big rest advantage for New Orleans (10 days vs. 6 days), and that could make a difference in this contest. We’ll take the Chargers to win, but stay far away from that 7.5-point spread.
Score Prediction: Chargers 20, Saints 17
Chicago Bears (4-2) vs. Washington Commanders (5-2)
Spread: Bears -2.5
Total: 44
This spread certainly indicates that Jayden Daniels won’t be available after injuring his ribs against the Panthers in Week 7. That is unfortunate, as this was our first chance to see Caleb Williams vs. Daniels in the NFL. Instead, look for Marcus Mariota to get the start for the Washington Commanders.
The Chicago Bears are coming off a Week 7 bye and should be fresh for this game. Their defense has been outstanding, and it shouldn’t have any problem containing Mariota if he starts. With Daniels out, the Bears are an easy pick here on the money line and the spread.
Score Prediction: Bears 24, Commanders 20
Kansas City Chiefs (6-0) vs. Las Vegas Raiders (2-5)
Spread: Chiefs -10
Total: 42.5
The Las Vegas Raiders were the last team to beat the Kansas City Chiefs, and that was all the way back on Christmas of 2023. However, that was a much different Las Vegas team that had depth on defense and a power-rushing attack. That is no longer the case for the Raiders, especially with all of their injuries.
That doesn’t mean you should bet on the Chiefs to cover this double-digit spread, though. Their offense continues to struggle to create explosive plays, which means the score will be low. Look for Kansas City to control this game, but that double-digit spread is a no-go.
Score Prediction: Chiefs 20, Raiders 13
Carolina Panthers (1-6) vs. Denver Broncos (4-3)
Spread: Broncos -7.5
Total: 43.5
It’s hard to believe that the Denver Broncos should be 7.5-point favorites against anyone, but here we are. The Carolina Panthers have now lost four straight games by double-digits, and Andy Dalton looks worse every week. The offense is broken in Carolina, and there isn’t a lot of hope in sight.
But can the Broncos cover that spread on offense? They are coming off 10 days of rest, and the defense has been outstanding for most of the season. Take the Broncos to win in Week 8, but stay away from that spread. It’s just too risky.
Score Prediction: Broncos 17, Panthers 13
Dallas Cowboys (3-3) vs. San Francisco 49ers (3-4)
Spread: 49ers -4.5
Total: 47.5
The look-ahead line for this matchup going into Week 7 was 49ers -7, but the injuries to Brandon Aiyuk (knee), Deebo Samuel (illness), and George Kittle (ankle) have dropped it down to -4.5. The Dallas Cowboys are coming off their bye week, but they are still unlikely to have Micah Parsons on the field. That means Dallas will be without its top four EDGE rushers again this week.
As banged up as the San Francisco 49ers are on offense, they should still be able to move the ball at will against the Cowboys. With Dallas’ offense still struggling, take the 49ers to win and cover in a must-win game for the 2023-2024 NFC champions.
Score Prediction: 49ers 28, Cowboys 20
New York Giants (2-5) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)
Spread: Steelers -5.5
Total: 47.5
Daniel Jones played pretty well early in the season when the offensive line was healthy. But during the last two weeks, Jones has been sacked nine times, and the New York Giants have scored a combined 10 points. He’s looking at the pass rush and walking into sacks, which obviously isn’t a great sign for New York.
They’ll travel to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have the NFL's No. 2 ranked scoring defense. It seems unreasonable that the Giants will score multiple touchdowns, and they’ll have a hard time blocking T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
Look for this to be another 5+ sack game for Jones and likely his last primetime start before the Giants turn to Drew Lock. This one could be ugly.
Score Prediction: Steelers 24, Giants 6
