NFL Picks Against the Spread 2017: Week 8 Games

Before the eighth Sunday of the 2017 NFL regular season kicks off, let’s have some fun by taking a look at the spreads for today’s games. (Click here for NFL Week 8 picks without regard to the spread.)

Here are suggestions when trying to beat the odds. You can find all of today’s NFL betting lines and more via SB Nation. My regular season record after the seventh week is 48-47-3. Let’s get to the picks.

NFL Week 8 Games

Minnesota Vikings (-9.5) at Cleveland Browns: Hue Jackson is starting turnover machine DeShone Kizer in Cleveland’s neutral field game against the Vikings. Mike Zimmer’s defense will surely be able to take care of business against the winless Browns. The Vikings potentially getting Stefon Diggs back this week will only help their cause. PICK: Vikings -9.5

San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles (-12.5): This one’s a little tricky. On paper, there’s no reason why the Eagles shouldn’t soundly beat the 49ers. There’s a big talent disparity here. Philly’s top-ranked run defense has the potential to shut down the 49ers’ run game, which means San Fran will have to rely on C.J. Beathard’s arm to win. That’s not a winning formula. But it might not be that simple. The rainy weather expected for this game complicates matters. Perhaps this could be a low-scoring, sloppy contest. I’m still going with the Eagles here since they’re at home, but I don’t feel as confident as I would if the weather wasn’t a factor. PICK: Eagles -12.5

Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots (-7.5): The Patriots have seemingly found their groove after some early season struggles. It’s going to be tough for the Chargers to travel across the country for a 1:00 PM start in Foxborough. L.A. hasn’t completely rolled over, so they might put up some fight, but how could you bet against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick at home? PICK: Patriots -7.5

Oakland Raiders at Buffalo Bills (-3): Another West Coast team making a 1:00 PM start. The good news for the Raiders is they have extra rest heading into this game after playing on Thursday Night Football, but I’m not sure that it’ll matter. Buffalo is undefeated at home this year and the feeling here is it stays that way. The Bills are 4-1-1 ATS this year. PICK: Bills -3

Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-1.5): After a pathetic effort in a 17-3 loss to the Bears last week, it feels like Carolina is due for a bounce back game. The Panthers aren’t super inspiring right now but honestly neither are the Bucs. Jameis Winston reportedly reinjured his shoulder last week so it seems like he’ll be playing at less than 100%. Tampa Bay is 1-4-1 ATS in 2017. PICK: Panthers +1.5

Atlanta Falcons (-6) at New York Jets: The J-e-t-s can’t get no r-e-s-p-e-c-t. It’s not like New York is a great team or anything, but they’re not dreadful. The Falcons, meanwhile, haven’t looked so great recently. Atlanta has lost three in a row. They were inches away from losing in Detroit to make it 0-4 in their last four games. As is the case with the Eagles-49ers game, the weather has the potential to make this tilt sloppy. I’ll go with the points here. The Jets are 4-2-1 ATS this season. PICK: Jets +6

Indianapolis Colts at Cincinnati Bengals (-10.5): The Bengals beat the Browns by 31-7 in Cleveland earlier this month. The Colts without Andrew Luck really aren’t that much better than the Browns. This game is in Cincy so Marvin Lewis and co. should be able to take care of business at home. PICK: Bengals -10.5

Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints (-9): You may be surprised to know the Bears are 5-2 ATS this season. This record will be 5-3 after Sunday. The Bears have won their last two games, yes, but it’s been totally unsustainable. Mitchell Trubisky completed a combined TWELVE passes in those two games. That’s some Tim Tebow ish. The Saints have won four in a row; they’re playing well. New Orleans takes this game comfortably at home. PICK: Saints -9

Houston Texans at Seattle Seahawks (-5.5): Really interesting situation here given the comments made by Texans owner Bob McNair. Do the Texans play pissed off with something to prove? Or has the situation become a distraction? Either way, this is a tough spot for Houston. Seattle is just so good at home. Deshaun Watson has played well as a rookie but this is his toughest test yet. I’ll take the Seahawks here. PICK: Seahawks -5.5

Dallas Cowboys (-2) at Washington Redskins: As far as the Eagles are concerned, it’d be great if Dallas loses this game. Unfortunately for them, I don’t think it’s going to happen. Washington is too banged up right now. Getting Josh Norman back is ideal, but the offensive line injuries are concerning. I’ll take Dallas to win. If I’m wrong, everyone can be very happy. PICK: Cowboys -2

Pittsburgh Steelers (-3) at Detroit Lions: Football Outsiders has the Steelers ranked as the No. 1 overall team in DVOA. Detroit, meanwhile, checks in at No. 12. The Steelers’ defense will provide a tough matchup for the Lions’ offense. The Lions are coming off a bye, so that’s something to consider, but I feel good enough about Pittsburgh to take them on the road. PICK: Steelers -3

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (-7): The Broncos have scored a combined 10 points in their last two games. It’s not like they’ve played some defensive juggernauts, either. They struggled against the Giants at home before getting shut out by the Chargers on the road. Yikes. Things have been so bad that some Broncos fans have seriously called for Chad Kelly, the last pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, to start. The Chiefs aren’t going to drop three games in a row. KC will bounce back this week. PICK: Chiefs -7