NFL Week Eight Sunday Betting Preview

The underdogs continue to rule the NFL this season. Washington, Seattle, New York (Giants), Carolina, and Chicago not only covered their point spread, but won their games outright last week. These are the trends that we have to follow. Look for value and exploit Vegas when the opportunity presents itself.

Here’s a quick review of what transpired in Week Seven. Hold the discount, let’s just double check and make sure Aaron Rodgers is doing ok. The Matt Ryan experiment in Indy is over. The Bucs could’ve tied with the Panthers if the NFL allowed them to combine their points from Week Six. Josh Jacobs scored more TDs than half the league.

The Ravens held a lead. Something’s going on up in Seattle. It’s a hard knock life for the Lions. The Cardinals and Saints gave us the points we were owed from past Thursday Night Football games. Tua proved to be less concussed than Kenny Pickett, who threw three picks. Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe it doesn’t matter the Patriots are basement dwellers. Those New York teams that play in New Jersey are for real. The Chiefs flashed their Super Bowl 54 rings in the 49ers’ faces. The Bengals swiped down the Falcons.

Now let’s see what teams are the smart plays in Week 8.  

*Overall record: 10-12

Patriots vs. Jets @1:00PM ET

Quarterback drama in New England?! Many proclaimed Mac Jones to be the heir apparent to Tom Brady’s throne, but it appears as though one season was enough for Patriot fans to give Jones the thumbs down. They’re anointing that honor to backup Bailey Zappe, but Bill Belichick is the man who runs the show and he’s sticking with Jones for one more week.

And while New England focuses on that, New York looks to extend their longest winning streak since 2015. Winners of four in a row, New York continues to one up itself holding their opponents to fewer points week after week. This is going to be a showdown make no mistake about it. Rob Saleh has a chance for a career defining win and New York is ready to welcome their team back home, with new signing James Robinson among them.

Vegas is favoring New England most likely because New York just lost their stud rookie RB Breece Hall to an ACL tear, but this isn’t the Brady led Patriots. Vegas’s naivety will soon be realized when the game concludes.

Money Makin Mac

• Patriots have won 12 straight games vs. NYJ (last loss was in 2015 at NYJ)
• Mac Jones is 2-0 vs. NYJ
• Patriots are 7-3 on the road with Jones
• Bill Belichick is 17-5 at NYJ as the Patriots head coach

Jersey’s Secret Sauce

• Jets are 4-0 with Zach Wilson as their QB this season
• Jets are 5-2 against the spread this season (1-2 as home underdog)
• Patriots are 3-4 on the road vs. AFC East teams since 2020

Pick: Jets (+2.5)

Cardinals vs. Vikings @ 1:00PM ET

Kyler Murray got his star WR DeAndre Hopkins back after serving a six-game suspension, and that was the remedy Arizona needed to secure a much-needed home win vs. New Orleans. Minnesota is off to their best start with Kirk Cousins behind center, starting 5-1.

Their record looks nice on the surface, but I’m not convinced that they’re the real deal yet since they haven’t beat any noteworthy teams. That Week 1 win against Green Bay is looking less impressive as the weeks go on. If Arizona was playing at home I’d side with Minnesota, but since this is a road game, I’m rolling with Kyler Murray.

Arizona Road Warriors

• Cardinals are 9-2 with Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins in the lineup together
• Cardinals are 8-2 on the road with Murray between this season and last
• Vikings are 1-2 against the spread as a home favorite this season
• Vikings are 1-3 after their Bye Week with Kirk Cousins

Mighty Minnesota

• Vikings are 3-0 at home this season
• Vikings are 22-12 at home with Kirk Cousins as their QB

Pick: Cardinals (+3.5)

Giants vs. Seahawks @ 4:25PM ET

New York and Seattle are defying all the odds this season. Seattle, a team that missed the playoffs last season, who shares a division with the defending Super Bowl champs along with a San Francisco team that has Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, and new addition Christian McCaffrey, is somehow leading the NFC West.

While New York isn’t at the top of the NFC East, they do have the same number of wins as Philadelphia, which just so happens to be the most wins in the NFL. Expect both teams to rely on their ground games with Saquon Barkley and Kenneth Walker III carrying the offenses as neither QB is truly reliable. Seattle’s always a tough environment for opposing teams so let’s see what Daniel Jones and Co. are made of this week.

Go G-Men

• Giants are 6-1 against the spread this season (2-0 as a road underdog)
• Giants are 2-0 on the road this season
• Giants are 2-1 in their last three meetings at Seattle, dating back to 2010 (last win came in 2020)

Carroll’s Club

• Two of the Seahawks’ three home games this season have been decided by 1-4 points (1-1 record in those games)
• Daniel Jones is 0-4 vs. the NFC West
• Daniel Jones is 7-13 on the road in his career

Pick: Seahawks (-3)

Packers vs. Bills @ 8:20PM ET (SNF)

What’s that stench, you ask? Oh, that’s the Green Bay cheese heads’ season melting away. Aaron Rodgers can still play football, but his team looks atrocious right now after losing three in a row, which is his longest losing streak since 2018. Hey, the loss in London can be excused, but a home loss to the J-E-T-S Jets! Jets! Jets! coupled with a road loss to the Taylor Heinicke and Washington is flat out disgusting.

Luckily for America, we’ll be able to watch a real team take the field with Josh Allen and Buffalo going for the kill against a wounded organization. The perennial Super Bowl favorite is coming off a Bye Week after exacting some level of revenge at Kansas City. Now could this be one of those primetime games where Rodgers and Green Bay show up and keep the game close? 100%, because you can never be too sure when it comes to the NFL.

The most likely scenario here though is Green Bay keeps it close early with Buffalo pulling away in the second half. 

Gone with Green Bay

• Four of the Packers’ seven games this season have been decided by 2-5 points (2-2 record in those games)
• Two of their three road games have been decided by 2-3 points (1-1 record)
• Aaron Rodgers is tied with Tom Brady for most wins (23) on Sunday Night Football

Can You Digg It?

• Bills are 2-0 at home this season winning by an average of 34.5 points per game
• Bills are 4-1-1 against the spread this season
• Packers are 2-5 against the spread
• Josh Allen is 4-0 coming off a Bye Week in his career (each was a home game)
• Bills have won seven in a row coming off a Bye Week
• Allen is 3-0 on Sunday Night Football

Pick: Bills (-11.5)