Week 8 NFL Picks: Vegas Odds, Spreads and Predictions

After plenty of one-sided contests to start the year with elite teams constantly winning, fans will finally be treated to some exciting football in Week 8.

There are four games between teams currently .500 or better, which is as many as we have had heading into the last two weeks combined. The best teams will finally have to face each other to prove if they are really as good as they have seemed.

Of course, close games often create tough calls in gambling. To help you out, here is a look at predictions straight up and against the spread for the upcoming slate of games.

Away	Predicted Score	Home	ATS Pick*
Miami Dolphins	21-27	New England Patriots	MIA +8
Detroit Lions	17-16	Kansas City Chiefs	DET +5.5
Minnesota Vikings	20-24	Chicago Bears	CHI +1
Tennessee Titans	13-16	Houston Texans	N/A
New York Giants	28-24	New Orleans Saints	NYG +3
San Diego Chargers	24-30	Baltimore Ravens	BAL -3
San Francisco 49ers	7-20	St. Louis Rams	STL -8.5
Cincinnati Bengals	21-17	Pittsburgh Steelers	CIN PK
Arizona Cardinals	34-24	Cleveland Browns	ARI -4.5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	14-31	Atlanta Falcons	ATL -7
New York Jets	17-13	Oakland Raiders	NYJ -2
Seattle Seahawks	21-10	Dallas Cowboys	SEA -6
Green Bay Packers	24-20	Denver Broncos	GB -3
Indianapolis Colts	17-20	Carolina Panthers	IND +7

Note: All spread info courtesy of Odds Shark.

Best Bets

Atlanta Falcons (-7) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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After a 5-0 start, the Atlanta Falcons have not looked good over their past two games. They struggled in a loss to the New Orleans Saints and then followed that up with a way-too-close win against the Tennessee Titans.

On the plus side, the squad returns home for what should be an easy matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay will be without a top offensive weapon in Vincent Jackson, according to NFL.com, putting the pressure on Mike Evans to carry the load in the passing game. This might not necessarily end well, as noted by Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports:

Desmond Trufant is quietly becoming one of the top cover corners in the sport, and Andy Benoit of Sports Illustrated noted the respect he has gotten lately:  

With the Falcons giving up the second-fewest rushing yards per game in the NFL this season, the Bucs will have a hard time moving the football.

This will give Matt Ryan and Julio Jones more than enough chances to run up the score against a defense that allowed 317 passing yards and three touchdowns to Kirk Cousins last week. Devonta Freeman will put the icing on the cake of what should be a blowout.

Chicago Bears (+1) vs. Minnesota Vikings

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One team is 2-4, and one is 4-2. But neither can really trust their record right now.

The Chicago Bears have struggled for much of the year, but a lot of that has been due to injuries. Jay Cutler missed time, but even when he was in the lineup, he was without top receivers Eddie Royal and Alshon Jeffery.

Even in a Week 6 loss, the offense showed how good it can be at full strength. Aaron Leming of Scout.com specifically discussed Jeffery's impact:

If not for a few bad mistakes and one questionable touchdown call, the Bears would have entered their Week 7 bye with three wins in a row.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings have played well but have faced only one team with a winning record so far this season (Denver Broncos). The four victories have come against opponents with a combined 6-22 record (counting the Detroit Lions twice).

Despite obvious talent, the Vikings could struggle on the road if the Bears play to their ability.

St. Louis Rams (-8.5) vs. San Francisco 49ers 

Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7, the San Francisco 49ers scored just three points while totaling just 142 yards of offense. The team had eight first downs and punted nine times. It was overall one of the worst showings you will see all year in the NFL.

The performance left head coach Jim Tomsula short on answers after the game:

Even with a 10-day layoff, things do not seem likely to get any better in Week 8 against another tough defense in the St. Louis Rams. Aaron Donald anchors an elite defensive line that can slow down Carlos Hyde and keep quarterback Colin Kaepernick under pressure all game long.

While Kaepernick did have success against the poor pass defenses of the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens, this is unlikely to happen against the Rams.

Todd Gurley will be able to take care of the rest, as the rookie has become one of the top running backs in the NFL. He has over 100 rushing yards in three straight games and is capable of carrying the St. Louis offense no matter how well Nick Foles performs under center.

This is one of the bigger spreads of the week, but the Rams should be able to cover.

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