Week 8 NFL Picks: Tips for Vegas Odds and Over/Under Score Predictions

An exciting week of NFL action could lead to unpredictability. This is a good thing for fans but a tough challenge for those picking games.

Thanks to evenly matched battles throughout the weekend, only one game has a spread of more than seven points. Meanwhile, there are a handful of battles that feature at least one team looking to start a push toward the playoffs, creating an extra intensity we might not have seen earlier in the year.

While the spreads will likely be tougher to project, we should still know enough about each squad to predict the totals for the upcoming slate of games. Here are predictions for Week 8's fixtures and a breakdown of the best over/under picks available.

Away	Predicted Score	Home	ATS Pick	O/U
Detroit Lions	17-16	Kansas City Chiefs	DET +3.5	Under 45
Minnesota Vikings	20-24	Chicago Bears	CHI +1	Over 42.5
Tennessee Titans	13-16	Houston Texans	N/A	N/A
New York Giants	28-24	New Orleans Saints	NYG +3	Over 49
San Diego Chargers	24-30	Baltimore Ravens	BAL -3.5	Over 50
San Francisco 49ers	7-20	St. Louis Rams	STL -9	Under 39.5
Cincinnati Bengals	21-17	Pittsburgh Steelers	CIN +1	Under 48.5
Arizona Cardinals	34-24	Cleveland Browns	ARI -5.5	Over 46
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	14-31	Atlanta Falcons	ATL -7	Under 48.5
New York Jets	17-13	Oakland Raiders	NYJ -3	Under 44
Seattle Seahawks	21-10	Dallas Cowboys	SEA -6	Under 41
Green Bay Packers	27-23	Denver Broncos	GB -2.5	Over 45.5
Indianapolis Colts	17-20	Carolina Panthers	IND +7	Under 46.5

Note: All spread info courtesy of Odds Shark. 

Top Over/Under Picks

Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns (Over 46)

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

The Cleveland Browns have been dealing with some injuries this year and are hoping to get back to full strength, but that isn't likely to help much this time out. Even if Joe Haden is in the lineup and finds a way to shut down Larry Fitzgerald, receivers John Brown and Michael Floyd could still have big weeks in the impressive Arizona Cardinals offense.

Of course, the biggest challenge will surprisingly be defending Chris Johnson, who looks like a new man as the starting running back this season:

Michael Fabiano of NFL Media is impressed with what he has seen:

Johnson ranks behind only Devonta Freeman for the NFL lead with 567 rushing yards on the season. You would have made a lot of money if you'd bet these two would be competing for a rushing title at the start of the year.

Against a Browns defense that ranks dead last in the NFL with 151 rushing yards allowed per game, almost 20 more than anyone else in the league, Johnson could have another huge day.

The good news for Cleveland is the offense should do better than it did in Week 7. According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Josh McCown will be back in the lineup, and the three-headed rushing attack of Isaiah Crowell, Duke Johnson and Robert Turbin should keep things close. It won't be enough to win, but it should be able to reach the over.

New York Jets at Oakland Raiders (Under 44)

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

As good as the Oakland Raiders have looked offensively this season, it won't be easy to move the ball against the tough New York Jets defense.

Even after facing the juggernaut that is the New England Patriots, the Jets still rank second in the NFL in total yards allowed per game, first in rushing yards allowed per game and fourth in total points allowed per game.

"That’s what you see on tape, a real talented group,” head coach Jack Del Rio said head of the Raiders game, per Kristian Dyer of Metro. "Eight former first-rounders and accomplished players throughout their roster, in the front, at linebacker and in the backend and really well coached. They’re doing a nice job."

The biggest challenge will be finding space for Amari Cooper when he will likely be shadowed by Darrelle Revis. The All-Pro cornerback has brief thoughts about the encounter but not much, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News:

With Cooper likely limited on Revis Island and Latavius Murray likely to struggle finding space against an elite defensive line, the Raiders could struggle to put points on the board, similar to their matchup against the Denver Broncos.

The Oakland front seven should help keep the game close by slowing down the run game and forcing Ryan Fitzpatrick to win through the air, but the Jets should be able to pull out a low-scoring victory.

San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Ravens (Over 50)

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

This is the highest over/under total remaining of the week, but it is difficult to see a reason why the score would not top this mark.

On one side, you have the San Diego Chargers, who, thanks to the disappointing start of Melvin Gordon, have become a one-dimensional offense. ESPN Stats & Info broke down how often Philip Rivers is throwing the ball this year:

This should continue against a Baltimore Ravens defense that can't stop anything through the air. The team ranks 28th in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game, with even Josh McCown and Colin Kaepernick putting up huge numbers against it. Rivers won't have much resistance tossing it up to Keenan Allen and others in Week 8.

The Chargers can't feel too confident, though, because their run defense is just as pathetic, rated as the worst in football by Pro Football Focus. Look for the Ravens to get back to their strength, which is running the ball with Justin Forsett—even Buck Allen could pick up big chunks of yards throughout the day.

This might not be an extremely well-played game, but there should be a lot of points as the two sides trade touchdowns through all four quarters.

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