NFL Week 8 Picks: Predictions and Vegas Odds Before Thursday Night

They may be wearing Honolulu blue and residing in the NFC North, but these are not the Detroit Lions that have become familiar over the years.

You know the Lions: They like to show off their offense in the early part of the game and build a lead. They often look unstoppable, but they find a way to stop themselves, and then there's the second half. That's when the Lions fall apart and give the game away.

But the 2016 Lions are different.

They may not get off to the best starts, but they know how to finish. Hit them in the mouth the way the Washington Redskins did in Week 7 with a late touchdown, and these Lions hit back as quarterback Matthew Stafford throws a game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Anquan Boldin in the final seconds.

Game	Point Spread	Prediction
Jacksonville at Tennessee	Tennessee -3.5	Tennessee
Washington at Cincinnati	Cincinnati -3	Cincinnati
Seattle at New Orleans	Seattle -3	New Orleans
Detroit at Houston	Houston -2.5	Detroit
New England at Buffalo	NE -6.5	New England
Oakland at Tampa Bay	TB -1.5	Oakland
New York Jets at Cleveland	NYJ -3.5	Cleveland
Kansas City at Indianapolis	KC -2.5	Kansas City
Arizona at Carolina	Carolina -2.5	Arizona
San Diego at Denver	Denver -5	Denver
Green Bay at Atlanta	Atlanta -2.5	Green Bay
Philadelphia at Dallas	Dallas -4.5	Dallas
Minnesota at Chicago	Minnesota -4.5	Minnesota

These Lions are not giving away gifts. They are stealing games.

The Lions come into their Week 8 game against the Houston Texans riding a three-game winning streak. Since their loss to the lowly Chicago Bears, the Lions have shown pride, and that may be the biggest difference between this Lions team and those from prior years.

If the guts and fire the Lions seemingly have is real, they have a major advantage over the Texans. Houston is the kind of team that can bully certain opponents, but it tends to play poorly against teams that are willing to fight for 60 minutes.

The Texans are coming off a noncompetitive loss to the Denver Broncos on Monday night, and they have also lost to the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings. Houston's wins have come against the Bears, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts.

The Chiefs, the best team of that group, beat the Texans 30-0 in last year's Wild Card Round, but Houston had enough fire to get some revenge.

The Texans are 2.5-point favorites over the Lions, according to Odds Shark. The quarterback-coach combination of Brock Osweiler and Bill O'Brien is not a winning one. We expect the Lions to chase down the Texans in the second half, come away with a road win and cover the point spread as underdogs.

Patriots vs. Bills

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots should be close to top form when they hit the road Sunday, and that may be more than the Buffalo Bills can handle.

Fans will remember that the Bills blanked the Pats 16-0 in Week 4 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. That was the last game of quarterback Tom Brady's suspension, and the Pats have rebounded with three straight wins since his return.

They won't admit to wanting any payback against the Bills, but you don't have to be an expert to know head coach Bill Belichick doesn't lose to division rivals twice in one season. He also doesn't like to let up against Buffalo head coach Rex Ryan.

The Patriots are 6.5-point road favorites against the Bills, according to Odds Shark.

Brady has plenty of pass-catching options in Rob Gronkowski, Martellus Bennett, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. The running game with LeGarrette Blount is also producing well, as the Patriots rank seventh in total offense.

The Bills are coming off a Week 7 loss against the Miami Dolphins, and while they had four victories in a row prior to that game, they don't appear to be in the best shape for Sunday's matchup. Running back LeSean McCoy (hamstring) did not practice Wednesday, according to NFL.com's Conor Orr, and he was not productive against Miami.

If McCoy is not at his best against New England, the Pats should roll. We like the Pats to win by at least 10 points and get the cover on the road.

Jets vs. Browns

Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Nothing lasts forever in the NFL, and that includes losing streaks.

The Cleveland Browns have yet to win a game this season, and it must be an especially lonely feeling as the Cleveland Indians play in the World Series, while the Cleveland Cavaliers are the reigning NBA champions.

The Browns may not be good, but head coach Hue Jackson has a team of professionals who have played well in spurts.

On the other hand, the New York Jets have been disappointing with a 2-5 record. While they managed to earn a win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7, the Jets have the 23rd-ranked offense and the 16th-ranked defense in the league.

Head coach Todd Bowles replaced quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick with Geno Smith prior to Week 7, but Fitzpatrick was forced to return to action when Smith suffered a torn ACL. Fitzpatrick has a 6-11 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and his tendency to force the ball into coverage is a huge problem.

The Jets are 3.5-point favorites going into Cleveland, but don't count on New York making it two wins in a row. The Browns will have limited opportunities to win this year, but this will be one of them. They won't let it slip through their grasp.

The Browns will not only get the cover, but they will also win the game.

Odds on Coach to Get Fired

As we approach the midway point of the season, teams will look at their records and make judgments on how their teams have performed.

For teams with high expectations that have underperformed, a change at the head-coaching slot is a distinct possibility. Coaches can be fired midseason, and Gus Bradley of the Jacksonville Jaguars is the favorite to be the first head coach to get a pink slip this year, per Odds Shark:

According to Odds Shark, Bradley has -150 odds (bet $150 to win $100) to get fired. Chip Kelly of the San Francisco 49ers is the second choice at +400.

Mike McCoy of the San Diego Chargers, Chuck Pagano of the Colts and John Fox of the Bears are all listed at +1000.