NFL Week 8 Picks: Stone-Cold Locks Against the Spread

We're rapidly approaching the midpoint of the 2013 NFL campaign, making it a great time to evaluate your gambling wins and losses and apply the lessons learned to increase your bankroll going forward.

While Vegas and the offshore books have been tightening the lines and making it tougher for casual bettors to get an edge, a handful of spreads look quite beatable in Week 8.

Let's take a look at the latest lines for every game on the slate. Then, I'll highlight a few contests you are going to want to bet big on to get a great start on the second half of the season.

Away Team	Home Team	Line	Prediction (ATS)
Carolina Panthers	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	CAR -6	Panthers
San Francisco 49ers	Jacksonville Jaguars	SF -16.5	49ers
Dallas Cowboys	Detroit Lions	DET -3	Cowboys
New York Giants	Philadelphia Eagles	PHI -6	Eagles
Kansas City Chiefs	Cleveland Browns	KC -7	Chiefs
Buffalo Bills	New Orleans Saints	NO -11.5	Saints
Miami Dolphins	New England Patriots	NE -7	Dolphins
New York Jets	Cincinnati Bengals	CIN -6.5	Jets
Pittsburgh Steelers	Oakland Raiders	PIT -3	Raiders
Washington Redskins	Denver Broncos	DEN -13.5	Redskins
Atlanta Falcons	Arizona Cardinals	ARI -2.5	Cardinals
Green Bay Packers	Minnesota Vikings	GB -6.5	Packers
Seattle Seahawks	St. Louis Rams	SEA -10.5	Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks (-10.5) over St. Louis Rams

The Seahawks caught a huge break in this Monday Night Football matchup, as the team will be travelling to St. Louis to take on a Rams squad that will be without its starting quarterback.

Sam Bradford tore his ACL in a Week 7 loss against the Carolina Panthers and is now out for the remainder of the season. The injury delivers a major blow to the odds of the 3-4 Rams making the playoffs, but it does greatly increase the chances that bettors that back Seattle in Week 8 walk away with a victory against the spread.

Kellen Clemens will likely be under center to replace Bradford, but the veteran backup cannot be trusted under any circumstance. He went just 2-of-4 for 19 yards after taking over midway through the fourth quarter and will struggle as the starter.

The 30-year-old has completed just 198 of his 382 career passes, generating 2,290 yards and seven touchdowns to go with his 13 interceptions and eight fumbles.

Clemens is a turnover machine, and that is something the fearsome Seahawks defensive unit will capitalize on this coming Monday. Seattle leads the NFC with 19 takeaways—compared to just 12 giveaways—and will add a significant amount to that total in Week 8.

Don't be surprised if the Seahawks move to 7-1 and continue to increase their lead on the rest of the NFC with a convincing win over a Rams team that has lost its identity.

Carolina Panthers (-6.5) over Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

The Panthers are rolling and have a chance to move above .500 for the first time this season. They have won the past two games by a combined 40 points and proved they can win both at home and on the road.

That latter fact is important, as Carolina will travel to nearby Tampa Bay to play the Buccaneers in an NFC South clash on Thursday Night Football. The winless Bucs have been struggling throughout the 2013 campaign, and things took a turn for the worse in Week 7.

Second-year star back Doug Martin went down for the rest of the season with a torn labrum during a 31-23 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, another NFC South rival.

With Martin out, the team will have to rely more on unproven rookie quarterback Mike Glennon, who has been shaky at best during his three-game tenure as the starting quarterback.

Since taking over for Josh Freeman, Glennon has completed 76 of 130 passes for 722 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions, but he can't seem to find a way to lead his squad to victory.

It's going to be more of the same in Week 8, as the Bucs will be turned into a one-dimensional offense by a tough Panthers defense. Carolina is conceding just 84.5 yards per game to opposing rushers and should have no issues containing Mike James—Martin's backup—and forcing Glennon to sling the rock.

Considering the Panthers give up just 217.7 yards per game via the air, it's going to be a long day for Tampa Bay. It all should result in a blowout in favor of Carolina, so back the favorite in this one.