NFL Week 8 Picks: Lead Pipe Locks Against the Spread

As we approach the midpoint of the 2013 NFL season, it’s a great time to think back on all lessons learned over the first seven weeks and do your best to apply them to Week 8 and on.

Whether it’s to fade to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the spread (1-5) or back the Dallas Cowboys (6-1 ATS), hammer the over in Denver Broncos games (7-0 over the total) or play the under in Oakland Raiders contests (5-1 under), there have been plenty of trends to follow in 2013.

Let’s take a look at the latest lines for each contest on the upcoming slates, check out my picks for the ATS victors in each, plus highlight a handful of contests that are practically guaranteed to cash tickets in Week 8.

*Betting trends and information from VegasInsider.com

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 -5.5	Eagles
Cleveland Browns	Kansas City Chiefs	KC -7	Chiefs
Buffalo Bills	New Orleans Saints	NO -12	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	Redskins
Atlanta Falcons	Arizona Cardinals	ARI -2.5	Cardinals
Green Bay Packers	Minnesota Vikings	GB -9.5	Vikings
Seattle Seahawks	St. Louis Rams	SEA -10.5	Seahawks

 

OAKLAND RAIDERS (+3) over Pittsburgh Steelers

The Raiders are a good side to back this week, as they are at home and getting points in what should be a low-scoring affair.

Both the Steelers and Raiders have struggled to put points on the board consistently this season and have defenses that are capable of carrying the load for long stretches.

Had it not been for a two-game winning streak against the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers likely would have gone into this one as a dog. Instead, the Black and Yellow will arrive at the Black Hole projected to outright win, something that is much easier said than done.

Oakland is 2-1 ATS at home and extremely tough to beat, especially by a team based in the eastern portion of the United States making the long road trip.

While the Washington Redskins were able to pull the feat off, it came in a contest that starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor sat out with a concussion and abysmal backup Matt Flynn ended up under center in.

Pryor is locked and loaded for Week 8 and coming off a much-needed bye. As long as his offensive line is offering protection, there is no reason to doubt that the Raiders will outright win and definitely cover the three-point spread against the chalk.

 

Seattle Seahawks (-10.5) over ST. LOUIS RAMS

When Rams quarterback Sam Bradford tore his ACL in Week 7, this NFC West battle on Monday Night Football became lopsided in a single instant.

The season-ending injury to the starting signal-caller will thrust inexperienced and untrustworthy backup Kellen Clemens into the spotlight on national television and it’s going to be embarrassing.

This Seahawks defense is capable of giving the most experienced and elite quarterbacks in the NFL troubles, so trying to picture how rough Clemens’ night is going to be is almost impossible.

All we can be certain of is that Seattle will walk away with a blowout victory, as its defense leads the league in turnovers—generating 19 takeaways in seven games this season—and is assuredly going to add a handful more to that total on Monday.

Expect to see a bit of Beast Mode as well, given that the Rams are conceding 126.4 yards per game on the ground to opposing rushers.

Marshawn Lynch should be able to capitalize on this soft matchup with a myriad of touches, given that his defense should be getting the ball back with a number of forced three-and-outs, plus turnovers.

This is easily going to be the biggest blowout of Week 8 and you should hammer the Seahawks line before it moves further away.