Week 8 NFL Picks: Odds, Prop Bets and Predictions for Sunday's Schedule

The Atlanta Falcons have been one of the NFL's biggest success stories this year, with the season approaching its halfway point.

First-year head coach Dan Quinn knew he had a talented offensive roster to work with, and since he made his name as the defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks, there was also a good chance he could take Atlanta's sieve-like defense up a few notches.

The Falcons have responded to Quinn's coaching positively, as they have played with energy every week and now own a 6-1 record. Offensively, quarterback Matt Ryan has thrown for 2,002 yards and is completing 64.4 percent of his passes. Julio Jones has been on top of his game with 58 receptions for 730 yards and five touchdowns.

But the offense doesn't stop there. It has gotten a huge lift from the hard-running Devonta Freeman. The second-year back has 621 yards, 4.7 yards per carry and a shocking nine rushing touchdowns.

The Falcons' offensive versatility has allowed them to dictate the pace in most of their first seven games, and the defense has shown dramatic improvement, rising to 14th in yards per game and ranking second against the run.

The Falcons should be in their comfort zone at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs are 2-4 and have rookie quarterback Jameis Winston at the helm. While he is showing some improvement, Winston has thrown seven interceptions and will likely make more mistakes.

Since the Falcons are averaging 33 points per game at home, Winston and the Bucs are going to have to go to the air frequently in order to stay near the home team. This will create opportunities for interceptions.

That's why we think the Falcons will build a lead and pile points on top of it. They are seven-point favorites, according to Odds Shark, and they will cover that spread for handicappers who lay the points.

Game	Line	Over/Under	Selection
Detroit vs. Kansas City (London)	Kansas City -3	45	Kansas City; Over
Tampa Bay at Atlanta	Atlanta -7	48.5	Tampa Bay; Under
San Diego at Baltimore	Baltimore -3.5	50	San Diego; Under
Minnesota at Chicago	Minnesota -1	43	Minnesota; Under
Arizona at Cleveland	Arizona -6	45.5	Cleveland; Under
Tennessee at Houston	Houston -3.5	42.5	Houston; Under
New York Giants at New Orleans	New Orleans -3	50	New York Giants; Over
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh -1	48.5	Pittsburgh; Over
San Francisco at St. Louis	St. Louis -8	39.5	San Francisco; Under
New York Jets at Oakland	New York -3	43.5	Oakland; Over
Seattle at Dallas	Seattle -4.5	41.5	Seattle; Under
Green Bay at Denver	Green Bay -2.5	46	Green Bay; Under
Indianapolis at Carolina	Carolina -6.5	47	Carolina; Over

Steelers will knock Bengals from the ranks of the unbeaten

While we won't know officially until he is under center and taking snaps against the Cincinnati Bengals, it appears quite likely that Ben Roethlisberger will be back in the Steelers lineup Sunday.

ESPN's Adam Schefter said that Roethlisberger is listed as probable, and all indications during the week pointed to Roethlisberger's return.

That's good news for the Steelers and bad news for the undefeated Bengals. The Steelers are loaded with talented players like Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell who have been anxiously waiting for Roethlisberger to return from a sprained knee.

The Steelers have not been able to function efficiently with Mike Vick or Landry Jones under center. That should change with Roethlisberger back in the lineup. 

His ability to buy time and get the ball to Brown, Martavis Bryant and Heath Miller allows the Steelers to strike suddenly.

It will also work in Bell's favor, because he is an outstanding pass-catcher and the threat of the passing game will open more lanes for him to exploit on the ground.

However, the other issue is undefeated Cincinnati. While the Bengals look like a new team this year, they have never won a playoff game with Andy Dalton at quarterback, and you can be sure that the Steelers will play this with the intensity of a playoff game. They need to win here if they are going to improve their playoff chances, and they don't want to lose to the Bengals at home.

The Steelers are one-point favorites, according to Odds Shark, and we think they have an excellent chance to come away with the win. It will be a hard-fought game for 60 minutes, but the fourth quarter will belong to the Steelers.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Hot seats getting warmer for a number of coaches

Joe Philbin was fired by the Miami Dolphins after his team got off to a 1-3 start. While that relieved some initial pressure on head coaches around the league, it was only momentary.

It's all about winning, and the coaches that are struggling to put victories together could find themselves on the firing line.

Odds Shark has listed the coaches who are most likely to get fired at this point. Jacksonville's Gus Bradley, Detroit's Jim Caldwell and Tennessee's Ken Whisenhunt are considered the most likely to get fired. Those betting on Bradley getting fired will receive a return of plus-350 on their investment, while a bet on Caldwell or Whisenhunt will receive a return of plus-400. 

Chuck Pagano of the Indianapolis Colts is right behind at plus-550, while Washington's Jay Gruden (plus-900) is the only other coach with odds of less than plus-1000.

Those who want to take a shot at this prop bet should take the Caldwell option. The Lions were a playoff team a year ago, but they have just one win this year and appear to be going nowhere. Going from the postseason to last place usually means a trip to the unemployment office is on the horizon.