NFL Predictions Week 8: Top Underdogs Picks, Vegas Odds and Score Predictions

Those who love underdog picks when it comes to the NFL lines out of Las Vegas get to keep on feasting in Week 8. 

A week ago, contenders like the Kansas City Chiefs got dropped and champions of the word "parity" got another strong dose of confirmation as the league once again struggled to form any sort of recognizable hierarchy. 

That benefits those who love upset picks, of course. More than a few bankrolls this year have exploded thanks to favorites being unable to take care of business on a weekly basis. 

This week? More favorites in more precarious positions with oddsmakers outlining most games with close spreads. Here are the full slate and some upset picks, outright or against the spread, to target. 

NFL Week 8 Schedule, Odds

Miami at Baltimore (-3) | O/U 37.5

Minnesota (-9) at Cleveland | O/U 37.5

Atlanta (-4) at N.Y. Jets | O/U 46.5

Carolina at Tampa Bay (-1.5) | O/U 44.5

Chicago at New Orleans (-9) | O/U 48

Indianapolis at Cincinnati (-10) | O/U 41

L.A. Chargers at New England (-7.5) | O/U 48.5

Oakland at Buffalo (-3) | O/U 46

San Francisco at Philadelphia (-10.5) | O/U 

Houston at Seattle (-6) | O/U 45

Dallas at Washington (-1.5) | O/U 

Pittsburgh (-3) at Detroit | O/U 45

Denver at Kansas City (-7) | O/U 43

Atlanta (-4) at N.Y. Jets

The stumbling Atlanta Falcons are one of the big reasons upset picks are so viable right now. 

Coming off a Super Bowl appearance, Matt Ryan and Co. looked fine to start the year, rattling off three straight wins and even taking care of business against tough teams like the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. 

Now they've lost three in a row. 

At least they're consistent in some fashion. Also consistent is an oddly miserable offense featuring Ryan with seven touchdowns and six interceptions and Julio Jones with only one touchdown. The Ringer's Robert Mays pinpointed part of the problem: 

The other side of this matchup features another big reason why upsets have worked out so well this year. The New York Jets are a surprising 3-4 and came within at least seven points in each of their past two losses. 

Much of the surprising play here comes from steady play under center thanks to Josh McCown, whose 10-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio doesn't seem great until one realizes he's completing 69.2 percent of his passes. He's backed by a defense only allowing 23 points per game and tallied nine interceptions. 

Considering the Falcons couldn't exploit one of the league's worst pass defenses in the Patriots, going to New York and suddenly fixing every problem plaguing the offense isn't something bettors should count on—it's something they should try to exploit. 

Prediction: Jets 21, Falcons 20

Chicago at New Orleans (-9)

It's interesting to see the New Orleans Saints slotted as big favorites here. 

Admittedly, the Saints have been on a roll, winning four straight and sitting first in the NFC North. The strong streak includes three road wins, which isn't usually something bettors are used to seeing—New Orleans on the road in recent years has made for easy picks. 

But the Chicago Bears are much tougher competition than this line seems to suggest. While mired in a rebuild, a 3-4 mark at this point of the season makes them one of the NFL's bigger surprises. After turning to rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, the team has won two consecutive games, including a 17-3 thumping of the Carolina Panthers. 

Trubisky's arm alone has the Bears looking like a different team compared to when Mike Glennon served as the starter: 

It's the defense that makes the Bears formidable, though. The unit permits 21.6 points per game and boasts 21 sacks, four interceptions and five forced fumbles with as many recovered—not to mention two defensive touchdowns after flustering Carolina's Cam Newton in Week 7. 

The Saints are still the Saints in many ways. Drew Brees has 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. The ground game averages 4.4 yards per carry. But as expected, the defense has still had its sour moments and it helps this one feel like a trap game. Look for the Bears to make some national headway here by knocking off a team perhaps overperforming and due for a regression. 

Prediction: Bears 30, Saints 27

Denver at Kansas City (-7)

It's never so simple in the AFC West, is it? 

The Denver Broncos had moments looking like the best team in the league, yet struggled to a three-point win against the Los Angeles Chargers before getting blanked 21-0 by them in Week 7. 

Then there are the Kansas City Chiefs, the team that outright was the best team in the league with an undefeated mark, yet just went down to the Oakland Raiders to make it two losses in a row. 

The Chiefs have outright collapsed on defense, allowing 34, 19 and 31 points over their last three outings. The media has made a point to ask head coach Andy Reid what the loss of Eric Berry has meant for the unit.  

"You are talking about the best safety in football," Reid said, according to ESPN.com's Adam Teicher. "But what we do is the next guy steps in and plays his tail off. So they have made some plays. The guys that have filled in that role have made some plays. Is it everything that Eric Berry would have done? No. But it is good enough where we should be winning football games."

Of course, Denver's problems rest on the other side of the football. Trevor Siemian only has eight touchdowns and seven interceptions while taking 22 sacks. The Von Miller-led defense has kept things manageable, but 10 total points over the past two losses negate strong play from the unit. 

Bettors know the deal with these two. Kansas City swept the series last year, but one was a 30-27 overtime result, the other 33-10. With the way both teams are struggling right now, this smacks of a close game where one play makes the difference. With the Chiefs missing Berry and Miller firing on all cylinders, look for the Denver defense to force a victory after jumping out to an early lead off a turnover. 

Prediction: Broncos 24, Chiefs 21

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Odds according to OddsShark.