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

The Chicago Bears have been among the most troubled teams in recent years, failing badly under the leadership of former coach Marc Trestman and current leader John Fox.

The Bears won three games last year as they failed on both sides of the ball, and special teams were also an issue. They seemed to make a questionable move when they moved up to draft quarterback Mitchell Trubisky with the No. 2 pick overall last spring, but general manager Ryan Pace was convinced he was the key to a turnaround.

As the 2017 season nears the halfway point, the Bears appear to be getting better. Trubisky has taken over as the starting quarterback from free-agent signee Mike Glennon, but he has yet to trigger the offense into an improved state. Special teams also continue to be a problem area, as the Bears gave up a punt and kickoff returns for touchdowns in their Week 6 game against the Baltimore Ravens.

However, there has been a huge upgrade on defense, as the Bears rank seventh in yards allowed and are starting to play with a ferocious edge.

Rookie free safety Eddie Jackson may turn out to be the team's newest star, as he had TD returns off both an interception and a fumble in Chicago's Week 7 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Both plays were for 75 yards or more, and this marked the first time in NFL history that a defensive player had scored on multiple returns of that length in the same game.

In addition to Jackson's heroics and big-play ability, the Bears are getting huge contributions from DE Akiem Hicks (6.0 sacks), OLB Leonard Floyd (4.0 sacks) and CB Kyle Fuller (eight passes defensed).

The Bears have won two games in a row and will try to make it three when they go to New Orleans to play Drew Brees and the high-powered Saints Sunday. New Orleans, which is in first place in the NFC South, is a nine-point favorite, according to OddsShark.

The Saints have the fourth-ranked offense and the 23rd-ranked defense, and that defensive number is a major improvement over the past two seasons, when they were among the bottom two teams in the league.

Even if the Bears play at their best, it may be too much to ask them to win their third straight game. However, with the way the defense is playing, they could get close. If they can get a bit of a running game going with Jordan Howard and Trubisky doesn't turn the ball over, they should have an excellent chance of staying close.

Take the Bears to stay within nine points and get the cover.

Week 8 Point spreads and predictions

Miami at Baltimore, Balt. -3, Miami

Minnesota vs. Cleveland (London), Minn. -9.5, Cleveland*

Chicago at New Orleans, NO -9, Chicago*

Oakland at Buffalo, Buff. -2.5, Buffalo

Indianapolis at Cincinnati, Cinn. -10.5, Indianapolis*

Los Angeles Chargers at New England, NE -7.5, Los Angeles*

Atlanta at N.Y. Jets, Atl. -4, Atlanta

San Francisco at Philadelphia, Phil. -13, Philadelphia

Carolina at Tampa Bay, TB -2, Tampa Bay,

Houston at Seattle, Sea. -5.5, Seattle 

Dallas at Washington, Dall. -2, Washington

Pittsburgh at Detroit, Pitt. -3, Detroit

Denver at Kansas City, KC -7, Kansas City

*-will cover point spread but fail to win game.

Los Angeles Chargers at New England Patriots

The Chargers were never as bad as they seemed when their record stood at 0-4. They were victimized by some awful special-teams results, and their season could have spiraled out of control.

However, when a team has a leader like Philip Rivers and a defense that can put pressure on opposing quarterbacks like few others, it has the opportunity to turn its season around.

That's just what the Chargers appear to be doing as they face their biggest test of the season when they go to New England for a Week 8 encounter.

The Pats have played two solid defensive games in a row in beating the New York Jets and the Atlanta Falcons, and while that part of their game may still have a few problems, they are much better than they were at the start of the season.

There is little question about the offensive part of their game, as the Patriots rank first in overall yards per game and are second in passing with an average of 300.0 yards per outing. Tom Brady has a 15-2 TD-interception ratio, and he has high-level receivers in Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola and tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Most NFL teams would have no chance against New England at this point in the season, but the Chargers have the pass rushers who can punish Brady if there is any slippage in his protection. 

The keys for the Chargers in this game are Rivers' ability to avoid turnovers and the pass rushers finding their way to Brady. Melvin Ingram (8.5 sacks) and Joey Bosa (7.5 sacks) have proved to be relentless and hungry, and that's a bad combination for most quarterbacks.

If those two can make their presence felt early in the game and keep it up, the Chargers are capable of victory. Even if they can't, they should stay within the 7.5-point spread.

Look for the Chargers to get the cover, if not win the game outright.

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

Prop Bet

At this point in the season, the most popular prop bet is the first player to score a touchdown in a game. This prop is presented by OddsChecker, and it regularly revolves around the Thursday night game each week.

This week, the improving Miami Dolphins travel to Baltimore to take on the struggling Ravens. Dolphins running back Jay Ajayi is the favorite to score the opening touchdown at 6-1, while Alex Collins of the Ravens is next at 7-1.

Ravens RB Javorius Allen follows at 8-1, while Jarvis Landry of the Dolphins and Baltimore's Ben Watson are 10-1, and Miami's Kenny Stills is 12-1.

We normally don't like to look at the favorite because that's not a great way to get value, but Ajayi is the most compelling offensive figure in the game. We expect him to open the scoring in the early part of the first quarter and become a major factor throughout the game.