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

The Week 8 NFL picks slate sure makes oddsmakers seem comfortable. 

A week littered with teams mostly playing unfamiliar opponents figures to produce plenty of upsets and close games, yet one look at the odds out of Las Vegas shows plenty of big spreads. 

Which means all the more chances for would-be bettors to build on the bankroll. Upsets can and will happen over the course of a slate like this when opponents who don't play each other often get together. And those gigantic spreads are exploitable as well because more film on opponents by this point of the year means more creativity from coaches. 

Here's a look at the full slate and some games to keep in mind for the upsets-loving crowd. 

Week 8 NFL Odds

Miami at Houston (-7) | O/U 44.5

Philadelphia (-3.5) at Jacksonville | O/U 41.5

Baltimore (-2) at Carolina | O/U 43

Cleveland at Pittsburgh (-8) | O/U 51

Denver at Kansas City (-10)  | O/U 55

N.Y. Jets at Chicago (-7) | O/U 46

Seattle at Detroit (-3) | O/U 49.5

Tampa Bay at Cincinnati (-4.5) | O/U 54

Washington at N.Y. Giants (-1) | O/U n/a

Indianapolis (-3) at Oakland | O/U 50

Green Bay at L.A. Rams (-9) | O/U 56.5

San Francisco at Arizona (E) | O/U 43

New Orleans at Minnesota (-1) | O/U 53

New England (-14) at Buffalo | O/U 44.5

Baltimore (-2) at Carolina

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Oddsmakers have a weird affinity for the Baltimore Ravens at times. 

These aren't the glory days of Ed Reed and Ray Lewis. This is a 4-3 team with losses to contenders like Cincinnati and New Orleans, not to mention an overtime loss to Cleveland. Wins against a porous Pittsburgh defense and a Tennessee team with a scattershot offense have actually inflated the numbers and not proved much. 

Baltimore is still a team quarterbacked by Joe Flacco, who has a 61.7 completion percentage with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. The Ravens are averaging 3.4 yards per carry, meaning the defense will once again carry the team as far as it can. 

Somehow, these Ravens opened as favorites on the road over the Carolina Panthers: 

The Panthers are a 4-2 club with wins over Dallas, Cincinnati and Philadelphia. Their only losses are an ugly one to Atlanta and to a strong Washington team. 

Cam Newton is elite again, completing 65.6 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns and four picks and rushing for three scores. The coaching around him is finally improving, and more touches have gone to Christian McCaffrey (78 carries for 378 yards on a 4.8 average; 40 catches on 46 targets for 289 yards and a score). 

These Panthers just rallied from behind on the road to take down Philadelphia, so confidence in them here isn't unwarranted. The offense is finally varied enough to lead the team and the defense seems to be improving after Eric Reid's arrival. Newton is the sort of talent who scoffs at a strong defense, especially at home, so a late-scoring drive again seems likely for the so-called underdogs. 

Prediction: Panthers 24, Ravens 20

Green Bay at L.A. Rams (-9) 

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

Betting against Aaron Rodgers on a massive spread never seems like a good idea, regardless of opponent. 

This feels like a bit of deja vu as his Packers travel to face the Los Angeles Rams. He's thrown 12 touchdowns against one interception, and Green Bay is 3-2-1 going against a 7-0 team. 

And yet, nine points feels like too much. 

Here's what Green Bay cornerback Tramon Williams told the Associated Press: “Obviously, we know they're beatable at some degree. But they are tough, a tough team. Everything they advertise to be, they are. And we haven't been who we say we were. We're still working on that. But we feel confident about our chances going into L.A., though."

Fair enough. The Packers are actually better than advertised on the defensive side of the ball: 

The Packers still aren't giving their best back, Aaron Jones, enough work, as he's averaging 5.9 yards per carry and has the only rushing score by a running back on just 32 attempts. That needs to change, and tight end Jimmy Graham needs higher-quality looks, considering he only has one score. 

The task for the Packers defense is stopping a resurgent Jared Goff (14 touchdowns, five interceptions on a 69.7 completion percentage) and Todd Gurley, who has already drummed up 11 rushing scores. That combination has helped the Rams score 30 or more points in all but one game this season, with only three of those wins decided by seven or fewer points. 

Notice this is an offensive-minded Rams team now, which leaves an opening for Rodgers to get his Packers involved in a shootout. Maybe they don't win outright, but nine points are about seven too many when betting against Rodgers, who has a week of prep to dissect the Rams before exposing their flaws on the field. 

On Sunday, look for Rodgers to slide into a no-huddle look and control the pace of the game before turning lengthy drives into scores. The Rams still get the nod at home, but Rodgers alone can make a spread like this exploitable. 

Prediction: Rams 33, Packers 30

New Orleans at Minnesota (-1)

Gail Burton/Associated Press

The 5-1 New Orleans Saints visit the 4-2-1 Minnesota Vikings for a game featuring red-hot quarterbacks. 

Drew Brees leads the Saints, of course, and has a ridiculous 77.3 completion percentage with 13 touchdowns and no interceptions. New arrival Kirk Cousins has been a statistical wonder as well, completing 70 percent of his passes for the Vikings with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions. 

The biggest difference has been the players around the quarterbacks. 

New Orleans has the top-ranked run defense at 72.3 yards allowed per game. And while that's likely because teams make plenty of headway through the air against the unit, it hasn't been enough to hurt the Saints much outside of a fluke loss to Tampa Bay to start the season. 

Minnesota, on the other hand, is supposed to be the defensive-minded team with Mike Zimmer at head coach, yet it has coughed up 27 or more points three times, including tying Green Bay, losing to the Rams and getting upset by the 2-5 Buffalo Bills. 

Did anyone mention the Saints are continuing to improve the roster while taking care of business? The defense just got a boost: 

The Saints defense has seemingly always been a problem Brees has had to compensate for over the years. The bigger knock was the team's performance on the road, but this year the Saints are undefeated away from home, even escaping Atlanta and Baltimore with wins. 

Whereas the Vikings have been inconsistent and dropped winnable games, Brees has the Saints as one of the NFL's most reliable teams to date. Expect this to show up again as he takes care of the football and gets a ball-control day from a strong running game. 

Prediction: Saints 27, Vikings 20

Odds via OddsShark.