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

As teams approach the midpoint of the 2018 NFL season, some have carved out an identity while others are still trying to figure themselves out.

The Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs both appear to be powerhouses, and while they could still be done in by injuries or a few bad breaks, they are finding their strides.

The New York Jets and the Chicago Bears have not defined themselves. Both have played good games and have displayed decent potential on both sides of the ball, and those two teams have also had key lapses that have cost them.

These Jets and Bears meet at Soldier Field on Sunday, with the Jets at 3-4 while the Bears have lost their last two games to fall to 3-3.

Jets quarterback Sam Darnold has demonstrated he is capable of throwing the ball accurately and reading defenses at times, but the rookie has not yet shown he is consistent in his delivery.

The Jets want to help him out with the running game, and Isaiah Crowell has been quite productive with 459 yards, a 5.7-yard-per-carry average and five rushing touchdowns.

If Crowell can give the Jets a consistent ground game against the Chicago defense, it will take pressure off the first-year signal-caller. 

The Bears defense was ferocious in the early part of the season, but that unit had problems in Week 6 against the Miami Dolphins and Week 7 against the New England Patriots.

Chicago has a strong-armed quarterback in Mitchell Trubisky, and while the second-year player has made several big throws, he has been more dangerous as a runner than a passer.

Trubisky has made some difficult throws to Allen Robinson and Taylor Gabriel, but he has also missed some wide-open receivers in what should have been easy tosses in the flat.

The Bears are 7.5-point favorites at home, according to OddsShark, and that is too high. They have the advantage of playing at home and may be a point or two better than the Jets, so anything over five points is too much.

Take the Jets to stay within 7.5 points and cover the spread.

Week 8 NFL Odds

Miami at Houston (-7.5) | O/U 44.5

Philadelphia (-3) at Jacksonville | O/U 42

Baltimore (-2) at Carolina  O/U 43.5

Cleveland at Pittsburgh (-8) | O/U 50

Denver at Kansas City (-10) | O/U 53.5

N.Y. Jets at Chicago (-7.5) | O/U 45

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 42.5

Indianapolis (-3) at Oakland | O/U 49.5

Green Bay at L.A. Rams (-9.5) | O/U 56.5

San Francisco at Arizona (E) | O/U 42.5

New Orleans at Minnesota (-1) | O/U 52

Monday, Oct. 29        

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

Gary Landers/Associated Press/Associated Press

Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers

This rematch between AFC North foes could be quite a bit different than the season opener.

Neither the Browns nor the Steelers could get the advantage in that game, and the result was an unsatisfying 21-21 tie.

The Browns were trying to end a long losing streak, so they were disappointed with the result, and the Steelers were embarrassed that they couldn't get the best of the Browns.

Cleveland has been more respectable this year with a 2-4-1 record, but Hue Jackson's team has let too many opportunities slip through its grasp.

Rookie Baker Mayfield has been good enough to keep drives alive, completing 57.8 percent of his passes for 258.2 yards per game with six touchdowns and five interceptions.

However, Mayfield is still learning and prone to mistakes.

The Steelers are coming off their bye week, and that should be good for Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown. When those two are on their game, the Steelers are capable of stringing together big plays and lighting up the scoreboard.

Throw in wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster and running back James Conner, and the Steelers could dominate this game.

Pittsburgh is an eight-point favorite, and the Steelers are not going to be as generous at home as they were in the season opener. The Steelers win and cover the eight-point spread.

Seattle Seahawks at Detroit Lions

After an awful start, the Detroit Lions are starting to pick up steam and become a possible factor in the NFC playoff picture. 

Many fans remember how badly the Lions looked at home in their season opener when they were blasted 48-17 by the Jets, but they have won three of their last four games and have reached the .500 mark.

They are coming off a 32-21 victory over the Miami Dolphins, and a double-digit road victory is a significant achievement. Matthew Stafford is completing 67.6 percent of his passes and has a 12-to-five touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Stafford knows he can depend on Golden Tate to get open and make key catches, and he also gets plenty of support from Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Theo Riddick. However, the biggest change comes from a productive running game led by rookie Kerryon Johnson.

Johnson has run for 444 yards and averaging 6.4 yards per carry. That productivity has made opponents respect the previously dormant Detroit running game.

The Seahawks are also a .500 team, but they don't have the weapons on offense that the Lions put on the field. Seattle ranks 28th in yards per game and 28th in passing yards per game.

While Russell Wilson is smart and resourceful, the Seahawks may not have enough weapons to get the job done if they fall behind in this game. 

The Lions are three-point favorites at home, and they are not going to have a problem defending their home turf and covering the spread. Detroit wins this game by seven points or more because it can run the ball in the final quarter. 

Prop bet

Taking a look at the Thursday night game between the Miami Dolphins and the Houston Texans, we are intrigued by the opportunity to bet on the first touchdown scorer of that game.

We don't usually like to go with the favorite because the payoff may not be abundant enough, but it's hard not to like Houston wideout DeAndre Hopkins.

Hopkins has game-changing speed, does a nice job running his routes and has a remarkable pair of hands. Hopkins will not drop the ball if he gets a clean look and his hands on it.

Hopkins is 6-1 to score the opening touchdown, according to OddsChecker. Lamar Miller of the Dolphins is the second choice at 7-1, followed by Will Fuller at 8-1 and Kenyan Drake at 10-1.

Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson is further down the line at 12-1, as is DeVante Parker.

However, this is a game for Hopkins to leave his mark, as he scores the game's first touchdown and perhaps two more.