NFL Picks Against The Spread 2016: Week 8 Games

Photo by USA Today Sports.

Before Week 8 of the 2016 NFL season schedule kicks off, let’s have some fun by taking a look at the spreads for this week’s round of games. (Click here for our NFL Week 8 expert predictions.)

Here are suggestions when trying to beat the odds. You can find all of today’s NFL betting lines and more at Bovada. My record so far this season is 49-44-6 after going 7-6-1 last week. Let’s get to the picks.

2016 NFL WEEK 8 PICKS AGAINST THE SPREAD

Washington Redskins at Cincinnati Bengals (-3): This week’s London game features an inter-conference matchup. The Bengals haven’t been all that impressive this season. At 3-4, they only have wins over the Jets, Dolphins, and Browns. Those are some of the league’s worst teams. Washington could be the better team on paper, so it’s surprising to see Washington as three-point underdogs on a neutral field. They’re the pick here with the points. PICK: Washington +3

New York Jets (-3) at Cleveland Browns: Is this the week the Browns get on the board with a win? Josh McCown is back and the Browns are facing a bad Jets team in Cleveland. Ryan Fitzpatrick played well while filling in for Geno Smith after getting benched last week, but it likely won’t last. Fitzpatrick has really struggled with turnovers this season. New York isn’t good enough to count on them covering, so I’ll say the Browns will end their 0-7 streak this Sunday. Or at the very least they’ll make the game close enough to cover. PICK: Browns +3

Seattle Seahawks (-3) at New Orleans Saints: Interesting line here. The Seahawks are clearly better than the Saints but the game is in New Orleans so things be can tricky for road teams there. The Saints’ offense has been playing well thanks to Drew Brees but his team struggles to win due to their horrid defense. Seattle’s defense should be able keep the Saints in check while their offense shouldn’t face much resistance from New Orleans. Even a hampered Russell Wilson should be able to have success this week against Dennis Allen’s defense. PICK: Seahawks -3

Kansas City Chiefs (-3) at Indianapolis Colts: The Colts are somehow one game away from .500 despite being one of the worst teams in the league. That’s probably thanks to the presence of Andrew Luck. Luck won’t be able to carry the rest of his unimpressive team to a win over the Chiefs despite playing at home. Kansas City has played well since coming off the bye week. PICK: Chiefs -3

Detroit Lions at Houston Texans (-2): The Lions would be an easy pick here if they weren’t dealing with so many key injuries, especially on defense. Detroit’s defense has been dreadful this year. The Lions rank dead last in passer rating allowed. Brock Osweiler hasn’t looked very good for the Texans but he might actually be able to have some success against this Lions squad. Detroit’s winning streak could come to an end as they play on the road this week. PICK: Texans -2

New England Patriots (-7) at Buffalo Bills: You already know the Patriots are thirsty for revenge after getting shut out by the Bills at home earlier this year. Tom Brady is back and Buffalo will be without LeSean McCoy. The Bills’ rushing attack is a big key to their success and without Shady they will struggle. PICK: Patriots -7

Oakland Raiders (-1) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Last week the Raiders were one point underdogs in Jacksonville for some reason and they blew the Jags out. Now Oakland is 5-2 and they’re still only one point favorites against a Buccaneers team that isn’t so great. I don’t know why people keep sleeping on the Raiders, but as long as they continue to do, I’ll bet on them. PICK: Raiders -1

Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers (-3): Last year’s NFC Championship Game saw the Panthers dominate the Cardinals. Carolina has really struggled his year, though. They’re hard to trust. Bruce Arians‘ side will be motivated in this one based on what happened last year. Take the points. PICK: Cardinals +3

San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos (-4): The Chargers beat the Broncos a few weeks ago in San Diego. The Bolts also beat the Falcons in Atlanta last week so that was an impressive win as well. This will be a competitive game, but Mike McCoy’s team won’t be able to sweep the Broncos. There’s a chance San Diego covers the spread in a loss here, but I’ll have to go with Denver. Their defense is still very good, especially at home. PICK: Broncos -4

Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons (-3): The Falcons have lost two games in a row since beating Denver but the losses were very close. They should have beaten Seattle if not for a missed call. It’s hard to see the Falcons dropping three in a row when their offense leads the league in points per game. Aaron Rodgers hasn’t been having an awesome season so it will be difficult for the Packers to match Atlanta’s scoring. PICK: Falcons -3

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys (-4.5): This figures to be a close game. The Cowboys’ offense will be put up against an Eagles defense that has played very well at times this season. Coming off the bye and playing at home, there’s a decent chance Dallas comes out on top in this one. That’s why they’re the favorite. But if Philadelphia can keep their running game in check, the Eagles will have opportunities to attack the Dallas defense. The feeling here is the Eagles can win this game outright, so I’m definitely taking the points in an upset. The Birds are 5-1 straight up in their last six games in Arlington. The underdog is 26-9 against the spread in the last 35 games of this series. PICK: Eagles +4.5

Minnesota Vikings (-6) at Chicago Bears: Sam Bradford and the Vikings got exposed  to some extent against the Eagles last week. Minnesota is weak along the offensive line and their whole offense starts to crumble if Sammy Sleeves gets pressured. The good news for the Vikings is they still have a great defense and the Bears are bad. Mike Zimmer’s team should be able to take care of Jay Cutler and company with ease. PICK: Vikings -6