Week 8 of the NFL season is essentially the half-point of the year and things are really beginning to crystalize. Championship contenders are separating themselves from the pack, pretenders are starting to vie for Trevor Lawrence in the draft, and MVP candidates are crystal clear. Knowing all this, here are the bets you need to make ahead of the weekly games!
We've already done the early leg work to bring you free NFL betting picks for Week 8. But as always, things change quickly in the NFL. So keep close tabs on the injury reports, COVID news, betting line changes, and other happenings.
As of now, here's some Week 8 odds per the Bovada online sportsbook:
| Favorite |  |
|
Underdog� |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Indianapolis Colts� |
-160 | +140 | Detroit Lions� |
|
Green Bay Packers |
-310 | +255 | Minnesota Vikings |
|
Buffalo Bills |
-200 | +170 | New England Patriots |
|
Tennessee Titans |
-245 | +205 | Cincinnati Bengals |
|
Cleveland Browns |
-170 | �+150 | Las Vegas Raiders� |
|
Baltimore Ravens |
�-233 | +180 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
Beyond offering an abundance of NFL bets, Bovada is also handing out up to $250 in free play to first-time bettors of the site. This is all part of its welcome bonus that'll match new players first deposit into the site at a 50-percent rate — so to earn the max bonus, a player needs to insert $500 of their own money, too.
No team has been a bigger disappointment in 2020 than the Vikings — and it’s not even close. In spite of that, we like them to cover +7 on the road.
Here’s why: they had two weeks to prepare for the Packers as Minnesota was on a bye during Week 7. And at a 1-5 record, their season is virtually on the line come Sunday. Account for both factors and we should see a studied- and fired-up Vikings team.
Plus, it’s a rivalry game for God’s sake. No matter what the season records are, Green Bay-Minnesota usually goes down to the wire at least once a year (last game ended in a nine-point win for the Pack). Giving any team seven points in this heated feud is a gimme.
Betting pick to make: Minnesota (+7)
Right on Minnesota’s heels as the second most-disappointing in the league is the Patriots. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. New England has lost three in a row — mustering a pitiful 9.3 points per game in each defeat — and now stand at 2-4 on the year. Talk about the Tom Brady hangover...
In week 8, the Pats trek to the new AFC East gold standard — the 5-2 Bills. Though, Buffalo looked far from a crisp in an 18-10 victory over the winless Jets in week 7.
After such a sloppy performance, you can't help but ask yourself, are these Bills "for real?" We don't think so. After a hot start, they’ve cooled off considerably as of late. Get this, in the past three weeks, they’ve scored just three touchdowns total.
With Bill Belichick’s back hard-pressed against the wall (like we haven't seen in a long time), we’re betting the all-timer schemes up a game plan to continue Buffalo’s offensive woes. Our money is on this game being decided by a field goal or less.
Betting pick to make: New England (+4)
Believe it or not, this game pits two of the best signal-callers at the half-point of the 2020 season. Yes, Ryan Tannehill and Joe Burrow are very much in that conversation — if not leading it.
Let's start with Burrow. The number-one overall pick in the draft is on pace to shatter rookie records at the quarterback position. After tossing 406 yards in week 7, Burrow has now racked up 2,024 yards through the air in seven games. At that rate, he'll finish the year with 4,626 — which would shatter Andrew Luck's previous record by about 250 yards.
Meanwhile, Tannehill is a prime MVP candidate. Through six games, he has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 15 to 2. Only Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, and Derek Carr have a better quarterback rating than Tannehill's 112.3.
All this sets up for a high-scoring affair between Tennessee and Cincy, which points to the over. Heck, while we're at it, this game is even parlayed worthy.
The Bengals — in spite of a 1-5-1 record might presume — aren't pushovers. This season, they've lost separate games by 3, 5, 4, and 3 points. The Burrow-lead Bengals will not only light up the scoreboard, but they'll also cover its +4.5 line in the process.
Betting pick to make: Over 54.5 points
We mentioned Carr earlier, but it bears repeating: he's playing like one of the league's premier quarterbacks at the moment. Here's Carr's statline to prove it — 72 completion percentage, 15 scores, just two interceptions, and a gaudy 112.8 quarterback rating.
But for all of Carr's fireworks, the Raiders defense can't stop a nosebleed. They've now allowed opponents to hang at least 30 points on them in five of six games.
That bodes well for Baker Mayfield and company after a 37-point whopper of their own in week 7 against Cincinnati. Both Carr and Mayfield will exchanges scores in another game where the over hits with ease.
Betting pick to make: Over 55.5 points
Alright, that's our week 8 betting picks to make. We gave you our four favorite wagers of the week, however, there's a bunch more available. You can find the full slate of games, plus prop bets, at any of the sportsbook partners below.
The bookies listed are the "cream of the crop" in the online world. Each offers a sign-up bonus akin to the MyBookie bonus we mentioned earlier. Redeem the promos by depositing money into your account — that's it!
Category : News
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