NFL Week 8 Sunday picks
After seven weeks of the NFL season and a few of them with some byes, we have a full NFL slate with all 32 teams playing. With Week 8 capped off by marquee matchups like the Buffalo Bills heading west to face the Seattle Seahawks and an NFC South showdown between the Atlanta Falcons and the suddenly thin Tampa Bay Buccaneers, let’s dive into our NFL Week 8 Sunday picks.
Predictions
Pick #1: Detroit Lions -11.5 (-112) vs Tennessee Titans
Pick #2: Baltimore Ravens -8.5 (-108) vs Cleveland Browns
Pick #3: Philadelphia Eagles +3 (-118) vs Cincinnati Bengals
Pick #1: Detroit Lions -11.5 (-112) vs Tennessee Titans
We’ll begin our NFL Week 8 Sunday picks by taking the Detroit Lions -11.5 against the Tennessee Titans at Ford Field in Detroit. The Lions have been running roughshod over the NFL and picked up their signature win last week as they edged out the Minnesota Vikings 31-29 on the road. Despite a suspension that will sideline Jameson Williams for two games, the Lions should have zero problems moving the ball against the Titans despite a solid defense.
That defense in Tennessee is about all they have after trading away DeAndre Hopkins, so reducing the number of targets for backup quarterback Mason Rudolph seems suboptimal. In Rudolph’s first start, the Titans were not anywhere close to being a competitive football team against the Buffalo Bills (even playing in front of their home fans), so the Lions at home shouldn’t have any issues handling TEN. Taking the Lions -11.5 (-112) should be a worthwhile wager on a team at home taking care of business.
Pick #2: Baltimore Ravens -8.5 (-108) vs Cleveland Browns
The next pick in our NFL Week 8 Sunday picks is taking the Baltimore Ravens heading to Cleveland to face the Browns. Cleveland has run through some bad luck in their time, with Deshaun Watson tearing his Achilles’ tendon and backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson injuring his finger last week. Now, the Browns turn to Jameis Winston, which could be an offensive improvement.
Whether Winston is an offensive improvement or not, they’ll have to contend with a Ravens’ offense that can beat you any number of ways. Want to take away Lamar Jackson’s running lanes when he escapes the pocket? He’s got Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews and others to pass to. Want to defend the pass? Derrick Henry is primed and ready to power through your defensive front. Trying to cover both? You leave yourself thin to however the Ravens want to attack you.
It’s truly a “pick your poison” scenario anytime a team plays the Ravens, and as the much better team, taking the Ravens -8.5 (-108) on a five-game winning streak makes all the sense in the world.
Pick #3: Philadelphia Eagles +3 (-118) vs Cincinnati Bengals
The final line we’ll take for the NFL Week 8 Sunday picks is taking the Philadelphia Eagles +3 against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Eagles are 4-2 this season but have had issues moving the ball. Luckily, they match up with a Bengals’ defense that has buckled against most opponents this season as the ninth-worst defensive EPA per play in the NFL. Even worse, Cincinnati is third-worst in EPA per rush attempt, so this could be a game where Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts dictate this game.
While the Bengals are 3-4, they have won three of their last four games. Their only loss was to the Ravens at home 41-38, so they’ve been plenty competitive, but the Eagles have a specific recipe to take down the Bengals and force their hand. It seems pretty crazy that even as a road team, the Eagles are getting points here, so we’ll take that gift of Eagles +3 (-118) and use that to our advantage.
