Week 7 was a solid week of picks and predictions against the spread. But Week 8 brings some tighter matchups in one of the the 2020 season's best overall sets of games.
There are seven division games coming up, including a few rematches. There also is the most massive spread of the year on the slate.
Here's diving into our latest fearless forecast of pigskin prognostications. The odds come courtesy of the consensus of Las Vegas sportsbooks.
MORE: Week 8 NFL power rankings | Picks straight up
NFL picks against the spread for Week 8
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NFC Game of the Week: 49ers at Seahawks (-3, 54 o/u)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox
The 49ers have found their offensive groove again with Jimmy Garopppolo. The Seahawks keep on rolling with Russell Wilson, but their defensive woes finally caught up to them. San Francisco will be down wide receiver Deebo Samuel again, while Seattle is set to have running back Chris Carson out of the lineup. It's easier to trust Wilson to execute on more big plays and shake off a multiple-interception game at home vs. Jimmy G on the road. With the rushing attacks contained, Wilson operates the more dangerous overall passing game.
Pick: Seahawks win 34-27 and cover the spread.
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Game of the Midweek: Falcons at Panthers (-2.5, 49 o/u)
Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET, Fox, NFL Network and Amazon Prime Video
The Falcons lost the first matchup at home when Matt Ryan struggled without Julio Jones. They should be effective in running the ball with Todd Gurley and Jones' presence creates a tough coverage trickle down for the Panthers, even with their strong pass rush led by Brian Burns. The Panthers are still likely to be without Christian McCaffrey, a needed difference-maker. Still, Jones and Calvin Ridley have the bigger night than Panthers counterparts Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore as a shootout develops between Ryan and Teddy Bridgewater.
Pick: Falcons win 31-27.
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AFC Game of the Week: Steelers at Ravens (-3, 46.5 o/u)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The Ravens get the benefit of a bye to prepare for the perfect Steelers (6-0). They should fix some things offensively in terms of getting more receivers involved for Lamar Jackson and streamlining the traditional running game. The Ravens will get some big plays from Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews is a tough red zone cover for the Steelers as Jackson's running neutralizes the Steelers' pass rush a bit. The Ravens' tough defensive backs will contain what Ben Roethlisberger can do to counter after slowing down the running game.
Pick: Ravens win 24-20 and cover the spread.
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Lock of the Week: Chiefs (-19.5, 49 o/u) over Jets
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The Jets held the Bills to all field goals to cover an 11-point spread. That's not happening again against the Chiefs' offense in the ultimate revenge game for Le'Veon Bell. Patrick Mahomes and his weapons will pour it on early and get plenty of help from more sacks and takeaways produced by the defense. Then it will be turning over the game to plenty of Bell and Clyde Edwards-Helaired to keep up the ball control and scoring. The Jets will go back to being ripped by the Super Bowl favorites as best doesn't hold back against worst.
Pick: Chiefs win 44-10 and cover the spread.
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Upset of the Week: Raiders over Browns (-2.5, 54.5 o/u)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
The Raiders are little more put together in terms of a team identity and overall, Derek Carr is playing better than Baker Mayfield in similar offenses where the passing game is set up by success in the running game. Las Vegas' defense has plenty of holes, while Cleveland is powered by Myles Garrett and little else. Jon Gruden will come in with the better overall game plan and the Browns cannot slow down Carr's principals, Josh Jacobs and Darren Waller. The Browns' limited receiving pop gives the Raiders the little break they needed.
Pick: Raiders win 30-27.
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Rams (-3.5, 49 o/u) at Dolphins
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox
The Rams have to make a long road trip on a short week, but history with Sean McVay says they are excellent in handling these types of situations. They fell at Buffalo but rallied well and took care of business in Washington and Philadelphia. Here, Miami is throwing rookie first-rounder Tua Tagovailoa at Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey behind a shaky offensive line. The Dolphins' defense has been active and much better of late, but they are still vulnerable against run-heavy attacks and are vulnerable inside against tight ends and the slot.
Pick: Rams win 27-20 and cover the spread.
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Vikings at Packers (-6.5, 54.5 o/u)
The Packers set the tone for their follow-up season as NFC North champions by ripping the Vikings in Week 1, holding on 43-34. Green Bay had a hiccup against Tampa Bay, but quickly washed that away in Houston. Back home at Lambeau, the Packers should feel confident for the sweep, even with Aaron Jones hurting and Minnesota returning from a bye with Dalvin Cook likely back healthy. Simply, Aaron Rodgers is sharper and cleane than Kirk Cousins in these types of shootout matchups.
Pick: Packers win 31-27 but fail to cover the spread.
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Colts (-2.5, 50.5 o/u) at Lions
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
Don't look now, but Detroit has won two straight games coming off a bye and the defense is starting to have some impact under Matt Patricia. The Lions are finding out more things offensively around Matthew Stafford, too, using T.J. Hockenson and D'Andre Swift more and in the right ways. The Colts are coming off a bye more confident in Philip Rivers, but even though Jonathan Taylor can run to big things back in Big Ten country, Rivers is hard to trust on the road even in a contained environment in Ford Field. Stafford plays well in a tough spot and gets the Lions shockingly above .500 while the Colts regress more to the mean. Matt Prater knocks home the game-winner this time.
Pick: Lions win 23-20.
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Titans (-5.5, 54.5 o/u) at Bengals
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The Titans should get back to running the ball at a high level to facilitate a strong passing game for Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill and Joe Burrow will be involved in a high-scoring affair but Tennessee will make more key stops with sacks and takeaways. Cincinnati will sell out to stop Derrick Henry and be exposed against the Titans' tight ends and speedy receivers. Burrow has the wideouts to work over the Titans' secondary to keep his team in it with a late rally, but the Bengals fall a little short coming back.
Pick: Titans win 27-24 but fail to cover the spread.
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Patriots at Bills (-3.5, 44 o/u)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS
The 5-2 Bills didn't get pretty against the Jets but they did get well from the tough losses to the Titans and the Chiefs, maybe having a breakthrough in their traditional running game with rookie Zack Moss. This seems like a chance for the 2-4 Patriots to get back into the division race and they couldn't lose four straight games badly, could they? But there's a big advantage at quarterback for Josh Allen over Cam Newton and New England can't simply win this one with a run-heavy, defensive-minded approach.
Pick: Bills win 24-17 and cover the spread.
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Chargers (-3, 45 o/u) at Broncos
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS
The Chargers have gotten an offensive jolt from Justin Herbert and he'll keep lighting up an overrated defense with his big arm and legs. He's spreading the ball around like a veteran and leaning on the run when needed. Drew Lock, meanwhile, is quickly proving not to be the answer for the Broncos and he's not making good use of their weapons with former Charger Melvin Gordon running well but not at an elite level.
Pick: Chargers win 24-13 and cover the spread.
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Saints (-3, 47 o/u) at Bears
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox
This is not a good matchup for Chicago because the Saints aren't as reliant on the pass with Drew Brees outdoors and will attack the Bears' weakness in run defense more. The Saints' struggling secondary gets a break with the Bears having only one dominant wide receiver. The Bears will struggle to run the ball against the Saints' stout front, put Nick Foles in more uncomfortable situations than Brees.
Pick: Saints win 23-17 and cover the spread.
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Cowboys at Eagles (-7.5, 43.5 o/u)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
The Eagles are fueled by the relentless energy of Carson Wentz. His mental and physical toughness has brought them back from a rough start based on injuries around him. The Cowboys showed little life after Dak Presccott went down and even less when Andy Dalton did. There's a big disconnect under Mike McCarthy. The Eagles can smell a chance to run away with a weak division vs. sweating it out until December. There's a good chance rookie seventh-rounder Ben DiNucci starts and maybe he provides some spark on the road. But the well-rested Eagles should rip into them on both sides of the ball.
Pick: Eagles win 27-14 and cover the spread.
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Buccaneers (-10.5, 46.5 o/u) at Giants
Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
The Bucs are rolling with big wins over the Packers and the Raiders. Tom Brady has their offense operating on all cylinders and now it's deeper than ever in the running game game and wide receiver corps. The defense is nasty against the run and the pass rush is teeing off on one-dimensional opponents. There's no reason to think the Bucs won't dominate against a defense with limited playmakers and rattle Daniel Jones in catchup mode vs. Brady.
Pick: Buccaneers win 34-17 and cover the spread.
Stats of the Week
Week 7 straight up: 11-3
Week 7 against the spread: 9-5
Season straight up: 70-34
Season against the spread: 67-38
