NFL Week 8: Sunday Picks

Week 8 will tell us a lot about the landscape of the NFL. The Battle in the Bay sees the streaking Panthers try to end the 49ers hot streak, while the on-fire Packers faces the Mahomes-less Chiefs. We also have the interesting situation of having just two road teams favorite in the entirety of Week 8, with the Packers and Seahawks getting that honor.

Here are this week’s NFL Picks:

Bet of the Week:

Green Bay Packers @ Kansas City Chiefs | 8:20 pm EST

1u – Green Bay Packers -4 @ -110

• Per statschecker, the Green Bay Packers are 5-2 ATS this season and 2-0 ATS on the road
• Matt Moore will be starting for the Kansas City Chiefs and owns a completion percentage below 60 in his career

This game was all set to be a cracker. We had the new superstar against the veteran superstar, and then Patrick Mahomes dislocated his knee cap and will miss the game. Now we have Aaron Rodgers facing Matt Moore in a very big mismatch of QB talent and experience. The Chiefs are missing more key players than just Mahomes and while the Packers offensive line has frailties they are not as bad as the Denver offensive line, which gave up 10 sacks last week. The Packers should win this one by a sizeable margin unless Andy Reid can come up with some coaching genius to save his team slipping to a third loss on the season.

1u – Green Bay Packers Over 25.5 Points @ -133

• The Green Bay Packers have scored 27 or more points four times this season
• The Chiefs defense has allowed over 27 points in three of their last five games

The Packers offense seemed to figure it all out last week and I believe they keep that rolling in Kansas City this week. Nothing about the Chefs defense impresses me right now, especially with Frank Clark and Chris Jones up front this week. Green Bay should be able to have their way both on the ground and through the air. They may also need 30 to be sure of leaving Kansas City with a victory.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Tennessee Titans | 1:00 pm EST

1u – Over 46 Total Points @ -110

• Per statschecker, the over is 4-2 in Tampa Bay Buccaneers games this season
• The Tennessee Titans offense looked revitalised under Ryan Tannehill last week and they now get to face one of the worst secondaries in the NFL

I am really excited for this game because both of these offenses now have a lot of potential. Tannehill and Winston will at least offer something to the offense and both teams have major weaknesses in the secondary. With both teams defending the run well, expect to see plenty of through the air action, which should lead to plenty of points being scored. This game could end up in the mid-to-high 50-point range, which presents a juicy bet if you are feeling bold.

Cincinnati Bengals @ Los Angeles Rams (London) | 1:00 pm EST

1u – Under 47.5 Total Points @ -110

• In the last two seasons at Wembley Stadium the under is 4-1
• Per statschecker, the under is 2-4-1 in Cincinnati Bengals games this season

This could be an ugly game off football between two teams with offensive line problems right now. That is especially concerning for the Bengals as they matchup with Aaron Donald this week. The Bengals run defense has also been a mess this year, allowing over 200 rushing yards in five games. This could be a game where the Rams just grind the Bengals down slowly with their backs, while stifling a mediocre offense. This under likely hits unless the Rams score 35+ themselves, which they may run out of motivation to do by half time if leading big.

Carolina Panthers @ San Francisco 49ers | 4:05 pm EST

1u – Carolina Panthers +5.5 @ -113

• Per statschecker, the Carolina Panthers are 4-2 ATS, covering in each of their last four games
• Per statschecker, the San Francisco 49ers are 4-2 ATS, but 1-2 ATS as favorites

This is maybe the most interesting game of the day in San Francisco. The winner of this game could lay down a big marker about their chances of succeeding in the NFC in 2019. The Panthers come into this game off their bye week and having won four straight. The 49ers are 6-0 but have only really beaten one team of consequence so far. The 49ers offense revolves around winning upfront and this may be the best defensive line across the board they have faced all season. The Panthers defense, should be able to do enough to keep the 49ers scoring down, while their offense should also have enough creativity to get into the region of 20 points. This game has a feel of being won by a field goal, somewhere in the region of 20-17 or 23-20. The under is also a tempting lean here, but set just 42 there is too much risk of it creeping over with a late score for either team.

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By Ben Rolfe