Are you ready for Sunday’s slate of games?
The NFL’s Week 8 schedule has some interesting matchups on the table, and I’ve been scouring the betting sheets at the top sites looking for the most favorable prices.
As long as you are all caught up with what happened last week, it’s time to start keying in on the games to bet this weekend.
What you do with your money and which games you end up wagering will be up to you. I’m just here to offer my perspective on what I think will happen.
We’ve been cruising along so far in 2018 at 16-11-1 against the spread (ATS), so let’s try and continue being on the right side of profitability.
Simply put, the Kansas City Chiefs are tormenting the Las Vegas sportsbooks in 2018. Andy Reid’s squad is a perfect 7-0 ATS this season and will look to make it 8-0 this Sunday against the Denver Broncos at home.
Back on October 1st, the Chiefs defeated the Broncos in Denver during an epic Monday Night Football game in which Patrick Mahomes took over late in the game.
But after looking closely at the Week 8 matchup, something tells me that the Chiefs aren’t going to need any late-game heroics from their quarterback to get by in this one.
Because this Chiefs offense is flying so high right now, they’re likely to put up 35+ points without hardly breaking a sweat.
I’m not really concerned about some daunting pass rush from Von Miller and company, as I’ve already witnessed Mahomes torch this defense for 300+ yards at Mile High Stadium.
Now Patrick gets to play at Arrowhead Stadium in front of the Chiefs’ rambunctious fan base.
While Kansas City’s defense has been pretty dreadful in their own right, they were able to gain some momentum last week when they held the Bengals to just 239 yards and allowed just 10 total points.
Anyone who thinks Case Keenum and the Denver offense is going to be able to keep pace with the Chiefs just must not be paying close enough attention. Or they are just die-hard Bronco fans who refuse to see the writing on the wall.
Because the truth is, the “Orange Crush” already had an opportunity to slow down Mahomes and pick up a victory against Kansas City back in Week 4, but they let that one squander away.
So you can think that Sunday’s game in KC will be anything other than a convincing win, and you can hope the Chiefs finally fail to cover.
Or you can realize that the oddsmakers still aren’t respecting this team enough.
These are the spots I look for.
Oakland has been in the news after trading away Amari Cooper, and word on the street is that Raiders players are not happy with how Jon Gruden handled the situation. The Silver and Black are 1-5 and looked atrocious their last time out against Seattle when they got pummeled 27-3.
Losing Marshawn Lynch to a severe groin injury isn’t going to help, nor is having to fill the void of Cooper’s absence.
Because stockpiling another first-round draft pick does absolutely nothing positive for this team in 2018.
Meanwhile, the Indianapolis Colts are fresh off their most complete performance of the season after they drubbed the Bills at home 37-5.
So obviously, the Raiders have no chance to win this game, right?
Hold up.
This Colts team that everyone is suddenly excited about is just 2 weeks removed from giving up 42 points to the Jets. Before that, they gave up 38 to New England and 37 to Houston.
Beating the Derek Anderson-led Bills in your own building is nothing to write home about, and running back Marlon Mack is unlikely to be at full strength on Sunday – if he plays at all.
Although Mack rushed for a career-high 126 yards last weekend, he sustained an ankle injury that may prohibit him from continuing his breakout in Indy for now.
While I have been ultra-disappointed in the product that Jon Gruden and his team has displayed thus far, I can’t just throw in the towel on this franchise yet.
They project to be going absolutely nowhere in 2018, but here’s a fact about this particular game.
Oakland is coming off their bye week, meaning Gruden and his staff has had plenty of time to reflect and strategize for the Colts.
The Raiders will be playing at home, and with as restless as Raider Nation is likely feeling, this is a really big spot for Derek Carr and his brotherhood.
After watching the Colts play through 7 weeks, I just can’t get on board with them being a 3-point road favorite against a team coming off their bye.
I know Oakland has also struggled, but this is a game that I think allows them to get back on track.
And if they don’t win, at least we have a little insurance with the 3-point cushion.
This has a funny-looking line when you first glance at it on paper.
Because on one hand, we have a team that is 4-2 and leading their division. On the other hand, we have the team in last place in that same division at 1-6, not to mention that they’re losers of 4 straight.
So why were the last-place Giants favored by 1 on some of the sites?
Right now, the game is a “pick’em” on BetOnline.ag, but that’s actually not the bet I’m targeting in this one.
Because after doing some homework and digging through the numbers, I’m not sure I see the total reaching the 42.5 number that most sites have this game set at.
Take a look.
If you are wondering why the Redskins are 4-2 and leading the NFC East Division, look no further than their defense.
Greg Manusky’s unit currently ranks 5th in the NFL in yards allowed/game, anchored by a stout run D that limits the opposition to just 87.3 ground yards per contest.
Linebackers Mason Foster and Zach Brown lead a defense that has already forced 11 fumbles, 7 of which they have recovered (2nd in the NFL).
I watched Eli Manning struggle to score 20 points against a putrid Falcons defense while playing on fast turf on Monday Night Football.
Now you want me to believe that Pat Shurmur has suddenly solved his head coaching deficiencies and that this offense is going to light Washington up on the road?
I’m not buying into that theory.
Last year, when these two teams played on Thanksgiving, only 30 points were scored in a Redskins 20-10 victory. Then on New Year’s Eve for their Week 17 matchup, just 28 points were put up in a Giants 18-10 win.
I’m not going to try and predict exactly what the final score will be on Sunday afternoon, but 42 and a half points just seems like a bit of stretch.
I agree that the Cincinnati Bengals looked horrendous last week in Kansas City. Not only did they get blown out 45-10, but they hardly looked competitive.
And earlier in the day in Tampa, Chandler Catanzaro ripped a 59-yard field goal in OT to cap off a victory over the Browns.
So can the Bucs keep it rolling and pick up a road victory in Cincy?
I mean, theoretically, of course they can.
But after doing some research, I feel this game should be closer to a 6-7 point spread in favor of the Bengals.
The fact that the line is down at 4 makes me think the oddsmakers are a bit concerned about the recency bias from the general public.
Being that the Bengals were on Sunday Night Football during primetime and completely laid an egg, bettors are justifiably a bit nervous on backing Marvin Lewis’s club.
So rather than have the Bengals favored by about 6 and a half for a home game against Tampa Bay, they’re instead only favored by 4.
So I see this as an opportunity to pounce on Andy Dalton!
“The Red Rifle” has already tossed 15 touchdown passes through his team’s first 7 games, and he should have a chance to throw at least a couple more tonight. Because if you haven’t seen how the Buccaneers defense has been performing so far in 2018, allow me to bring you up to speed.
| 327.5 (32nd) | 32.7 (32nd) | 1 (t-31st) |
So after seeing this, can you get on board with the Bucs defense being abominable so far?
Would you agree that a road test against an angry and motivated Cincy squad isn’t exactly the best recipe for getting back on track?
I see the Bengals scoring a bunch of points, and I’m more than wary of the Buccaneers not being able to keep up.
Boy, am I excited for Sunday morning to get here.
To me, few things are better than watching NFL action.
This weekend promises to be exhilarating no matter what happens, as excitement tends to follow closely behind any time I place a wager on a game.
I let you in on the 4 matchups I’ll be keeping a close eye on and even provided a multitude of reasons why.
All that’s left to do is for you to set up your account at BetOnline.ag and start firing away!
Enjoy the action and keep checking our blog, because I’ll be back on Monday with a deep look into the Patriots-Bills AFC East clash on MNF!
The post Week 8 NFL Betting – Top Picks for this Weekend’s Games appeared first on GamblingSites.com.
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