“On any given Sunday you’re gonna win or you’re gonna lose. The point is – can you win or lose like a man?” — Tony D’Amato Any Given Sunday
This quote, said by a fictional football coach played by Al Pacino, is analogous to betting on NFL football. It’s how we suggest other gambling degenerates approach their bets as well. Some picks you’re going to win, some you’re going to lose, but regardless of the outcome, make sure you accept the result responsibly.
With that in mind, here are the four betting lines and picks we like for Week 8 in the NFL.
All betting lines are courtesy of Bovada.LV
Titans at Texans (-1) Over/Under 39
We love the Titans getting a point against a divisional opponent in the Texans. This is a game the Titans should win pretty handily despite Ryan Tannehill being limited by an ankle injury. If you are a Fantasy owner of Derrick Henry, you are going to love watching him run all over the worst rushing defense in the NFL.
The Texans are coming into this game allowing the most rushing yards per game and the matchup against one of the league’s elite running backs is clearly not in their favor. Last week, Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs ran for 144 yards against Houston’s paltry defense. The Titan’s defense is stout against the run, ranked No. 4 in the league, and should be able to neutralize Texans’ running back Dameon Pierce.
Our pick: Titans +1
Patriots (-3) at Jets Over/Under 40
The old saying goes, a team that is at its most vulnerable is usually at its most dangerous. The Patriots just allowed 243 total yards to the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football and head coach Bill Belichick is probably still seething from that loss.
Fortunately, his next matchup couldn’t be at a better time as he is facing a Jets team that just lost their stud rookie running back in Breece Hall. At 5-2, the Jets are in second place in the AFC East and are on pace to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010. That’s why they traded for James Robinson from the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier this week.
However, it’s going to take some time for Robinson to get acclimated with his new team and a new playbook. In the meantime, Michael Carter should get the lion’s share of the carries on Sunday. Expect Belichick to take full advantage of the loss of Hall by loading up the box against the Jets and forcing sophomore quarterback Zach Wilson to beat them. We think this will pay for for the Patriots.
Our pick: Patriots-3
Raiders (-1.5) at Saints Over/Under 49.5
The Las Vegas Raiders are 2-4 on the season, but they might just be the best 2-4 in NFL history. All of the games they have lost have been by one possession. Josh Jacobs has emerged as a top five running back in the league and Josh McDaniels has finally realized that to give the Raiders the best chance at success, they need to prioritize the run in order to open up the passing game.
Expect Jacobs to have another solid game as he looks for holes in a Saints’ defense that average against the run this season. The Saints secondary is also just average at stopping the pass, so we expect a lot of points in this game as the over/under indicates.
Our pick: Raiders-1.5
Panthers at Falcons (-4) Over/Under 41
Maybe the Carolina Panthers have finally found something. They have gone through a lot of turmoil lately with the horrific quarterback play out of Baker Mayfield, their head coach Matt Rhule was fired, and their star receiver Robbie Anderson was traded.
Despite all the adversity, the Panthers are still forging ahead. They manhandled Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week and are looking to do the same with another divisional opponent in the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons are missing their best corner AJ Terrell and PJ Walker has had a good connection going with DJ Moore. I do not trust Falcons QB Marcus Mariotta, especially against this Panthers defense that woke up last week and held the Bucs to under 50 rushing yards. Expect this defense to put Mariotta in a box and make him have to throw the ball under pressure.
Our Pick: Panthers +4
Matthew Goldstein contributed to this article.
