Four spreads of note:

Patriots –3 @ Steelers, 4:15PM ET
Even though both teams have five wins on the year, I think this line is set right. The public is a huge supporter of the Patriots and the Steelers have played inconsistent football all season. That said, New England’s defense can be had through the air and Pittsburgh’s passing game is among the top 5 in the league. If Ben Roethlisberger can protect the football and connect on a couple of big plays, there’s absolutely no reason to believe Pittsburgh can’t win this game outright – especially at home.

Cowboys +3.5 @ Eagles, 8:20PM ET
It’ll be interesting to see where this line winds up at kickoff. After weeks of being crushed by Philadelphia’s poor play, people started to hop off the Eagles bandwagon. But maybe Philly’s week off has made folks change their perspective on Andy Reid’s squad. That said, Dallas is 5-0 against the spread in its last five games against Philadelphia and 5-2 ATS in its last seven road games versus the Eagles. Philly’s run defense is brutal so if the ‘Boys can get DeMarco Murray going again, they may pick up a huge divisional win on Sunday night.

Lions –3 @ Broncos, 4:05PM ET
Matthew Stafford is presumably questionable for this game with an ankle injury but the Lions are 3-point favorites. That’s interesting considering the Broncos are at home and have old Uncle Mo on their side. Despite his poor play for 56 minutes last week, Tim Tebow has breathed new life into the Broncos and considering Detroit has to travel cross-country, has no running game, and can’t stop the run, I’m a little surprised to see them favored by a field goal. Maybe oddsmakers feel as though they have one more week before the public starts to jump off Detroit’s bandwagon.

Bengals –3 @ Seahawks, 4:15PM ET
This isn’t a very attractive game from a fan’s standpoint, but it’s an intriguing matchup betting-wise. The Bengals are 4-2 but they’re about to travel cross-country to a hostile environment with a rookie quarterback. I know Andy Dalton has played fairly well this season but the Seahawks are always a different animal when they’re in their home digs. Just knowing what we do about the Hawks and how they play at home, I would take the points here (even with Cincinnati coming off a bye).

2011 NFL Week 8 Point Spreads & Totals:

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Packers (4-3) @ Jets (5-1), 1:00PM ET
Beating the Vikings last week was huge, but the Packers have a long ways to go if they want to separate themselves from Minnesota and Chicago in the NFC North. A win over a well-rested Jets team coming off its bye would be a start, but that won’t be an easy feat. After losing to the Ravens in Week 1, the Jets have rattled off five in a row and now have a healthy Darrelle Revis (hamstring) back in the fold. It could be a long day for the Packers on Sunday if their O-line can’t protect Aaron Rodgers. It’ll also be interesting to see if Mark Sanchez can continue to develop or if he’ll eventually revert back to the limited, ineffective quarterback he was last year and against Baltimore in the opener.
CURRENT ODDS: JETS –6

Titans (5-2) @ Chargers (2-5), 4:05PM ET
You get the sense that people are still waiting for the Chargers to turn things around. That they’re not as bad as their 2-5 record and their last place (yes, last place) standing in the AFC West. But there’s a very good possibility that San Diego is as bad as it’s played and if the Titans beat the Bolts on their home field, it might be all she wrote for the Chargers. On the other side, if Tennessee can get a big road win this week, then the skies the limit for this team. Vince Young is fully practicing after missing the past two games with a knee injury, so the Chargers will have to do deal with both of the Titans’ key offensive playmakers on Sunday. Oh, joy.
CURRENT ODDS: CHARGERS -3

Vikings (2-4) @ Patriots (5-1), 4:15PM ET
Brett Favre’s consecutive starts streak isn’t the only thing on the line this Sunday for the Vikings. Another loss would drop them to 2-5 and even though the Packers and Bears have their fair share of problems, Minnesota would be putting itself in quite a whole. Whether it’s Favre or Tarvaris Jackson that lines up under center, the Vikes will need a huge effort out of Adrian Peterson this week. The Patriots’ defense can be had, but not if AP doesn’t find room to run. New England needs a victory to keep pace with the red-hot Jets, who have already beaten the Pats once this year.
CURRENT ODDS: PATRIOTS –5.5

Steelers (5-1) @ Saints (4-3), 8:20PM ET
It’s amazing to think that the defending Super Bowl champs may be .500 at the end of eight weeks. But without Reggie Bush (who is expected to miss another week due to injury), the Saints might be headed for their fourth loss this season. After losing to the Browns last week, things don’t get any easier for New Orleans this Sunday, as the Steelers’ vaunted defense comes to town. The good news for Sean Payton and company is that Pittsburgh might be a little road weary after playing at Miami last week. The bad news is that outside of the Jets and Patriots, no team is hotter right now than the Steelers.
CURRENT ODDS: SAINTS -1

2010 NFL Week 8 Opening Odds:

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Here are my quick-hit picks for Week 8 in the NFL:

Worth being in trouble with your significant other for:

Vikings (6-1) at Packers (4-2), 4:15PM ET
I think the Packers will have a little something for Brett Favre this time around. I realize he was a legend in Green Bay, but the Packer faithful need to boo this man just as they would Steve Young or Troy Aikman. As long as the Packers somehow figure out a way to get a body in front of Jared Allen, I think they beat a Minnesota team coming off an emotional loss in Pittsburgh last week. Call me crazy, but I don’t think this one will be as close as many expect.
Odds: Packers –3.
Prediction: Packers 30, Vikings 17.

Giants (5-2) at Eagles (4-2), 1:00PM ET
The Giants are hoping to get a few defensive starters back this week (most notably Michael Boley and Chris Canty), but their concern right now should be moving the ball against a Philadelphia defense that played inspired last week in Washington. (Of course, it was Washington.) Both of these offenses struggled last week trying to move the chains consistently and I can see turnovers playing a huge role in this key NFC East battle. Considering the Eagles lead the league in turnover margin, I think they get a win at home. It’s hard to fathom the G-Men losing three straight, but outside of their Week 2 win against the Cowboys, they haven’t been good against teams with winning records this season.
Odds: Giants –1.
Prediction: Eagles 20, Giants 17.

Broncos (6-0) at Ravens (3-3), 1:00PM ET
The Broncos haven’t given anyone a reason not to trust them. They’ve played great defensively, have remained balanced offensively and continue to prove doubters wrong. That said, I think this is the week they suffer their first loss. The Ravens are desperate and Denver doesn’t really have the explosive passing attack to take advantage of Baltimore’s issues in the secondary. I’m willing to bet the Ravens’ coaching staff figured a few things out in their off week and Baltimore will come out ready to play on Sunday.
Odds: Ravens –3.
Prediction: Ravens 23, Broncos 17.

Falcons (4-2) at Saints (6-0), 8:30PM ET Monday
The Falcons are in trouble. Their secondary is starting to show the same problems it had in preseason and Drew Brees should take advantage of that and torch Chris Houston and company. The only chance Atlanta has is to force turnovers on defense and get Michael Turner going in order to leave Brees on the sidelines. I don’t see it happening.
Odds: Saints –10.
Prediction: Saints 38, Falcons 24.

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Along with the odds for Week 8, here are a couple of marquee matchups worth tuning into this weekend.

Giants at Eagles, 1:00PM ET
After starting the year 5-0, the Giants have dropped two straight and now travel to Philadelphia to take on the Eagles in a hostile environment. The Eagles didn’t look particularly sharp offensively on Monday night vs. the Redskins, but they have more than enough weapons to put points on the board against a banged up Giants defense. Both these teams are looking for a win in order to keep pace in the NFC East.
Odds: Eagles PK.

Broncos at Ravens, 1:00PM ET
Both of these teams are fresh coming off their byes, but the Broncos have won six straight while the Ravens have dropped three in a row. Baltimore’s secondary has been its Achilles’ heel all season and while the offense continues to put up points, they’ll be tested this Sunday by a Denver defense that has played well this year. Josh McDaniels’ squad has battled adversity all season and will have to do so again this weekend against a Ravens team desperately seeking a win.
Odds: Ravens –3.

Vikings at Packers, 4:15PM ET
This game is important for both teams on so many levels. Brett Favre returning to Lambeau will command most of the headlines, but perhaps more importantly is the Packers need a win to prove they can beat an opponent with a winning record and keep pace with Minnesota in the division. The Vikings would love to bounce back from their loss to Pittsburgh last week, sweep the season series with Green Bay, and take a commanding three game (really a four game when you factor in tiebreakers) lead over the Packers.
Odds: Packers –3.

Falcons at Saints, 8:30PM ET, Monday
The Saints appear to be unstoppable right now, while the Falcons are reeling following their loss to the Cowboys last Sunday. Atlanta’s secondary is a major question mark and if the front four can’t generate any pressure, Drew Brees is going to have a field day. The Falcons also need to get Michael Turner and the ground game going or else the solid New Orleans defense might force Matt Ryan into making a couple mistakes. This is a huge game for the Falcons, because they don’t want to fall three games back in the division.
Odds: Saints –10.

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