The fact that we’re almost at the halfway point of the NFL campaign is crazy to think about, but here we are. With that said, there are some massive showdowns on the way this weekend. In this article, we have NFL picks for Week 8 of the season. Will the Kansas City Chiefs be able to get back on track, or will the team suffer yet another disappointing result?
It goes without saying, but the Chiefs are in desperate need of a win against the Giants in their Monday Night Football showdown. Kansas City, which entered the season as the favorites to win the Super Bowl, is now 3-4 on the year after the defeat to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. The Chiefs had the opportunity to send a statement to the rest of the league that they’re still contenders.
The opposite happened, as the Titans won 27-3. Not only that, Tennessee was up 27-0 at halftime. Who in the world expected that to happen? Also, Patrick Mahomes is in the middle of a terrible year. He tossed a first-half interception against the Titans, which means he has now thrown nine picks this season. Insane. He’s tied for rookie QB Zach Wilson for the most interceptions in the NFL.
| NFL Week 8 |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chiefs to cover | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Giants to cover | -110 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Saints to win | +180 | +180 | +180 | +180 |
| Bucs to win | -215 | -215 | -215 | -215 |
As for the New York Giants, the NFC East side was able to record an impressive 25-3 win over the Carolina Panthers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday. That victory came without star running back Saquon Barkley, who missed the action due to his ankle injury. The expectation is that he should be ready to return for the Monday Night football tilt with the Chiefs.
That will be massive for the Giants, who will enter this one as massive underdogs. The spread has been set at 10 points, with -110 odds that New York covers, and -110 best NFL betting odds that the Chiefs cover. We think Kansas City will win this one, but they simply haven’t proven anything for us to believe that they can win by more than 10 points. We’re going with the Giants to cover as our pick.
Over in the NFC South, the Buccaneers should have no problems taking down the Saints on Sunday in a fun divisional battle. There’s plenty of fun headlines for this one, but Tom Brady going up against Jameis Winston sure stands out. Remember, the Bucs decided to part ways with Winston prior to last season. Because of this, things opened up for Brady to sign his two-year deal with Tampa Bay and win the Super Bowl last winter.
Tampa Bay is in the middle of another incredible year, which included a big win over Chicago in Week 7. In that showdown, Brady was electric once again and he actually ended up throwing his 600th career touchdown, with that score going to superstar wideout Mike Evans. With the way Brady is playing, the Bucs are looking like serious threats to once again win the Super Bowl.
With New Orleans, the team is hoping to keep recording some upset wins. They could really make quite the move here by beating the Bucs, though that will surely be easier said than done. But hey, remember when no one gave Winston a chance against the Packers in Week 1? Winston ended up leading New Orleans to a win in that one after throwing for five touchdowns.
Per the Las Vegas sportsbooks, the Bucs have been listed at -215, while the Saints will be checking in at +180. Winston and the Saints will have their backs against the wall, but it sure helps that they’re going to be the home team. Will that be enough to get things done? We don’t think so, as we’re going with TB as our pick. Do you agree? Check out our best NFL betting sites to place a wager.
Last but not least, folks can’t wait for Pittsburgh and Cleveland to meet, as the Browns and Steelers will be a fun showdown. These two teams really don’t like one another and there’s of course going to be plenty of AFC North bragging rights on the line. These two teams have been evenly matched up in recent years, but Cleveland is currently 0.5 games ahead of the Steelers in the standings.
The big question mark for Cleveland will be if Baker Mayfield will be ready to rock or not. Unfortunately, Mayfield is dealing with a pretty serious shoulder injury, but he has said that he’s going to try and fight through the pain. With that said, he was held out of the Week 7 showdown on TNF against the Denver Broncos. Cleveland was able to win that one with Case Keenum as the starter.
As for the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger simply hasn’t looked the same this year and the offense has struggled time and time again. Cleveland will enter this one with -190 odds, while the Steelers are listed as +160 underdogs. While we think this will be a good game, we’re going with Cleveland as our pick, especially with them being the host team for the showdown.
