The AFC North is the only division where all four teams are .500 or better this season – a nod to the strength of a division with four legitimate playoff contenders.
There are no byes in Week 8, and AFC North teams will be in the three best games of the week. Only Baltimore – which travels to Arizona – will play a team with less than a .500 record.
The other three games should be fantastic. Pittsburgh hosts Jacksonville – and that is a chance for T.J. Watt to build on a NFL MVP campaign that includes eight sacks, three fumble recoveries and a pick six.
The Bengals travel to San Francisco in a matchup between heavyweights that will conjure up memories of Joe Montana and Super Bowl XVI and XXIII. Will Joe Burrow or Brock Purdy deliver the clutch drive in this game?
The Bengals travel to San Francisco in a matchup between heavyweights that will conjure up memories of Joe Montana and Super Bowl XVI and XXIII. Will Joe Burrow or Brock Purdy deliver the clutch drive in this game?
Finally, the Browns are off to a 4-2 start and travel to Seattle. Myles Garrett – who has 7.5 sacks and an endless highlight reel – is in those same discussions with Watt. Cleveland leads the league in total defense (243.0), and they have the look of a playoff team.
All four teams in the division do at this point.
Each week, Sporting News picks every NFL matchup by the spread. A look at our track record this season:
- Straight up: 65-40 (7-5 in Week 7)
- ATS: 53-50-2 (6-6 in Week 7)
Here are our straight-up picks for Week 8:
(Lines courtesy of BetMGM, click here to sign up and make your picks)
NFL picks, predictions for Week 8
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills (-7.5)
Thursday, 8:20 p.m., Prime Video
The Bills are huge home favorites, and there is a pretty easy stat to monitor. Buffalo is 0-3 S/U when it cannot hit 100 rushing yards for the game. The Buccaneers averaged 59.5 rushing yards in losses to Detroit and Atlanta. Josh Allen and Baker Mayfield need more run support, and the Bills give it to Allen at home.
Pick: Bills 27, Buccaneers 17
- Los Angeles Rams at Dallas Cowboys (-5.5)
Sunday, 1 p.m., Fox
The Cowboys had a bye week, and they have been dominant in their two home games; winning by a combined score of 78-3. The Rams are a step up in competition, but Matthew Stafford has taken 11 sacks and has just three TD passes in losses to Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The Cowboys will be bringing that pressure, too. That spread still looks a touch high.
Pick: Cowboys 28, Rams 23
POWER RANKINGS: Eagles, Ravens, Steelers flex in Top 10; Bills fade
- Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers (-1.5)
Sunday, 1 p.m., Fox
The Packers are favored, but that’s a suspicious line considering a three-game losing streak where they have averaged 16.7 points per game. Green Bay has scored just six points in the first half of their last four games. Minnesota is coming off a short week, but they have won their last two road games.
Pick: Vikings 23, Packers 20
- Atlanta Falcons (-1) at Tennessee Titans
Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS
The Falcons have been tough to pick this year because they are 1-3 ATS as a favorite and 1-2 ATS as an underdog. It’s another coin-flip game for a young team on the road, but Tennessee is coming off a bye week. The Titans are 2-0 S/U at home. Atlanta ranks eighth in the NFL in rushing defense (95.3), so Tennessee will need to be more than Derrick Henry.
Pick: Titans 21, Falcons 17
- New Orleans Saints at Indianapolis Colts (-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m., Fox
Two struggling teams meet. The Colts have committed four turnovers in back-to-back weeks against the Jaguars and Browns. The Saints have lost by a TD each of the last two weeks, but they are 2-2 S/U on the road. Indianapolis is a first-time favorite, and the Saints are 1-0 ATS as an underdog. Jonathan Taylor scores the game-winner late in a game that morphs into a little bit of a shootout.
Pick: Colts 30, Saints 27
- New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins (-10)
Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS
Bill Belichick earned his 300th victory in Week 7, and now the Patriots head to Miami – where the Dolphins are coming off a loss to Philadelphia. Miami is a different team at home. Miami is 3-0 ATS at home and they have won those games by an average of 28.7 points per game. Tua Tagovailoa has a 132.3 passer rating at home, too. That’s a lot of points to lay on the Pats, but Miami has won the last three home meetings by 10.7 ppg. Trust it.
Pick: Dolphins 31, Patriots 19
- New York Jets (-3) at New York Giants
Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS
The Giants are coming off their first victory of the season, but the offense still averages 11.2 points in its last five games. Daniel Jones (neck) has missed the last two games, and the Jets took a two-game winning streak into the bye week. The Chiefs are the only team to score more than 21 points on the Jets this season. The Jets have won the last two meetings between the teams.
Pick: Jets 24, Giants 14
- Jacksonville Jaguars (-1.5) at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS
The Jaguars are a road favorite at Pittsburgh. The Steelers are 2-1 S/U at home, but they need a more consistent running game behind Kenny Pickett. Trevor Lawrence is 2-0 as a starter in true road games this season, and the Jaguars will get enough support in a tight road test.
Pick: Jaguars 24, Steelers 21
- Philadelphia Eagles (-6.5) at Washington Commanders
Sunday, 1 p.m., Fox
Jalen Hurts played through a knee injury on Sunday Night Football, but the Eagles bounced back and head into a rematch with NFC East rival Washington. Philadelphia won a 34-31 thriller on Oct. 1. Washington has lost to the Bears and Giants in two of their last three games. Philadelphia also has won the last two meetings at Washington.
Pick: Eagles 28, Commanders 20
- Houston Texans (-3) at Carolina Panthers
Sunday, 1 p.m., Fox
The careers of Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud – the top two picks in the 2023 NFL Draft – will be linked and this is their first start against each other. Stroud has led the Texans to victories in three of their last four games, and they are coming off a bye week. The Panthers are winless but also coming off a bye week. Which quarterback avoids sacks and turnovers? Young has 20 (6 INTs, 14 sacks) and Stroud has 14 (1 INT, 13 sacks) at this point. Are the Texans a playoff contender under DeMeco Ryans? They have to win games like this.
Pick: Texans 23, Panthers 18
- Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks (-3)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m., Fox
Picking the Browns logically is an exercise in futility. Cleveland ranks 28th in the league in turnover ratio (-6), the quarterback situation with Deshaun Watson and P.J. Walker is unsettled and Seattle has won its last two home games by 10 points. The Browns still have Garrett, and he can wreck any game plan. Cleveland wins a third straight nail-biter.
Pick: Browns 27, Seahawks 24
- Kansas City Chiefs (-7.5) at Denver Broncos
Sunday, 4:25 p.m., CBS
These teams just met on Oct. 12 in a matchup the Chiefs won 19-8. Kansas City limited the Broncos to 197 total yards in that game, and Patrick Mahomes II is relying heavily on Travis Kelce, who has 21 catches on 22 targets for 303 yards in his last two games. Kansas City is 4-1 ATS since the Taylor Swift phenomenon began. It clearly is not a distraction.
Pick: Chiefs 28, Broncos 18
- Baltimore Ravens (-8.5) at Arizona Cardinals
Sunday, 4:25 p.m., CBS
The Ravens have allowed 17 points or less in their last four games; with the lone loss coming against Pittsburgh. Arizona has lost four straight games, and they have failed to score more than 20 points. That is a large line for a road favorite, but Baltimore is hitting a groove at the right time. Lamar Jackson has completed 70% or more of his passes in all but one game this season. That is the impact of offensive coordinator Todd Monken.
Pick: Ravens 30, Cardinals 14
- Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers (-5.5)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m., CBS
The 49ers are working on a short week. The Bengals had a bye week. The key for Cincinnati on the road will be generating more out of a running game that ranks 31st at 69.8 yards per game. That will free up Burrow for more. The Bengals also have struggled against the run by allowing 142.8 yards per game. This is not a good matchup, especially if the 49ers are healthy. Still, Burrow can keep this one close – and both teams protect the football well. This will be the best game of the week.
Pick: 49ers 26, Bengals 21
- Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Chargers (-8.5)
Sunday, 8:20 pm., NBC
Are the Bears a different team with rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent? The reason for improvement also is a tough run defense that has allowed just 52.2 rushing yards in its last four games. Chicago has covered in its last two road games, too. The Chargers’ season is on the brink, and they cannot afford a third straight loss. This feels like a one-score game.
Pick: Chargers 31, Bears 24
- Las Vegas Raiders at Detroit Lions (-7.5)
Monday, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
It will feel like a special occasion for the Lions considering they have only hosted Monday Night Football games five times this century. Detroit is 2-3 in those games, but this is a new era under Dan Campbell. Look for the Lions to get right after a 38-6 blowout against the Ravens in Week 8. The Raiders are 1-2 S/U and 1-2 ATS as a road underdog.
Pick: Lions 31, Raiders 17