It’s the midpoint of the 2015-16 NFL Regular Season, when the contenders start to distance themselves from the pretenders. There are plenty of tantalizing matchups for this week of football, which calls for some betting action. While there are some games that may be difficult to call, the experts all across the internet are here to aid in breaking down the games.
Read on as we take a look at this week’s experts picks for each game of Week 8 of the 2015 NFL Regular Season. Gearing up for a big week of action? Check out our complete previews for the Packers vs. Broncos and Colts vs. Panthers.
[sc:Football ]Experts’ Picks for 2015 NFL Week 8
CBS Sports
| Game | Pete Prisco | Jason La Canfora | Will Brinson | Ryan Wilson | Dave Richard |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots (-7.5) | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Patriots | Dolphins |
| Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs (-6.5) | Lions | Lions | Lions | Chiefs | Lions |
| Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (+2.5) | Bears | Vikings | Bears | Vikings | Vikings |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons (-7.5) | Falcons | Buccaneers | Buccaneers | Falcons | Buccaneers |
| Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns (+4.5) | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals | Cardinals |
| San Francisco 49ers at St. Louis Rams (-8.5) | 49ers | 49ers | 49ers | Rams | 49ers |
| San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Ravens (-2.5) | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens | Ravens |
| New York Giants at New Orleans Saints (-3.5) | Saints | Saints | Saints | Saints | Giants |
| New York Jets at Oakland Raiders (+1.5) | Raiders | Jets | Raiders | Raiders | Jets |
| Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys (+5.5) | Seahawks | Cowboys | Seahawks | Seahawks | Seahawks |
| Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos (+3) | Broncos | Packers | Broncos | Packers | Packers |
| Indianapolis Colts at Carolina Panthers (-6.5) | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers | Panthers |
Five of the best experts from CBS Sports are here to give their picks. Leading the way is Jason La Canfora, who remains the hottest expert with a 65-40 record this season. While these experts all have their own picks and opinions, they were only unanimous on one pick: the Baltimore Ravens.
[sc:NFL240banner ]For all five experts, the Ravens should have what it takes to win and cover at home against a fellow struggling team in the San Diego Chargers. Baltimore is in a must-win situation after losing three straight games since a Week 4 victory against Pittsburgh. The Ravens will be hard-pressed for a win after dropping their first two home games this year.
While the Chargers are allowing just 230 yards passing per game, ninth-best in the league this season, they’ve allowed a whopping 13 touchdowns through the air (the fourth most passing scores this year). San Diego’s leaky defense allows Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco to be able to connect with his favorite target in Steve Smith Sr., who leads the Ravens with 558 yards receiving and three touchdowns.
The Chargers are also pretty open against the run, allowing 132.1 yards per game (31st in the league). Baltimore remains a run-heavy team with a capable back in Justin Forsett, who is rushing for 4.3 yards per carry this year.
Bleacher Report
| Game | Prediction |
|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots (-9) | Dolphins |
| Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs (-6) | Lions |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons (-7.5) | Buccaneers |
| San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Ravens | Chargers |
| Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (+1) | Vikings |
| Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns | Cardinals |
| Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans | Texans |
| New York Giants at New Orleans Saints (-3) | Giants |
| Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers | Bengals |
| San Francisco 49ers at St. Louis Rams (-9.5) | 49ers |
| New York Jets at Oakland Raiders (PK) | Raiders |
| Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys (+6) | Seahawks |
| Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos (+3) | Packers |
| Indianapolis Colts at Carolina Panthers (-7) | Panthers |
Steve Silverman of Bleacher Report is pretty high on the Packers to beat the Broncos in a blockbuster Sunday Night Football showdown. He notes that the Packers have one distinct advantage over Denver: quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers is seemingly at the top of his game, passing for 8.19 yards per attempt. He also has a 15-2 touchdown-to-interception ration. The Broncos’ Peyton Manning is passing for 6.43 yards per attempt and has a pretty horrible line of seven touchdowns to 10 interceptions thus far this season. If Rodgers doesn’t lose his cool, then he should have what it takes to dissect Denver’s solid defense.
Silverman also touches on the Jets vs. Raiders game earlier on Sunday afternoon. He believes that the two teams are pretty evenly matched.
The Raiders have quarterback Derek Carr, who’s improving week-to-week as evidenced by his 289 yards and three touchdowns in a 37-29 road win over San Diego. He has a strong running back in Latavius Murray to keep pressure away from him, while game-changing rookie Amari Cooper should be a headache for the Jets.
The Jets are thriving with Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm of their offense. A dominant playmaker in Brandon Marshall should give him an outlet for his passes, while powerful running back Chris Ivory should churn up big yardage on the ground.
While Silverman pegged the Raiders to win the game, he also picked them to do so in a shootout to push the score to go over 44.
Fox Sports
| Game | Winner |
|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots (-8) | Dolphins |
| Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs (-5) | Chiefs |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons (-7.5) | Falcons |
| San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Ravens (-3) | Chargers |
| Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (EVEN) | Vikings |
| Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns (+5) | Cardinals |
| Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers (EVEN) | Bengals |
| New York Giants at New Orleans Saints (-3) | Giants |
| Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans | Texans |
| San Francisco 49ers at St. Louis Rams (-9.5) | 49ers |
| New York Jets at Oakland Raiders (+1) | Jets |
| Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys (+6) | Seahawks |
| Green Bay Packers at Denver Broncos (+3) | Packers |
| Indianapolis Colts at Carolina Panthers (-7.5) | Colts |
The NFC West matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the emerging St. Louis Rams has the potential to get ugly, as the -9.5 spread of the Rams indicate. But FOX Sports with the help of WhatIfSports predicts it’ll actually go down the wire. They have the Rams winning by an average score of 26.6-22.4.
If FOX Sports is to be believed, then the 49ers will have plenty of value at +9.5. They have the running back to give the Rams trouble in Carlos Hyde, who ranks ninth in the league with 470 yards this season. The Rams are middling in the league when it comes to stopping the run, allowing 108.2 yards per game (15th in the NFL). If Hyde is unshackled, then the 49ers should be able to at least keep this game close.
Another underdog that FOX Sports has covering the spread is Miami. The Dolphins are +8 in their Thursday Night Football game against the unbeaten, defending Super Bowl champions the New England Patriots. But Miami is on the upswing recently with back-to-back blowouts of Tennessee (38-10) and Houston (44-26).
Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill exploded against Houston, passing for 282 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. He takes on a Patriots defense which allowed the Jets’ Ryan Fitzpatrick to pass for 295 yards and two touchdowns in Week 7.
You’re now armed with the best experts picks that can be found throughout the internet. Create a betting account now and join in on some pigskin fun.
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