In a scheduling anomaly that may or may not having anything to do with the World Series, the bye weeks are taking a one-week hiatus in Week 8 and all 32 teams are playing. As such, we cover all the bases. We have a division team on the road taking care of business, a game hitting Over, a game hitting Under, a road team winning in its home stadium, and the defending champs putting a beatdown like they’ve done consistently since 2015 against a team they play twice a year.
Note: Odds are provided by BetMGM Sportsbook
5
Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks: Take OVER 38 points (-110)
The Cleveland defense is the likely reason why this number is so low, but the Browns have struggled defensively on the road. In two games, they have allowed 64 points away from the Dawg Pound to the Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers – considerably lesser offenses than what Seattle possesses. Seattle has been under this total in each of the last three games, but the talent is there to score points. It may take until late in the game to get there, but this is number that should be topped.
4
Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers: Take UNDER 43.5 points (-110)
Carolina allowed 42 points in both of its last two games, but it was against Detroit and Miami – two of the best offenses in the league. The Texans have allowed just 57 points in their last four games and have a defense capable of keeping a team like Carolina to 10 points or less. Houston isn’t likely to put up 30-plus points if it has a big lead early, so the Panthers offense will have to do its part to get over this number. That’s going to be a hard climb.
3
Take Minnesota Vikings and lay 1.5 points at Green Bay Packers (-110)
As of Thursday morning, this was a bet made on the moneyline. The Packers were a one-point favorite. The trade deadline offloading discussion is done for a Vikings team that is 3-4 and had the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers packed into that group. The Packers have been in a three-game tailspin and Minnesota’s defense attacks inexperienced quarterbacks. The Lambeau mystique has long since died, and this has more of a look of Minnesota staying on an upward trajectory and the injury-ravaged Packers taking another step back.
2
Take New York Jets and lay 3 points at New York Giants (-105)
Many wrote off the Jets when Aaron Rodgers went down and New York was off to a 1-3 start. Most didn’t note that their losses included the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs. It should be noted that two of their wins have come against the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles. The Giants’ only wins have come against the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders. When the Giants play a team with legitimate playoff ability, they lose. Their losses have come by margins of 40, 18, 21, 15 and five points. Being favored by just three points seems too low given the disparity in talent for the two teams and the 2023 track record.
1
Take Kansas City Chiefs and lay 7 points at Denver Broncos (-110)
The Chiefs have beaten the Broncos 16 straight times dating back to 2015, and many of those Broncos teams had more weapons that what Denver has in 2023. Kansas City has won six straight games after losing the season opener, and all but one of those have been by seven or more points. That includes an 11-point win over the Broncos in Week 6 when the Chiefs scored five times – but four of those scores were field goals in a 19-8 win. Expect to see more touchdowns than field goals from Kansas City and the Chiefs coming away with another double-digit win this time around.
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