Welcome to Week 8 of the NFL season, as the Pro Football Network betting team returns to give you their best bets and insights to make money this Sunday. In this article, we dive into the teams best over/under bets for Week 8. Bookmark the PFN betting team for all of our completely free content to help you cash during the 2020 NFL season.
NFL Over/Under Bet for Week 8: Patriots vs. Bills under 43 -110
I expect a slow-paced slugfest in Buffalo for several reasons. Both offenses have shown severe regression in the last few weeks and have many question marks going into the game. Both defenses have been stout and are littered with talent. These two divisional foes are familiar with each other, and I expect a playoff-like atmosphere in this bout of the two real contenders in the AFC East. Lastly, the weather looks horrible and is not expected to be conducive to the offense. Let’s dive into why this is the perfect storm for an under bet in Week 8 below.
Is the Cam Newton experiment finished?
The Cam Newton hype train was at capacity through the first three weeks of the season. Cam Newton’s career looked revitalized as Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels had drawn up a scheme that utilized his strengths in the passing and running attack. The offense was rolling, averaging 29 points per game, and the Newton MVP talk was ramping up.
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Three games later, and we are wondering if Cam Newton will even start after being benched in a 33-6 beat down against San Francisco. Belichick stood behind Newton as this team’s quarterback in the post-game press conference, and I surmise that Newton trots out there to start the game for New England. The leash will be tight if Newton continues to show the inability to get the ball out on time and be accurate, and I would not be shocked at all to see Jarrett Stidham this week.
Can this Patriots offense right the ship Sunday?
Regardless of who ends up seeing the most snaps at quarterback Sunday, I have little to no faith they will succeed through the air for many reasons. The Patriots receiving core desperately lacks explosiveness and are not getting open to help the quarterback. N’Keal Harry looks like a horrible pick considering the incredible talent at the position that was drafted long after, such as A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin, and D.K. Metcalf.
The weather forecast calls for temperatures in the low 40s, 23 mph winds, and a 60% chance of rain, which isn’t ideal for passing the ball. This is one of the main reasons this is my best over/under bet for Week 8.
With all these factors working against the passing game, this Patriots offense will prioritize running the ball just as they have all year, running third-most in the league at 49.21%. However, expect this Bills defense that is finally getting healthy to stack the box and dare the Patriots offense to throw. The result will be short-yardage run plays that will keep the clock running all game and ultimately stall the majority of drives.
The Bills offense is sputtering
Newton isn’t the only QB that had MVP hype early in the season but has seen those hopes extinguished in recent weeks. Josh Allen was throwing and running the ball with incredible efficiency en route to the Bills 4-0 start, inserting his name into the MVP conversation. The Bills still enter this contest at a very respectable 5-2 with two losses to two contenders in the Chiefs and Titans, but the play of Josh Allen throughout this stretch has been perplexing.
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The Bills have not eclipsed the 20-point mark once in the last three weeks, even against the lowly Jets. He has had an 80.3 QBR over this stretch and looks nothing like the quarterback we saw through the first four games of the season, as the accuracy issues that have plagued him since entering the league are rearing their ugly head again. This is great for our under bet in Week 8.
Can the run game spark this Bills offense?
The main reason for Allen’s struggles the past few weeks has nothing to do with him, but rather the lack of running game this Bills team has displayed. The Bills rushing numbers are inflated because of Allen’s prowess running the ball, but the Bills top running backs Devin Singletary and Zack Moss have averaged just 3.8 and 3.6 yards per carry. This highlights Buffalo’s inability to run the ball in the traditional sense, and they will have to find a way to make sure Allen is not the only threat on this offense if they hope to succeed in the long-term.
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Ultimately, I think Josh Allen is an outstanding young quarterback that will have a long and fruitful career. Still, he will not turn things around this week against this Patriots defense that you can count on being schematically sound each week. They will drop back on defense and dare this Bills offense to beat them one play at a time rather than by large chunk plays. The Bills will struggle to get consistent yardage given their ineffective run game and Josh Allen’s accuracy issues augmented by the high winds and rain.
NFL Over/Under Bet Week 8: Patriots vs. Bills under 43 -110
This game’s total is low at 43 points, but this has all the makings of a 13-10 slugfest. If you love defense and incomplete passes, be sure to tune into this one Sunday.
Over/Under Bets for Week 8 from Other Pro Football Network Analysts
George Templeton
Titans-Bengals O53.5 | -110
Cincinnati’s offense continues to produce, and Joe Burrow keeps getting better and better. Also, Joe Mixon’s injury didn’t stop them from running the football either. Since week 1’s tight win over Denver, every Tennessee game has gone over. The Bengals defense will not be able to contain Derrick Henry, or the Ryan Tannehill led air attack. That is why I’m taking the over in Week 8.
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