Sunday, November 1st, 4:05 PM ET
Los Angeles Chargers (-3.5) @ Denver Broncos (+3.5)
Justin Herbert got his first win of his Los Angeles Chargers career last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Can the former Oregon quarterback start to put a string of results together against a Denver Broncos team that is coming off a 43-16 hammering at the hands of the Chiefs?
The Broncos defense provides a stiffer challenge than Herbert faced against the Jaguars. They’ve allowed the fifth-fewest passing yards in the NFL so far this season and could be considered one of the more underrated defenses in the NFL.
An interesting storyline will be the performance of Melvin Gordon as he faces his former team.
NFL predictions against the spread for this AFC West Week 8 showdown: The Chargers win a close one but fail to cover the spread by the smallest of margins.
Final score prediction: Los Angeles Chargers 24 Denver Broncos 21
New Orleans Saints (-4.5) @ Chicago Bears (+4.5)
The Chicago Bears haven’t beaten the New Orleans Saints since 2008, losing the last five matchups between the two franchises by at least a touchdown. Despite a 5-2 record to start the season and an impressive defense, the Bears don’t have the offensive firepower to keep pace with the Saints once the points start mounting up.
With Michael Thomas once again inactive for the Saints, Alvin Kamara will be the focal point of their offense. The Bears have allowed the tenth-most rushing yards to running backs in the NFL in 2020, so expect to see plenty of Kamara with the ball in his hands.
NFL predictions against the spread for this Week 8 matchup: The Saints win and cover the spread.
Final score prediction: New Orleans Saints 28 Chicago Bears 23
San Francisco 49ers (+3.0) @ Seattle Seahawks (-3.0)
The Seattle Seahawks lost their unbeaten record in dramatic style last week, losing an overtime shootout in the desert to Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals. Will they bounce back against their division foe, or can the San Francisco 49ers build on their pummelling of the Patriots to provide a tussle at the top of the NFC West?
There are many intriguing factors that will decide the outcome of this game. The Seahawks have one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL — giving up the second-most passing yards in 2020 — but can you trust Jimmy Garoppolo to throw against it consistently? The 49ers are at their best with the ball on the ground, but the Seahawks have allowed the ninth-fewest rushing yards.
Although the 49ers have won two of the last three, Russell Wilson has a stellar record against his divisional rival, and after throwing three interceptions against the Cardinals, he will have a bounce-back game to lead the Seahawks to the win.
NFL predictions against the spread for this NFC West showdown: The Seahawks win with a push on the spread.
Final score prediction: San Francisco 49ers 28 Seattle Seahawks 31
Sunday, November 1st, 8:20 PM ET
Dallas Cowboys (+9.0) @ Philadelphia Eagles (-9.0)
When the NFL schedule was put together, this NFC East clash would have no doubt seemed like the hot ticket of the NFL Week 8 slate. However, as the season has progressed, this game represents more of a damp squid than the catch of the day.
At the time of writing, the 2-5 Cowboys are set to start third-string quarterback Ben DiNucci against the 2-4-1 Eagles, but that isn’t the biggest problem facing Dallas. Their defense has been deplorable through seven games, and there is no reason to believe that they won’t hit the halfway mark of the season at 2-6.
NFL prediction against the spread for Week 8 Sunday Night Football: The Eagles win and cover the spread by a considerable margin.
Final score prediction: Dallas Cowboys 10 Philadelphia Eagles 28
NFL Predictions, Week 8: Monday, November 2nd, 8:15 PM ET
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-12.0) @ New York Giants (+12.0)
We have ourselves a Monday night mismatch as the 5-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers travel to the Big Apple to take on the 1-6 New York Giants on Monday Night Football.
Tampa Bay is ticking along with Tom Brady under center, winning by huge margins against both the Raiders and Green Bay. Both teams had winning records prior to facing the Bucs. Meanwhile, the Giants have allowed the 10th-most passing yards in the NFL while struggling to come up with anything on offense, and their sole win was a tight one over the Washington Football Team.
NFL predictions against the spread for Week 8 Monday Night Football: There is a reason that the spread line is so high for this matchup! The Buccaneers win and cover the spread.
Final score prediction: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31 New York Giants 14
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Oliver Hodgkinson is an NFL Draft and NFL analytics contributor for the Pro Football Network. You can follow him on Twitter at @ojhodgkinson.