NFL Week 8 Betting Lines: Texans, Bengals Among Best Bets
The 2023 NFL season has been one full of upsets and surprises, leaving fantasy football managers languishing and public sports bettors in disarray. Last weekend was no different, with the 8.5-point favorite Buffalo Bills losing outright to the New England Patriots and running back Darrel Henderson surprising many by taking over a significant chunk of the carries in the Los Angeles Rams backfield, despite not being on a team’s roster at the beginning of the week. Week 8 promises to be just as fun…or painful, depending on the perspective of the viewer.
This upcoming weekend, there are no teams on their bye week, leaving all 32 teams in action for a 16-game NFL slate. Below, we take an early look at betting lines, offering a few leans for the community to consider locking-in before odds move!
NFL Week 8 Betting Lines
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills -7.5, O/U 41
- Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers +3, O/U 42.5
- Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers +2, O/U 42
- Los Angeles Rams at Dallas Cowboys -6.5, O/U 45
- New York Jets at New York Giants +3, O/U 36
- New Orleans Saints at Indianapolis Colts -1.5, O/U 43.5
- Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders +6.5, O/U 44.5
- New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins -10, O/U 47
- Atlanta Falcons at Tennessee Titans +1, O/U 37
- Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers -1, O/U 42
- Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks -2.5, O/U 40
- Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos +8, O/U 46.5
- Baltimore Ravens at Arizona Cardinals +8.5, O/U 44
- Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers -5.5, O/U 45.5
- Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Chargers -8.5, O/U 46.5
- Las Vegas Raiders at Detroit Lions -8, O/U 44.5
NFL Week 8 lines last updated 12:16 PM ET Monday, October 23rd.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+7.5) at Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are in the middle of a brutal stretch in their schedule that has seen them travel from Buffalo to London, back to Buffalo, to New England, and now back to Buffalo on a short week. On top of their unfavorable schedule, the Bills are playing without linebacker Matt Milano and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, both of whom were injured two weeks ago. Milano is one of the best linebackers in the entire league, and Jones was having arguably his best season to date – ranking 4th as a pass-rusher and 5th against the run using PFF’s grading system. In four games prior to them getting hurt, the Bills’ defense ranked 4th in EPA/play. Across the last three weeks, Buffalo’s defense ranks 29th in EPA/play. Even against the unimpressive Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there is little reason to justify Buffalo being favored by more than a touchdown. It would not be shocking to see them lose this game outright, assuming there are no major surprises on either team’s final injury report.
Houston Texans (-3) at Carolina Panthers
This season, the Houston Texans rank 13th in offensive EPA/play and 19th in defensive EPA/play. The Carolina Panthers rank 27th in offensive EPA/play and 32nd in defensive EPA/play. Both of these teams had a bye in Week 7, meaning that neither possesses any rest advantage over the other heading into this contest. Despite Houston’s offensive line injuries, C.J. Stroud has undeniably looked like the steal of this past summer’s draft while Bryce Young has struggled to find his footing at the professional level. The Texans are the better team on both sides of the ball in this matchup – this line is likely to run as the week progresses.
Minnesota Vikings (+1) at Green Bay Packers
As someone who was admittedly quite high on Jordan Love heading into 2023, it is time to sell all stock in the Green Bay Packers after their embarrassing performance against the Denver Broncos over the weekend. Love is struggling to go through his progressions against even the worst defenses in the NFL, and the rest of the roster is simply not where it needs to be to compensate for its quarterback’s struggles. The Minnesota Vikings are only 2-4 as of this writing, but they have been competitive in each of their six games. Entering Week 7, Minnesota ranked 15th in offensive DVOA and 13th in defensive DVOA. Though these are far from elite numbers, they are likely good enough to beat the Packers in Week 8, despite Kirk Cousins and company having a rest disadvantage in this spot.
Cincinnati Bengals (+5.5) at San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are entering a difficult part of their schedule, and they are doing so without some of their best players. On Monday Night Football, Deebo Samuel has already been ruled out and Trent Williams is listed as doubtful. Christian McCaffrey is banged up, but will attempt to play. Even if the 49ers are able to take care of business against the Minnesota Vikings, they will not be well-positioned for an easy win six days from now when they host the Cincinnati Bengals – a team fresh off of their bye week. The NFL is often characterized as a “field goal league.” Do not be surprised if the outcome of this game is determined by a field goal, in one direction or the other on Sunday afternoon.