NFL betting, odds: First look at Week 8 lines, including great Cardinals-Packers showdown
We've seen some good Thursday night NFL matchups. It's rare we get a great one.
This week is a great one. The Green Bay Packers, who have won six in a row after losing in Week 1, face the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals are the last undefeated team in the NFL at 7-0.
That classic showdown kicks off another interesting week in the NFL. Here's a first look at the Week 8 lines from BetMGM:
Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals (-3.5)
This line shows a lot of respect for the Cardinals. The Packers have not lost since the opener and have more cachet after going to two straight NFC championship games. But oddsmakers didn't mind making the Cardinals more than a field-goal favorite to start the week.
Carolina Panthers at Atlanta Falcons (-2.5)
Sam Darnold is likely to start after being benched on Sunday, and that's probably good news for Falcons bettors. Christian McCaffrey's status is very important watch; the Panthers are a different offense when he's playing.
Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills (-13.5)
The Bills had the week off after the upset loss to the Titans, and they're likely to be a popular survival pool pick.
San Francisco 49ers (-4) at Chicago Bears
The 49ers' disappointing season continued with a Sunday night loss to the Colts. At least they competed; the Bears lost 38-3 at Tampa Bay.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns (-3)
We'll still need to see who is available for the Browns. Cleveland did well to win last week without Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, among others.
Philadelphia Eagles (-3) over Detroit Lions
The Eagles looked dreadful in losing to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Lions had a hard-luck loss at the Rams, and this is one of the rare winnable games for 0-7 Detroit.
Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts (-1.5)
This is suddenly a very interesting game. The Titans beat the Bills and the Chiefs in the span of seven days. The Colts have rallied after a slow start to the season, winning three of four. One of these teams will win the AFC South, and the Titans will sweep the head-to-head matchups (and take the tiebreaker) with a win Sunday.
Cincinnati Bengals (-8.5) at New York Jets
The Jets were pathetic in giving up 54 points to the Patriots on Sunday. It's not an easy turnaround against a Bengals team that improved to 5-2 by putting up 41 on the Ravens.
Los Angeles Rams (-14.5) at Houston Texans
If you have the Rams left in those survival pools, the Rams will be a fine pick too. The Texans have looked inept the past few weeks.
New England Patriots at Los Angeles Chargers (-5.5)
The Patriots were amazing on offense in beating the Jets. Did they turn a corner? We'll find out against a Chargers team that struggles to stop the run.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Seattle Seahawks (-3.5)
The Jaguars have looked bad most of this season, so it's a surprise to see them getting a little over a field goal at Seattle. Of course, that's because Geno Smith is playing quarterback for Seattle in place of injured Russell Wilson.
Washington Football Team at Denver Broncos (-3.5)
This is a meeting of two reeling teams. The Broncos have fallen apart after a 3-0 start, losing four in a row. WFT has been bad all season and comes in with a 2-5 record.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-4.5) at New Orleans Saints
This line seems low for a Bucs team that has been laying some big spreads already. We'll see how the Saints look on Monday night and if that affects the line.
Dallas Cowboys (-2) at Minnesota Vikings
The NFL's last team that hasn't lost against the spread is the Cowboys, who had a bye in Week 7. The Vikings were off too. The Cowboys are likely to get a lot of bets against a Vikings team that might be better than its 3-3 record.
New York Giants at Kansas City Chiefs (-9.5)
The Chiefs lost at Tennessee to fall to 3-4, but this game shouldn't be a problem for them. Right? The Giants are coming off a win and maybe can at least keep it close.
