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Our picks were absolutely on fire for Week 8 of the NFL season.
Thanks to big showings from the Broncos, Chargers, Giants, and more, our picks went a phenomenal 13-2 against the spread last week, marking our best week of the season and putting us 13 games over .500 on the year.
With Week 9 action fast approaching, we're once again picking every game on the schedule against the spread, hoping to keep this hot streak going.
Take a look below at our best bets against the spread for Week 8 of the NFL season (* indicates home team).
The San Francisco 49ers defense is one of the most dominant units in football. This Thursday, they're facing a Cardinals offense that's down its top two running backs on a short week. Playing a team that's short-handed to a point they might have to become one-dimensional, it feels like the Niners are the only bet on this game.
Jacksonville Jaguars (+1.5) over Houston Texans (in London)
No team has played more London games than the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have traveled across the pond for football six times in the past. They're 3-3 in those games so far, but this Sunday, I like them to get to a winning record against a Texans team that just had to leave it all on the field to get past the Raiders.
Philadelphia Eagles* (-5) over Chicago Bears
The Philadelphia Eagles looked great in a bounce-back effort against the Bills last week. Meanwhile, the Bears are coming off a game that was largely blown by head coach Matt Nagy, who after his baffling post-game explanation of his decision making, is impossible to trust with my gambling funds.
Back the Birds and have faith that Mitch Trubisky doesn't have the arm to make Philadelphia pay for its still lackluster secondary.
Minnesota Vikings (+2.5) over Kansas City Chiefs*
The Vikings have won four straight games and are coming off an extended break after playing the Thursday night game last week. During that stretch, Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota offense has proven more than capable of running up the score on softer defenses, and they should be able to do it again this week against the Chiefs.
Washington Redskins (+9.5) over Buffalo Bills*
Washington has been finding ways to cover the spread in recent weeks. During a downpour two weeks ago, Washington was able to cover as a 9.5-point underdog despite being shut out by the 49ers. Then last week, they did it again with an impressive showing against the Vikings.
They might not be a particularly good team, but if they can keep finding ways to keep games close, I'm going to keep betting on them.
Indianapolis Colts (-1) over Pittsburgh Steelers*
Through the first half of Monday night's game against the Miami Dolphins, Mason Rudolph was an absolute disaster. While he recovered enough in the second half to make some nice throws and mount a comeback win, it felt like what we saw early was the real glimpse of Rudolph.
The Colts are good enough to take care of business on the road in this spot and win their fourth straight game.
Carolina Panthers* (-3.5) over Tennessee Titans
The Panthers are not as bad as they looked in their 51-13 shellacking at the hands of the 49ers last week. The Tennessee Titans are not as good as they've looked in the past two weeks since giving Ryan Tannehill the starting job.
With the belief that both of these truths will reveal themselves with a regression this Sunday, back the Panthers.
Miami Dolphins* (+3) over New York Jets
Somehow, the Miami Dolphins are not the most dysfunctional franchise playing in this game. While it's been a dreadful season thus far, the Dolphins have at least shown signs of life over the past two weeks. Conversely, the Jets look cursed, with poor coaching, locker room drama, and being generally bad at football, making for a perfect storm of losing the past two weeks.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+6) over Seattle Seahawks*
This game is something of a shot in the dark, but the Seahawks' 6-2 record is as impressive as anything in the league. They've been good enough where they need to be and led by the MVP-caliber play of Russell Wilson.
They also feel like a team that's just going to lose a game every once in a while, as is the tradition in the NFL. Gut feeling, but this week feels like that week.
Oakland Raiders* (-2) over Detroit Lions
The Raiders survived their six-week vacation away from Oakland and now will finally get to play in front of their home crowd again. This team is better than anyone believed they'd be heading into the season, and this Sunday, they'll reward Raider Nation with a big win.
Cleveland Browns (-3) over Denver Broncos*
There's no team in the NFL more desperate for a win than the Cleveland Browns this week. Meanwhile, in Denver, Joe Flacco is openly questioning his head coach's game plan, and the franchise is wondering if they have to go back and find yet another quarterback to help take their team into the future.
Give me a desperate team over a dysfunctional one any day of the week.
Green Bay Packers (-3.5) over Los Angeles Chargers*
Los Angeles is going to be a sea of green, with the Chargers once again being screamed out of their stadium by a swarm of opposing fans. Packers in a rout.
New England Patriots (-3.5) over Baltimore Ravens*
Last week I went 13-2 on my NFL picks, and one of my losses came from being dumb enough to bet against Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and the New England Patriots. I'm tired of losing money fading the Patriots.
New York Giants* (+7) over Dallas Cowboys
Division game in primetime with the home team getting a touchdown. This is the type of game I try not to overthink and just bet.
