NFL Week Eight Preview: The Crossroads

By Alex Lauzon from the “Course of Life” podcast

This week is somewhat of a crossroads for a lot of teams as we peek up at the calendar and see November is next week. Without hurting your brain too much, it’s my duty to remind you as a football fan that we’re almost halfway home in the regular season. I know, I’m that guy but I do this as a pertinent reminder for you to seize each and every week like it’s the last and get in our array of contests this week to make the viewing experience a potentially profitable one.

Most notably last weekend, the Chiefs and the Eagles held serve in big-time national spotlight games and showed us why they’re defending conference champions. The Patriots delivered the surprise victory of Sunday over the Bills and the Ravens knocked the Lions back down a peg. The week concluded with the Niners falling short on the road to the Vikings. Now, here's what's ahead for week eight NFL action to look forward to:

Games of the Week

Bucs @ Bills (-7.5) - 8:15 pm ET (Thursday) - Two teams that were favored last week come off of disappointing losses to face each other on Thursday night. The early line indicates that this is a bounce-back week for the Bills, and as long as they get off to a good start they should get right against a withering Bucs team.

Rams @ Cowboys (-6.5) - 1 pm ET - The spot is favorable for the Cowboys who are 2-0 at home this season, and the Rams don’t currently show the firepower to keep up in points. Taking the Cowboys as a sizeable favorite always sounds risky, but under a score for the spread seems reasonable here.

Jaguars @ Steelers (+2) - 1 pm ET - Vegas is showing confidence in the Jags to play well on the road by making them an early favorite, and I’m not surprised. They're the cat’s meow at the moment, but the spot is pretty trappy and the Steelers are always a few points tougher at home, no matter who is playing QB.

Eagles @ Commanders (+6.5) - 1 pm ET - The Eagles are versatile and they win in different ways, exactly what you would expect from a championship-caliber franchise. Last week’s win over a potent Miami offense was clinical and showcased their game plan skills. This week they let the Dawgs run wild on Sam Howell.

Bengals @ 49ers (-5.5) - 4:25 pm ET - It seems like the oddsmakers agree with me on this one. The X’s and O’s don’t present well for Cincy, but there’s a collective vibe around this game that Joe Burrow might pull off something special on the road when the 3-3 Bengals need it most.

Fishy Lines to Watch

Patriots @ Miami (-10) - 1 pm ET - I know better than anyone that Miami is a house of horrors for Patriots fans (even in the Brady Days). Still, it seems like a lot of points to be giving to a team that finally found some form of mojo on both sides of the ball. I’m not expecting a Pats winning streak, but surely they could keep it within a score just like they did last month to the Dolphins.

Ravens @ Cardinals (+8.5) - 4:25 pm ET - Watch out for the Cards, who already won a home game in a similar spot as a big underdog to the Cowboys. The Ravens come in off of a cakewalk win where they humiliated Detroit, so maybe they're in for more than they bargained in the desert?

The Primetime Pick

Raiders @ Lions (-8) - 8:15 pm ET (Monday) - On that note, the Ravens team I previously mentioned laid a smackdown on the Lions, so now we see what they’re truly made of. How do they get up after their first punch is taken? They get a soft landing as the Raiders are playing Brian Hoyer at quarterback, single-handedly explaining the large point spread at hand.

Week Eight Plays To Watch

(8-2 the last two weeks WATCH OUT!)

Steelers ML - Taking a swing on the Jags to come down to earth for a week!

Eagles 6.5 - How does their defense not have a field day against the Commanders?

Patriots +10 - Here I am buying back in at 2-5. They may not win but should hang tight thanks to newfound offense.

Bengals +5.5 - Feels grimy but that isn’t a bad thing is it?

Lions -8 - Long term I don’t believe yet, but this week I do.

Lock of the Week (1-3 this season) 

Cowboys -6.5 - Before it gets over a touchdown…you can’t ignore the spot here.