With six NFL teams on a bye week in Week 7, it was a light week for NFL picks and score predictions. It was also a very average week as there were some pretty interesting upsets around the league as well as some toss-up games that went one direction while we might have been thinking another. Batting .500 is great in baseball but it doesn't exactly feel all that great when you're talking about making NFL picks and predictions.
The Philadelphia Eagles, who have seemingly been struggling all year, came through with a relatively dominant victory over the Miami Dolphins, who have been arguably the best team in the NFL this season. The New England Patriots came through with a shocking win against the Bills.
What kind of craziness can be expected in Week 8 of the NFL season, where oddly enough, no teams will be on a bye week?
NFL picks and Score Predictions for Week 8
Week 8 Byes: None
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3) @ Buffalo Bills (4-3)
Thursday, October 26, 8:15 PM ET
Trying to figure out the Buccaneers and Bills up to this point is not the easiest task. For the Buccaneers, that's not altogether surprising considering it's safe to say they have exceeded many expectations already this season. Some people felt like they would be the worst team in the NFL, and that hasn't been the case.
But for the Buffalo Bills to be struggling the way they have? That's definitely one of the bigger surprises of the 2023 season so far.
The Bills just lost to the New England Patriots after barely getting by the New York Giants. That's not a great sign for a team that expects to be a contender in the AFC. They certainly haven't passed the eye test at this point.
Nevertheless, the Bills are 7.5-point favorites over the Bucs in this TNF matchup, and I think it could be somewhat of a get-right game for them.
Prediction: Bills win 24-16
Los Angeles Rams (3-4) @ Dallas Cowboys (4-2)
Sunday, October 29, 1:00 PM ET
It's been a really tough season so far for the Los Angeles Rams. Sure, they have won three games already, but they could be sitting in a much better spot. This team has a unique combination of veteran stars (albeit only a few of them) and a lot of young players, and their youth is showing a little bit lately.
The Rams' loss to the Steelers on Sunday was their third one-score loss of the season. They continue to get amazing production out of rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua (8 receptions, 154 yards) but they weren't able to hold off the Steelers' offense in the 4th quarter, allowing 14 points and ultimately watching a 7-point lead turn into a 7-point loss.
Now, they have the difficult task of heading to Dallas to face the Cowboys who are coming off of a bye week. That's not the greatest situation to be in.
The Cowboys have disappointed at times this season, but for the most part, their overall roster talent has won out and they have been a relatively dominant team. Playing at home, coming off of a bye, Dallas is understandably favored by six points against a pretty underrated Rams team.
As much as I like the Rams and think they could win this game, there might be too much going in Dallas's favor.
Prediction: Cowboys win 28-23
Minnesota Vikings (3-4) @ Green Bay Packers (2-4)
Sunday, October 29, 1:00 PM ET
The Green Bay Packers looked early on this season like they might be one of the surprise teams with Jordan Love throwing a bunch of touchdown passes and Aaron Jones dominating in Week 1, but injuries and inconsistency from Love have really put the Packers in a difficult spot heading into this important divisional matchup in Week 8.
Green Bay is coming off of a tough loss to the Denver Broncos where, especially in the second half, it felt like the ball was really bouncing their way. Green Bay got a touchdown on a play that Gene Steratore determined should have been an interception for Pat Surtain. They got another touchdown on a ball that bounced right off of Romeo Doubs's hands and into the waiting arms of rookie Jayden Reed.
Despite all of that, the Packers still lost to the Denver Broncos on the road and dropped to 2-4, which is a bit more in line with where people expected them to be. It's always a tough matchup for both the Packers and Vikings when they are facing off against each other, and you can expect much of the same in Week 8.
I'm not overly high on the Vikings right now, or the Packers for that matter, and this game is really a coin flip. I think the first team to 23 points wins this one.
Prediction: Vikings win 23-20
Atlanta Falcons (4-3) @ Tennessee Titans (2-4)
Sunday, October 29, 1:00 PM ET
The apprentice Arthur Smith tavels to Tennessee to take on his former master Mike Vrabel in Tennessee with the Titans coming off of a bye week. The Titans are one of the most well-coached teams under Vrabel, and their defense is going to give Desmond Ridder fits, but the question I'm grappling with in this game is how Ridder goes on the road and beats that tough Titans defense when Vrabel has had so much time to prepare.
The Titans are about the least "pickable" team in the league this year. Ryan Tannehill is hurt, and just when you think you've figured out the Titans, they come out and shock you a little bit. You might look at the Titans' record of 2-4 and think they've got no shot at beating a 4-3 team at home, but the Falcons have been in some really tight games and Desmond Ridder hasn't exactly been lighting folks up.
Oddsmakers don't really know where to go with this one either. The Falcons are 1.5-point favorites in this matchup and I can't say I'm sitting here confident either way. I think Vrabel is going to have his team ready to go coming out of the bye, and I think the Titans' defense will put the clamps on Arthur Smith's offense.
Prediction: Titans win 20-16
New Orleans Saints (3-4) @ Indianapolis Colts (3-4)
Sunday, October 29, 1:00 PM ET
You think making NFL picks and predictions is easy? Try picking games like this. There are some projected blowouts on the Week 8 slate of games, but then there are games like this where both the Saints and Colts showed some really nice things offensively in Week 7, but to no avail. Gardner Minshew, in particular, was absolutely balling for the Colts against the top-ranked Browns defense, even though Cleveland was able to force a number of turnovers against him.
And it's that very volatility with Minshew that gives me pause against a team like New Orleans, even with the Colts playing at home. Minshew had over 300 yards passing against the Browns, a pair of passing touchdowns, and a pair of rushing touchdowns, and still managed to also have three fumbles and an interception.
Minshew giveth, Minshew taketh...
The Saints offense didn't get things going until it was a little too late against the Jaguars. Their offensive explosion late on TNF was encouraging, however, and perhaps our first real sign that Derek Carr and his new teammates might be gelling.
Can the Saints find a way to go on the road and get back to .500? It's hard to bet against the Colts if Minshew can find a way to cut down the turnovers...
Prediction: Colts win 29-27
New England Patriots (2-5) @ Miami Dolphins (5-2)
Sunday, October 29, 1:00 PM ET
The New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins played in two of the more shocking games of the Week 7 slate, and both teams went in different directions than most people were thinking.
The Patriots, with one of the worst offenses in the NFL, shocked the NFL world with a great win against their division rival Buffalo Bills. Mac Jones and Mike Gesicki hooked up for a touchdown in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter, and the Pats sent Bills fans home absolutely fuming.
But can the Patriots keep their offensive success going against Miami? It looks like the Dolphins might be a bit susceptible right now defensively, but they are obviously so dynamic offensively. There's just something funky about this matchup to me. The Dolphins are playing at home, and the Patriots have been mostly bad this season.
But when the Patriots win a game like we saw them do against the Bills on Sunday afternoon, it makes you stop and think, at least. Can they go for a second straight upset against a divisional opponent?
Miami showed they have a vulnerable side, although they were playing against a really good Eagles team on the road. I don't think the Patriots have anyone quite like AJ Brown to dictate this matchup against the Miami defense. Going on the safe side, I think the Dolphins bounce back, but the Patriots are making me sweat a little bit.
Prediction: Dolphins win 31-21
New York Jets (3-3) @ New York Giants (2-5)
Sunday, October 29, 1:00 PM ET
This is a tough game to pick, a true flip of the coin. Maybe you want to be smart and pick the home team.
Oh wait...
The New York Giants wore their throwback uniforms on Sunday against the Washington Commanders, and got themselves a rare 14-7 victory. Typically that score is reserved for the end of the first or second quarter, but the Giants will take them any way they can get them this season. They have to take on a New York Jets team that is playing with great confidence right now, especially defensively, and they are coming off of a bye.
Although the Giants are listed as the home team in this one, obviously the Jets aren't going to have any sort of disadvantage, because, well...they're playing at home.
I can't help but think this is going to be one of the lowest-scoring games of the week. The Jets are fine winning ugly as long as they keep winning, and even without Aaron Rodgers, they've gotten to 3-3.
I'm guessing Robert Saleh will have his defense ready to go for this game, but man...you could really see this game going either way, right? There's no guarantee the Jets are going to continue to get mistake-free football out of Zach Wilson.
Prediction: Jets win 16-13
Jacksonville Jaguars (5-2) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)
Sunday, October 29, 1:00 PM ET
The Jacksonville Jaguars aren't always the prettiest team in the NFL, but they keep on winning. The Pittsburgh Steelers can say the same, but they have their own specific brand of "not winning pretty".
This should be one of the most interesting games on the NFL Week 8 schedule. The Jaguars are obviously one of the NFL's most talented young teams. They have great coaching, they are finding ways to win, and they have playmakers offensively.
Pittsburgh, on the other hand, is a team that is known best for its suffocating defense. The offense does its part when it needs to, and Pittsburgh is a surprising 4-2 early this season despite ranking 26th in the league so far this season in scoring. They are going to need to score above their season average of 17 points per game in order to beat Jacksonville, in all likelihood, but then again, you never know how TJ Watt is going to take over a game.
The guy comes screaming off the edge, he makes plays in coverage, and he just flat out wrecks offensive gameplans. The Jaguars flirted with disaster last week a little bit with a narrow victory over New Orleans, who made a furious comeback late in the game. I think in this matchup, with the Steelers playing at home, you've got to think that defense is going to come through in a big way.
The early line has the Jaguars at 1.5-point favorites, but I kind of like the Steelers at home here.
Prediction: Steelers win 23-19
Philadelphia Eagles (6-1) @ Washington Commanders (3-4)
Sunday, October 29, 1:00 PM ET
You've got to tip your cap to the Philadelphia Eagles, who notched one of the biggest Ws of the entire 2023 season in Week 7. I mean, did you see those Kelly green uniforms? Goodness sakes.
Oh yeah, the win against the Dolphins was pretty impressive, as well.
In all seriousness, the Eagles have been one of the really tough teams to figure out this season. They haven't played "great" but they are 6-1 and that's no accident. Well, they played "great" against the Miami Dolphins. It was one of the most impressive performances of the week.
As has been the case with a number of matchups on the Week 8 schedule, the oddsmakers see this game as being a blowout, even with the Eagles playing on the road. Commanders fans are calling for Ron Rivera's head at this point and things are not nearly as sunny in DC as they are in Philly.
This is a matchup between two NFL teams, so the Commanders deserve their due respect, but you just feel like if the Eagles even play half as well against the Commanders as they did against Miami, they can probably win by two scores. You can't discount the possibility that the Commanders get up for this game, but I'm not placing any bets on it.
Prediction: Eagles win 33-17
Houston Texans (3-3) @ Carolina Panthers (0-6)
Sunday, October 29, 1:00 PM ET
The two teams that had the top three picks in the 2023 NFL Draft are now getting the chance to go head-to-head and both teams are coming off of a bye week. The Carolina Panthers are going to be incredibly desperate to get a win in this game, and I'll give you a little spoiler: I think they're going to get it done.
Carolina seemingly pushed all of the right buttons in the 2023 offseason. They traded up for the no. 1 overall pick. They got their franchise QB in place. They built a tremendous coaching staff that was geared toward making that young QB (Bryce Young) better. Unfortunately, the results just haven't come. Frank Reich turned play-calling duties over to Thomas Brown, who comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree in Los Angeles. It will be interesting to see what wrinkles he throws in going forward.
On the other side, Houston has played quite well under new head coach DeMeco Ryans. Ryans and the Texans got the second pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and ended up with CJ Stroud, who looks like he could be the NFL offensive rookie of the year.
This is going to be a tough game for Carolina to get their first win of the season, but going up against another team in a similar situation (First-year head coach, rookie quarterback) could be their shot to get things right. Vegas likes the Texans at -3.
Prediction: Panthers win 24-20
Cleveland Browns (4-2) @ Seattle Seahawks (4-2)
Sunday, October 29, 4:05 PM ET
This one is going to be really interesting. The Cleveland Browns are 4-2 and have had arguably the best defense in the entire NFL this season. The thing of it is, they have done so with a patchwork offense.
Cleveland has PJ Walker playing the majority of their snaps at the QB position these days, as head coach Kevin Stefanski made the decision to hold Deshaun Watson out for most of Cleveland's thrilling win against the Colts due to injury. He will always protect his players. Not only has Watson missed significant time, but the Browns are also without Nick Chubb, their best offensive player.
In Chubb's absence, other players have stepped up. Jerome Ford is making plays. Amari Cooper is making plays. But it's really Myles Garrett on the defensive side that has the Browns thinking about a possible AFC North title.
And it could be Myles Garrett that Geno Smith sees in his nightmares after Sunday's matchup.
The Seattle Seahawks have been winning thanks to their running game and taking care of the football. The Seahawks are winning the field position battle and while they may not be spectacular in any one area this year, they are solid across the board. Is that going to be enough to win at home against this Browns defense?
I think Cleveland has been living on the edge the last couple of weeks, and going to Seattle not going to be an easy way to keep this streak going.
Prediction: Seahawks win 22-17
Kansas City Chiefs (6-1) @ Denver Broncos (2-5)
Sunday, October 29, 4:25 PM
The Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs just played on Thursday Night Football in Week 6, but they are back at it again for their second and final matchup of the 2023 season.
In Week 6, the Chiefs really just had to turn on auto-pilot to win. The Broncos did most of the heavy lifting for them. They weren't moving the ball offensively, they were turning it over, and they did just enough bending defensively to let the Chiefs score 19 points and hold a comfortable lead most of the game.
With Kansas City winning 16 straight games against the Broncos, there's barely even any bad blood between these two teams. It's not much of a rivalry these days, and only in their wildest dreams could the Broncos think of getting off that type of schnide.
Taylor Swift will almost certainly be in a private suite to watch her beloved Travis Kelce play football in this one, and she won't be the only massive music artist with the initials "TS" to visit Empower Field lately. Travis Scott attended the Broncos' Week 7 victory over the Green Bay Packers.
At some point, the Broncos' ridiculous streak against the Chiefs is going to end. The Chiefs haven't lost since the NFL kickoff game in September. Crazier things have happened in the NFL this season.
Prediction: Broncos win 26-24
Baltimore Ravens (5-2) @ Arizona Cardinals (1-6)
Sunday, October 29, 4:25 PM
Just when you thought you had the Baltimore Ravens figured out, right?
This Ravens team will be locked in a 13-13 tie with the Browns one week, and then ext week they are putting up 38 points on the 5-1 Detroit Lions. Are the Ravens really this dynamic offensively, or should we merely expect bursts of offense every once in a while like that?
Through seven games, it's hard to argue with the Ravens's overall results. They are 10th in the NFL in scoring so far and 1st in the NFL in points allowed. This looks like truly one of the best teams in the NFL, capable of winning any type of way they need to. Need this team to win a close defensive fight? They can do it. Need them to score 40? They can do that too.
Going on the road against the Arizona Cardinals, you are obviously looking at one of the more one-sided games of the Week 8 schedule. The Ravens are 8.5-point favorites against the Cardinals on the road, and frankly I'm not sure Arizona can keep it that close.
After looking surprisingly solid in the first few weeks of the 2023 season, the Cardinals have sort of become what most people thought they would, which is a legit contender for next year's top pick. Kyler Murray has started practicing again, which will be fascinating over the course of the rest of this season. How will he look coming off of injury? Will the Cardinals still prioritize Murray over someone like Caleb Williams?
They'll get to 1-7 after this weekend and continue to be in contention for that top pick.
Prediction: Ravens win 27-13
Cincinnati Bengals (3-3) @ San Francisco 49ers (5-2)
Sunday, October 29, 4:25 PM
Could this still be a Super Bowl preview?
The Cincinnati Bengals haven't exactly looked like a Super Bowl team most of this season, but they still have 11 games -- including this one -- to get things figured out. The Bengals have a brutal task coming off of their bye week of going out to Santa Clara and trying to preserve their season. As of right now, the AFC North is loaded, and a loss against the 49ers would firmly have the Bengals on the outside looking in heading into the second half of the year.
But again, there are a lot of games yet to be played. I think Lou Anarumo's defense could match up fine with San Francisco's offense, and I think the Bengals could very well go on the road and get an upset win over this 49ers team.
We finally saw the 49ers take their first (and second) loss of the season in very surprising fashion and if Christian McCaffrey isn't able to play or play at full strength, I think the Bengals could be smelling some blood in the water.
I don't like picking against West-Coast teams hosting teams that typically play in the 1 PM ET window, but this is a game where I could see the Cincinnati defense making life very hard on Brock Purdy and the Bengals offense coming up clutch.
Prediction: Bengals win 28-23
Chicago Bears (2-5) @ Los Angeles Chargers (2-4)
Sunday, October 29, 8:20 PM ET
The NFL got itself a dud for Sunday Night Football this coming week with the 2-5 Chicago Bears traveling to SoFI Stadium to take on the 2-4 Los Angeles Chargers. I don't think the league would be so disappointed in this game if Justin Fields were playing, at least, but that's not the case. Although the Bears just put up 30 points against the Raiders, you sort of get the impression that this is one of the more one-sided matchups of the week.
And that's the way Vegas sees this one as well...
The Chargers are favored by 9.5 points in this game, one of a wide variety of one-sided affairs in Week 8.
The Chargers are coming off of a loss against the Chiefs, and are certainly one of the more disappointing teams in the NFL right now at 2-4. They have struggled with their fair share of injuries at this point, but you can't help but wonder if the Chargers' faith in Brandon Staley as their head coach was more like false hope.
This matchup seems pretty straightforward to me, although if the Bears are causing turnovers and running the ball like they did against the Raiders, anything is possible. I don't necessarily see that happening, and the Chargers should have plenty of room for error in this one.
Prediction: Chargers win 28-16
Las Vegas Raiders (3-4) @ Detroit Lions (5-2)
Monday, October 30, 8:15 PM ET
Anyone who listened to Dan Campbell's postgame press conference knows that the Las Vegas Raiders are going to get a ticked-off Detroit Lions team this coming week on Monday Night Football. Campbell's Lions were 5-1 going into a road matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, and they got a very rude welcome to Baltimore. The Ravens spanked the Lions pretty good, embarrassed them, and gave them an opportunity to really reevaluate after a stellar 5-1 start.
Now, they return home to Detroit to take on the Raiders who were just beaten badly by the Chicago Bears. That wouldn't be overly surprising except for the fact that the Bears had rookie Tyson Bagent starting at the QB position.
To be fair, the Raiders had Brian Hoyer starting, but with the way the Raiders had been hanging tough and even winning games in recent weeks, you figured they'd be able to figure things out against a rookie QB, even without Jimmy G.
That didn't happen. Now, the Raiders are taking on a Lions team that is out for blood after getting blown out. The Lions are favored by 7.5 in this game and that might be on the low end. I think the Raiders will give them a fight, but it might only last 2-3 quarters.
Prediction: Lions win 27-13