Week 8 in the NFL is here and the action begins in Los Angeles, as Justin Herbert and the Chargers welcome Carson Wentz and the Minnesota Vikings to SoFi Stadium. That’s hardly the headliner, as Aaron Rodgers takes on his former team in the Green Bay Packers, DeMeco Ryans hosts his former team, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Philadelphia Eagles look to enact revenge on Jaxson Dart and the New York Giants from their loss a couple of weeks ago.
Last week, we learned that Rashee Rice could propel the Kansas City Chiefs to another AFC Championship, the Detroit Lions could be Kansas City’s opponent in Super Bowl LX following their statement victory over Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Mike Vrabel’s New England Patriots are a legitimate threat coming out of the AFC East. What will happen this week?
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Which teams should you pick in Week 8, and which should you fade? CBS Sports writers Jordan Dajani and Steven Taranto are here to break down the biggest games of the weekend. For clarity, lines for these selections were taken on Oct. 22, via FanDuel Sportsbook, where new users can get $300 in bonus bets:
Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Chargers (-3.5) (TNF)
Dajani (Vikings +3.5): The Chargers are coming off a 14-point loss to the Indianapolis Colts, and have lost three out of their last four games following a 3-0 start. While L.A. is 2-0 in prime time this season, the real stat to know is that Carson Wentz is 7-0 in his career on Thursday nights. If you’re giving me the hook, I’ll take it. A strong performance from the Vikings defense could help Minnesota win outright, as Brian Flores’ unit ranks No. 2 in third down percentage (30.1%), and fourth in red zone touchdown percentage (47.1%) … Prediction: Chargers 24, Vikings 21
Taranto (Chargers -3.5): I cannot make sense of the Chargers, nor can I really get a read on exactly what the Vikings are made of. Both teams have been enigmas this year, especially the Vikings, who’ve been in Win One, Lose One mode in their past four games since picking up Carson Wentz off the scrap heap. The Chargers have just one win in their last four games (and had to pull their one win out in the final minute against the Dolphins), but I hardly view them as chopped liver and can easily forgive their loss last week, given that the Colts look like the best team in football. … Prediction: Chargers 27, Vikings 16
New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (-7.5)
Dajani (Eagles -7.5): I’m sure Philly is motivated to avenge the surprising 17-point loss it suffered to New York in Week 6. I’m not expecting the Giants to sweep the Eagles this season. After all, the Eagles have won 12 straight home games vs. the Giants. Another reason I’m taking Philly to cover is because of what Jalen Hurts did in the passing game last week against the Vikings. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith combined for 304 yards and three touchdowns. It was the second-most receiving yards the two had combined for as teammates, and the Giants have a bottom-seven pass defense … Prediction: Eagles 30, Giants 21
Taranto (Eagles -7.5): Eagles legend Brandon Graham was a rookie in 2010 when the Matt Dodge Game happened, and he and the rest of the Eagles’ greatest generation spent the next 15 years delighting in torturing the Giants every chance they could get. It’s fitting, then, that Graham comes out of retirement one week after the Giants’ biggest late-game meltdown since. Speaking of meltdowns, it’s not just that the Giants haven’t won in Philadelphia since 2013, it’s that they’ve lost there every which way you can — The miracle field goal in the Jake Elliott Game, practice squadders like Boston Scott coming out of nowhere to run all over the G-Men, the Evan Engram Drop, the list goes on. Expect the Eagles to take out their anger from two weeks ago on a demoralized Giants team whose issues go far beyond scapegoating the kicker. … Prediction: Eagles 34, Giants 17
Dajani (Bears +6.5): I think everyone is shocked by this line. After all, the Ravens are 1-5 while the Bears have won four straight games. It may surprise you to know that the Bears are the only team in the NFL to score 21 points in every game this season, while the defense leads the league in takeaways. I expect Lamar Jackson to return to the starting lineup and offer Baltimore a spark, but I think the number is just too big … Prediction: Ravens 26, Bears 24
Taranto (Bears +6.5): The Bears’ four-game winning streak comes with some subtext, as they’ve beaten teams that are either heavily flawed (Cowboys, Commanders) or are the outright dregs of the NFL (Raiders, Saints). Oddly enough, the Ravens fall somewhere in the middle of this, as they were 1-2 when Lamar Jackson got hurt and have gone from looking uncharacteristically poor with him to completely helpless without him. I think the Bears will take advantage of this matchup, and they’ll have more games against soft opponents like the Dolphins, Jets, etc., over the next month or so. … Prediction: Bears 26, Ravens 7
San Francisco 49ers at Houston Texans (-1.5)
Dajani (49ers +1.5): Did you watch that Texans’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night? What a pathetic showing from that offense. Seattle kept giving Houston chances to come back and win the game, but C.J. Stroud just couldn’t do anything. DeMeco Ryans, as a head coach and a former linebacker, had to be pulling his non-existent hair out. The Texans are 2-4 ATS this season, while the 49ers are 4-3 ATS. San Francisco is also 4-1 all time vs. Houston … Prediction: 49ers 23, Texans 17
Taranto (49ers +1.5): I’ve seen way worse, but the Texans’ popgun offense inspires little confidence that they’re going to be much of a match for the better teams in the NFL. An interesting undercurrent to this game is that the Texans’ struggles on offense have come after Houston’s surprise decision at the end of last year to fire offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, a Kyle Shanahan acolyte who had been instrumental in making Stroud the Offensive Rookie of the Year two seasons ago. Maybe this isn’t real life, but perhaps Shanahan remembers that when he twists the knife into a 2-4 Texans team playing well below expectations. … Prediction: 49ers 24, Texans 10
Dajani (Bengals -6.5): The Jets offense is worse than the Bengals defense. I don’t care if Tyrod Taylor is at quarterback or Justin Fields. We saw what Joe Flacco and Ja’Marr Chase are capable of last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but don’t forget that Chase Brown also got going with a season-high 108 yards rushing. With Cincy at home, I’ll take the Bengals to cover … Prediction: Bengals 24, Jets 16
Taranto (Bengals -6.5): It’s fitting that the New York Post referred to Jets owner Woody Johnson’s remarks this week as “gasbagging”. We already know that the Jets’ quarterback situation is terrible, and that they’re still winless near midseason in large part because Justin Fields has never developed into an NFL-caliber passer. But actually coming out and throwing Fields under the bus the way he did does nothing to help the situation, especially given that there’s a chance Fields has to play with Tyrod Taylor now, nursing a knee injury. By the way, didn’t the Jets make Joe Flacco look finished when he was with them a few years ago? This franchise gets what it deserves. … Prediction: Bengals 30, Jets 7
Dajani (Cowboys +3.5): I can’t stop myself from being intrigued by this Cowboys team. Dak Prescott, Javonte Williams and George Pickens are the only trio that ranks top five in the NFL in passing, rushing and receiving this season, while the Cowboys are a perfect 3-0 ATS in 2025 as underdogs. Still, we understand that this defense stinks, as they rank last in the NFL (401.6 yards allowed per game). The Broncos, on the other hand, are an inconsistent squad that turns it on in the fourth quarter. They just became the third team in NFL history to win two games in the span of a month where they were down at least 14 points in the fourth quarter. Tough call here, but I’ll take the hook with Dallas. Denver is 2-5 ATS on the season … Prediction: Broncos 33, Cowboys 30
Taranto (Cowboys +3.5): The tide turned in the Broncos’ favor a week ago when Giants cornerback Paulson Adebo got injured, allowing Bo Nix to target former first-round bust Deonte Banks throughout the fourth quarter with a high rate of success (the next time Banks turns his head to look for the football, it’ll be the first time). The Cowboys have a far worse defense than the Giants’ unit that shut Denver out before completely collapsing in the fourth quarter, but Dak Prescott has kept his end of the bargain by hanging big numbers on the opponent to try and boatrace them before Dallas’ defense becomes an issue. Eventually, the Broncos defense having to carry Nix from week to week will catch up with them. … Prediction: Cowboys 31, Broncos 17
Green Bay Packers (-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers (SNF)
Dajani (Steelers +3): Aaron Rodgers at home in prime time vs. his former team, and he’s getting three points? I’ll take it. The Packers may be the No. 1 seed in the NFC if the season ended today, but they really haven’t looked good since the Week 2 win over Washington. Green Bay has lost six straight trips to Pittsburgh, having not won in the Steel City since 1970 … Prediction: Steelers 27, Packers 26
Taranto (Steelers +3): A narrow loss to the Joe Flacco-led Cincinnati Bengals is nothing for the Steelers to hang their heads over, especially not given that it took place on the road. The Steelers aren’t unbeatable in Pittsburgh (as the Seahawks proved earlier this year), but they’re nonetheless going to take advantage of how intimidating their building is to play in. By comparison, the Packers haven’t had an especially impressive road win yet this year, as they’re 1-1-1 with a win over the Cardinals, a loss to the Browns, and a tie in a shootout against the Dallas Cowboys. … Prediction: Steelers 24, Packers 20
Washington Commanders at Kansas City Chiefs (-11.5) (MNF)
Dajani (Chiefs -11.5): It’s Marcus Mariota instead of Jayden Daniels at quarterback for the Commanders, but the Chiefs were still double-digit favorites even before that news broke. It’s clear that Rashee Rice adds a different element to this offense, but the key stat to know is that Washington is allowing an NFL-high 8.3 yards per pass attempt this season. That’s concerning. This is a massive number, but I can’t bring myself to back the Commanders … Prediction: Chiefs 27, Commanders 14
Taranto (Chiefs -11.5): Jayden Daniels’ injuries notwithstanding, the Commanders regressing to the mean and Daniels going through a sophomore slump was easy enough to project. They’re capable of putting themselves around the .500 mark, but they’re still not ready to truly contend, despite being hyped as having Super Bowl potential. The Chiefs will likely serve another reminder of that, as Kansas City is on a two-game winning streak and rounding into championship form. I don’t expect Washington to hang with them unless Marcus Mariota can channel whatever he had in the 2017 Wild Card Game against them. … Prediction: Chiefs 35, Commanders 20
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