Week 8 NFL Odds: Early Locks and Best Bets on the Schedule

With the NFL moving another week closer to the midseason mark, we're finally getting an idea of which teams are consistently good and which are not.

Teams like the Kansas City Chiefs (obviously), Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings have established themselves as legitimate contenders. Teams like the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals have the potential to be good but are still trying to find their way.

Outcomes as still tricky to predict in 2024, but some games are starting to become obvious mismatches.

All 32 teams will be in action in Week 8. Here, we'll examine a few of our favorite head-to-head picks based on the early lines

*Lines via DraftKings Sportsbook

The Baltimore Ravens might not be an elite team, but they're very good. The rival Cleveland Browns are not. The Browns have won just a single game and have already raised the white flag on the 2024 season.

Cleveland traded No. 1 receiver Amari Cooper last week, and it would be a mild surprise if more moves aren't made ahead of the November 5 trade deadline. The Browns will probably fight in this divisional matchup, but they're not equipped to offer Baltimore much resistance.

The Ravens' biggest weakness has been their pass defense. Cooper is gone, and the Browns may be down to quarterback Jameis Winston for this one. Deshaun Watson suffered a ruptured Achilles in Week 7, while backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson suffered a finger injury.

"Thompson-Robinson is awaiting MRI results on the injured middle finger on throwing hand, source tells me. X-ray results were negative," Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com posted on X.

The Ravens should win and win big, and this line is likely to grow in the coming days.

Unlike the Browns, the New England Patriots have hope for the future in the form of rookie quarterback Drake Maye. However, the Patriots have also struggled to be competitive this season and coming off of a 32-16 loss in London.

"We're playing soft at the moment," Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said, per ESPN's Mike Reiss.

The New York Jets are also coming off of a decisive loss—they fell 37-15 to the Pittsburgh Steelers—but they at least believe they can win in 2024. Last week, they acquired wide receiver Davante Adams in order to reunite him with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The 2-5 Jets are desperate to get back into the playoff picture, and they should pick up a win in Week 8.

While road divisional matchups are tricky, the Jets have far too much talent to stumble against New England. New York boasts a top-10 defense and a surplus of offensive skill players. Rodgers had little trouble dissecting the Patriots defense in the first meeting.

The Jets won that one by three touchdowns. We'd expect this one to be closer, though we also love the early spread.

Quarterback Russell Wilson finally started for Pittsburgh in Week 7, and the results were mostly positive. While he was far from perfect against a good Jets defense, the 35-year-old tossed a pair of touchdown passes and ran for a third score.

Most importantly, Wilson helped Pittsburgh produce its highest points total of the season.

With a functional offense and a defense that ranks second in points allowed, the Steelers have emerged as a threat in the AFC playoff race. The New York Giants have had flashes of promise this season, but they're far from threatening.

New York's offense stalled in Week 7, and it had a lot of difficulty protecting quarterback Daniel Jones—New York lost starting left tackle Andrew Thomas to season-ending foot surgery ahead of the game. With T.J. Watt and Pittsburgh playing host on Monday night, the Giants' pass protection is a massive concern.

Pittsburgh is a tough place to play, especially in prime time. While the Dallas Cowboys escaped with a win in Week 5, the Giants will find the new-look Steelers to be a much bigger challenge.

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