NFL odds: Early Week 8 lines
The Week 7 slate of the NFL season is almost overs ave for the Monday night affair between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins at Lincoln Financial Field.
With that in mind, most of the lines have been set for the Week 8 contests. So which are the most notable of the group? Let’s run a few down.
Pittsburgh Steelers (-3) at Detroit Lions
This is an interesting line for many reasons. For starters, the Lions are not a bad team, and at 3-3 are both desperate and coming off their bye week. With Aaron Rodgers having gone down with a broken collarbone, Detroit knows it has a chance to win the division for the first time since 1993. Also, the Steelers are generally bad on the road, and Ben Roethlisberger has not looked himself for much of the season. Pittsburgh is hot, but this could be a tough assignment against a rested Lions team with real playoff hopes.
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs (-7)
The Chiefs would win this game, but this isn’t going to be a blowout. Denver has one of, if not, the worst offense in the NFL. Trevor Siemian has proven he’s a backup quarterback and within replacement in sight, the Broncos are stuck with him. Still, the Chiefs have one of the league’s worst defenses and a scheme that allows for tons of yardage to be gobbled up between the 20-yard lines. Look for the Broncos to kick a bunch of field goals, while holding Kansas City’s high-powered offense relatively in check. Again, the Chiefs should win, but not by this spread.
Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints (-7.5)
The Saints are playing as well as any team in football, and now come back to the Superdome with a record of 4-2 and the NFC South lead. Meanwhile, the Bears have own two straight over the Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers, with eyes on getting to 4-4. The problem is that Chicago can’t score an offensive point, and is completely reliant on special teams and defensive touchdowns. Against Drew Brees, that’s a tough ask to both get those scores, and to get enough of them. Look for New Orleans to win big here.
Minnesota Vikings (-7.5) at Cleveland Browns
The Browns are terrible, and so give me the Vikings despite a high line for a road team. Minnesota is 5-2 and has one of the better defenses around. It would be tough for the Browns to score 10 points, even if they knew who their quarterback was. Is it DeShone Kizer? Is it Cody Kessler? Is it Kevin Hogan? Who cares, they’re all terrible. Take the Vikings and swallow the points.
