NFL Week 8 Odds: Best Spot Bets Include Dolphins Dreaming Of Deutschland

Tis the season to be scary. And the 2023 NFL season presents some startling situational spots in our NFL Week 8 odds.

Spot bets — as they’re commonly known — are a great way to find underlying edges and advantages that may not be baked into the opening NFL odds.

I pick through this week’s slate of games and give my best letdown, look-ahead, and schedule spots to consider when capping your NFL picks in Week 7.

Letdown Spot: New Orleans Saints at Indianapolis Colts (-1.5)

The Indianapolis Colts may not have completed the upset of the Browns in Week 7, but that’s about the only thing that didn’t happen to this team in Week 7. Indianapolis scored 38 points against the Browns’ big bad defense in what was easily the wildest game of the weekend.

In SNL “Stefon” fashion, this game had everything: home run plays, defensive touchdowns, Gardner Minshew’s mustache, Myles Garrett’s mustache, blocked field goals, a bag filled with $230 million being set on fire, blind referees, phantom fumbles, and perhaps the sexiest alternative outfits in the NFL.

How do you follow that?

Indy is up for a letdown in Week 8, welcoming the energy-sapping New Orleans Saints to Lucas Oil Field. New Orleans could be the most vanilla team in the NFL, with a stingy defense giving up just 4.8 yards per play and a bland offense picking up less than that per snap.

The look-ahead line for this game before the events of Week 7 — in which NOLA lost to Jacksonville on Thursday — was Colts +1.5. However, the official Week 8 opener sees this spread flipped to Indianapolis -1.5.

New Orleans has a schedule advantage, having enjoyed a mini bye, while the Colts are still trying to catch their breath after an insane effort last Sunday, setting up a potential letdown for the host in Week 8.

Look-Ahead Spot: New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins (-10.5)

Usually, a team coming off a loss and taking on a team fresh from a big upset win would erase the possible look-ahead scenario, but not when that look-ahead spot points to the Chiefs, and especially not when that game is in Germany.

The Miami Dolphins find themselves in a zesty situational sandwich vs. the New England Patriots in Week 8, laying double digits in this divisional rivalry.

The Fins face a possible letdown after Sunday night’s loss in Philadelphia and a potential look-ahead past the Patriots to a showdown with the reigning Super Bowl champs in Week 9.

Then we slap some German sauerkraut in the middle of that bad boy (Reuben style), with the franchise lining up logistics for the upcoming overseas affair.

Teams have been tripped up the week ahead of making the jump across the pond. In the post-COVID era (since 2021), NFL teams are just 4-12-1 ATS the week before traveling to Europe for the NFL International Series. That includes a 1-4 ATS record in 2023.

Schedule Spot: Jacksonville Jaguars (-1.5) at Pittsburgh Steelers

You don’t hear many people praise the Thursday night games, but the Jacksonville Jaguars are appreciative of their mid-week matchup in Week 7 — if only for the mini-bye that it allows.

Jacksonville was able to get a bit of a breather before picking up its hectic first-half stretch of schedule in Week 8. Sunday’s trip to the Steel City will be the Jags’ fourth away game in the past five weeks after playing two games in London.

Jacksonville didn’t get the customary bye week following its European showcases and was back home to beat the Colts in Week 6 before traveling to New Orleans on a short turnaround in Week 7. All that travel is starting to show with the Jags’ roster dinged up on both sides of the ball.

While the 10-day break comes in handy, it doesn’t turn back the odometer on the Jaguars, and the opening spread for this Week 8 clash shows plenty of respect for the tough schedule spot ahead for Jacksonville.

Despite being on a four-game winning streak, and covering in each of those victories, the Jaguars opened as low as -1 against a Pittsburgh Steelers team not as good as its 4-2 mark would lead you to believe.

For what it’s worth, I bet the Jags -1 Sunday night but would be wary of laying much more. Jacksonville could also get caught looking past Pittsburgh and to a long-awaited bye in Week 9.

Stay updated with the latest picks, odds, and news! Tap the to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Pages related to this topic