NFL Week 8 Preseason Preview: Cowboys vs 49ers Highlights Slate

There are no games overseas or anybody on a bye this week, as the NFL season picks up steam. There are several big games on this week’s schedule, although Dallas and San Francisco will get the most attention. There’s a solid collection of games on tap this week, and we’ll run down the schedule in our NFL Week 8 preseason preview.

The week begins with an interesting game in Los Angeles. The Vikings are one of those teams likely to be better or worse than expected. It depends on what type of quarterback play they get. The Rams are a notch below San Francisco and can contend for a wild card spot. The NFL betting odds Week 8 might be a shade low on Los Angeles based on some of the other early odds. It’s still tough to lay points here without knowing what to expect from Minnesota. It’s a Thursday night game, so people will play it even if not the best game from a betting perspective. You can make a slight case for the over here.

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New York is one of the larger NFL favorites this week. Only two games have higher point spreads than this one, although that will likely change during the season. The Jets are coming off the Sunday night game with Pittsburgh and have the Thursday night game with Houston on deck. Getting motivated for the Patriots might not be an easy chore. New England is likely to be rebuilding for a year or two, but can pop-up with a strong effort if teams take them too lightly.

Jacksonville is back home after spending a couple of weeks in London. It’s a trip the Jaguars are quite familiar with, so it shouldn’t have of an effect on the team. The Packers are 1-point road favorites, but no so sure the right team is favored here. The Jaguars aren’t getting a whole lot of respect in the offseason, but a return to health from Trevor Lawrence is really all they need. The Packers have a home game with Detroit on tap, which could have a little of their attention. The Jags +1 is a decent play for one of your NFL Week 8 expert picks against the spread.

A decent matchup between two teams expected to battle it out for the NFC South division title. The Falcons should throw the ball a bit more this season with Kirk Cousins behind center. He’s a decent upgrade over what Atlanta has had the past few years. Baker Mayfield turned a good season into a monster payday and looks to have found a place where he’s welcome in Tampa. The defenses will be asked to step up in this game and it’s still a bit easier to trust the Bucs defense. The NFL Week 8 Las Vegas odds are pretty much what you would expect in this game, with Tampa Bay a small favorite. Tampa Bay is worth considering in this game.

The NFL Week 8 preseason preview notes this is the highest spread of any game this week. It’s not the greatest of spots for Detroit, who played Minnesota the previous week and have the Packers up next. The Lions were 1-2 ATS when favored by more than a touchdown last season. As much as Tennessee struggled last year, it was just an underdog of more than seven points once when it upset Miami. The Lions will be popular in the NFL Week 8 confidence picks, but the Titans can keep it close and are worth a look.

This one could be an entertaining game, as Indianapolis visits Houston in an AFC South matchup. The NFL Week 8 odds 2024 could be a shade on the low side. That will be dependent on the health of Anthony Richardson. Houston has the Jets up next, but should be focused on a division rival, especially if the Colts are playing well. The total might be a shade high. That ties the highest total the Texans played to last year and Houston went under the total both times the number was at 48. The highest total the Colts saw last year was 47.5 and they went under, so the trends say to take the under in this spot.

The top two picks from the 2024 NFL Draft should be opposing each other in this game. That will be the big storyline coming into the contest. That’s to be expected when you have Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels squaring off. The Bears won three more games than Washington a year ago, so you can’t argue with them being favored. The early spread does make the Commanders extremely tempting in a teaser and Washington isn’t bad to choose for one of your NFL Week 8 upsets.

The total on this game looks like there could be a shootout in Miami and it’s hard to disagree. The Dolphins were just 3-3 when playing against a total higher than 48 last season. If Kyler Murray can stay healthy, the Cardinals should put some points on the scoreboard. This one comes right before the Dolphins travel to Buffalo, so it’s a definite spot Miami could be looking ahead a little bit. The Dolphins’ 70-point outburst against Denver also came right before Buffalo last year, but so did its 56-19 loss to Baltimore. The NFL Week 8 odds and predictions like this one to go over the number.

This one could be the best of the early games, as the Ravens visit the Browns. The NFL Week 8 point spread is unlikely to come into play, although it does allow Cleveland backers to take the Browns +7 in a teaser. This is one of those games where both teams should be focused on their opponent and not worried about last week’s NFL scores or who is up next. This one should be a hard-hitting close game and believe the under offers up the best value.

Derek Carr makes his return to Los Angeles, although it’s not to face his old team. The Saints need a little more out of Carr for what they’re paying him. The Chargers also need a little more from their quarterback but also have to give him a bit more protection. As Justin Herbert goes, so do the Chargers. The NFL Week 8 predictions straight up are going to favor the home team here, but it’s a tough game to wager on. The best NFL bets in this game will likely involve the over.

This game isn’t a bad one, as Buffalo makes the cross-country trip to face Seattle. It’s a game both teams could use a victory in to strengthen their appearance in the NFL playoff bracket. The Bills are 3-point favorites and the line sounds about right. That’s what you expected the line to be. Seattle was a home underdog twice last year and split those two games. Buffalo was 2-3 as an away favorite. The Bills were just 3-6 in totals when the over/under was 46.5 or higher and believe the under makes some sense here.

There are some pretty good NFL matchups this week and then there’s this game. That’s not to say the game won’t be entertaining. It could very well be, as there isn’t a huge talent advantage for either team. It’s just not a game that will excite many fans. This is the smallest road underdog Carolina has been since 2021. As bad as Denver’s been, the Broncos were favored nine times last year, going 3-5-1 ATS. The NFL Panthers stats should be a little better based on Carolina’s offseason moves. It’s unlikely to be enough to make a huge difference, but Carolina should be better this season. It’s a tough game to wager on.

The Chiefs are coming off their game with the 49ers, but should be ready to face the Raiders. Las Vegas causes a few distractions for visiting teams, so it’s not the best of spots for Kansas City. Still, the Chiefs are the better team. The Raiders do play better at home, but lost 31-17 to Kansas City here last year as 9-point underdogs. The Chiefs NFL standings should see Kansas City at the top, but these are the types of games they need to win to stay there. You can make a case for Kansas City if the Chiefs lost to San Francisco last weekend, otherwise it’s one to stay away from.

This one could be the best of the late games, as you have two of the best NFL players at quarterback in this one. Neither had their best season in 2023, but it’s likely at least one of them can stay healthy and resemble their 2022 versions. The Eagles were away underdogs just twice last year and split their two games. Philadelphia is capable of winning this one straight-up, but will have to slow down the Cincinnati passing attack. It’s hard to lay a field goal to Philadelphia here, so the Eagles look to be the better of the two sides.

This one gets the nod for the biggest game of the day, although not necessarily the best game of the day. San Francisco is the better of the two teams, but the 49ers are coming off a huge revenge game with the Chiefs. If the 49ers defeat Kansas City, you have to look at Dallas in this one. This is a case where the NFL Week 8 results will be influenced by what happened last week. If Kansas City beats the 49ers, this automatically becomes a tough spot for Dallas, and San Francisco would be a decent play in a teaser.

The NFL Week 8 scores and odds are predicting a bit of a low-scoring matchup here. The Giants don’t figure to be a high-powered team, while the Steelers preach ball control and not making mistakes. Mike Tomlin could open things up a little bit offensively. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields were chased out of their former towns for not living up to expectations. That won’t be the case here and either is likely an improvement over what the Steelers had the past few seasons. Take the Steelers in this one.

For NFL betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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