Week 8 in the NFL gets off to a spectacular start with the Green Bay Packers at the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night.
The Cardinals will be looking to defend their unbeaten start against a Packers side who have won six on the bounce.
The prime-time TV showdown kicks off what promises to be another spectacular week in the 2021 NFL season, of which we are already nearing the halfway point.
Already this season we’ve seen the Buffalo Bills dismantle the early-season NFL betting favorites, the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bills themselves then came unstuck against the ever-improving Titans side the following week.
We’ve also had the London matches, and while all the above-mentioned teams may have been in the headlines, Tampa Bay has just steadily gone about their business, unnoticed, as only the Buccaneers can.
One area the Buccaneers haven’t gone unnoticed in though is with the online sportsbooks.
After starting the season a reasonable distance behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the betting to win the Super Bowl, the Buccaneers are now the betting favorites.
| Super Bowl 2022 Winner Betting |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Tampa Bay | +450 | +500 |
| Buffalo Bills | +600 | +525 |
| Arizona Cardinals | +800 | +850 |
| Dallas Cowboys | +900 | +900 |
| Los Angeles Rams | +900 | +900 |
| Green Bay Packers | +1000 | +1100 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +1200 | +1100 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +1200 | +1200 |
| Tennessee Titans | +1600 | +1600 |
It’s quite alarming for Chiefs’ fans to see how far down the betting they have fallen since the start of the season.
But with a record of 3-4, and after last weekend’s humiliating defeat at Tennessee, it’s not hard to see why they are +1200 to win the Super Bowl.
Right, now it’s time to get some Week 8 picks. And it’s not hard to guess where I’m going to start for this week’s match-ups!
The Cardinals (7-0) are the only unbeaten team in NFL, and they come up against a Green Bay team who are 6-1.
Two of the best quarterbacks in the business come up against each other when Kyler Murray of the Cardinals and Aaron Rodgers of the Packers meet in this match.
Murray is the 24-year-old upstart, and Rodgers is the 37-year-old, been there and done it, experienced QB.
It’s mainly thanks to the form of Murray that the Cardinals are unbeaten this season. They’re the fourth-highest scorers in the NFL this year and are also averaging over 400 total yards per game.
In the betting, on the Moneyline, the Cardinals are expected to win again. They are -270 to win with BetUS, who also have the Packers at +230.
In what many predict is going to be a close match-up, the spread of +6.5 in favor of the Packers could be appealing.
But the Cardinals have home-field advantage, and the Packers are likely to be missing a couple of important players – namely Joe Barry and Davante Adams.
I expect Arizona to win and as a result, after much agonizing, I’m prepared to take a chance on the points spread and go with the Cardinals (-6.5) on the handicap points spread for my first pick.
On the total points market, I’m thinking over 50.5 looks a bit big.
Yes, both these sides have got the offensive skills and players to meet that spread, but they are not top of their respective conferences because they aren’t good defensively as well.
So on the over and under total points spread, I’m going with under 50.5 for my pick.
Next up, I’m going into the AFC and looking at the match-up between the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins.
Since Tua Tagovailoa returned from injury in Week 6, performances for the Dolphins have improved. In fairness, they would have struggled to get much worse.
Tagovailoa’s return has made little difference to the betting on the Moneyline though, as BetOnline has the Bills at -905 to win. The sportsbook also has the Dolphins at +645 to pull off a huge shock.
All season the Dolphin’s main weakness has been their defense. They are away from home also, and the Bills are the fresher side having had last weekend off.
As for the Bills, they are looking to bounce back after a loss at the hands of the Tennessee Titans in their last outing.
Let’s not forget, before losing to the ever-improving Titans, the Bills had just previously dismantled Kansas City – and in the process went favorites to win the Super Bowl.
On the points spread, BetOnline gives Miami a huge +13.5 start. I really think Buffalo can beat that though, and at -113 I think the Bills to win looks a great call for my next betting pick.
On the overs and under market, I’m again erring on the side of caution. I expect the Bills to win by 15 to 20 points, but that would possibly require upwards of 15 points from the Dolphins to beat the spread.
I’m not convinced they can do that against the Bills, so I’m taking under 49.5 to be the call for my final pick.
About the Author
Dean is primarily a fan of English football who regularly attends games, and combining his hobby with his job, he is now a full-time sports betting writer. Rather than going down the educational route into sports journalism, Dean learned his trade by writing for his English football betting website since 2009, where he now boasts nearly 15 years of experience. After writing about football daily for years, Dean has taken the skills he learned and now uses them to great effect writing for numerous affiliate sites across the internet. A general all-around sports enthusiast with a passion for English football and cricket, Dean is also well able to turn his hand to writing about golf, tennis, F1, boxing, snooker, darts, and North American sports. Combining his extensive knowledge and experience with British humor and wit, Dean has developed into a trusted voice within the sports betting industry.
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