NFL Week 8 picks against the spread

LONDON, ENG - OCTOBER 21: The NFL logo awaits the crowds before the doors open to fans at the NFL game between the Tennessee Titans and the Los Angeles Chargers on October 21, 2018 at Wembley Stadium, London, England. (Photo by Martin Leitch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Cincinnati Bengals (-6)

As you can see, there are some big spreads to start the week. The Cincinnati Bengals are coming off a butt whooping at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs on national television. Those who thought the Bengals were true contenders going into last week are now rethinking their proposition. A 45-10 loss will do that to you.

On the other side, you have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This is a team that won on a 59-yard field goal in overtime. It was Jameis Winston’s first win since regaining his starting job after a suspension. The Bucs haven’t necessarily looked good, but they did enough to win.

With the vastly different results for last week, why is the spread so high for this game? Mostly, because the Bengals are a good team and the Bucs aren’t very good. The Bucs were a little extra motivated after the firing on Mike Smith. They had things going their way, and they still needed overtime to win. The Bengals, on the other hand, are a good team. They aren’t great, which is why they got smoked last week, but they are better than the Bucs. This point spread worries me, but the Bucs as a team worries me more.

Cincinnati 21, Tampa Bay 12

Seattle Seahawks @ Detroit Lions (-2.5)

The Detroit Lions are one of the few teams that haven’t figured out what they are. This team will come out with a stinker one week, then the very next week dominate on both sides of the ball. Last week, the Lions took it to the Dolphins on the back of Kerryon Johnson. For the first time in years, Detroit has a legit running game.

The Seattle Seahawks have quietly been pretty good for the last four games. They only lost one of those games, the closest the Los Angeles Rams came to losing a game all season. They took the Oakland Raiders to the woodshed, and forced them to give up completely on their season.

There’s a wild card with this game. Seattle Seahawks owner Paul Allen passed away this week. That has to add an extra layer of motivation for this Seahawks team. Losing a beloved owner like Paul Allen will make the team want to win just for him. Especially since it seems like everything is buttoned up and nothing is up in the air, the team can focus on uplifting his legacy. It likely starts with a win here.

Seattle 31, Detroit 16