NFL Week 8 Upset Picks: Lions Get First Win, Panthers Bounce Back Among Top Predictions

Week 8 of the NFL season is here and the BetSided team is back with more upset picks for this week’s slate.

Last week, we saw our team go 2-1 with the Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts coming through with the straight up upsets. That moved our record to a solid 19-9 on the season, and we’re looking to add to that in Week 8.

Here’s who we are backing in this week’s slate, with odds via WynnBET Sportsbook:

Detroit Lions (+160) vs. Philadelphia Eagles

This is the week the Detroit Lions get in the win column. 

Detroit is a three-point underdog at home against the Philadelphia Eagles, but both of these teams have been terrible this season. 

Philly has been the definition of a garbage time team, finding its way into backdoor covers, but I don’t think it can beat the Lions on the road this week. 

Detroit has competed in almost every game this season, with Dan Campbell pulling out all the stops last week against the Los Angeles Rams. This team isn’t good, but they gotta win at some point. I think it comes at home this week. -- Peter Dewey

Carolina Panthers (+145) at Atlanta Falcons

My favorite thing to do when it comes to picking an upset victory, is selling high on one team and buying low on the other. That's exactly what we have in this NFC South matchup. While I would love for my Falcons to win, let's not forget that their three wins this season came against the New York Giants, New York Jets and Miami Dolphins. Two of those three wins came down to a last second field goal.

The Panthers may have hit a rough patch, but they still have a solid defense that ranks third in the NFL in opponent yards per play. I think they pull off the upset in this one, especially because the Falcons like to break my heart as soon as I start believing in them. -- Iain MacMillan

This is the perfect buy low, sell high spot. The Falcons beat the Jets and Dolphins, who have a combined two wins on the year, and are now favored over one of the elite defenses in the NFL.

Carolina is third in defensive EPA/Play, they are going to feast on an underwhelming Falcons offense.

On the other side, Sam Darnold is always a concern with his turnover tendencies, but the Panthers should be able to do well against a porous Falcons rush defense that is 30th in rush success rate. Carolina can control the clock, field position and grind this game out. -- Reed Wallach

Minnesota Vikings (+110) vs. Dallas Cowboys

I've been waiting all week long for the Cowboys at -2 to climb, and the number has stayed put for this week's Sunday night matchup against the Vikings in Minneapolis.

After all, the Cowboys have won five straight games after nearly pulling off the road upset in Week 1 against the defending Super Bowl champs, and it's a Kirk Cousins game in primetime, which makes him a near automatic fade, right?

Not this week. While Cousins is somehow 8-16 in late games in his career, it's hard to shoulder him with all the blame. In early games, Cousins averaged 254.3 passing yards per game with a passer rating of 99.3. In late games he's actually thrown for 286.5 yards/game with a passer rating of 98.1. More yards, a near-exact passer rating, but he's 43-28 in early afternoon games compared to 8-16 at night.

I also still wonder about Prescott's health after injuring his calf on the final play of the overtime win back in Week 6. Perhaps that's why the line has stayed put?

Both teams are off the bye and Minnesota is far more desperate. For the first time all season, America's team will fail to cover the spread. -- Ben Heisler

Jacksonville Jaguars (+155) at Seattle Seahawks

As much as I don’t like to see Urban Meyer win, the Jaguars will get their second victory this week. Geno Smith is leading the Seahawks offense to the bottom of the standings. Smith has a QBR of 32 this season and only has two touchdowns in two starts. In the last three games, Seattle is averaging 15.7 points per game -- good for fourth-worst in the league. 

Two of the Jaguars’ last three games have been settled by a field goal. I expect this game of two bad teams to be close, but I’m rolling with Trevor Lawrence. He threw for over 300 yards for the second time this season against Miami. Seattle is allowing over 280 passing yards per game, which bodes well for the No. 1 overall pick. -- Donnavan Smoot

NFL Upset Picks to Date:

LAST WEEK: 2-1

SEASON RECORD: 19-9