NFL Week 8 picks, predictions for every game (Straight-Up and ATS): 49ers or Cowboys bounce back?

If we're being honest with ourselves, it's a bit of a comedown making our NFL Week 8 predictions after the phenomenally fun and undeniably loaded slate of games we had last week. However, there are still some fascinating games on the NFL schedule that should have your attention, and that starts on Sunday Night Football with the Dallas Cowboys coming off of the bye to face the San Francisco 49ers.

Put simply, it's hard to think of two teams that need a win more than these two. The Niners were dismantled by the Chiefs last week and are below .500. Dallas was even worse before the bye, though, getting throttled by the surging Lions and sitting at a highly disappointing 3-3. This game in San Francisco could and should be a massive momentum shifter.

While the majority of other matchups might not be as big-named or juicy, though, there should be intrigue. Many of the NFL's obvious contenders like the Vikings, Packers, Ravens, Chiefs, Bills and more have to go on the road to face inferior opponents. That sounds like a potential recipe for some upsets — we just have to figure out where they're coming.

That's the task at hand and we'll do our best as we dive into our NFL Week 8 predictions with picks straight-up and against the spread after another above-.500 week for us to keep us in the green.

Note: All lines are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. All bets are 1 unit unless otherwise noted. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

2024 NFL Picks Straight-Up Record: 55-36 | ATS Record: 48-43-0

NFL Week 8 predictions: Picks straight-up and ATS for every game

The fishiest line to pick against the spread on this slate is definitely the Packers only being favored by 4.5 points against the lowly Jaguars. Yes, it's in Jacksonville, but Green Bay has been a far superior team with Jordan Love and I'm sticking with that — even if it feels destined for disaster.

It's also never fun when you have to take several heavy favorites because it's hard to find justification for the other side of it. The Chargers, Chiefs and Lions are all favorites of 7.5 points or more and we're taking them all to win and cover. Again, what in the world could go wrong this week when it seems like things could go haywire in a hurry?

Toughest NFL Week 8 predictions to make

Dallas Cowboys (+4.5) at San Francisco 49ers

I'm of two minds when it comes to this game. First, the lack of success Mike Zimmer and the Cowboys historically have had against Kyle Shanahan and his tree of offenses is worrisome to say the least. But, it's worth considering that the 49ers are without Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings and potentially Deebo Samuel and George Kittle for this game. Will this actually be a Shanahan offense that can unload on Dallas.

The deciding factor to stick with the Cowboys as road dogs in this one, though, is Mike McCarthy has historically been great at adjusting coming off of the bye. He's 12-5 in his overall career coming off the bye and 3-1 during his time in Dallas. There was a lot to be fixed, to be sure, but that's too strong of a trend for me to ignore in this spot, especially with how banged up the 49ers are.

Buffalo Bills at Seattle Seahawks (+3)

On the flip side of a lot of the games that have spreads of more than a touchdown, I'm choosing to buy into what this line might be telling us in Seattle. The Seahawks were quite impressive against the Falcons and, while the Bills are a better opponent, we're also getting this one with Buffalo making a cross-country trip to one of the toughest places in the NFL to play.

The Bills have been quietly inconsistent this season, even if they remain a contender, and it feels as if this is just the perfect kind of spot for Seattle to clip them and raise some questions about how Amari Cooper can help stabilize them moving forward, especially with Mike Macdonald being familiar-ish with Josh Allen and Co.

Easiest NFL Week 8 pick on the board

Falcons at Buccaneers (+2.5)

I'm fully aware that the Buccaneers will be without both Chris Godwin and Mike Evans for this game. And frankly, I think the oddsmakers are wanting everyone to be well aware of that as well with where this line is set. But my faith in the Falcons is absolutely waning at this point, particularly with Kirk Cousins still not looking fully healthy or at least fully mobile in his recovery from the torn Achilles.

That's something that Todd Bowles has to have seen on tape and ready to take full advantage of that. On top of that, the Bucs stable of running backs combined with some lesser-than-Godwin-and-Evans veteran receivers leads me to believe the offense can still take advantage of a Falcons defense that has struggled to get pressure in the backfield. So give me the Buccaneers to hold serve in Tampa and not just cover but get the win outright.