I started week 8 off with by squeaking out a win with the Falcons, and I was hoping to go 2 for 2 on Sunday Night, but unfortunately the Lions just couldn’t find the end zone. It was a very weird game and the Lions ended up losing by 5, so my +3 Lions bet wasn’t able to cash. That 1-1 week brings my NFL season record to an abysmal 5-13 against the spread. Once again, it’s not been my year so follow these picks at your own risk, but I’m going to keep firing some action in on Sundays looking to turn the season around.
I’ll be using SportsInteraction.com for all of the spreads and predictions below. You can see our full Sports Interaction review here.
Atlanta Falcons @ Carolina Panthers
Atlanta +1- Carolina -1
Carolina pulled a win out in Tampa Bay last week and it was their defense that really stepped up and stole the show. For the Panthers to be successful this season their defense needs to step up and perform like the defense that helped this team go 15-1 a couple years back. If Carolina is able to get their running game going this week with Stewart and McCaffrey moving the chains and keeping the Atlanta defense on the field and the Panthers D resting, I think Carolina can manage the clock and win this game by grinding out Atlanta’s suspect D.
No Kelvin Benjamin means other players will need to step up on this Panthers offense, but it also means they will be less likely to go for the big play and likely rely more heavily on their run game, which should pay dividends in this game.
The Falcons have just not gotten it together this year, even in last weeks win over the Jets, where I bet them, they just barely squeaked out the win. I do not have confidence in the Atlanta offense being able to score points right now, especially against this Panthers D. I’m going Carolina to win this game.
Play: Panthers -1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay +6.5- New Orleans -6.5
Drew Brees is due for a monster game and this home game against the Bucs suspect defense looks to set up perfectly for him. With both Ingram and Kamara clicking both running and catching the ball in the backfield the Tampa Bay defense is going to need to keep defenders in the box to stuff the run and short pass. This should open up some bomb attempts to Ted Ginn Jr. or Michael Thomas in this game and I fully expect these guys to take advantage of this weak Bucs secondary that is ranked 30th in fantasy points against wide receivers this year. The thing I like about the Saints offense as well is that they don’t slow down once they start firing. They put you away, and that’s what I expect from Brees and company this week.
The Bucs offense should have more weapons this year, but they were completely shut down last week at home to Carolina. Yes, they put up decent totals in Buffalo and Arizona, and I do expect them to score some points in New Orleans, but this Saints defense is still underrated and they are doing a great job pressuring the quarterback and getting turnovers this season. If the Saints can get up early I expect them to cruise and continue to extend their lead throughout this game, even if the Bucs offense is able to get into the end zone a few times down the stretch.
Play: Saints -6.5
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