NFL Week 8 By the Numbers
Well, the Pittsburgh Steelers stood up to the test of the Baltimore Ravens and remain the NFL’s only unbeaten at 7-0. They will go on the road this week as double-digit favorites over the hapless Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys are 0-8 and have yet to cover a point spread this season leaving them 0-8 ATS as well. Maybe Dallas will find a way...maybe not.
Here’s a look at the NFL’s week 8 by the numbers.
Weather & Overs
What do Green Bay, Chicago, Buffalo, Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Cleveland have in common? Well, all six cities have some interesting weather patterns come November.
With each city’s Sunday forecast showing some form of precipitation and/or wind, the Totals in these games were driven down in some cases between three and seven points.
Ironically, the Over went 5-1 in the six games played in those cities.
It was pouring rain in Baltimore at kickoff time. By the time the game ended, Steelers claimed a 28-24 win to remain the NFL’s only unbeaten. The total also surpassed the line set at 45.
Upset Alert
Green Bay was an overwhelming public choice in its game at home against Minnesota. The Packers were 5-1 and were 5.5-point home favorites against a Vikings team that was just 1-5 on the season.
Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook scored four touchdowns and ran for 163 yards to lead the Vikings to the upset. Action Sports Picks had a premium NFL pick that crushed bookies with a +215 underdog win!
It was a similar circumstance in Cincinnati where the Bengals were just 1-5-1 before hosting the 5-1 Tennessee Titans. Tennessee was a 7-point favorite. Like Green Bay, most of the betting public backed the Titans, but the Bengals jumped all over Tennessee and won 31-20.
Miami was a 3.5-point underdog in QB Tua Tagovailoa’s first start. The Dolphins managed to win 28-17 despite gaining just 145 yards of total offense.
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Betting on Rookie QBs
The majority of bettors banked on Tagovailoa playing like a rookie in his first game. He actually did connecting on just 12-of-22 for a measly 93 yards. The young quarterback’s defense ended up saving him.
Bettors like going against rookie quarterbacks, but they might change their thoughts on Cincinnati rookie Joe Burrow. Yes, the Bengals are just 2-5-1 overall, but Burrow has helped Cincy keep games close. The result is a 6-2 record against the spread. Bettors might consider Burrow’s success in the remaining weeks of the season.
Staying Down Under
Remember just a week ago, the Under was performing well once again in prime time games with 14 wins in 23 games. Chalk up another two wins for the Under in Week 8 to move the 2020 record to 16-10.
If you follow the latest gambling news, you’ll know the Bucs and Giants appeared headed to the Under until a Giants touchdown with 28 seconds remaining pushed the total Over by a single point.
The Under in prime time games hit at a blistering rate last year too. The Under cashed 31 times going 31-17-1 (64.6 percent) in 49 prime time games in 2019.
