2012 Week 8 NFL Betting Odds

Carrie Stroup here with your 2012 Week 8 NFL betting odds courtesy of Sportsbook.com, which was offering up to $250 in FREE CASH.  Live betting on most NFL games. 

NEW YORK GIANTS (5-2) at DALLAS COWBOYS (3-3)

Sportsbook.ag Line: Giants -3 & 48

Opening Line & Total: Cowboys -1.5 & 47.5

The Giants seek a fourth straight victory when they roll into Dallas to face a Cowboys team looking to earn the series sweep.

The Giants are also looking for a fourth straight win, SU and ATS, in Big D. When these teams met in New Jersey in the season opener, Dallas was able to take advantage of an injury-ravaged Giants secondary and sloppy play in New York’s passing game en route to a 24-17 upset win. But QB Eli Manning has been very good in his past three victorious trips to Dallas, throwing for 354.3 yards per game and eight touchdowns. Two of the Giants’ three wins in those games were on points scored in the final minute, when Manning seems to shine and the Cowboys seem to consistently fall apart. The Giants are on a roll right now, as they are getting healthier and starting to produce in all facets. They have blown out two teams on the road already this year, and Tom Coughlin is 20-6 ATS (77%) in road games after 2+ wins in a row. Dallas is 3-10 ATS versus divisional foes since 2010 and 1-9 ATS following a win over the past two seasons.

Manning leads the NFL with 2,109 passing yards, throwing 12 TD and 7 INT in his seven games this year. He has also thrown for 2,710 yards and 21 touchdowns in his past 10 games versus Dallas. WR Hakeem Nicks, whose knee finally looks healthy, has loved playing at Cowboys Stadium with 17 catches for 271 yards and 2 TD in two career visits to Big D. WR Victor Cruz, whose seven touchdown receptions are tied atop the NFL, ranks third in the league in receptions (50) and fifth in receiving yards (627). While the passing attack is in good shape, the ground game might have some issues this week with Ahmad Bradshaw bothered by a sore foot. On defense, New York's pass rush is starting to come around. After tallying just eight sacks in the first five games, the G-Men have recorded nine sacks over the past two contests. The Giants are below average both in rushing defense (126 YPG, 23rd in NFL) and passing defense (253 YPG, 21st in NFL), but they've been able to prevail in three straight games by forcing 10 turnovers during the win streak.

Like Manning, Dallas QB Tony Romo has also been outstanding in this series, throwing for 2,512 yards, 25 TD and just 8 INT in 10 meetings with New York since 2007. Although he has more interceptions (9) than touchdown passes (8) this season, he ranks third in the NFL in completion percentage (67.9%), including a 70.8% clip in his past three games. He's able to remain so accurate because he has done a great job spreading the football out among his top four targets, WRs Miles Austin, Dez Bryant and Kevin Ogletree, as well as TE Jason Witten. Austin has 4 TD in six career meetings with New York, and Bryant, who is expected to play despite last week's head injury, has 18 catches for 363 yards (20.2 average) and 4 TD in five career games versus the G-Men. With starting RB DeMarco Murray (foot) still out, Felix Jones will get the bulk of the carries. Although he's been bothered by a knee injury, Jones has still managed to gain 179 total yards over the past two weeks. Dallas ranks third in the NFL in passing defense (187 YPG) and has held its past four opponents to 91.5 rushing YPG on 3.8 yards per carry. The Cowboys need to improve in the takeaway department though, forcing just six turnovers in six games this season.

NFL Lines For 2012 Week 8

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (2-4) at DENVER BRONCOS (3-3)

Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: Denver -6 & 55

Opening Line & Total: Broncos -6.5 & 54.5

The surging Saints aim for a third straight victory when they travel to the Rocky Mountains to take on Denver Sunday night.

A couple of future Hall of Famer quarterbacks, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning, will get a chance to pick apart weak defenses in this one. The last time these two legendary QBs met was in Super Bowl XLIV won by the Saints. The Broncos have been an absurdly slow-starting team this year, only to be bailed out by Manning. The Saints, for all their issues, have performed well in their past two road games, missing a last-second field goal in a one-point loss at Green Bay, and holding on to beat Tampa last week. They’ve covered in three straight games despite the fact that their defense is allowing 30.3 PPG. Teams giving up 27 or more points per game are 70-36 ATS (66%) as road underdogs over the past five seasons. The Saints are 11-3 ATS after the first month of the year since the start of 2011, and they’re 6-0 ATS in that same time frame against opponents that are averaging 24+ points per game.

New Orleans, which will be playing its first game under interim head coach Joe Vitt, leads the NFL in passing offense with 335 YPG. Brees has been outstanding in his past three games, completing 67% of his throws for 1,193 yards, 11 TD and 2 INT (115.2 rating). Five of those TD passes have gone to WR Marques Colston, who has 25 catches and 357 yards over this three-game span. Despite the efficiency through the air, the Saints rank last in the league in rushing offense (76 YPG). They have reached 90 rushing yards in a game just once all season, and have just 66 rushing YPG on 3.1 yards per carry in the past four contests. Although New Orleans' rushing defense has allowed the second-most rushing yards in the league (161 YPG), it has been much stronger during the three-game ATS win streak, holding opponents to 106 rushing YPG. The same can't be said for the passing defense though, having allowed the third-most yards in the NFL (305 YPG), including a whopping 348 passing YPG in the past three games. The Saints have done a great job protecting the football recently though, sporting a +4 turnover margin in the past four contests.

Manning ranks second in the NFL in passer rating (105.0), and has thrown 11 TD and just 1 INT during four straight 300-yard passing performances. He brought his team back from a 24-0 deficit in the last game in San Diego, throwing three second-half touchdown passes to three different players. The Broncos have outscored opponents by 73 points in the fourth quarter this season. Although the Broncos have the fourth-most passing yards in the NFL (291 YPG), the ground game has been held in check for the most part, averaging just 94 YPG (23rd in NFL). Top RB Willis McGahee has not gained 60 yards on the ground in three of his pat four games. Denver's defense has been pretty solid this year though, ranking 10th in the NFL by allowing just 331 total YPG. The Broncos have held four opponents to 90 rushing yards or less, and they were able to force more turnovers in the last game (six) than they had in the previous five contests (four).

- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter