NFL Football Betting Power Rankings-Ratings Week 8
Week 8 NFL Football Betting Power Rankings-Ratings Courtesy of Alex Smart, An Award-Winning Professional Football Handicapper Featured on Touthouse.com. If you are Betting on NFL Football in Week 8, Be Sure to Buy Alex’s Expert NFL Picks
1: Tennessee Titans (6-0 ATS, 6-0 SU) (LW: 1) The Titans remained perfect on the season when they took out Kansas City 34-10. Next week they draw Indianapolis with a chance to open up a commanding four game lead in the AFC South. They’ve covered all four meetings with the Colts dating back to 2006.
Next Up: Home vs. Colts (-4)
2: Atlanta Falcons (4-2 ATS, 4-2 SU) (LW: 3) Atlanta enjoyed a bye week after their surprising 4-2 start. They’re 3-0 both SU and ATS at home but just 1-2 SU and ATS away from the Georgia Dome. The Falcons have a real chance to keep themselves in the thick of the NFC playoff race when they travel to the City of Brotherly Love next weekend.
Next Up: Away @ Eagles (+9)
3: Buffalo Bills (4-2 ATS, 5-1 SU) (LW: 6) Once the power finally turned on and stayed on in Orchard Park, the Bills were lights out. They made a mockery of the fact that they were short home underdogs by beating San Diego 23-14. It could be another great week for Buffalo bettors, as the Bills have covered the Dolphins in eight straight meetings.
Next Up: Away @ Dolphins (-1.5)
4: Arizona Cardinals (4-2 ATS, 4-2 SU) (LW: 5) The Cardinals went into their bye week with two resounding home victories over the quality opponents of Dallas and Buffalo. They haven’t been a strong team away from University of Phoenix Stadium of late though, losing their L/2 road games by a combined score of 80-52.
Next Up: Away @ Panthers (+4.5)
5: New York Giants (4-2 ATS, 5-1 SU) (LW: 8 ) Though there was never a doubt about the Giants beating San Fran over the weekend, the way they covered the 10.5-point spread was unique. Niners QB JT O’Sullivan was pressured into fumbling the football through the end zone for the final two points of the game, making the final 29-17. Things get more difficult next week for the G-Men, as they travel into Heinz Field to clash with the Steelers. Both of their ATS defeats have come against their AFC North opponents this year.
Next Up: Away @ Steelers (+2.5)
6: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2 ATS, 5-2 SU) (LW: 2) The Buccaneers played their game to a ‘T’ on Sunday night against the Seahawks, but couldn’t find enough defense at the end to hold Seattle off from hitting the backdoor with a late TD. They head to “Big D” next week, a place they were blown out 38-10 on Thanksgiving Day in 2006.
Next Up: Away @ Cowboys (OTB)
7: Philadelphia Eagles (4-2 ATS, 3-3 SU) (LW: 7) The Eagles averaged 27.8 points per game through their first six games of the season, a stat which could come into play against the Falcons this week, a team which is towards the bottom of the NFL in defense at 348.3 yards per game.
Next Up: Home vs. Falcons (-9)
8: Baltimore Ravens (4-2 ATS, 3-3 SU) (LW: 12) Just when everyone thought that the Ravens defense looked human against the Colts, they turned up the heat on the Dolphins in Miami by beating them 27-13 as short underdogs. They’ve got a couple more poor offensive teams on the horizon, starting with Oakland next week, a team that has only averaged 12.3 ppg in their L/3.
Next Up: Home vs. Raiders (-6.5)
9: Chicago Bears (4-2-1 ATS, 4-3 SU) (LW: 11) It was an offensive explosion for the Bears, who came up with at least a touchdown in all four quarters against the Vikings. Chicago has now scored 196 points this season, a mark it took them 10 games to reach last season. That total is only going to increase next week with the hapless Lions paying a visit to the “Windy City” in two weeks.
Next Up: Bye
10: Carolina Panthers (4-2-1 ATS, 5-2 SU) (LW: 14) Short of laying an egg in Tampa Bay, the Panthers have been one of the deadliest betting teams in the NFL this year. The #5 ranked defense in the NFL disposed of the Saints 30-7 last week, but they have a big test this week going up against Arizona, the squad that leads the league with 29.5 points per game.
Next Up: Home vs. Cardinals (-4.5)
11: Cleveland Browns (4-2 ATS, 2-4 SU) (LW: 16) NFL bettors left the Browns for dead when they opened up 0-3 and just 1-2 ATS, but they’ve since recorded three straight betting victories and narrowly found their third win of the season in Washington last weekend. They’ll head to Jacksonville this weekend, a place they have covered two straight games.
Next Up: Away @ Jaguars (+6.5)
12: Green Bay Packers (4-3 ATS, 4-3 SU) (LW: 17) Green Bay staked their claim to the top spot in the NFC North by pounding Indianapolis by three scores in Week 7. They’re off this week, but will likely be underdogs for the third straight game and fifth time in six games when they take on the Titans in two weeks.
Next Up: Bye
13: Washington Redskins (4-3 ATS, 5-2 SU) (LW: 4) Washington may have won last week, but they narrowly escaped their betting match-up with the Browns on a missed field goal at the buzzer. After covering four straight spreads, the Skins have now come up on the wrong side of two straight betting affairs. They have to hit the road next week, but if you have to go on the road, there are worse places to go than Detroit.
Next Up: Away @ Lions (-8)
14: New Orleans Saints (4-3 ATS, 3-4 SU) (LW: 10) Things are starting to fall apart for the Saints, who not only lost 30-7 to the Panthers on Sunday, but also have lost RB Reggie Bush for the foreseeable future. They’re now just 1-3 ATS in their L/4 road games, and have to take the road trip of all road trips next week across the Atlantic to face the Chargers.
Next Up: Neutral Site vs. Chargers (+3)
15: Oakland Raiders (3-3 ATS, 2-4 SU) (LW: 19) Even though the Raiders conceded a late field goal to the Jets to force their game into overtime, there was never a doubt that K Sebastian Janikowski’s 57-yard field goal was going to be true for the game-winner. HC Tom Cable has his first career win, but Oakland better not celebrate too hard. They have to face the #1 defense in the NFL next weekend.
Next Up: Away @ Ravens (+6.5)
16: Miami Dolphins (3-3 ATS, 2-4 SU) (LW: 9) The single-wing finally met its match when the Ravens came to Dolphins Stadium and stifled Miami. If they have any hope of remaining competitive in the AFC East, they must find a way to knock off the Bills at home. It won’t be an easy task though. The Fins are just 7-12 ATS at home against Buffalo since 1991.
Next Up: Home vs. Bills (+1.5)
17: Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3 ATS, 5-1 SU) (LW: 21) Football bettors are about to get a handle on just how good the 5-1 Steelers really are. Even though they trampled Cincy 38-10 last weekend, upcoming games against the Giants, Skins, Colts, and Chargers could make or break the defending AFC North champs.
Next Up: Home vs. Giants (-2.5)
18: Indianapolis Colts (3-3 ATS, 3-3 SU) (LW: 13) QB Peyton Manning’s frustration was apparent in Green Bay last weekend when they were whooped by the Packers. The Colts are now three games behind the Titans, the team they pay a visit to next weekend. If the NFL betting odds hold true and Tennessee picks up a victory, Indy will be four games back in the AFC South and forced to turn their attention towards picking up a Wild Card playoff birth.
Next Up: Away @ Titans (+4)
19: New England Patriots (3-3 ATS, 4-2 SU) (LW: 23) The Patriots have been one of the most frustrating teams for NFL bettors this season. It’s hard to believe that the same team that had its doors blown off by San Diego and Miami could be capable of destroying the Broncos, but alas, that’s what happened on Monday Night Football. The streaking Rams are up next, a team they’ve covered three straight times.
Next Up: Home vs. Rams (-7)
20: New York Jets (3-3 ATS, 3-3 SU) (LW: 15) The West Coast has been disastrous for the Jets so far this year, as they are now 0-2 SU and ATS, getting outscored by the Chargers and Raiders by a combined score of 64-42. There’s still two more long road trips left for the Jets this year, but next up is Kansas City, meaning the return for their former HC Herm Edwards.
Next Up: Home vs. Chiefs (-13)
21: St. Louis Rams (2-4 ATS, 2-4 SU) (LW: 25) Jim Haslett may just be in his second week as the main man in St. Louis, but a few more weeks like this and the Rams will be right back in the thick of the playoff chase. They’ve scored 53 points in Haslett’s two games, which is ten more than his predecessor, Scott Linehan managed to lead in the first four games of the season.
Next Up: Away @ Patriots (+7)
22: San Diego Chargers (3-3-1 ATS, 3-4 SU) (LW: 18) Not only did the Chargers have to travel across the country to battle the Bills last weekend, but they also had to deal with a power outage for the first half of the game. They’re now 0-2 ATS on the East Coast. Now they have to take an even longer trip to London this week.
Next Up: Neutral Site vs. Saints (-3)
23: Jacksonville Jaguars (2-4 ATS, 3-3 SU) (LW: 22) Jacksonville went into their bye week with a great taste in their mouth from beating Denver, and hope to continue that momentum when the Browns visit Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. The Jags have lost three straight betting affairs at home.
Next Up: Home vs. Browns (-6.5)
24: Dallas Cowboys (2-5 ATS, 4-3 SU) (LW: 20) Without QB Tony Romo in the lineup, the Cowboys suddenly look mortal. They fell a mere four touchdowns short of covering the spread against the Rams over the weekend and are now just 1-9 ATS in their L/10 against the NFC.
Next Up: Home vs. Buccaneers (OTB)
25: San Francisco 49ers (2-5 ATS, 2-5 SU) (LW: 24) Two weeks ago, the Niners were 1.5 games in front of the slumping Rams for 2nd place in the NFC West. They made a coaching change and haven’t lost since, and the brass of San Fran is hoping for the same resulted now that they’ve ousted HC Mike Nolan. They can’t do much worse, as SF is 4-12 ATS in their L/16 games against the NFC.
Next Up: Home vs. Seahawks (-5)
26: Seattle Seahawks (2-4 ATS, 1-5 SU) (LW: 30) Seattle moves up in this week’s poll by default, but they had no business staying within the number in Tampa Bay. The defense did just enough to keep the Seahawks close to the number, and backup QB Seneca Wallace hit the backdoor with a late touchdown. They’ll try to break their three-game losing streak next week in San Fran.
Next Up: Away @ 49ers (+5)
27: Denver Broncos (1-5-1 ATS, 4-3 SU) (LW: 26) You mess with the bull, you get the horns. Denver bettors watched their Broncos march into Gillette Stadium full of hopes for an upset as 3-point underdogs. They got an incredibly uninspired effort, and may as well have ripped up their tickets from the opening drive of the game. Denver will take their five-game ATS losing streak into their bye.
Next Up: Bye
28: Kansas City Chiefs (2-4 ATS, 1-5 SU) (LW: 27) No one should be shocked that the Chiefs had no answers for the unbeaten Titans over the weekend. HC Herm Edwards will make a trip to his old stomping grounds for the second straight season and hope to do better than last year’s 13-10 loss.
Next Up: Away @ Jets (+13)
29: Detroit Lions (2-4 ATS, 0-6 SU) (LW: 32) The Lions might still be winless, but they’ve shown some spunk, fighting back from down three touchdowns to cover the 10.5-point spread against the Texans for their second straight cover. Detroit fans will hope to see just their second cover in their L/7 home games this weekend.
Next Up: Home vs. Redskins (+8)
30: Houston Texans (1-5 ATS, 2-4 SU) (LW: 28) Even though they didn’t host their first game at Reliant Stadium until Week 5, the Texans are in the midst of potentially the easiest three-game stretch in the history of the NFL. Of course, they’re already 0-2 ATS in home games against Miami and Detroit and will look to complete the hat trick against the Bengals this weekend.
Next Up: Home vs. Bengals (-10)
31: Minnesota Vikings (2-5 ATS, 3-4 SU) (LW: 29) It’s rough when Gus Frerotte is your quarterback, you’re playing against a team quarterbacked by Kyle Orton, you score 41 points, and still can’t figure out how to cover the spread as 3-point underdogs. The men in purple will have a week to think about it before Houston comes to town.
Next Up: Bye
32: Cincinnati Bengals (2-5 ATS, 0-7 SU) (LW: 31) Another week, another disappointing defeat for the Bengals. HC Marvin Lewis has to be rooting to be the next coach fired just so he can get out of Cincinnati. Maybe losing to the 2-4 Texans will do the trick.
Next Up: Away @ Texans (+10)
