NFL Week 8 Betting Tips and Preview

It is nearing the halfway point in the NFL season and there are some very interesting match-ups in Week 8. The 7-0 Arizona Cardinals host the 6-1 Packers on Thursday Night Football in what should be a superb start to the week. We have a recommended bet for that game and also for the Titans @ Colts clash on Sunday. Check out Dave Stevos’ NFL Week 8 Betting tips below.

Thursday 1.20 am: Green Bay Packers (6-1) @ Arizona Cardinals (7-0)

The Cardinals are the only unbeaten team left in the NFL. The jury was out on the arrivals of JJ Watt, AJ Green and Rodney Hudson in the off season but at this stage, they look like inspired additions. Hudson is currently out with a rib injury and that will be an area of weakness for the Cardinals until he returns. Max Garcia has struggled with quite a few snaps in the center and while those errors weren’t severely punished by the Browns or Texans, they won’t keep getting away with it.

Kyler Murray is having a superb season and this is a balanced team. The Cards are top 5 in the NFL for rushing and passing yards gained and they are 8th best at defending the pass. The one area of concern for defensive co-ordinator Vance Joseph is their run defense.

The Cards have allowed 810 rushing yards from 163 snaps and an average of 5 yards per carry. The Packers may not be the team to exploit that weakness but if Arizona are going to win their first ever Superbowl, that is most definitely an aspect of their game they need to improve.

Tough Task for Packers

After an off-season where Aaron Rodgers’ future at Green Bay was in serious doubt, the mercurial QB is getting on with the job in hand. Since their opening day defeat vs the Saints, The Packers have found their stride. They have won every game, including narrow victories against the Bengals, Steelers and 49ers. Matt LaFleur’s men are in a rock solid position in the NFC now but this looks their toughest task to date. The bookmakers agree and the Packers are +6.50 points underdogs to win in Glendale on Thursday night.

The Packers are in the middle of the road on offense for both passing (14th) and rushing (18th). They will be missing key WRs Adams and Lazard on Thursday (Covid). So, RB Aaron Jones will need to come up big for them. Green Bay rank 9th best in the NFL for pass defense but they are not defending the rush well. Only the Cardinals and Chargers have allowed more yards per carry.

Cards Run To Continue

The Arizona Cardinals have an explosive offense and a mean defense. So far, nobody has found a way to beat them. The road win against The Rams was a real statement of intent and no team would have been able to live with them that day. The last couple of victories, against the Texans and 49ers, weren’t as impressive. However, they still managed to get the job done even when they were below their best.

The Packers could struggle without two of Rodgers’ most reliable targets in Adams and Lazard. Kyler Murray, on the other hand, has Hopkins, Green, Kirk, Ertz and Rondale Moore to throw to. It is hard to see how the Packers defense can stop this stacked Cardinals offense. This should be another comfortable Cardinals win and they are worth backing -10.5 points with Pinnacle at odds of 2.49.

NFL Week 8 Betting Tips: Cardinals to win -10.5 points @ 2.49 (Pinnacle)

Sunday 5pm – Tennessee Titans (5-2) @ Indianapolis Colts (3-4)

The Colts have generally struggled in recent games vs Tennessee. They have lost three of their last four against them. The losing margins were 14 points, 19 points and 9 points last time. Carson Wentz has adapted well to life in Indianapolis since moving from the Eagles but he has mixed the sublime with the ridiculous at times. He produced some moments of magic in their win against the 49ers last week, but he also threw a terrible pick and he was lucky not to be intercepted more than once.

Indianapolis have done just okay defensively against the pass (18th). With Derrick Henry on the field, this match will be all about stopping the run. In terms of overall rushing yards allowed, the Colts are 19th with 777 yards. They have only allowed 4.2 yards per carry, which isn’t bad at all.

Offensively, the Colts will look to capitalise on Tennessee’s poor pass defense. Wentz only has 1695 passing yards but he has had seven 40+ yard plays, the third highest in the NFL (and just one INT). The Titans have conceded the 4th highest amount of 40+ yard plays this season so if the Colts are going to win, it will most likely be via the aerial route.

Can Anyone Stop Henry?

There is no doubt about who the best running back in the NFL is right now. Derrick Henry has been sensational for the Titans. He has already racked up 869 rushing yards and a whopping 10 TDs. He rushed for over 100 yards in the week 3 clash against the Colts and while he didn’t score himself, he softened up the defense for his team-mates.

QB Ryan Tannehill has had a decent season so far too. So far he has 1737 passing yards, 7 TDs and 5 interceptions. Tannehill doesn’t take too many risks, as is evidenced by the fact he has had only three plays longer than 40 yards. He hasn’t needed to though, because Henry has excelled and with  him in the team, the Titans can just keep things simple.

The Titans have admittedly thrown in a couple of stinkers this season. On the opening day they were hammered by the Arizona Cardinals. They were even worse when suffering a shock defeat against the Jets in week 4. However, they are back on track now with three wins on the spin, including against the highly rated Bills (34-31) and the Chiefs (27-3).

Titans Can Triumph

The Tennessee Titans have been ultra-impressive recently. They beat two supposed Superbowl contenders in their last two games and if they continue in the same form, Indianapolis will be in for a tough afternoon. Pinnacle are offering odds of 3.32 about the Titans winning -7.5 points and that is too tempting to turn down.

They have covered that spread on three of their last four meetings vs The Colts and I think the bookies have overreacted to the Colts’ win vs an average 49ers outfit last Sunday. The Titans are improving week on week and the way they dismantled the Chiefs was eye-catching. Once Tannehill keeps the turnovers to a minimum, they should be able to cover that 7.5 point spread.

NFL Week 8 Betting Tips: Tennessee Titans to win -7.5 points @ 3.32 (Pinnacle)

Dave Stevos