NFL Betting Week 8: Bill Belichick vs. Zach Wilson
Yahoo fantasy football analyst Scott Pianowski reveals his weekly NFL betting ticket in his Throwing Darts column. Check out where he's putting his jelly beans for Week 8. All lines courtesy of our friends at BetMGM.
After six winning weeks to open the year, we had a step back in Week 7. It’s going to happen. The NFL humbles all of us sooner or later. Keep the head down, and keep grinding.
Patriots -2.5 at Jets
The shocker for New England last week wasn’t the quarterback mishmash, it was the no-show from the defense. Chicago ran all over the Patriots and controlled third down as well. But Bill Belichick has dominated the Jets in recent years, and without Breece Hall, the Jets have to use Zach Wilson more than they’d like. When a respectable team is embarrassed, I often like to back that team the next week.
This is one of those spots.
Lions +3.5 vs. Dolphins
Detroit’s tailspin looks worse on the scoreboard than it does on the stat page. The Lions and Cowboys were roughly even in yards, but critical errors in key spots — like a Jamaal Williams fumble at the goal line — turned a competitive game into a blowout. Detroit should put up a competitive effort back home.
Seahawks -3 vs. Giants
With all due respect to Brian Daboll, we can all tell the 6-1 Giants are a mirage. They’ve been outgained in three of their victories, and the defense ranks 29th in DVOA. Seattle isn’t a Super Bowl threat either, but the Seahawks have a better offense, a mildly better defense and a legitimate home-fuel advantage. I’ll spot the points.
Rams +1.5 vs. 49ers
Kyle Shanahan has owned this series — if you’re kind enough to ignore last year’s NFC Championship Game — but there’s been line movement to reflect that. If this game were in San Francisco, the Niners apparently would be 7.5-point favorites. The Rams certainly have leaks in the ship, but they’re rested off the bye and the San Francisco defense won’t be the same unit that dominated Los Angeles a few weeks ago.
Browns +3 vs. Bengals
Cleveland’s play on the field is uninspiring — other than the Nick Chubb plays — but it’s a divisional game, a prime-time game, and the Bengals just lost Ja’Marr Chase. Sometimes it’s about holding your nose and taking the ugly side.
Last Week: 1-4
Season: 24-11
Pianow's historical Throwing Darts record (only two losing seasons in 13 years) and 2022 weekly results are listed here.
