Home Teams Dominate
After road teams ran wild in Week 7, the home side took it right back in Week 8. Hosts went 10-4 straight up and 10-4 against the spread, a near-perfect reversal of last week's 3-11 ATS showing. Favorites went 11-3 straight up and 9-5 ATS, and all nine favorite covers came at home. The biggest shock came in Dallas, where Arizona beat the Cowboys 33-30 in overtime as 7.5-point underdogs. The league also lost its last unbeaten team: Detroit edged Minnesota 19-15 to drop the Vikings to 6-1, and Denver beat Kansas City 28-24 to hand the Chiefs a second straight loss.
Still Searching: L.A. Chargers (0-7)
The Los Angeles Chargers are still winless after Sunday’s 24-9 loss to the Rams, and the offense is the biggest problem. L.A. is averaging just 14.1 points per game and has been outscored 175-99 through seven games. The best shot at a first win may come this Sunday, when Houston visits SoFi Stadium off its bye. After that, the schedule gets tougher: a Week 10 Monday Night Football trip to Baltimore (4-4), a home date with the Jets, then New England (5-3) on Sunday night. The stretch run includes a Thursday nighter against San Francisco (6-1) and three of the final five against Las Vegas, Kansas City and Denver.
Playoff Race: Who's Moving
Eight weeks in, the contenders are starting to separate. Here's how last week's playoff field and the first teams out fared in Week 8.
AFC
Buffalo (6-1) now owns the AFC's best record after a 36-10 rout of Baltimore, and Kansas City's loss in Denver flipped the AFC West: the Broncos (6-2) now lead the Chiefs (5-2). Pittsburgh (6-2) sits atop the North after beating Cleveland 27-6, with Cincinnati (5-2) right behind and the Browns (5-3) sliding. Jacksonville (5-2) tightened its grip on the South with a 42-7 beatdown of Indianapolis. New England (5-3) won in Miami to stay in the wild-card mix, while Baltimore (4-4) fell back to .500.
NFC
Minnesota (6-1) still leads the NFC North, but the division is getting crowded. Chicago (6-2) won 34-17 in Seattle, and Detroit (5-2) and Green Bay (5-3) both won at home. San Francisco (6-1) and the N.Y. Giants (4-2-1) were on bye. Carolina (3-4) lost 27-19 in Green Bay and slipped under .500. Out West, the Rams (4-4) beat the Chargers 24-9 while Seattle (4-4) dropped to .500, pulling the two even. Atlanta (3-5) was shut out 16-0 in Tampa Bay.
Inside the Numbers - Week 8 Recap
Favorites went 11-3 (79%) straight up and 9-5 (64%) ATS. Home teams dominated with a 10-4 record, both straight up and versus the number. The over and under split 7-7.
| Category | Week 8 | Season |
|---|---|---|
| Straight Up: Favorites-Underdogs | 11-3 | 79-40-1 |
| Straight Up: Home-Away | 10-4 | 62-57-1 |
| ATS: Favorites-Underdogs | 9-5 | 60-60 |
| ATS: Home-Away | 10-4 | 55-65 |
| Total: Over-Under | 7-7 | 62-56-2 |
On Bye in Week 8: Houston, N.Y. Giants, New Orleans, San Francisco
Take the Points
Only three underdogs won outright in Week 8, and all three did it on the road. Arizona was the biggest of them, and Chicago delivered the most lopsided result.
- Arizona (+7.5. +290) defeated Dallas, 33-30 (OT)
- Chicago (+3.5, +150) defeated Seattle, 34-17
- Las Vegas (+2.5, +115) defeated N.Y. Jets, 38-33
Arizona went into Dallas as more than a touchdown underdog and won it in overtime, covering by 10.5 points. Chicago won by 17 in Seattle and covered by 20.5, the biggest underdog cover of the week, to move to 6-2. Las Vegas and the Jets traded scores all afternoon in a 71-point shootout, with the Raiders covering by 7.5.
Two more underdogs covered without winning. Tennessee (+13.5) pushed Cincinnati to overtime before falling 43-36, and Miami (+6.5) lost 24-19 at home to New England.
Totals Breakdown
The over and under split 7-7 in Week 8, and the over is now 62-56-2 for the season.
The biggest miss came in Cincinnati, where Tennessee and the Bengals combined for 79 points on a total of 46.5, 32.5 over the number and the most points of the week. Las Vegas-N.Y. Jets (71 on 46.5) went over by 24.5, Kansas City-Denver (52 on 42) cleared the number by 10, and Arizona-Dallas (63 on 54.5) went over by 8.5.
Atlanta-Tampa Bay produced the fewest points of the week at 16, finishing 26.5 under a 42.5 total for the biggest under of the week. Baltimore-Buffalo had the week's highest total at 55.5 and finished with just 46 points, 9.5 under. L.A. Chargers-L.A. Rams (33 on 46.5) fell 13.5 short, and Minnesota-Detroit (34 on 46.5) finished 12.5 under. Cleveland-Pittsburgh had the week's lowest total at 39 and still stayed under by 6 with 33 points.
