NFL Odds: Vikings, Buccaneers Among Betting Favorites In NFL Week 8
The Minnesota Vikings once again will be without quarterback Sam Bradford when they take the field in London on Sunday to face the winless Cleveland Browns as 9.5-point favorites on the NFL Week 8 odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Bradford will be sidelined for a third straight week as he recovers from a knee injury that has plagued him all season. Minnesota has recorded three straight victories in his absence to seize control of the top spot in the NFC North standings going into Sunday morning’s Vikings vs. Browns betting matchup at Twickenham Stadium.
Case Keenum has produced mixed results as Bradford’s replacement; he has five touchdown passes in five appearances, but failed to find the end zone in last week’s 24-16 win over the Baltimore Ravens as 5.5-point home chalk and was limited in practice this week as he nursed an upper-body injury.
The Browns travel to England in search of just their second straight-up victory in 27 games. Cleveland’s offense has been invisible in four home dates this season, averaging just 12 points per game. But the Browns have tallied 19.75 points per game in their past four away from FirstEnergy Stadium, and recorded a 31-27 win as 6.5-point road underdogs in a 2013 meeting with the Vikings.
The status of Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston also remains uncertain ahead of the Buccaneers’ date with the Carolina Panthers as 2-point home favorites this weekend.
Winston has been limited in practice since throwing for 384 yards and three touchdowns last weekend in Buffalo. That performance was not enough to prevent a 30-27 loss to the Bills as 3-point underdogs, extending the Buccaneers’ SU losing streak to three games and their winless streak against the spread to five.
The Panthers are coming off a stunning 17-2 loss to the Chicago Bears as 2.5-point favorites. That marks their second straight outright loss as betting chalk after recording back-to-back SU wins as underdogs. Carolina remains just a half-game back of first-place New Orleans in the NFC South, but trail the favored Saints as a +250 bet to claim their fourth divisional crown in five years.
In other NFL Week 8 action, the Oakland Raiders will be without suspended rusher Marshawn Lynch in their visit to Buffalo as 2.5-point underdogs. Lynch leads a feeble Raiders’ ground attack with just 38 rushing yards per game. Conversely, the Bills own the NFL’s third-ranked rush defense, and are unbeaten SU and ATS in three home dates this season.
As well, the Saints are pegged as 9-point home favorites as they take on the Bears, who look to extend their rare SU win streak to three games.
Thumbnail photo via Mark Konezny/USA TODAY Sports Images
