NFL Week 8 Picks: TV Schedule, Coverage Maps, Odds And Predictions Against The Spread

The 2020 NFL season is coming up on the midpoint with the bulk of Week 8 on tap today. The Sunday schedule is an exciting one, beginning with eight games simultaneously kicking off in the early afternoon. None is bigger than the latest edition of the all-time great rivalry between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, two of the best teams the league has to offer in 2020 and involving the last remaining unbeaten squad in the Steelers. The late afternoon has just three contests in the window, but two of them should be nothing short of thrilling with the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints going head-to-head in a pivotal NFC clash and the Seattle Seahawks hosting the San Francisco 49ers for an NFC West rivalry battle.

Week 8 winds down with the NFC East taking center stage when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football and the schedule finishes up with the New York Giants squaring off with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. This action-packed week of pigskin can be a bit overwhelming to bet on, which is why Jon Price of SportsInformationTraders.com is pitching in to help readers and sent along a couple of his best bets for the day. Before seeing which teams the pro handicapper is suggesting you take against the spread in some of Sunday’s top matchups, take a look at the start times, TV channels, coverage maps, updated odds and more for every Week 8 game of the 2020 NFL season.

NFL Week 8 Schedule And Odds

Sunday, Nov. 1

• Indianapolis Colts (-3) at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. (CBS)
• Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers (-6), 1 p.m. (FOX)
• New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills (-4), 1 p.m. (CBS)
• Tennessee Titans (-6.5) at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. (CBS)
• Las Vegas Raiders at Cleveland Browns (-1.5), 1 p.m. (FOX)
• New York Jets at Kansas City Chiefs (-20), 1 p.m. (CBS)
• Los Angeles Rams (-3.5) at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. (FOX)
• Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens (-4), 1 p.m. (CBS)
• Los Angeles Chargers (-3.5) at Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m. (CBS)
• New Orleans Saints (-4) at Chicago Bears, 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
• San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks (-3), 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
• Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles (-10.5), 8:20 p.m. (NBC)

Monday, Nov. 2

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-10.5) at New York Giants, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)

Week 8 NFL TV Coverage Maps And Announcers

NFL Week 8 Picks

Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens

The only team that still remains undefeated during the 2020 NFL season isn’t one that many expected going into the campaign. The Steelers surprisingly stand alone with an unblemished record in Week 8, but they aren’t favored to move to 7-0 after their trip to Baltimore to take on the rival Ravens this afternoon. Oddsmakers have installed 5-1 Baltimore as a four-point home favorite for this AFC North clash, which is likely to be one of the hardest-hitting, fiercely contested games of Week 8.

Albert Breer can’t believe that the Steelers-Ravens isn’t a primetime game in Week 8:

The Ravens have gotten the better of Pittsburgh more often than not over the past two seasons, outright winning three of the last four matchups, pulling off a regular season sweep in 2019. Pittsburgh’s last win in the series came in November of 2018, when they escaped M&T Bank Stadium with a 23-16 victory as 1.5-point underdogs. Interestingly enough, the ‘dog in this rivalry has often been the correct betting play, covering in five consecutive matchups and going 9-1-1 ATS over the last 11 games between these teams.  The side getting points has also outright won in three of the last four contests, including the most recent bout in December of last year when the Ravens dominated their foe by a 28-10 margin despite the Steelers laying two points on the road.

Ravens veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell spoke about how excited he is to be part of this rivalry after observing it for years as a member of other organizations (via Post-Gazette.com):

“This is the game that they say, ‘You’re not really a Raven until you play against the Steelers.’ So, I’m looking forward to the opportunity; it’s going to be a great game. I’m a football fan. I’ve been watching football all my life and have been playing it long enough to know … there’s no bigger rivalry in sports, in professional sports, in my opinion, than this matchup. As a football fan, I’ve watched it from afar for plenty of years; I’m happy to finally be in it.”

Price advises to once again go with the ‘dog in what should be slugfest in the first meeting of the 2020 NFL season between these bitter enemies. Both squads boast strong defenses that rank within the top-10 in the league, with Pittsburgh pacing all teams by allowing a meager 286.3 yards per game to the opposition. Baltimore’s offense hasn’t been as electrifying as it was last year either, coming into Week 8 as the sixth-worst in the NFL in yards per game (342.2) despite averaging a healthy 29.8 points. That is the eighth most in the league, but still behind their upcoming opponent that ranks No. 6 with a 30.5 PPG average. Expect a close one in Maryland today, but ultimately the Steelers have been the better program and keep their undefeated streak going with a statement win over the Ravens.

Pick: Steelers +4

Prediction: Steelers 23 – Ravens 20

New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears

This showdown is a critical one for two of the NFC’s top teams. Neither the 4-2 Saints or 5-2 Bears currently lead their respective divisions, but are both right in the hunt and can’t afford to lose ground as the back half of the 2020 NFL season approaches. Chicago is trailing the 5-1 Packers for the top spot in the NFC North, while New Orleans is looking to keep pace with the 5-2 Buccaneers in what is shaping up to be an ultra-competitive race for the NFC South crown. The bookmakers like the Saints to emerge with a “W” in Week 8, putting them up on the board as a four-point favorite for their late-afternoon showdown in the Windy City.

New Orleans has had little trouble with the Bears in recent matchups, going 5-0 both straight-up and against the spread across the last five meetings with this opponent dating back to the start of the 2011 campaign. These teams last met in late October 2019, when the Saints went into Soldier Field as four-point underdogs and left with a convincing 36-25 victory, almost singlehandedly eclipsing the game’s total that was set at 37 points. Despite that contest occurring just over a year ago, both starting quarterbacks in today’s game will be different. The Saints will have Drew Brees under center, the veteran signal-caller who was sidelined with an injury at the time while backup Teddy Bridgewater—now with the Carolina Panthers—filled in admirably. The Bears have moved on from former first-round pick Mitchell Trubisky, who struggled to get the offense going despite Chicago starting the 2020 NFL season with an impressive record. Nick Foles, who took over the starting QB gig in Week 4, hasn’t exactly sparked the offense—which ranks near the bottom of the league in total yardage (308 YPG) scoring (19.7 PPG)—to greatness, but the former Super Bowl MVP did guide the club to wins in three of his first four appearances. He had his worst game as a Bear last week in a 24-10 loss to the Rams, however, completing just 28-of-40 passes for 261 yards and no touchdowns with two interceptions while getting sacked four times.

NFL Stats pointed out that these are two of the most penalized teams in the league during the 2020 season:

Chicago is catching a break in Week 8 with some injuries on the New Orleans side, as the visitor will be missing both of its top receiving weapons in Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. The Saints narrowly earned a 27-24 win last Sunday against the divisional rival Panthers and have only won their last two outings by a combined six points, needing a field goal in overtime to beat the Chargers in Week 5. Although their receiving corps may be depleted, New Orleans still features a dynamic offense that is capable of manufacturing points at an elite level. They have one of the game’s best and most versatile backs in Alvin Kamara and shouldn’t be stymied too much in Week 8, even matching up against one of the league’s better defenses on the road. Four points isn’t enough to make Chicago an enticing home underdog play today, so lay the points and go with the better side to win by at least a touchdown in this key NFC affair.

Pick: Saints -4

Prediction: Saints 28 – Bears 21