NFL Week 8: What we learned
We're nearly halfway through the NFL regular season, and make no mistake about it, there's some serious trends. Hate to sound like a broken record here, but very little has changed recently. The under is still hitting nearly 60% of the time, the Eagles are still undefeated, the Buccaneers and Packers look lost and keep losing, and there's now a three-way tie for the best team against the spread.
Are the Eagles the next 1972 Dolphins or the next 2007 New England Patriots?
The only NFL team to ever go undefeated is the 1972 Miami Dolphins. The 2007 New England Patriots finished the regular season undefeated, but lost to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl. Is there a chance Philadelphia could be the next '72 Dolphins or '07 Patriots? It's certainly possible, but still, a little too early to tell.
The Eagles crushed the Steelers, 35-17, on Sunday, and they should have no trouble on Thursday night against the 1-5-1 Houston Texans. And if you dare to look ahead at the Eagles remaining schedule, it's not all that difficult. Philadelphia's toughest game will probably be on Christmas Eve on the road against Dallas, but outside of that — two games against the Giants, home vs. Washington, Tennessee, Green Bay and New Orleans, and on the road against Chicago and Indianapolis — running the table is certainly possible. Ten consecutive wins to close out the regular season is certainly a tall task, but it's definitely something to keep an eye on moving forward.
Unders on pace to hit again
The under failed to finish .500 or better for the first time this season in week eight, however, the under is still hitting 58% of the time. Denver and Indianapolis are the two best teams against the under at 7-1, while Buffalo is just one game behind at 6-1.
Atlanta fails to cover spread for second straight week, now tied for best ATS record
Atlanta (-4) failed to cover the spread this week by a point, and are now tied with Dallas and the New York Giants at 6-2 for the best ATS record. The Cowboys blew out the Bears, 49-29, on Sunday, and now covered the spread in consecutive weeks. And despite failing to cover as an underdog for the first time this season after losing to Seattle, 27-13, the Giants are still 6-2 against the spread.
Cashed out too soon
One bettor would have won over $25,000 on a four-leg multi-touchdown parlay, but cashed out after the first three legs hit. The bettor put $10 on Alvin Kamara, A.J. Brown, Jaylen Waddle and Derrick Henry to each record 2+ touchdowns, and all four did. Despite cashing out after Kamara, Brown and Waddle each scored 2+ touchdowns during the noon slate of games, they still made nearly $2,500.
Road teams keep winning in International Series
The NFL resumed its International Series on Sunday morning, and the designated "road team" has yet to lose after Denver rallied late in the fourth quarter to defeat Jacksonville, 21-17. The next international game is in two weeks in Germany, where Tampa Bay will serve as the home team against Seattle.
Heading into Week 9
If you thought it couldn't get any worse for Tampa Bay and Green Bay, you thought wrong. The Bucs have now dropped three straight games after losing to the Ravens on Thursday night, and Tom Brady is now two games under .500 for the first time in his 23-year NFL career. Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have loss four straight games for the first time since 2016 after losing to Buffalo on Sunday night. To top it off, Green Bay is now 3.5 games behind Minnesota for first in the NFC North.
Detroit remains the worst team in the NFL after losing its fifth straight game to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. The Lions are now 1-6 on the season, but face the slumping Packers at home next week.
The NFC South still remains the only division in football without a team above .500. However, Atlanta did take sole possession of first place in the NFC South after defeating the Carolina Panthers in overtime on Sunday.
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