NFL Week 8 Line Movement – Updated Odds, Spreads, and Betting Lines
- Week 8 of the NFL season got underway with Thursday’s Green Bay Packers-Arizona Cardinals game
- Which betting line has moved the most since opening? What’s the smallest spread of the week?
- All of the wagering information on every NFL game is listed below
In the movements of the NFL, win or lose, the Dallas Cowboys tend to tread loudly. Strange isn’t it then, to see the Cowboys go about their business quietly while enjoying their best season in years?
With five wins in a row, America’s Team is clearly back. However, as they head to Minnesota to face the Vikings, the Cowboys are taking a backup position aboard the NFC hype train behind the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers and of course, the Arizona Cardinals, who enter Week 8 as the NFL’s only unbeaten team.
Which games are looking to be the biggest movers and shakers in NFL Week 8 line movement?
Let’s look at that. First, though, check out the how the NFL betting lines are moving for Week 8.
NFL Week 8 Odds
| Matchup | Opening Spread | Current Spread | Opening Total | Current Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers vs Cardinals | ARI -3.5 | ARI -6 | 52.5 | 51 |
| Dolphins vs Bills | BUF -12.5 | BUF -13.5 | 49.5 | 48.5 |
| Panthers vs Falcons | ATL -2.5 | ATL -3.5 | 47.5 | 46.5 |
| Eagles vs Lions | PHI -3 | PHI -3.5 | 48.5 | 48 |
| Titans vs Colts | IND -1 | IND -2 | 49.5 | 51 |
| Rams vs Texans | LAR -14.5 | LAR -14.5 | 45.5 | 48 |
| Bengals vs Jets | CIN -7 | CIN -10.5 | 44 | 42.5 |
| Steelers vs Browns | CLE -3 | CLE -3.5 | OFF | 42.5 |
| 49ers vs Bears | SF -3.5 | SF -3.5 | 43.5 | 39.5 |
| Jaguars vs Seahawks | SEA -3.5 | SEA -3.5 | 43.5 | 44.5 |
| Patriots vs Chargers | LAC -5.5 | LAC -4 | 47.5 | 48.5 |
| Washington vs Broncos | DEN -4 | DEN -3 | OFF | 44.5 |
| Buccaneers vs Saints | TB -4.5 | TB -4.5 | 50.5 | 50 |
| Cowboys vs Vikings | DAL -1.5 | MIN -2.5 | 52.5 | 53.5 |
| Giants vs Chiefs | KC -10 | KC -10 | 53.5 | 52.5 |
Odds as of October 28th at FanDuel.
Bettors Flip Cowboys-Vikings Spread
Thanks to a certain Cowboys’ calf, bettors aren’t bullish on betting Dallas in Week 8. The 5-1 Cowboys opened as the 1.5-point road favorites over the 3-3 Vikings, however, a calf strain suffered by Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott is limiting him in practice reps this week. There’s serious doubt whether he is going to play on Sunday night.
It looks like the Vegas folks have decided that Dak Prescott is likely not starting Sunday night. The line has moved to Vikings -2.5.#DallasCowboys offense last year by DVOA:
Weeks 1-5: +9.8% (11th)
Weeks 6-17: -18.2% (28th)Oof.
— Aaron Schatz 🏈 (@ASchatzNFL) October 28, 2021
A committee consisting of members of the Dallas coaching, training and medical staffs will make the ultimate call on whether Prescott or Cooper Rush are at QB for the Cowboys in Minnesota. Bettors, though, have already spoken with their money.
The line is showing a seismic shift. Currently, it sits at Vikings -2.5. That’s a four-point swing and the largest spread move in the Week 8 NFL lines.
The Incredible Shrinking Bears-49ers Total
The Chicago Bears have scored 17 points over the past two games. By comparison, the San Francisco 49ers are an offensive juggernaut. They’ve piled up 28 points over their last two contests.
The Bears are the NFL’s #30 scoring offense, putting up 14.4 points per game. The Niners are 19th in this department, putting 22.5 points per game on the scoreboard.
Asked if he will start Jimmy Garoppolo vs. the Bears, Kyle Shanahan said: “I would guess so. … We had two QBs hurting this week. Jimmy was able to come back and play. We'll see if Trey [Lance] can next week, we're still not sure yet, but I got a lot of things to figure out.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 25, 2021
Both teams are struggling at the quarterback position. Chicago already made the move from journeyman veteran Andy Dalton to 2021 first round pick Justin Fields. San Francisco might be willing to go with 2021 first round pick Trey Lance in place of stumbling vet Jimmy Garoppolo, only he’s hurt.
Considering all this offensive malaise, is it any wonder that the total on this game shrunk from 43.5 points to 39.5? That four-point dip represents the biggest total move in NFL betting lines this week.
Colts-Titans Spread Surprisingly Tight
Oddsmakers are looking past the recent trend between the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans. The line for this game is set at Colts -2.
Darius Leonard: I never say 'This is a must-win game, but this is a must-win game.'
— Mike Chappell (@mchappell51) October 28, 2021
In the last four meetings between these two AFC South rivals, the average margin of victory is 14.7 points. Yet the betting line on this game opened up with Indianapolis as a 1-point pick at home.
Even with the line doubling in size, the Colts-Titans game is still offering the shortest spread of Week 8.
Houston Has A Spread(ing) Problem
You’ve heard of the Texas two-step? Meet the Texans’ double-digit spread.
For the third week in a row and the fifth time this season, the Houston Texans will be taking field as a double-digit point underdog. They were 20-point underdogs last week against Arizona. Indianapolis was an 11.5-point choice over Houston in Week 6. This is the second week in a row that the Texans can lay claim to being on the wrong end of the largest spread of the week.
The Texans were also 18.5-point underdogs in Week 4 at Buffalo and 13.5-point dogs at Cleveland in Week 2. In fact, they’ve been underdogs of more than 10 points in every road game this season. They are 1-3 against the spread in those four games.
Tiny Total Time At Soldier Field
The game showing the largest movement in the total is also displaying the smallest overall total of Week 8. That would be the San Francisco-Chicago game.
Matt Nagy vs. Kyle Shannahan. A few years ago, this would've been touted as a must-watch game if you're a fan of fantastic offense. Now? Not so much. Two coaches on the hot seat…with Nagy's admittedly a bit hotter. #Bears
— Bryan Perez (@BryanPerezNFL) October 28, 2021
It’s rare for a total on an NFL game to slip below the 40-point barrier but these two teams have managed to do it. The four-point swing in the over-under currently is leaving the 49ers-Bears total at 39.5 points.
A New Chief Of The Biggest Total
The Kansas City Chiefs have dominated positioning each week as one of the two teams in the game featuring the largest total. It looked like that streak would hold. The Giants-Chiefs game opened as #1 in this department at 53.5 points.
The Sunday Scaries are coming for you.@dallascowboys vs. @Vikings on Halloween night 🎃
👀 Watch week 8 of Sunday Night Football on NBC and @peacockTV. pic.twitter.com/xF3pEPExSv
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) October 25, 2021
However, while the KC-Giants game slid back to 52.5 points, the Vikings-Cowboys contest increased from 52.5 to 53.5, thus claiming the highest total honors for the Week 8 NFL betting lines.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
