The Minnesota Vikings are the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL, as the San Francisco 49ers were handed their first loss by the Atlanta Falcons, while the Kansas City Chiefs took their first "L" to the Seattle Seahawks. The Vikings have a massive matchup this week, as they take on the high-flying Lions in Detroit. Elsewhere around the NFL, Lamar Jackson looks to make his return to the field against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers face off for the second time in the last month, and the Chicago Bears travel out west to play Sam Darnold and the Seahawks.
Which teams should you pick in Week 8, and which should you fade? CBS Sports writers Jordan Dajani and Jared Dubin are here to break down the biggest games of the weekend. For clarity, lines for these selections were taken on Oct. 27 over at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Dajani (Packers -3.5): I'm willing to overlook the Carolina Panthers' surprising 43-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They are a better team than what they showed last Sunday, but it's difficult to overlook the fact that Carolina's rushing defense ranks dead last in the NFL with 153.2 yards allowed per game. Josh Jacobs rushed for just 36 yards on 11 carries last week against the Lions in his 2026 debut, but I think he's in for a massive homecoming in primetime on a short week.
I'm not saying the Packers run away with this one, but I'll take them to cover 3.5 points. … Prediction: Packers 27, Panthers 23 Dubin (Packers -3.5): It was surprising to see the Panthers get smacked in the face by the Buccaneers last week. The Packers probably can't do the same thing the Bucs did — run the ball down Carolina's throat — but they can still beat that defense with explosive plays. With the top two cornerbacks still out, Christian Watson and Matthew Golden (if he plays) are going to be able to find space in the defense.
Green Bay's own defense has also played better of late after a rough start to the season. … Prediction: Packers 24, Panthers 17 Dajani (Ravens +3.5): Ignore that Baltimore allowed 35 unanswered points to the Cincinnati Bengals last week, because it appears that Lamar Jackson is back! He was playing some legitimate MVP-level ball before getting hurt, as Jackson went 3-1 as the starter, while completing 70.8% of his passes with 10.1 yards per attempt, six passing touchdowns and just one interception. Only four quarterbacks have put up those kinds of numbers in their first four starts of a season in the past 40 years.
The Ravens are a completely different team with Jackson under center, and this Bills defense allows too many points. Buffalo ranks third-worst in scoring defense (28.5 ppg), and has allowed at least 30 points in four of its five victories this season. Jackson is 10-5 SU and 13-2 ATS as an underdog in his career.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
