NFL Week 8 Picks: Chargers upset Patriots, plus more of Will Brinson's best bets

Five best bets from Week 8 that are guaranteed to be better than last week

By Will Brinson

Oct 27, 2017 at 9:29 am ET • 5 min read

Sometimes you dive into the crevasse and sometimes the crevasse just eats you alive. That happened last week, a very bad week for anyone who liked any underdogs. Boy, oh boy did I like some dogs. They were all losers.

I got carved up by my best bets. The good news is, this week's picks will be better or I will refund you the money you paid for this story.

But seriously, we're going to get hot at some point. It might be too late when it happens but there is going to be a stretch of games where this column gets warm. The biggest issue with the NFL is we're seeing even more parity this year and even more instances where teams completely no-show.

Everyone is a Jekyll and Hyde out there this season, with very few exceptions. Let's catch some Hydes. Or Jekylls. Whatever you like. (Theoretically Jekyll is better because he's less terrifying, but if you were picking a fictional character to represent your football picks, I think you would want to have Hyde. Debate among yourselves.)

Point out my wins/losses to me on Twitter @WillBrinson, check out all of our CBS Sports NFL Week 8 Expert Picks right here and check my full NFL Week 8 picks against the spread right here.

Panthers +2 at Buccaneers

Speaking of teams that are wildly up and wildly down, the Carolina Panthers absolutely qualify. They are 4-3 and have looked, for at least a two-game stretch this season, like one of the best teams in the NFL. At other points, the Panthers have looked terrible. They looked terrible against the Bears on Sunday in Chicago, losing to a team that threw the ball seven times. The last team to do that was the Chiefs in 2010 when they lost to Tim Tebow and the Broncos. Yes, former Panthers coach John Fox was in play both times.

But this reminds me of the Panthers' setup before their win against the Patriots a few weeks ago. Cam Newton is in a spat with a media member, Carolina looks discombobulated, the Panthers are traveling along the East Coast for a matchup as an underdog against a bad defense. Tampa Bay is losing bodies and not getting a ton of play from its defensive line -- the Bucs gave up 68 points the past two weeks to the Cardinals and Bills. Yikes. Give me the points and I like the Panthers to put up a ton of offense in a surprising game that reminds us we know nothing about anything.

Saints -9 vs. Bears

Chicago has been a frisky team at home this season, producing two impressive wins (Carolina, Pittsburgh) and nearly another steal of a win (Atlanta). But in their three games on the road, they lost to the Bucs (?) by 22 (??), lost to the Packers by 21 and beat the Ravens by 3 in overtime. Throw the Baltimore game out; Mitchell Trubisky wasn't exactly dominant in that spot either.

The New Orleans defense is playing at a high level right now and can slow down the Bears offense. The Saints' offense is starting to get rolling thanks to Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, plus you know Drew Brees is good and he will continue to be just that against the Bears. The Bears don't have the firepower to keep up with the Saints a la the Lions a few weeks ago, and New Orleans wins this one easily.

Chargers +7 at Patriots

The 1 p.m. ET start is concerning for Los Angeles here, but I don't think it matters when Philip Rivers and Co. are just happy to be getting away from a home crowd that doesn't typically treat them well. New England isn't a fun place to play, and it might end up being bad weather for this game, but the Chargers will be fine. Their pass rush with Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram can put pressure on Tom Brady and keep the Patriots from piling up massive numbers. The loss of Dont'a Hightower is a massive one for the Patriots and I see another struggle on defense for New England against a Bolts team that is starting to get rolling a bit.

Fun read here from Mike Reiss of ESPN on Bill Belichick talking about Philip Rivers. He's a fan. He might not be come Sunday, because I believe the Chargers win this game outright. Moneyline it, kids.

Jets +4.5 vs. Falcons

The Falcons look like the easy pick here right? But why? Atlanta can't get its offense going, managing to produce just 44 points in three games against AFC East opponents, including two games at home, one of which was a 20-17 loss to the Dolphins. Did you see the Dolphins on Thursday night? Woof, Buzz, your girlfriend.

Atlanta might ultimately win this game, but I think the Jets can double team Julio Jones and dare the other guys to beat them. Steve Sarkisian is in his own head right now and can't call plays the way he wants. Matt Ryan isn't picking up chunk yardage and the line isn't protecting him enough -- the Jets can get to him. Josh McCown is actually playing well! I like the Jets to win this game, frankly.

Redskins +2 vs. Cowboys

Washington has been one of those Jekyll and Hyde teams this season. They blasted the Rams in L.A., got banged around by the Eagles last week and now are dogs at home. But it's just too obvious -- people are all over the Cowboys after they hammered the 49ers in San Francisco, with that pick bolstered by the Redskins losing.

Josh Norman should be back for this game (limited in practice Wednesday and Thursday), and if he can lock down Dez Bryant, the Redskins can stack the box and limit what Ezekiel Elliott can do in the run game. The Redskins are about on par with the Cowboys and they shouldn't be home dogs in this situation. Give me the Redskins to win the game outright.