NFL Week 8 features several key divisional and conference matchups despite four teams — the Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, and San Francisco 49ers — being on bye weeks. Notable divisional games include the Minnesota Vikings at the Detroit Lions (Lions favored by 3.5 points), the Atlanta Falcons at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Buccaneers -2.5), the Cleveland Browns at the Pittsburgh Steelers (Steelers -3.5), the Indianapolis Colts at the Jacksonville Jaguars (Jaguars -10), the Kansas City Chiefs at the Denver Broncos (Broncos +1.5), the New England Patriots at the Miami Dolphins (Dolphins +7), and the Philadelphia Eagles at the Washington Commanders (Commanders -5.5). Key intraconference matchups include the Baltimore Ravens at the Buffalo Bills (Bills -3) and the Arizona Cardinals at the Dallas Cowboys (Cowboys -7). The week concludes with a Monday Night Football matchup between the defending NFC North champion Chicago Bears and the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks (Seahawks -3) in a key NFC contest.
Notable roster moves and injuries
Chicago recently acquired three-time All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons via trade. Seattle running back Zach Charbonnet, who has been sidelined with a knee injury, is expected to make his season debut.
SportsLine AI predictions for Week 8
SportsLine's self-learning AI model, developed by its Data Science team, has evaluated the odds for every Week 8 game. The system uses historical team data and assigns a matchup score out of 100 to evaluate opponent defensive strength. Since the start of the 2023 season, the AI has reportedly hit thousands of 4.5- and 5-star prop picks.
Patriots vs. Dolphins: AI projects close game
For the Patriots-Dolphins matchup, the AI projects a 31-28 victory for New England. The Patriots, who won the AFC East title last season, sit second in the division at 4-3, behind the 5-1 Buffalo Bills. The Dolphins are fourth at 1-5, coming off a 28-25 win over the New York Jets.
Miami's offense is led by quarterback Malik Willis, who has completed 57.6% of his passes for 1,057 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions, while adding 35 rushes for 223 yards (6.4 average) and three touchdowns. Running back Ollie Gordon has 72 carries for 339 yards and four touchdowns. New England's offense is directed by third-year quarterback Drake Maye, who in seven starts has completed 65.9% of his passes for 1,784 yards, 13 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. His top target is tight end Hunter Henry, with 26 receptions for 296 yards and two touchdowns.
The AI model favors the over on the 44.5-point total and identifies the Dolphins (+7) as the better value against the spread.
Additional AI picks
SportsLine AI has also generated several other high-confidence picks for Week 8. The system has recorded more than 2,000 highly-rated picks since the start of the 2023 season.
