I finished 7-7 against the spread with my picks last week.

I struggled during the early games on Sunday, but did hit the rare trifecta of Primetime games (Thursday, Sunday and Monday). I needed those games to break even for the week.

The NFL trade deadline is October 29th. There have been a few trades that happened this week and chances are that a couple may still happen before this week’s slate of games. Keep an eye on the transactions and it could be smart to try and bet later in the week to avoid any possible blockbuster trades. My gut thinks the trades may be done for the week and next week will be the week where trades could screw up any early week bets. 

We pick every NFL game against the spread and throw out a few upsets in Week 8 of the 2019 NFL season.

Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings (-16) – My pick is Minnesota Vikings

I wouldn’t normally take such a huge point spread on a Thursday, but the Redskins are THAT bad right now. Also, the favorites on Thursday have been paying out big all season. Minnesota has been playing so much better now that QB Kirk Cousins seems to have fixed his mechanics and overall confidence. The Vikings secondary should really put a hurting on the Redskins passing offense. The Vikings may not need to score a ton to cover this point spread, so I’m taking Minnesota.

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons (+5.5) – My pick is Seattle Seahawks

Seattle did not play well at home against Baltimore a week ago. Seattle QB Russell Wilson will do much, much better against the bad Falcons pass defense. Both teams were on opposite ends of trades this week. Seattle added to their secondary depth by adding safety Quandre Diggs and Atlanta traded away WR Mohamed Sanu to New England. This may have been the first sign that the Falcons are packing it in for the season. Seattle should cover this one on the road.

Los Angeles Chargers at Chicago Bears (-4) – My pick is Los Angeles Chargers

Both teams come into this game on losing streaks. The Bears haven’t looked right since their loss to Oakland in London. The Chargers haven’t looked right all season. The advantage I see in this game is the Chargers running game. RB Melvin Gordon has a couple games under his belt and he should be in football shape at this point. RB Austin Ekeler has stepped up in the passing game. Another recent addition for the Chargers is TE Hunter Henry, who returned from injury in Week 6. The Bears will need a strong game from QB Mitchell Trubisky if they hope to keep this game close. Their running game has been non-existent and I don’t see Trubisky being enough to cover, I have to take the points.

Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints (-9.5) – My pick is New Orleans Saints

It appears that the Saints could get QB Drew Brees back this week. They were undefeated without him, but they are definitely a better team with him under center. The Cardinals are on a winning streak and have been solid against the spread for most of the year. They got CB Patrick Peterson back from suspension and he helped secure last week’s win against the Giants. Arizona’s pass defense was really bad without Peterson and there are rumors that they are shopping him around for a trade. I think Brees will have a big game and cover against the Cardinals.

New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars (-6) – My pick is Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jets are coming off a complete beatdown from the Patriots on Monday night. Jets QB Sam Darnold threw four interceptions and didn’t even crack 100 passing yards. He played well in his first game from mono in a win over Dallas, but couldn’t do it two weeks in a row. The Jaguars are coming off a comeback win against the Bengals, but needed Bengals QB Andy Dalton to implode to secure the win. I like what I’m seeing from Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette and QB Gardner Minshew is doing enough to keep the Jaguars competitive in games. The Jags pass defense should have a huge advantage over Darnold. The Jets may try to run the ball more with RB Le’Veon Bell, but I still think they cover this game at home.

Philadelphia Eagles at Buffalo Bills (-1.5) – My pick is Buffalo Bills

This pick is more about the Bills defense than anything else. Also, Philly QB Carson Wentz is struggling right now. I don’t like their run game against the Bills young front-seven. Buffalo’s offense isn’t easy to watch, but I think they will do enough to cover at home.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tennessee Titans (-2.5) – My pick is Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs really needed a bye week after seeing QB Jameis Winston throw five interceptions against Carolina. They were playing great until that game. The Titans benched QB Marcus Mariota last week and saw QB Ryan Tannehill lead them to a 23-20 win over the Chargers. He wasn’t perfect, but he was able to convert some third downs and do just enough to fight off a comeback. The Bucs should probably be favored in this game, but the public still has that poor performance by Winston in their minds. I’m taking the points.

Cincinnati Bengals at Los Angeles Rams (-13) – My pick is Los Angeles Rams

The Bengals are winless on the year thanks to their quarterback. Bengals QB Andy Dalton threw three picks late in last week’s loss to the Jaguars. He faces a former Jags defender this week in new Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey. I really like the Rams in this game. They finally have a shutdown corner to go with a solid pass rush. Dalton will have fits in this game and I’m taking the Rams to cover.

Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts (-6) – My pick is Indianapolis Colts

The Colts are finally getting some respect from Vegas. They are 4-1-1 ATS on the year, so this line is about where it should be. Colts QB Jacoby Brissett has been playing great and they finally got back LB Darius Leonard from injury. He came up big last game and picked off Texans QB Deshaun Watson. Denver is coming off a 30-6 loss against the Chiefs. It was a disappointing loss since QB Patrick Mahomes was injured for a huge portion of the game. They couldn’t get the running game going and QB Joe Flacco wasn’t moving the ball down the field. The Colts are solid against the run and if they can limit Denver on the ground, they should cover at home.

New York Giants at Detroit Lions (-7) – My pick is New York Giants

The Lions haven’t been very good against the run lately. The Giants were able to get star RB Saquon Barkley back from injury last week. He should have a coming out party against the Lions. The Giants aren’t a horrible team when they have Golden Tate back from suspension and Barkley back from injury. The Lions are struggling right now and just traded a starting safety to Seattle for little in return. I think this game will be closer than people think and I’ll take the points.

Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers (-5.5) – My pick is San Francisco 49ers

I wasn’t on the Niners bandwagon early this season, but their defense has really changed my tune. They have put a stranglehold on the running game and the Panthers really only win games if they can get RB Christian McCaffrey going on the ground and in the passing game. I don’t see that happening on the road against the Niners. I have the take the Niners to cover at home.

Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans (-6.5) – My pick is Houston Texans

This pick took the longest to forge my pick. The Texans are coming off a loss to the Colts and they lost WR Will Fuller to a hamstring issue that will keep him out this week. The Raiders are coming off a beating by the hands of Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, who threw five touchdowns against them last week. This is basically the Raiders fifth-straight road game. Their London game counted as a home game for them (technically), but this road stretch is starting to take its toll. The Texans should spam the ball towards WR DeAndre Hopkins and take advantage of the injury-ridden Raiders secondary. I’m taking the Texans to cover at home.

Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots (-13) – My pick is New England Patriots

Last week, the Patriots destroyed the confidence of Jets QB Sam Darnold on national television. They face another sophomore quarterback this week and Browns QB Baker Mayfield has been a turnover machine so far this season. The Browns have a lot of talent on their team, but they haven’t put it together this season. I don’t have much faith in Mayfield right now, especially against Bill Belichick’s defensive gameplan. I have to go with New England to cover at home.

Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs (+4.5) – My pick is Green Bay Packers

The Packers have been a surprising team this season. I thought they were going to be an 8-8 team before the season started. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers is having a bounce-back season and they should thank their offensive line. Green Bay’s running game has helped Rodgers more than anything and the blocking has been there for the Packers. The Chiefs will be without QB Patrick Mahomes (dislocated kneecap) and will start career backup QB Matt Moore. Moore wasn’t horrible stepping into last week’s win over Denver, but there was a noticeable talent difference. I have to go with Green Bay to cover against a Mahomes-less Chiefs team.

Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers (-14.5) – My pick is Miami Dolphins

The Steelers are probably among the worst six teams in the NFL. They’ve dealt with a number unfortunate injuries that have crippled their team. Luckily for Pittsburgh, they are playing one of the two NFL teams left without a win. The Dolphins have covered in their last two losses and their defense is the reason for this turnaround. Teams aren’t completely dominating them on that side of the ball like they were in the first few weeks of the season. The Steelers will most likely win this game on Monday Night Football, but the Dolphins defense will keep them within 14.5 points.

*These picks are for entertainment purposes

Sweetbob’s NFL picks against the spread record in previous seasons:
2013: 133-95-10
2014: 131-114-9
2015: 150-108-9
2016: 143-120-13
2017: 144-115-16
2018: 141-118-13
2019: 56-50-0

Follow us on Twitter @Sweetbob & ‘LIKE’ us on Facebook!

About the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob