NFL Betting: Week 8 Recap and Wagering News

Fantasy football fans saw some eye-popping numbers in Week 8 of the football season. From Calvin Johnson’s 329 receiving yards, to Matt Stafford’s 488 passing yards to Drew Brees’ five touchdown passes, there was some video game-like numbers.

Bettors also had quite the fun day and we’ve got the major points recapped for you in our weekly rundown:

The AFC is Weakening

A few weeks ago, we shared some NFL betting tips with you that illustrated that the AFC was much stronger than the NFC. At the time, most of the teams were above .500. Fast forward to the end of Week 8 and the AFC is looking pretty frail.

When you start to look at the NFL lines for the Super Bowl and consider who’s really a contender, it’s a pretty short list in the AFC. As of right now, the top two teams in the conference are the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals are viewed with plenty of skepticism and the Chiefs – while undefeated – barely beat the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans at home the last two weeks.

Then there’s the New England Patriots, who are 6-2, but they couldn’t even beat the New York Jets last week. Even at home this week, they had to climb out of a 14-0 deficit, which Miami did their best to help them do.

And how about the Denver Broncos? Once untouchable, the Broncos lost last week to the Indianapolis Colts and then found themselves trailing 21-7 in the third quarter at home against Washington this week. They eventually ended up covering the NFL betting odds but let’s face it: this once super team has looked very human the last couple of weeks.

After that, there’s the San Diego Chargers, who currently occupy the sixth playoff spot, followed by the Jets, Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens – none of whom are above .500. Things have changed quite a bit in just a few weeks.

Totals Betting: Over We Go

NFL online betting handicappers who figured the colder temperatures might lead to lower scoring affairs were disappointed. The overs had yet another good day with eight of the 12 contests climbing over the number. Four of those contests saw a whopping 58 points or more.

Significant Injuries to Note

Robert Griffin III, Washington Redskins

Breathe easy: it doesn’t appear to be serious. As the Redskins were getting blown out in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos, RGIII took all of the weight of defensive tackle Terrance Knighton on his right knee and was forced out of the game. Apparently it was just a precaution and it’s not the same knee that was surgically repaired this offseason. However, those who bet on the NFL should keep an eye on it.

Michael Vick, Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles rushed Vick back into the lineup this week and it cost them. He aggravated his nagging hamstring injury and was pulled from the game. Don’t expect to see any NFL odds on the Eagles next game (in Oakland) until we know more about Vick’s situation.

Stinging NFL Point Spread Loss of the Week…

Those who had the Washington Redskins +14 points on the NFL point spread are hurting right now. Early in the third quarter, the Redskins held a 14-point lead, which means that with the points, they were ahead by 28 points. That looked fantastic until the Broncos scored 38 unanswered points in the second half to win by 24. That’s a tough pill to swallow for Redskins backers.