There are only 13 games this week, as six teams are on bye. The 49ers and Texans meet in Houston, and the Texans are favored, despite being 2-4 and having one of the worst offenses in football. How low-scoring will that game between two of the best defenses in football really be? Then in Denver, the Cowboys and Broncos meet for a matchup that promises to be one of the highest-scoring of the week. While in Indianapolis, the Colts look to dominate the Titans for the second time this season.
Here are the best NFL Week 8 longshot bets.
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Best NFL Week 8 Longshot Bets
(Odds Courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
49ers vs. Texans Under 28.5 (+560)
The Texans gave up a season-high 27 points last week, but they still have the top scoring defense in the league, allowing just 14.7 points per game. They've held five of their six opponents to 20 points or fewer, and they already have three games with fewer than 28.5 points this season.
The 49ers have also been excellent defensively, allowing just 19.7 points per contest. They just held the Falcons to 10 points last week. And while they've yet to have a game finish below 30 points, the 49ers have held three teams to fewer than 20 points.
Both teams rank in the bottom 12 in scoring offense. The Texans are averaging 21.2 points per game, but they've also scored fewer than 20 points in four of their six games. With Nico Collins dealing with a concussion, there's a chance he misses this week. If he does, the Texans are going to have a really hard time scoring. But even if he does play, this is a brutal matchup for a struggling offense.
Cowboys and Broncos to Each Score 30+ Points (+550)
The Cowboys are averaging 31.7 points per game, and they've scored at least 30 points in four games this season. They've already scored 40 points in a game three times, and now they get to face a defense that just allowed the Giants to put up 32 points against them.
But for as good as the Cowboys' offense has been, the defense has been equally terrible. The Cowboys are allowing 29.4 points per game, which is the third-most in the NFL. Every opponent has scored at least 22 against them, and they've allowed at least 30 points in four of their seven games.
The Broncos' offense has struggled at times this season, but they're still averaging 23.3 points per game. They've only scored 30 points once, but with one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL, I expect them to exploit a rush defense that is allowing 141.3 yards per game.
Indianapolis Colts -27.5 (+470)
If it weren't for one of the flukiest wins you'll ever see, the Titans could very well be on their way to a 0-17 season. Five of their six losses have been by double digits, and they've already lost by 21 points to the Colts this season.
In the first meeting between these two teams, the Colts jumped out to a 27-6 lead before the Titans started to put together successful drives against soft defense. While this could be the same situation on Sunday, I love the Colts to win this game by even more because I don't know if the Titans can stop them.
The Titans are allowing 27.4 points per game, while the Colts are averaging a league-leading 33.1 points per contest. The Titans rank 29th against the run, and they gave up 228 passing yards to Daniel Jones in the first meeting. While the Titans got hot late, I'm much more confident in the Colts scoring on nearly every possession than I am in the Titans scoring 20 points for just the third time this season.
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Phil Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Phil, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.