NFL Week 8 picks: Experts split on Ravens vs. Bills as Lamar Jackson eyes return

If Lamar Jackson returns from his high-ankle sprain in Week 8, Sunday will deliver perhaps the best quarterback showdown of the 2026 NFL season thus far. Jackson and Josh Allen are scheduled to duel in a marquee matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills. It is a massive spot for a Ravens team that just suffered back-to-back losses in its quarterback's absence and one that could prove whether or not Jesse Minter's squad is a legitimate playoff contender.Closing out the week is another clash of postseason hopefuls in the Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears. Both teams won in primetime last week with their Sunday night and Thursday night triumphs, respectively. Only one of them can add another victory when the nation's eyes are trained directly on them on "Monday Night Football."As we do every week, we've collected all of the best picks and gambling content from CBSSports.com and SportsLine and put them in one place, so you can get sports betting picks against the spread from our CBS Sports experts as well as additional feature content for each game, including plays from top SportsLine experts and the SportsLine Projection Model, best bets from our staff, survivor picks and more. All NFL betting courtesy of SportsLine consensus. Which picks can you make with confidence this week? And which Super Bowl contender goes down hard? Visit SportsLine, as its incredible model simulates every NFL game 10,000 times and is up almost $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills Time: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here) Open: Bills -3, O/U 53.5Each week, SportsLine expert Eric Cohen locks in exact score predictions for every NFL game. He is back for another round in Week 8, and he shared a projection for Bills vs. Ravens by which Buffalo covers the spread and the Over also hits. Points are rarely hard to come by when Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are on the field, and with the latter practicing in advance of Sunday's game, there is a chance two of the last three MVPs go head-to-head in this one."Baltimore has blown back-to-back halftime leads of 10+ points in losses to AFC South rivals Cleveland and Cincinnati. Meanwhile, Buffalo enters fresh off a bye week following road wins at the Rams and Raiders. The Bills have won 4 of the last 5 meetings, including two in the playoffs. Last year, Baltimore collapsed in the fourth quarter in Week 1 to fall by one point in Buffalo. With Lamar Jackson back in action for Baltimore, expect another shootout. But teams with a rest advantage and playing at home this season are 12-3 against the spread. Buffalo wins and covers to maintain their lead atop the AFC (along with Kansas City). BILLS 31, Ravens 25" – Cohen Cohen is 59-47-1 on straight-up NFL picks this season and nailed 66% of his picks last year. Find the rest of his exact score predictions for Week 8 at SportsLine. Tennessee Titans at Cincinnati BengalsTime: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here)Open: Bengals -10.5, O/U 47This is the second time in four weeks that the Bengals find themselves as sizable favorites against a bottom-dwelling opponent. They were a popular pick in survivor pools in Week 5 when they defeated the Dolphins, so for those who already selected them, who else is a safe bet to take care of business in Week 8? The survivor pool strategy at SportsLine details a few pivot options if the Bengals are no longer on the table. And if the Bengals are an option in your pool, SportsLine's guide will help you determine whether to ride with them this week or save them for later in the year. Arizona Cardinals at Dallas CowboysTime: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fubo (try for free) Open: Cowboys -6, O/U 53"The Cowboys' offense came alive against the Eagles Monday night, especially on the ground, which isn't a good thing for an Arizona defense that is last in the league in scoring. The Dallas offense should roll and the Arizona offense won't be able to keep up. Dallas big — even on a short week." – CBS Sports senior writer Pete Prisco Dallas big, Prisco says. How big? Three possessions. It's a 37-21 Cowboys win in his eyes. To see the rest of his Week 8 picks, click here. Minnesota Vikings at Detroit LionsTime: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fubo (try for free) Open: Lions -3, O/U 46"It's one thing to blitz Daniel Jones into oblivion, but that might not work against Jared Goff, Josh Allen, Jordan Love or Brock Purdy. I'm not sure what Brian Flores will end up doing against the Lions, but I feel like he's going to have a special surprise in store for them. The Vikings swept the Lions last year, and a big reason was that Flores' defense held Detroit to 34 total points in the two games combined. "Flores has been the defensive coordinator in Minnesota since 2023, so he knows this Lions offense inside and out. If defense wins championships, then there's no way I can pick against the Vikings in this game." – CBS Sports NFL writer John BreechFlores has the Vikings blitzing at the NFL's highest rate and deployed the blitz on 85.2% of snaps last week. That's almost as aggressive as Breech was when he played Madden in college, which explains why he likes Minnesota to win 19-16. To see the rest of Breech's Week 8 picks, click here. Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville JaguarsTime: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here) Open: Jaguars -7.5, O/U 46.5 "Daniel Jones has yet to rekindle the version of himself from the first half of last year and has thrown an interception in all but one game so far in 2026. Jones ranks 31st out of 33 eligible quarterbacks in passer rating this season, while his EPA per dropback ranks 30th. Among quarterbacks with at least 100 pass attempts this year, Jones is tied for the second-highest turnover-worth-per-throw rate. "He now faces a Jaguars pass defense that is just outside the top-10 in the league with an 87.7 passer rating allowed. They're also tied for the third-most interceptions (7) in the league. Conversely, you have Trevor Lawrence playing like an MVP candidate and should face little resistance from a Colts defense that has just two interceptions on the year." – CBS Sports NFL writer Tyler SullivanThat's not to mention the fact that the Colts just traded Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner. They are worse on both sides of the ball than they were a few days ago, which is also why Sullivan predicts them to cover the spread with a convincing 33-20 win. To see the rest of his Week 8 picks, click here. Las Vegas Raiders at New York JetsTime: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fubo (try for free) Open: Jets -1, O/U 44SportsLine senior analyst Josh Nagel was nearly perfect a week ago with his teaser picks, as only one of his underdogs failed to cover the adjusted spread. Every other pick cashed, and Nagel is looking for even more success with his 6-point teaser plays in Week 8. Those include the Raiders going on the road to face the Jets. Head over to SportsLine to see his high-value play on this game and others. Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh SteelersTime: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here) Open: Steelers -4, O/U 39.5 "How can the Browns keep getting away with this? They overcame a 14-0 deficit in Nashville on Sunday, as Harold Fannin Jr. took a short reception 36 yards down the field with 20 seconds remaining to set up a 32-yard game-winning field goal from Andre Szmyt. Deshaun Watson became the third quarterback since 1970 to register a game-winning drive in each of his team's first five wins of the season."With this being a divisional game against an opponent that just got back from Paris, I can understand why some would take the points with the underdog given the hook. But the Steelers are 3-0 ATS at home. That includes Week 3, when they dropped 30 points on Joe Burrow and the Bengals in a win, and Week 5, when Pittsburgh scored 34 points in a double-digit victory over the Colts. The Steelers are averaging 26.0 points per game over their last five contests, which ranks top 10 in the NFL, and are 8-0 SU and ATS in their last eight home games vs. the Browns. In fact, Pittsburgh is actually a perfect 11-0 ATS in its last 11 home divisional games. Insane stat." – CBS Sports NFL writer Jordan DajaniThat home dominance played a major role in Dajani's pick, as he sided with the Steelers in a 26-21 battle. To see the rest of his Week 8 picks, click here. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta FalconsTime: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fubo (try for free) Open: Buccaneers -1, O/U 44.5"The Buccaneers ran all over the Panthers last week, but Atlanta has actually been quite good against the run, allowing only 3.8 yards per carry this season. Can Tampa really control the game with Bucky Irving the way it did last week, or will it have to actually turn Baker Mayfield loose as a passer here? If the Bucs have to do that, I have more confidence in Atlanta's offense right now, with Bijan Robinson, Drake London and even Kyle Pitts contributing at a high level." – CBS Sports NFL writer Jared DubinPredicting anything in the NFC South takes guts, considering the teams in this division routinely prove to be as unreliable as any. Dubin sees the Falcons going on the road and winning 23-17 against the two-win Buccaneers. To see the rest of his Week 8 picks, click here. Los Angeles Chargers at Los Angeles Rams Time: Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX), stream on fubo (try for free) Open: Rams -7.5, O/U 45.5"The battle of Los Angeles isn't quite the game many expected before the season. The Chargers, coming off a bye, haven't won yet and the Rams have been a disappointment. But the Rams won last week at Las Vegas to seemingly right things. They will win here, but the rested Chargers will keep it close." – PriscoBlowouts have been hard to come by for the preseason Super Bowl favorites, and Prisco thinks they will struggle to separate in a 23-20 win over the team with which they share their home stadium. To see the rest of his Week 8 picks, click here. Kansas City Chiefs at Denver BroncosTime: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here) Open: Chiefs -2, O/U 41.5"The Chiefs held the Broncos to just 10 points in the opener, but this offense probably won't resemble the one the Chiefs saw in Week 1. As for the Chiefs, I feel like they might have gotten exposed in Week 7. The Seahawks bottled up the run and forced Patrick Mahomes to throw the ball, but no one was getting open and the Chiefs' offense proceeded to fall apart right before our eyes. Unfortunately for the Broncos, I don't think they can replicate what Seattle did because they can't stop the run. "Heading into Week 8, Denver has given up the fifth-most rushing yards per game in the NFL this season. This feels like a game where Kenneth Walker carries the Chiefs to victory, just like he did in Week 1." – BreechWalker exploded for 173 yards in the season opener when the Chiefs won by three touchdowns. Breech foresees the rematch winding up significantly closer, but it's still a projected 20-16 victory for Kansas City. To see the rest of his Week 8 picks, click here. New England Patriots at Miami DolphinsTime: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS), stream on Paramount+ (click here) Open: Patriots -7.5, O/U 44.5"The Dolphins finally got into the win column for the first time all season with a road win against the Jets. While that's great for Jeff Hafley's club to get off the schneid, I don't see the momentum from that victory turning into a two-game winning streak. Since Mike Vrabel became the head coach, New England is 8-4-1 ATS on the road. As a road favorite in games, they are 3-2 ATS with an average margin of victory of 13 points. "While they'll be on the road, the Patriots have the rest advantage in this game after playing last Thursday. They're also simply the better team. Miami is allowing 5.7 yards per play this season and 7.8 yards per pass attempt (tied for third-highest in the NFL). Drake Maye should continue to find success through the air against a Dolphins secondary that is allowing a league-high 116.8 passer rating against. So long as they don't shoot themselves in the foot, this should be a double-digit victory for New England."The Patriots have historically struggled in South Florida, but that did not stop Sullivan from predicting a 30-20 triumph for Vrabel's crew. To see the rest of his Week 8 picks, click here. Philadelphia Eagles at Washington CommandersTime: Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC), stream on fubo (try for free) Open: Commanders -4, O/U 41It could not be more convenient that the Eagles are in action on "Sunday Night Football" this week, because SportsLine expert Emory Hunt is on a roll in games involving Philadelphia. Hunt is 31-18-2 (+1085) on his last 51 picks in such games, so he is the right analyst to follow for this primetime NFC East clash. That is not to mention that Hunt is also 132-111-2 overall on NFL picks over the last three seasons.Hunt leans toward the under on the 41-point total (which makes a whole lot of sense considering the offensive injuries in this matchup and Jalen Hurts' absence due to blood clots) and is even more confident about one side of the spread. You can find that pick at SportsLine.Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks Time: Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN), stream on fubo (try for free)Open: Seahawks -3, O/U 46.5The potential return of Zach Charbonnet and the arrival of six-time All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson should uplift a Seahawks run game that has yet to hit its stride in 2026. But even then, Hunt favors the under on the 46.5-point total in Seattle's "Monday Night Football" clash with the Bears.Hunt is nearly as dialed into Seahawks games as he is Eagles games, as he is 28-16-1 (+1035) on his last 45 picks involving Seattle. Following his pick against the spread has been a profitable endeavor. Check out Hunt's pick for the battle between NFC championship hopefuls at SportsLine.