Welcome to our new column where we review the previous NFL week and look at the odds and some games for the upcoming weekend.

So, after eight weeks of football, here is the skinny: Favorites are 51-67-1 ATS. Dogs are barking this season. WOOF WOOF!

When it comes to bad beats, there are two bets that come to mind. First, if you bet on the Chargers, you have to be feeling pain after blowing that lead. LAC blew a double-digit lead to the Broncos and lost straight up. Ouch. If you read my columns, you know that I never trust Anthony Lynn as a favorite. This game showed why.

The second bet I will point out is the Bills. If you had -3, that last Bills drive hurts. The game was tied and the Bills marched down the field. Josh Allen throws what looked like the go-ahead touchdown, only to be dropped in the end zone. If he catches that, the Bills win by 7. Instead, the Bills take the FG, and Cam fumbles on the ensuing drive.

The ebbs and flows of betting on football, right?

A couple of quick things that stuck out to me otherwise:

• MVP Watch still has Russell Wilson in first but Tom Brady is now at two in my books. I’ll go RW, TB12, Aaron Rodgers and Aaron Donald as my top four right now.
• The Ravens seem to be coming up short in big spots lately, especially Lamar Jackson. While Baltimore seemed like they dominated the Steelers statistically in their matchup, the Ravens lost straight up. We will start to hear more about this narrative in the media soon, let’s see if Lamar can prove the doubters wrong.
• On the flip side, the Steelers keep winning games. And, if you take a look ahead, their schedule looks very, very soft on paper. I would not be surprised if they finished the season in the 13-3 range, barring major injuries.
• The NFL trade deadline was today, and I was really interested to see what was goes down. The Pats made the only move of note, acquiring Dolphins wide receiver Isaiah Ford for a draft pick. The Will Fuller to Packers rumors were heating up, but apparently that deal fell through. The Packers got rolled by the Vikings, so I am wondering if that Front Office was trying to acquire someone on the defensive side of the football instead.
• The Titans have now lost two games in a row and have a tough stretch of their schedule coming up. This weekend’s matchup against the Bears is a big one, as both teams need this win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Now, a look at Week 9. First, here are the odds via the SuperBook:

GB -2.5 at SF

Sea -3 at Buf

Atl -4.5 vs Den

Ten -6.5 vs Chi

Min -3.5 vs Det

Bal -2.5 at Ind

KC -11.5 vs Car

Hou -7 at Jax

Wsh -3 vs NYG

LAC -3 vs LV

Pit (NL) at Dal

Ari -5.5 vs Mia

TB -4.5 vs NO

NE -7.5 at NYJ

• I’m looking at the Colts early. I like them getting points at home against this Ravens team. As I’ve said on the pods and in my columns, this Indy defense with Darius Leonard is amazing. They fly around, get penetration and cause havoc. With the Ravens banged up, this is a good spot for the Colts to steal one.
• Call me crazy, but I lean the Niners in this spot. Yes, I know they lost their QB, TE and RB, but everyone is on the Packers. But, it’s a short week and Green Bay is dealing with some COVID-19 issues. Between that and injuries, it looks like they will be without their top three RBs, and their defense has a ton of holes and can’t tackle anybody. 6 points looks like way too much in this spot, so I’ve grabbed a piece of that early.
• Minnesota looks good in this matchup against the Lions. Detroit is getting hit hard with the injury bug, and last week showed that Minnesota can still run the football. Big game for WC seeding in the NFC and for the division tie-breakers.

Make sure you guys check back on the site later this week for my final picks. Thanks for reading this week’s column, and let’s win some money in Week 9.