Lamar Jackson is expected to be back on the field for the Ravens, missing three games with an ankle injury, but it looks like the betting world isn’t convinced Baltimore is suddenly going to flip the script against the Bills in Week 8. Buffalo is holding strong as a 3-point home favorite mid-week, and the oddsmakers at Caesars Sports are saying that line would have shot up past 7, probably even 7.5 points, if Jackson wasn’t playing. Talk about some serious confidence in the Bills, even with a returning superstar quarterback for the other team.
Bills vs. Ravens: Betting Public Has Spoken
This AFC showdown is the marquee game for Week 8, and the money is flowing one way. Caesars Sports head of football trading Joey Feazel straight up said, “Jackson returning was already baked into that line. But we’re seeing much more Bills action, even with Lamar back. It’s all one-way traffic here, Bills and Over, and I don’t expect that to change.” The Bills are coming off their bye week at 5-1 straight up and 4-2 against the spread. The Ravens, meanwhile, are 4-3 SU and a brutal 2-5 ATS, stumbling into this game after two straight losses, including a humiliating 35-13 wipeout at home to the Bengals despite leading 13-0 at halftime in Week 7. Jackson’s return is supposed to fix those offensive woes, but bettors aren’t waiting to see. The total for this game also jumped from 52.5 to 54, with sharp money already on the Over at 52.5 and 53.5. Remember last season? These two teams put on an absolute show in Week 1 with the Bills winning 41-40, blowing past a 51.5 total. The public is absolutely piling on the Over again this year, and Feazel doesn’t see much love for the Under.
Unbeaten Vikings and International Hangover Woes
While the spotlight is on that AFC battle, there’s some other wild stuff happening around the league. Can you believe the Minnesota Vikings are still undefeated? They’re sitting at 6-0 straight up and 5-1 against the spread. NOBODY saw that coming. They head to Detroit to face the Lions, who are 4-2 SU but a dismal 1-4-1 ATS. Despite the Vikings’ perfect record, the Lions opened as 3-point favorites and have moved to -3.5. Feazel said it best: “The Vikings are somehow undefeated. But I don’t think they’ve convinced the public that they are a dominant team. We’re seeing mostly Lions action, and I don’t anticipate that changing.”
Then we’ve got a key AFC North clash between the Browns (5-2 SU and ATS) and the Steelers (also 5-2 SU and ATS). Pittsburgh is at home, but they just had that long trip to Paris in Week 7, where they squeezed out a 16-10 win against New Orleans. Professional bettor Randy McKay is all over the Browns +3.5 for this one, citing a crazy statistic: teams playing the week after an international game are 0-8 against the spread and 1-7 straight up. That’s a brutal trend, and it could be a major factor in who takes the lead in the AFC North.
All these games kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, setting up what promises to be an absolutely wild day of football. Will the Bills continue to dominate the betting world, can the Vikings prove the doubters wrong, and will the Steelers fall victim to the international travel curse? Sunday can’t come soon enough!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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