NFL picks against the spread, Week 8: Mixing home and road favorites

Welcome back for another round of my SuperContest picks. I put together a 3-2 performance in Week 7, which has me climbing in the top half of the SuperContest standings. I was staring 2-3 in the face on Monday, but the Pittsburgh Steelers’ ridiculous 24-point surge over the final seven minutes of the first half changed that up real quick. Of course, just as quickly as they help me, I am picking against them down below. Sorry, Pittsburgh. It’s nothing personal.

And so, we are back for another five picks in the LVH SuperContest. The contest includes more than 1,400 participants picking games each week to see who can come out on top by the end of the season. The 3-2 performance last week has me now sitting at 16-14, and right around the middle of the pack. As always, our partners at OddsShark have staked me and a handful of other participants in the SuperContest. You can track all of us here, and you can follow the standings here. Here are my picks for Week 7, with home teams in caps.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS over Chicago Bears (+5.5): The Patriots are a tough team to figure out. They have won three straight after a 2-2 start, but they failed to cover last week against the New York Jets. That was a Thursday Night Football game, so Bill Belichick gets time to prepare for an intriguing Bears offense. The Patriots are 12-3 against the spread in their last [HOW MANY GAMES?] at home when they were not favored by double digits. Consider this a vote of confidence for the hooded one.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS over St. Louis Rams (+6.5): The Rams are coming off a huge upset of the Seattle Seahawks, so consider this betting a bit on the emotional letdown. The Chiefs are 2-12 ATS in their last 14, including five straight losses. I probably should not feel overly comfortable with this. And yet, with the Rams missing Brandon McGee, and probably Janoris Jenkins and maybe Trumaine Johnson, I’m willing to go with Alex Smith and friends.

Indianapolis Colts over PITTSBURGH STEELERS (+3): The Steelers got a much-needed win last week and are 10-2-1 ATS in their last 13 as a home underdog. The Colts have won their last four against the spread as road favorites. It will likely come down to whether the Colts can contain Le’Veon Bell. Fingers crossed!

Philadelphia Eagles over ARIZONA CARDINALS (-2.5): Consider this more of a wager against the Cardinals than for Philly. The Cardinals are off to a solid start this season, sitting at 5-1 and on top of the NFC West. I do happen to be a 49ers fan, but even still, this seems like the kind of game where Arizona comes back to reality a bit.

CLEVELAND BROWNS over Oakland Raiders (+6.5): I appear to be a glutton for punishment with the Browns. They burned me last week, but I’m back for more. They face a Raiders squad that has had a little more pep in its step under Tony Sparano, but has still lost two straight under the interim coach. The Raiders are 0-6-1 ATS in their last seven meetings with the Browns, and I’m going to bet on 0-7-1.