Man – Week 8 was eventful. It looks like it all happened, and a lot of it has implications for this week’s primetime matches.

For those who aren’t in the know, the concept is simple. I’ll make picks based on the spread for all three NFL primetime games this week.

Week 8 was a good one for me. I went 2-1 on my picks, hitting the Cowboys-49ers game and the Steelers-Giants game, but sniffing the Vikings-Rams game.

As always, the goal is 3-0, and I’m going to do my best to make sure I achieve it with the Week 9 primetime matchup slate.

Thursday Night Football – Houston Texans @ New York Jets (-1.5)

EH??? The Jets are… favored in this game? That’s the reaction I had and I’m sure it’s the reaction you had.

Guys. This is a Jets team that last week LOST TO THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS. A Patriots team that, at the time, was 1-6. A Patriots team that, during the game, lost its rookie quarterback to a concussion and then had to insert the quarterback it had benched in favor of the rookie.

Come on. Now I know, Steve Diggs is out for the year with a torn ACL. This is one of the Week 8 developments I mentioned.

“Texans WR Stefon Diggs out for remainder of season with torn ACL”. pic.twitter.com/4iV11cRLQP

– NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2024

They are also missing the receiver Nico Collinswho has been on IR since Week 5 due to a hamstring injury.

That said, Houston is still not the New York Jets disaster of 2024 and he still has CJ Stroud as quarterback and Demeco Ryans as coach. Those two are enough to give Houston confidence to cover the spread and win outright.

Verdict: Houston +2

Sunday Night Football – Indianapolis Colts @ Minnesota Vikings (-5.5)

Another game with the fallout from Week 8. After a lackluster performance against the Houston Texans, Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson found himself on the bench, replaced by Joe Flacco. Well, there was also the whole “fatigue” fiasco.

#Colts Quarterback Anthony Richardson on his 3rd quarter layoff: “Tired, I’m not going to lie. I ran a lot there… So, I just told Shane (Steichen) I needed a break there.

( @WISHNews8)pic.twitter.com/5DiUalDXDU

– Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 27, 2024

Just…not a good look for a starting quarterback. Now, I disagree with the decision to bench Richardson because I don’t think it makes sense with his development timeline. But that’s the reality and, in the short term, Flacco probably gives them a better chance of winning.

Minnesota, on the other hand, has suffered back-to-back losses after a 5-0 start and needs to get back to winning ways to avoid getting swallowed up by the behemoth that is the NFC North.

After losing the tackle Christian Darrisaw for the season, the Vikings pulled the trigger on a trade for Cam Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

THE #Vikings have agreed to terms in a trade with the Jaguars to acquire T Cam Robinson.

Finalizing the trade awaits Robinson to pass a physical.

: pic.twitter.com/e3u4VarUks

– Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) October 30, 2024

While he may not be the caliber of Darrisaw player, I like Minnesota’s aggressiveness that doesn’t wait and see what happens.

The Viking defense is still excellent and I expect the offense to recapture some of the early magic.

Verdict: Minnesota -5.5

Monday Night Football – Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Kansas City Chiefs (-8.5)

I’ll keep this one short. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are without receivers Mike Evans And Chris Godwin due to injury. Godwin will not return this year. Evans will, but not for this match.

Strategist Mayfield Bakerprobably in pressing, also rotated the ball at an accelerated rate, which doesn’t help them.

On the Kansas City side, there have been a lot of public complaints about the Chiefs’ appearance. People can’t understand how a team that looks so bland is 7-0. The truth is this is a defense-led team. But what he also has is a sneakily effective attack.

The Chiefs’ much-maligned offense is No. 4 in new first down rate in a series. pic.twitter.com/45ysxLJdoV

– Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) October 29, 2024

But…Kansas City never blows anyone up. All of his games are relatively close. For this reason, I’m actually going to call on Tampa Bay to cover the spread here. However, Kansas City would win the game and would never really be in trouble.

Verdict: Tampa Bay +9

Odds and information are based as of writing Wednesday