The Dallas Cowboys are back to winning football games, the Minnesota Vikings never stopped, the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers just lost their first of the season, and that's just the tip of the iceberg of how the league is rapidly evolving heading into NFL Week 8. Our NFL picks record has reflected a bit of the rollercoaster start to the season, no question, but especially with the NFL Trade Deadline fast approaching and the changes coming there, we can start to hit our stride and make up some ground.

After an admittedly dull week outside of primetime games, NFL Week 8 offers a ton of juice. The Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks on Monday night is huge, but Ravens-Bills, Chiefs-Broncos, Vikings-Lions and even Browns-Steelers have a ton at stake. They'll be fun, but we also want to be on the right side. That's the goal as we dive back into our NFL picks with predictions for every Week 8 game both straight-up and against the spread.

NFL Week 8 predictions: Picks straight-up and ATS for every game

2026 NFL Picks Straight-Up Record: 63-46 (Last week 5-11) | ATS Record: 47-59-3 (Last week 4-11-1)

Note: All lines are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

Toughest NFL Week 8 prediction to make

Chicago Bears (+3) vs. Seattle Seahawks

It'd be easy to just look at what the Seahawks did to the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football, assert that they're all the way back to Super Bowl form, and just take them and the 12th Man in Seattle on Monday night. I wouldn't blame you if leaned that way, but I'm hedging that slightly in the picks by taking the Seahawks straight-up but the Bears to keep it close and cover the +3.

Not only is Caleb Williams rolling and the Chicago offense following suit, but you also have to consider the situation for Seattle last week. They were 3-3 and had their backs against the wall against a previously undefeated team. Are they going to be able to get back up to that level? Furthermore, the Bears offense is clearly more multi-faceted and dangerous than what the Chiefs have given Kansas City's dire need for impact pass-catchers.

I still think Seattle's defense and the shaky Bears defense will ultimately push this game the Seahawks' way, especially when they're playing at home. I just don't expect it to necessarily be a dominant effort, which is a sign of respect for Chicago.

Easiest NFL Week 8 pick on the board

Arizona Cardinals vs. Dallas Cowboys (-6.5)

The Dallas Cowboys finally won another football game and now I'm taking them to essentially win by a full touchdown. What could possibly go wrong? The last time everyone was so confident that the Cowboys would handle business against a clearly inferior opponent was the dismal Thursday night game when Jalon Daniels and the Bucs completely owned them.

Having said that, the Cowboys might've gotten the spark they needed in Week 7 against the hapless Eagles and are now coming back to Dallas. The defense is absolutely still an issue, but the offense found its footing, espcially with Javonte Williams getting things going on the ground, which further opened up the passing game. Arizona's defense isn't as bad as the Cowboys', but it's not far off.

At the end of the day, this game is probably going to end up getting pretty high-scoring. That begs the question then of if you trust Jacoby Brissett and the Cardinals offense or Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense to be able to put up a bigger number. Call me crazy, but give me Dallas to get back to .500 on the season just in time to orchestrate another big-name trade before the deadline.

The pick that probably has you scratching your head

Minnesota Vikings (+3.5) vs. Detroit Lions

If ever there was a matchup of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object in the NFL, it's the Lions offense matching up with the Vikings defense. The former has been the third-best offense in the league by EPA per play, while the Vikings have been by far the best defense by EPA per play.

Having said that, there are questions about Minnesota considering that they've had a soft schedule for most of this season and their two best opponents, the Packers and Bears, came in the season opener and in a storm, respectively. This will be their sternest test to date, but it's also the best test this explosive offense has faced this year as well. Green Bay (4th) and the New York Jets (16th) are the only two top-half defenses in terms of EPA per play this season.

The other sides of the ball for these teams is actually where I think this game gets decided, though. I don't think the Vikings are going to fall off defensively, even with the leap in level of competition. But the Lions defense has been quite bad outside of playing the Packers last week, which might be exactly what Kyler Murray and Co. need to get any kind of momentum going offensively. For that reason, I'm taking the Vikings to stay perfect and keep this unlikely unbeaten run going.