NFL Week 8 betting trends: Lamar Jackson injury, Bears gaining steam
The NFL’s betting landscape has taken another shift heading into Week 9.Injuries piling up, surprising results and emerging contenders have shaken up Super Bowl futures, playoff probabilities and point spreads across the league.Here are four of the biggest betting storylines to keep an eye on this week.Baltimore’s playoff outlook has crashed following Lamar Jackson’s latest injury. The Ravens’ odds to reach the postseason have plummeted from -205 to +280 at DraftKings Sportsbook.Jackson suffered a thumb injury on his first offensive snap against the Bills on Sunday and is likely to miss the rest of the season. Baltimore has lost three straight games, falling to 4-4 and last place in the AFC North.The Ravens are also 8.5-point home underdogs against Jacksonville on Thursday after initially opening as the favorite.The Bears have emerged as legitimate championship contenders, with their Super Bowl odds shortening from 14/1 to +950 at DraftKings over the past week. Chicago entered the season at 24/1 but now owns the third-shortest odds alongside Jacksonville, trailing only San Francisco and Buffalo. The surge comes after they acquired star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and took down the defending champion Seahawks, 34-17, on Monday night. Simmons recorded six tackles and a sack in his debut, providing an immediate boost to a defense that was a weak point for the Bears. Caleb Williams has also entered the MVP conversation, with his odds improving to +800 as the Bears sit at 6-2.The Giants will head to Philadelphia as favorites for the first time since 2009 in a stunning reversal between the NFC East rivals. The Eagles were initially 5.5-point favorites in the early lookahead market, but the Giants are now favored by 3.5 points at most major sportsbooks. Philadelphia has struggled without Jalen Hurts, losing six straight games and falling to 2-6 on the season. The Giants are 4-2-1 overall and have covered five of their seven games. Big Blue will also ...