The NFL has another Monday night doubleheader to close Week 8. It’s the NFC Game of the Week between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions, then we’ll see the Houston Texans taking on the Seattle Seahawks.
Double the games means double the football bets. We’re looking at the best odds for our Monday night football bets, including player props.
Best Bets for Buccaneers vs. Lions
The NFC’s No. 1 seed could be on the line.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1) will try to repeat their upset in Detroit last year when they take on the Lions (4-2), who are coming off that 30-17 loss to the Chiefs. Baker Mayfield has generated huge MVP buzz for his heroics this season, but he is going up against a team that loves to score in the dome.
For bettors, this matchup could be a dream with plenty of touchdowns and yardage to go around as neither defense is elite. Our NFL betting picks for this game are going to take a different approach as we are thinking about the recent trends in the NFL with upsets winning out in prime time.
Monday Night Odds (Lions -5.5)
The game opened with the Lions having a 3.5-point edge at home. It has since gone up to 5.5 as the Lions are looking to avenge last week’s tough loss to Kansas City.
However, the Lions are a dominant team at covering the spread under coach Dan Campbell, who is a league-best 26-13 ATS (66.7%) at home since 2021.
Injuries certainly have played a factor in why Tampa Bay’s games are always close and how they needed those 4 game-winning drives from Mayfield. The wide receivers have especially been injured, but they fortunately have one of the deepest rooms in the NFL this year.
Still, you should check the final injury report for the status of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Emeka Egbuka (Tampa’s top 3 wideouts) before placing your final bets on this game’s spread or total.
Among several NFL odds, the total for this game is 52.5 points, which has gone up from the opening line of 49.5 points.
Monday Night Picks (Buccaneers +5.5)
When these teams met up a year ago in Detroit, Baker Mayfield was sacked 5 times with Aidan Hutchinson responsible for 4.5 of those sacks. Mayfield was also his team’s leading rusher with 34 yards.
Jared Goff had over 130 rushing yards from his ground game, and he had the ball several times in the 4th quarter, only needing a touchdown to take the lead. Yet, the Tampa defense held up every time and the Buccaneers won 20-16. Detroit wouldn’t lose again until December against Buffalo.
Tampa is a well-coached team and Todd Bowles understands how to make Goff uncomfortable. His defense forced Mac Jones (49ers) to turn it over 3 times last week. The Bucs also usually stop the run well.
It would be easier to pick Tampa to cover if Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka were playing, but it sounds like they are out. However, Mike Evans (hamstring) has returned to practice and has played well against this defense.
Tampa makes every game close, and we like them to do the same here as NFL underdogs are 7-1 SU in prime time since Week 5.
Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield (Over 20.5 Rushing Yards -115)
When it comes to NFL player props, don’t overlook the edge in Mayfield’s scrambling ability this season.
He has 158 yards already, which is 26.3 per game, putting him on pace for a career year in rushing. With some of his best receivers out, he may look to scramble more in this game as Patrick Mahomes did against the Lions last week.
Mayfield has several runs of 10 or 15 yards this year, so it’s not that hard for him to get to over 20.5 yards with a good run or two for his player props.
Best Bets for Texans vs. Seahawks
In the last game of Week 7, the Houston Texans (2-3) will try to show their win over Baltimore was turning a new leaf this year offensively. They’re in Seattle to take on the Seahawks, who are getting a great year from Sam Darnold, who has Jaxon Smith-Njigba looking like Justin Jefferson.
For our NFL betting picks in Seattle, we are forecasting a good defensive battle not unlike the 20-12 game the Seahawks just won on the road in Jacksonville.
Monday Night Odds (Seahawks -3)
The Seahawks opened as a 1.5-point home favorite, and the line has since gone up to Seattle -3.
The change stems from how well Darnold has played in his 1st year with the team, and while the Houston defense is doing well, the offense has been a struggle with many new pieces around C.J. Stroud, including a new coordinator.
The total opened at 44.5 points but has gone down to 41.5 as we get closer to Monday’s kickoff. This is a direct result of how great the Houston defense has been in most games this year. In fact, the Texans were 0-3 when they were allowing 17.0 points per game, so that side of the ball hasn’t been an issue for DeMeco Ryans.
Then, for as good as Darnold has played, the Seahawks have had a pair of games already against contenders (49ers and Jaguars) that finished under 32.5 points as coach Mike Macdonald also stresses defense.
Monday Night Picks (Seahawks -3)
This actually serves as a huge game for Darnold and the Seahawks, as it’s prime time and against a strong defense.
Those are the kind of spots we have seen Darnold fold under even in his best season last year with Minnesota. In Seattle’s 2 losses this year, it was a late Darnold turnover against the 49ers and Buccaneers that doomed his team.
The Texans can certainly create those splash plays with the pressure created by Will Anderson Jr. and company. They also have a solid secondary. But Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been burning just about everyone even with the loss of Cooper Kupp in this offense too. He’s averaging 116.0 yards per game.
But performing well at home is crucial for Seattle, which used to be known for its home-field advantage.
However, in the Macdonald era since 2024, the Seahawks are 3-9 ATS at home. Only Tennessee (0-10) has been worse, and that just got Brian Callahan fired. So, we’re going to buck that trend and go with the Seahawks to cover the small spread with Darnold outplaying Stroud.
Texans’ C.J. Stroud (Over 0.5 Passes Intercepted -105)
In his 2023 rookie season, C.J. Stroud was lauded for rarely throwing interceptions. He finished with 5 picks and led the NFL in lowest interception rate (1.0%).
But that regressed in 2024, and he threw 12 interceptions (2.3% interception rate). This year, he’s thrown 3 interceptions at a 2.1% rate, which isn’t bad.
But Stroud has been picked twice on the road, and the only defense that didn’t get him was Baltimore when the Ravens looked lost. Look for Seattle’s scheme to confuse him and the line to pressure him into a mistake.
The Seahawks had 7 takeaways before none in the last 2 games, so they are due for one here in the form of a pick from Stroud.
Your Plan for the NFL Monday Night Doubleheader
Two games can be extra fun with our Monday night football bets, but you need to have a good plan for both.
We think the opening game with Bucs vs. Lions has the potential to be the best one, but it’s also more volatile in terms of a blowout if the Lions can score enough early.
Our favorite pick is for the Seahawks to cover at home and show us that Seattle is still a tough place to play in this new coaching era for the team. Our other top recommendations include:
- The Buccaneers to cover the spread
- Baker Mayfield to go over 20.5 rushing yards
- C.J. Stroud to throw an interception
To make life easier this Monday, be sure to download and install the OddsTrader App (available on iOS and Android) to get your best bets ready for NFL Week 8.
Dominate Your Bets with OddsTrader Turbo
With more sports betting tools coming out these days, one you should become familiar with is OddsTrader Turbo.
This subscription service will provide you with everything you need for Monday night’s doubleheader, including expert betting tips from the AI-powered BetStation, 5-star picks with a 73% success rate, live alerts to line movement, and the ability to track your bets across multiple sportsbooks.
The best part is you can try a 30-day free trial right now.
*21+ Seek help with a gambling addiction at 1-800-Gambler
*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
