Ouch. According to surveying of game picks from around the NFL media landscape at Pickwatch, a staggering 72% majority of Week 8 picks are coming in for the visiting team. Both the Las Vegas Raiders (2-4) and the New Orleans Saints (2-5) are looking for their third win of the season this week, but just 28% of media experts, national reporters, and fan blogs from around the Internet like New Orleans to win at home.
That’s a tough look, but it makes sense. The Saints are missing a ton of starters due to injuries and their defense has ranked among the worst in pro football over the last month. Las Vegas is on a roll, having come out of their bye week to wallop on the Houston Texans last Sunday. Raiders star running back Josh Jacobs is a horrible matchup for a Saints defense that’s struggled to tackle opponents in the open field.
But the experts have been wrong before, so here’s hoping the Saints can prove them wrong again on Sunday. Other game picks coming in around the NFC South gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just a 33% vote of confidence in knocking off the Baltimore Ravens (the Bucs lost 27-22, making for a very complicated division title race) while an overwhelming majority of 89% of picks favor the Atlanta Falcons against the Carolina Panthers. Let’s see how it all turns out on Sunday.