NFL odds: Approaching byes add interesting wrinkle to Week 8

The Detroit Lions head to London riding a two-game winning streak and tied atop the NFC North with the Green Bay Packers. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons have dropped four in a row and desperately need a victory even if it means leaving the country. The Lions (5-2) and Falcons (2-5) are also two of six teams who will be off next week on byes after meeting early in one of the more intriguing NFL betting matchups on Sunday.

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Detroit is a consensus four-point favorite against Atlanta according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com, but it has really struggled away from home prior to bye weeks with a 3-11 mark against the spread in the last 14 games in that scenario. The Falcons have fared much better, going 4-1 ATS in their past five road games before a bye week, and they are also 10-3 vs. the line in the last 13 meetings with the Lions. With two explosive offenses expected to be on display overseas, bettors probably expect this game to go OVER the total. However, the UNDER is 7-2 in the past nine meetings between these teams and 9-3 in Atlanta’s past 12 road games against NFC North opponents.

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Three other teams on byes next week play on Sunday afternoon, including the Buffalo Bills (4-3), Chicago Bears (3-4) and Tennessee Titans (2-5). The last team off in Week 9 is the Green Bay Packers (5-2), who visit the New Orleans Saints (2-4) on Sunday Night Football. The Bills and Bears are both road underdogs, and neither of them has performed well playing away from home before their byes. Chicago is 1-3 ATS in its last four road games heading into a bye and faces the New England Patriots, with the NFL betting lines at OddsShark.com showing the Bears as six-point dogs. Buffalo has dropped seven of eight road games before a bye and takes on the New York Jets as a three-point dog.

The Titans will host the Houston Texans (3-4) in an AFC South divisional matchup, with both teams struggling. Tennessee is 1-7 ATS in its last eight home games versus divisional opponents and has also lost five of six overall. The Titans will be home dogs against a Houston team that is 5-1 versus the line in the past six meetings. However, the Texans have dropped four of five, including three straight, and they are coming off a meltdown performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. They surrendered three touchdowns in a little more than a minute at the end of the first half en route to a 30-23 road loss to Pittsburgh after jumping out to an early 13-0 lead.