Best Week 8 total bets: Falcons soar, Rams struggle
A 1-2 Week 7 brings our season record to 11-10.
The NBA's in full swing, college football is coming down the stretch, and the NFL keeps cruising. In honor of Halloween, the spookiest thing for NFL bettors this season has been betting on overs.
Unders are continuing to hit at a high rate, but that's not stopping us from eyeing a particular over. Let's get to Week 8's best total bets.
Bengals @ 49ers over 43.5The Bengals' offense has finally showcased some of the magic it displayed over the last two seasons after some disappointing performances to open the campaign. Cincinnati could take off after a bye - much like it did in the latter part of last season - with Joe Burrow and the rest of the team having time to get healthy.
The 49ers' pass rush is elite, but the Bengals will have success moving the ball if their offensive line can keep Burrow up.
Despite back-to-back losses, the 49ers have the NFL's second-highest-scoring offense, averaging 28.7 points per game.
Brock Purdy is in concussion protocol and unlikely to play Sunday. If he can't go, Kyle Shanahan's offense and an array of weapons shouldn't miss a beat. Sam Darnold is one of the league's best backups and has played well as a starter in recent stints.
Both offenses will have success finding the end zone Sunday afternoon in San Francisco.
Falcons team total over 18.5The Falcons' offense has been frustrating to watch at times. Desmond Ridder shows flashes of excellence followed by moments of incompetence. He has a lot to prove for the rest of the season.
Nevertheless, the Falcons are 4-3 and sit in first place in a weak NFC South. Their offensive mistakes are fixable. For example, Atlanta had two red-zone fumbles in last week's narrow 16-13 win over the Buccaneers.
The Falcons are 13th in yards per game but 29th in points per contest. They have success moving the ball but struggle to finish drives. That's somewhat expected with an inexperienced quarterback. But with experience comes growth, and I have faith that Atlanta's offense will have more success starting this week against the Titans.
Tennessee is currently more focused on trading key players for assets than winning games. The Falcons have reached 20 points in three of their four wins. As 2.5-point road favorites, they'll eclipse 20 points again.
Rams team total under 19.5The Rams haven't reached 20 points in three of their four losses this season. They're on the road this week against Dallas - which has the NFL's fourth-best scoring defense - as 6-point underdogs.
The Rams' offense has been inconsistent, but its best showings have come against two of the league's seven worst scoring defenses in the Cardinals and Colts.
Los Angeles' passing attack ranks seventh in the league thanks to a healthy Cooper Kupp and the emergence of Puka Nacua, but its running game is 15th.
As a result, the Rams will run into some problems this weekend against a frightening Cowboys defense off a bye.
Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @soshtry for more betting coverage
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