Who made the biggest impressions? Five NFL teams going ‘up’ or ‘down’ heading into Week 8

Back in May, Cantor Gaming released point spreads for every NFL game this season. And every week, the LVH SuperBook releases look-ahead lines for one week ahead.

Using both of those point spreads and comparing them to the actual Week 8 numbers currently available at YouWager, we can come up with a rough answer to the question, “Which NFL teams made the biggest impressions in Week 7?”

GOING UP

New York Giants | The Giants sure have a flare for the dramatic lately, but they’ve won three in a row to move to 5-2 and their plus-68 point differential is third-best in the NFL, trailing only Houston and Chicago. It took a final-minute, 77-yard touchdown pass to Victor Cruz for New York to escape at home against Washington, and now they’ve moved from 2-point underdogs at Dallas in last week’s look-ahead lines to (currently) 1.5-point favorites.
Chicago Bears | This isn’t the first time for the Bears to appear on this list, and it might not be the last. If not for a garbage-time touchdown from the Lions that caused Chicago to miss a cover as 6.5-point favorites in a 13-7 victory, the Bears would be a league-best 5-1 against the spread. The bottom line with this team: With Jay Cutler at QB, like him or hate him, they’re a Super Bowl threat. Chicago is a 9-point favorite at home against Carolina this weekend, up from -4 before the season.
Indianapolis Colts | The Colts have been blown out twice already and their three victories have come by a combined 10 points, but they’ve gotten themselves to 3-3 by winning the games they should win with Andrew Luck in his first season. Now, Indy is a 3.5-point underdog at division rival Tennessee, down from +4 last week and +6 before the season. This is the type of game they have to win if they hope to make an out-of-nowhere run at a playoff spot.

GOING DOWN

Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Boy, the Bucs wasted a career-high 420 yards and three touchdowns from fourth-year QB Josh Freeman in a 35-28 loss to the division rival Saints. If only “deep threat” Vincent Jackson could outrun a safety with a 15-yard head start. Now, Tampa Bay has gone from a 5-point underdog to +6.5 at Minnesota on Thursday Night Football. Before the season, Cantor Gaming had these teams power rated relatively equally with a 3-point spread.
New England Patriots | It’s almost impossible for the Patriots to appear on a list like this, but the public opinion remains: Despite leading the AFC East by a half-game with a 4-3 record, they haven’t really looked like themselves over the past two weeks (0-2 ATS). It feels like we’re overdue for a 40- or 50-point explosion from this New England offense, but can it happen in foggy London Town? The Patriots are 7-point favorites over the Rams after being listed at -8.5 last week and -11 before the season.

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Note: “Early line” refers to Cantor Gaming’s spreads released back in May. “Look-ahead line” refers to the LVH SuperBook’s spreads released last week, and “Current line” is what’s available right now at YouWager.

BUCCANEERS AT VIKINGS

Early line: Minnesota -3
Look-ahead line: Minnesota -5
Current line: Minnesota -6.5

PATRIOTS VS. RAMS (LONDON)

Early line: New England -11
Look-ahead line: New England -8.5
Current line: New England -7

COLTS AT TITANS

Early line: Tennessee -6
Look-ahead line: Tennessee -4
Current line: Tennessee -3.5

JAGUARS AT PACKERS

Early line: Green Bay -14
Look-ahead line: Green Bay -12
Current line: OFF

CHARGERS AT BROWNS

Early line: San Diego -3.5
Look-ahead line: San Diego -3
Current line: San Diego -3

FALCONS AT EAGLES

Early line: Philadelphia -6.5
Look-ahead line: Philadelphia -2.5
Current line: Philadelphia -2.5

SEAHAWKS AT LIONS

Early line: Detroit -6.5
Look-ahead line: Detroit -3
Current line: Detroit -2.5

DOLPHINS AT JETS

Early line: New York -4.5
Look-ahead line: New York -2.5
Current line: New York -2.5

PANTHERS AT BEARS

Early line: Chicago -4
Look-ahead line: Chicago -7.5
Current line: Chicago -9

REDSKINS AT STEELERS

Early line: Pittsburgh -7
Look-ahead line: Pittsburgh -5
Current line: Pittsburgh -4.5

RAIDERS AT CHIEFS

Early line: Kansas City -4
Look-ahead line: Kansas City -1.5
Current line: Kansas City -2

GIANTS AT COWBOYS

Early line: Dallas -2.5
Look-ahead line: Dallas -2
Current line: New York -1.5

SAINTS AT BRONCOS

Early line: Denver -2.5
Look-ahead line: Denver -4.5
Current line: Denver -6

49ERS AT CARDINALS

Early line: San Francisco -3
Look-ahead line: San Francisco -5.5
Current line: San Francisco -6.5