‘Thursday Night Football’ Week 8 expert picks: Ravens at Buccaneers

The NFL opens Week 8 with a pretty fun matchup—compared to recent “Thursday Night Football” games—between the 4-3 Baltimore Ravens and 3-4 Tamp Bay Buccaneers. Both teams were expected to be Super Bowl contenders entering 2022, but their seasons have not quite gone to plan.

The Buccaneers have four losses in their last five games, the last two coming against the Steelers and Panthers... yes, the “we just fired our head coach and are selling off players” Panthers beat them 21-3 last week. Yet, somehow, they are favored against a good Ravens team. This is a clear example of the Tom Brady effect, where Vegas believes that as long as Tom terrific is under center, his team will always have a chance to win.

Meanwhile, the Ravens have a winning record (though maybe not as strong as they had hoped) and former league MVP Lamar Jackson running the show. They may not have much firepower at receiver anymore, but the Ravens should have the potential to gash the Buccaneers on the ground with Jackson and running backs Kenyan Drake, Justice Hill, and Gus Edwards.

The good folks over at DraftKings Sportsbook are currently favoring the Buccaneers by 2 points, but the POD staff isn’t buying it, as all but one staff member is taking the Ravens and the points, as well as on the moneyline.

Here is who our staff is picking for this Thursday night’s game:

Here’s how to watch tonight’s edition of “Thursday Night Football”

Date: Thursday, October 27, 2022
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Raymond James Stadium
TV/Stream: Amazon Prime
Announcers: Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, and Kaylee Hartung (field reporter)
TV/Stream Replay: Amazon Prime, NFL+ Premium, NFL Network (Replay on Friday)

Enjoy the game and come chat with us in the comments.