2025 NFL Week 8 Expert Picks

The Panthers’ 3-0 home record makes them an intriguing underdog against the Bills, who lost consecutive games before their Week 7 bye.

Moreover, Buffalo lost by 10 to the Atlanta Falcons, who failed to score in a 30-0 road loss to Carolina in Week 3. If you followed that, this should be a competitive game that makes you sweat while on the Bills’ side.

However, Buffalo is coming off a bye week, and Carolina will likely start 37-year-old Andy Dalton while Bryce Young recovers from a high ankle sprain.

With Dalton as their starting quarterback, the Panthers are 1-5, and they lost all five games by 10 or more points. The refocused Bills win big in Carolina.

Despite a unanimous choice in the Bills’ favor, a pathway exists for the Panthers to keep this game close. They can run the ball quite well, while the Bills field one of the league’s worst run defenses. 

However, Buffalo is coming off a bye, with two weeks to prepare for that specific area. With quarterback Bryce Young out of the lineup, the Bills can load the box and concentrate on slowing Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard, without too much worry that Dalton is going to exploit the approach at this point in his career.

Otherwise, Josh Allen and Co. should be able to move the ball, even against Carolina’s top-10 defense. 

Bills Davenport, Gagnon, Hanford, Knox, Moton, O’Donnell, Sobleski