Oh, what could have been. Only the Vikings' loss to the Saints prevented Prime-time Parlay from hitting in Week 8. And it was a six-team parlay because of the London game. We're back to 5 this week, including two marquee quarterback matchups.
Once again, Prime-time Parlay is all about the best games: Thursday, Sunday and Monday's prime-time games and the top 1 p.m. ET and 4 p.m. ET Sunday matchups. Straight-up picks, but you gotta hit all five. Then we calculate how much you'd earn for the parlay, using Westgate's money lines.
Via ESPN's Football Power Index, Prime-time Parlay tells you the analytics-based predictions for the meetings of greatest national import, offering the smart picks for the games you'll be watching. (All NFL point spreads and money lines can be found here).
Total payout for Week 8 Prime-time Parlay (selecting all FPI-projected winners in five games): $831.87 on $100 wager
Oakland Raiders at San Francisco 49ers (8:20 p.m. ET Thursday, Fox/NFL Network)
Money line: 49ers -150
FPI projection: 49ers win by 4.5 points
FPI is naive to Amari Cooper's departure and still likes the 49ers on Thursday more than Vegas. Not that Cooper really moves the needle much anyway. Credit to Jon Gruden & Co. for swindling the Cowboys out of a first-round pick for him. -- Seth Walder
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens (1 p.m. ET Sunday, CBS)
Money line: Ravens -155
FPI projection: Ravens win by 2.8 points
Don't let recency bias fool you: The defense that Baltimore displayed earlier in the season is still there, even after two straight losses. And don't sleep on their special teams, which our model thinks is the best unit in the league. -- Seth Walder
Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints (4:25 p.m. ET Sunday, Fox)
Money line: Saints -125
FPI projection: Saints win by < 0.1 points
This game is so close that FPI gives neither team a 50 percent chance to win (remember: ties!). If we dive deep in multiple decimals, FPI favors the Saints by the slimmest of slim margins -- less than one-tenth of a point. I guess we could pick a tie, but the idea is for one of these parlays to eventually hit, so we'll stick with a side. -- Seth Walder
Green Bay Packers at New England Patriots (8:20 p.m. ET Sunday, NBC)
Money line: Patriots -260
FPI projection: Patriots by 6.4 points
FPI actually upgraded its opinion of the Packers after Green Bay's loss because when you consider the context -- a nail-biter in Los Angeles against the best team in football. That helps, but it doesn't totally make up for close wins against the Bears and the 49ers (not exactly football's elite). In Foxborough, there's no question which team is the favorite. -- Seth Walder
Tennessee Titans at Dallas Cowboys (8:15 p.m. ET Monday, ESPN)
Money line: Cowboys -275
FPI projection: Cowboys win by 9.2 points
While Marcus Mariota and Dak Prescott are virtually tied in Total QBR this season -- both with disappointing numbers, mind you -- Dallas' offense and defense has been better than Tennessee's. That, plus greater optimism about Prescott going forward, is why FPI likes the Cowboys in this one. -- Seth Walder