VSiN’s NFL expert offers up selections for several of the games on Sunday’s Week 8 card.

The public has fallen in love with the Cowboys, and why not? Dallas is 6-0 against the spread with the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense at 34.2 ppg. Dak Prescott is an MVP candidate with an inspiring comeback story. The defense is getting stops and forcing turnovers, unlike last year. On the downside, Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy continues to make baffling game-management mistakes. The Vikings are a .500 team getting no media hype, but they deserve more respect — and can earn it here.

Minnesota should have defeated Arizona on the road, and its other losses to Cincinnati and Cleveland are not black eyes. Kirk Cousins is putting up numbers similar to Prescott (who is questionable with a calf injury), and the Vikings have a rushing offense that ranks in the league’s top 10. Minnesota also has slightly better defensive numbers than Dallas in most categories.

Though most handicappers assume a bye is a positive thing, a team that’s rolling into a bye week can get its rhythm disrupted (see: Packers at Buccaneers last year for evidence). The week off could be a negative factor for the Cowboys.

Pick: Vikings +3.

In an obvious coaching mismatch last year, Bill Belichick went to Los Angeles and crushed the Anthony Lynn-led Chargers, 45-0. The Patriots were 1-point underdogs in that matchup, which turned into the worst outing of Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert’s brief career. Each team looks much different now, and the Chargers are definitely better with Brandon Staley in charge. Belichick still has a significant coaching edge, however, and his quarterback situation is much improved.

Mac Jones has completed 70.4 percent of his passes and just led the offense to a 54-point performance against the Jets. The Chargers are not the hapless Jets, of course, but Los Angeles does have the league’s worst run defense, allowing 162.5 yards per game. New England’s rushing attack is gaining steam behind Damien Harris, so the Patriots are capable of controlling the game by exploiting their advantage on the ground.

Pick: Patriots +4.5

The 49ers are a mess, and their defense is just as bad as their offense. But San Francisco is less of a mess than the Bears, who are sabotaging the development of rookie quarterback Justin Fields. In a 38-3 loss at Tampa Bay, Fields was sacked four times and intercepted three times. In the past five games, Fields has two touchdown passes while getting sacked 20 times.

The 49ers have not won a home game in more than a year, so it’s probably a positive factor that this one is at Soldier Field. There’s a lot of pressure on Kyle Shanahan to get his offense on track. There’s urgency for Jimmy Garoppolo to bounce back from his worst game of the season, and he’ll do that by leaning heavily on wideout Deebo Samuel and running back Elijah Mitchell. The Bears have little to lean on anymore — defensive leader Khalil Mack is expected to sit out with a foot injury and coach Matt Nagy is a lost cause. The 49ers have bounced between -3 and -4 this week. I played this early at -3, mostly to fade the Bears and lay a good number, but it should be a smaller play when laying more than a field goal.

Pick: 49ers -4.