NFL Week 8 Picks!

73-30

Bouncing back from an ugly 8-5 performance…

Jags @ Texans

I don’t know if the Texans are going to be as inept offensively as the Ravens were on Monday night. But the chances are slim. Arian Foster cannot be stopped right now and even though it is unlikely that Andre Johnson suits up, the Texans still have enough to secure the win at home.

Texans

Cardinals @ Ravens

I don’t like the Ravens' inconsistency this year and Flacco has got to be one of the fastest declining QBs in the league right now. Still, it’s hard to imagine that they’ll fall flat on their face against soft teams in consecutive weeks. Not to mention that the Jags are a much tougher defensive unit than whatever the Cardinals are trotting out there. Ravens bounce back and smash the Cards at home.

Ravens

Saints @ Rams

Another 60 point tally is possible. However, what’s more likely is that the Saints hit 40 against a Rams defense that’s better than Indy’s porous bag of bad news. Offensively, Steven Jackson might be able to also eat up enough clock to keep the point total down but ultimately, this is a road win for New Orleans .

Saints

Dolphins @ Giants

Of the winless teams, Miami will be the first (if not the only) to break through and get a win. Unfortunately for them, it won’t be this week. Giants are sneaking away with the NFC North unless the Cowboys get on a run and it’s because Eli has looked fantastic doing his best Peyton impression. Giants handle at home.

Giants

Colts @ Titans

Titans should rebound from a dismal showing last week in which they got clobbered for the second straight game. Chris Johnson is a big issue right now for Tennessee … either he’s your typical get-paid-and-stop-playing story or the lockout and holdout turned him into an ineffective running back. Either way, he is the reason the Titans can’t sustain any offense relying entirely on Hasselbeck. Fortunately for them, the Colts may very well be the worst team in all of football.

Titans

Vikings @ Panthers

This game could go either way, honestly but I am firmly on the Cam bandwagon. With some help in Carolina, the Panthers could be a solid team down the line because he is JAWESOME. Will it be enough against a Vikes team that showed a bunch of life against the super duper Packers? I think it might be if they play tough enough defense at home and get just enough stops to make the couple scores we know we’re gonna get from Cam stick.

Panthers

Redskins @ Bills

The Bills, like the Lions, are starting to look a bit shaky in the mid-season after a blistering, buzzworthy start. The Bills still have offensive weapons galore and should be able to eventually break through for some big gains against a Redskins defense that, while good, should be on the field a lot with the nasty bill of health that the offense is sporting. I like the Bills at home.

Bills

Lions @ Broncos

I was tempted to go with the Broncos at home against a Lions team that can’t run the football and might be without Stafford , greatly hindering their ability to score points. Not to mention that they can’t stop the run to save their lives (strangely enough considering how imposing their defensive line is… sounds familiar to me though as a Raider fan) and all the Broncos know how to do is run the ball. That said, I watched some Tebow tape and I’m sorry folks but the dude is whack. Sure he has the heart of a lion and can win games purely off his will but he’ll be scrambling for his life with Suh and co. chasing him around all day.

Lions

Patriots @ Steelers

Yeah, yeah, yeah, the game of the week, YAWN. Maybe. There’s still that ‘Boys/Eagles tilt later in the day but no doubt this will be a battle of AFC heavyweights not yet at their twilight but close. For now, expect an air show. Neither team runs the ball well ( New England has great rushing stats but it’s usually because of the deep-rooted fear of being murdered by Brady that has invaded the league… and Pitts’Mendenhall is a lost soul right now) and both teams can be passed on. That means Big Ben and Brady are going to put on a QB clinic for us. It’ll be fun and the Steelers will prevail on maybe one or two deep bombs to Wallace and the home field Steel Curtain advantage. This one’s a close one to call and the Pats are still the class of the AFC but I’m going with the home team.

Steelers

Browns @ Niners

I can’t make sense of the Browns. At moments they look like they’re going to be a consistent offense as McCoy looks like the QB I remember from college but then they have games like that FG fest they survived against the Seahawks. That won’t do against a Niners team that is totally real. Real like Paul Mooney real. Even if they play a bad game at home, I can’t imagine them losing to the Browns. I love my Raiders and hold a pretty strong disdain for the Forty Whiners but that is a legit football team headed by a psychopathic coach in an easy division, bringing respectability back to the Bay.

Niners

Bengals @ Seahawks

No home field advantage will help the Seahawks score more than 3 points against one of the more surprising defensive units in the NFL a week after scoring 3 points against a decidedly below-average defensive unit in Cleveland . Word on the street has it that Tarvaris Jackson is back under center instead of Charlie Whitehurst. Wooptydo… Dalton and company are going to get this one on the road. I respect the shit out of Michael Silver but his pick here is wrong.

Bengals

Cowboys @ Eagles

Maybe this is the game of the week. They both look like they’re getting better. One of these teams will keep the mojo going; the other will likely be out of the division race. However, Philly is saddled with more urgency considering they’re 2-4, can’t risk falling to 2-5 with jack for tiebreakers… especially if the Giants roll on the Phins and improve to 5-2. This game is as important a division fight as any this week or any week. My gut is telling me that even though the Cowboys look like the better team, the Eagles are going to get it together at home and make it two in a row after losing four straight. Both teams can run the ball well but the result will come down to which one of the two dynamic QBs, Romo or Vick, will make the least mistakes. After watching Romo for years, I’ll take my chances with Vick.

Eagles

Chargers @ Chiefs

Listen, I don’t like either one of these teams. I wish I could pick against them every week of every season for the rest of eternity but alas, I must be fair and one of these clowns will be victorious on Monday night. You knew this. What you didn’t know is that the Chiefs are going to beat the Chargers at home to force a three way tie atop the AFC West. I, more than anyone, know that the Chiefs are only marginally effective, their 28-0 victory over the Raiders doused in an asterix for the circumstances at Oakland ’s QB position and that the other two teams they beat both stunk even worse than the Chiefs do. However, the Chargers are lost at sea. Rivers, normally an elite signal caller, looks exhausted from carrying the team on his shoulders... maybe even hurt? Will he rebound from the mental mistakes that have plagues him uncharacteristically this year in time for Monday night? Very possible. However, the Chiefs are tough at home, have been solid defensively since the massive trucking they took the first two weeks of the season and have momentum going into a primetime showdown with a rival. I inadvertently selected the Chargers in my work pool and I furiously regret it. The Chiefs have the upper hand in this match up and will exact revenge for what was a narrow escape for the Chargers in SD a month ago.

Chiefs.

dig it