NFL Week 8 Predictions

The league is starting to get very interesting as the division races are starting to take shape and the teams that were surprises in the beginning (Titans, Bills) appear to be for real and the disappointments (Colts, Browns) may just be bad teams.

Let's get right to the Week 8 picks. Remember, all picks are made strictly based on who I think will win and do not take the spread into consideration.

Record Last Week: 9-5, .643
Overall Record: 64-39, .621

Byes: Bears, Broncos, Packers, Vikings

Sunday Day Games:

Bucs (5-2) @ Cowboys (4-3) It looks like no Romo again for the Cowboys this week, and that could spell trouble. Brad Johnson was unable to throw anything down the field and that left the Cowboys offense unable to do anything against the lowly Rams. The Cowboys should just feed Marion Barber the ball and let him carry the load until Romo returns, although that might not work against a good Bucs defense. As much as I want to pick against the Cowboys, I think they limit their turnovers and put it together this week. My pick: Cowboys

Redskins (5-2) @ Lions (0-6) Sorry, not this week, Lions! The Redskins will jump out to an early lead, just like everyone does against the Lions, and ride Clinton Portis to victory. My pick: Redskins

Bills (5-1) @ Dolphins (2-4) It looks like the Wildcat offense has been solved. The Ravens completely shut down the Dolphins college attack so now the rest of the league will watch the tape and copy what Baltimore did. The Bills have a great defense so they won't let the Dolphins do much, anyway. I still can't believe the Bills are this good, but they are cruising their way to a first round playoff bye. My pick: Bills

Rams (2-4) @ Patriots (4-2) Can the Rams make it 3 in a row? Don't look now but St. Louis is creeping into the NFC West picture and could challenge for the division lead if they pull out a few more wins. Unfortunately for the Rams, however, they may be without Steven Jackson, which is basically their entire offense. The Patriots are not as dead as everyone thought they were but they also aren't as good as they looked on Monday Night: the Broncos are just that terrible. The Patriots have injury issues of their own but I still think they put a halt to the Rams turnaround. My pick: Patriots

Chargers (3-4) @ Saints (3-4) Two teams that have a tendency to start slow will face off with the loser taking a big hit in their playoff push. I have no idea what happened to the Saints last week, even Drew Brees looked out of sync. The Chargers looked even worse and it all starts with LaDanian Tomlinson. He has clearly lost a step and that forces the Chargers to rely on Philip Rivers to carry the offense. The difference in this game will be the fact that one of these teams actually has a defense. My pick: Chargers

Chiefs (1-5) @ Jets (3-3) The Chiefs are an absolute mess. They have no quarterback, no defense and a highly paid running back who they would love to get rid of. The Jets aren't a very good football team, either, but even they can piece together enough points to beat the Chiefs. About 10 points would do it. My pick: Jets

Falcons (4-2) @ Eagles (3-3) The stars appear aligned for the Eagles to win this one. The offense will feature all of it's weapons as Brian Westbrook is back and Kevin Curtis is making his 2008 debut. Donovan McNabb will finally have his full compliment of receivers to throw to. The Birds are also coming off a bye and we all know how well Andy Reid's teams do after byes. Their opponent also features a rookie quarterback, something that should have the defense salivating as they will use multiple blitz packages against Matt Ryan to confuse him. The Eagles are also out of the spotlight as the entire city focuses on the Phillies, so that should help them to feel loose. All of these factors add up to an Eagles win, although it should be a close game. The Falcons are a much better team than most people thought they would be. This week is no longer the automatic win that most Eagle fans thought it was at the beginning of the season. My pick: Eagles

Raiders (2-4) @ Ravens (3-3) The Raiders stole one last week against the Jets but their winning streak ends here. No one can seriously think that JaMarcus Russell and the Oakland offense will be able to do anything against the Ravens defense. If Oakland gets an offensive touchdown I will be shocked. My pick: Ravens

Cardinals (4-2) @ Panthers (5-2) This battle for the best non-NFC East team in the NFC should be a good one. The Panthers have an advantage with their defense but it's nearly impossible to stop the Cardinals when both Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald are healthy. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they also have to pay some defense, something that has been challenging them all season. I expect a big day running for the Stewart/Williams combo that will help to neutralize the Cards attack, much like Carolina did last week against the Saints. My pick: Panthers

Browns (2-4) @ Jaguars (3-3) What's wrong with the Jaguars running game? The bread and butter of the team has completely let them down this year, exposing David Garrard as an average quarterback at best. MJD got it going in Week 6 against the Broncos and I fully expect that to continue against the Browns. Get excited Cleveland, the Brady Quinn era has to be just around the corner. My pick: Jaguars

Bengals (0-7) @ Texans (2-4) The Texans and their suddenly elite group of fantasy football stars look poised to win their 3rd straight and jump into possibly contending for a playoff spot. Pretty good for a team that started 0-4. My pick: Texans

Giants (5-1) @ Steelers (5-1) This one has the makings of a total slug fest. These two teams are very similar, from their punishing running styles to blitzing defenses. Call this one more of a wish than a pick, but I really hope the Steelers can knock off the Giants and tighten things up in the NFC East. Pittsburgh will have Willie Parker back so that should help ease the burden on Big Ben. My pick: Steelers

Seahawks (1-5) @ Niners (2-5) This game is a battle for last place in the NFC West with one team that is terrible because they have no talent and another that is just terrible because of injuries. The Niners did make one smart move this week in finally firing Mike Nolan. Nolan's record as a head coach (18-37) speaks for itself and no amount of fancy suits he wears changes the fact that he shouldn't be running a team. He'll be fine if he goes back to being a coordinator again but we shouldn't ever see him as head coach again. My pick: Niners get a boost from new coach Mike Singletary and win

Monday Night Game:

Colts (3-3) @ Titans (6-0) Indy's playoff chances might be on the line in this one. The Titans already look like they will run away with the division, so the Colts have to aim for a Wild Card spot but they need to focus on getting over .500 first. The Colts demise has been tough to watch because it really has been the offense that has let them down. We all knew that their defense was going to be terrible but Peyton Manning just hasn't gotten the job done. With the playoffs on the line I think Manning is due to pull one out. I can't stick a fork in the Colts just yet, although if they lose this one it's done. My pick: Colts

So those are my picks for Week Eight. If you agree or disagree or have picks of your own, feel free to leave comments!