NFL Week 8 Predictions

Can you believe we are almost to the halfway point of the NFL season? Things are already starting to shape up for an intriguing stretch run as several teams will be fighting for the one or two playoff spots that will be up-for-grabs. With so many elite teams and so many terrible teams, it's going to be a dogfight just to be a 5 or 6 seed.

Here are my picks for Week 8 of the NFL season. Remember, all picks are made strictly based on who I think will win and do not take the spread into consideration.

Record Last Week: 10-3, .769
Overall Record: 74-29, .719

Byes: Bengals, Bucs, Chiefs, Patriots, Redskins, Steelers

Sunday Day Games:

Texans (4-3) @ Bills (3-4) The Bills look like they are sticking with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback even if/when Trent Edwards is healthy. Yeah, I'm aware Fitzpatrick has "led" the Bills to two straight wins. Good luck with that, Buffalo. My pick: Texans

Browns (1-6) @ Bears (3-3) I don't think even Jay Cutler can screw this one up. The Bears should get a touchdown on defense and that could be enough to win this game. My pick: Bears

Seahawks (2-4) @ Cowboys (4-2) With how "bad" the Cowboys were supposedly playing earlier in the season, their 4-2 record puts them even with the Eagles and ready to compete for a playoff spot. A lot of that has to do with Miles Austin's emergence from nowhere; he really has been remarkable and has fantasy owners everywhere giddy. Seattle is slowly slipping back into the "have-nots" pile in the NFL. My pick: Cowboys

Rams (0-7) @ Lions (1-5) Yeesh. I never thought a one win team could look so much better than a zero win team. Whether Calvin Johnson plays or not, and no matter who their quarterback is, I expect Detroit to win this game by 10. That doesn't say much about the Rams, who have to be wondering where that first win is going to come from. It's going to be a looooong second half of the season, Rams fans. My pick: Lions

Niners (3-3) @ Colts (6-0) The Colts where the best team in football, then they had a bye week and suddenly the Saints leapfrogged them because they barely beat the Dolphins? How does that work? Look for Indy to re-establish their dominance over the league by crushing the Niners. Sorry, starting Alex Smith just isn't going to cut it. My pick: Colts

Dolphins (2-4) @ Jets (4-3) Think the Jets have figured out how to stop the Dolphins offense by now? Revenge will certainly be on their minds as they try to shut down the Wildcat this week. If the Jets want to make the playoffs, they've got to beat Miami once. My pick: Jets

Broncos (6-0) @ Ravens (3-3) It only seems like I pick against them every game but I have to believe that the Ravens will finally hand Denver their first loss this week. The Ravens are fresh off their bye and have had two weeks to prepare for Denver so you can bet their defense will be ready. Offensively, I don't see how the Broncos will slow down Ray Rice and the rushing attack. My pick: Ravens

Giants (5-2) @ Eagles (4-2) I don't like making this pick but I just haven't seen enough from the Eagles to justify picking them to beat the Giants. The Eagles have looked very average the last two weeks, getting by the Redskins only because DeSean Jackson is a beast. I just don't have enough faith in the offense, especially without Brian Westbrook, to go with the Eagles. The only chance the Birds have in this one is if the defense keeps the game low-scoring and forces a few key turnovers. While we are getting to the time of year where Eli Manning starts sucking, I'm just not confident enough to pick the Eagles. By all means, prove me wrong Birds! My pick: Giants

Jaguars (3-3) @ Titans (0-6) Call me crazy, but the Titans have to win sometime, right? While the decision to start Vince Young in this game may doom this pick, I just have a feeling that Tennessee gets their first W against a Jaguars team that is hit or miss from week to week. Both teams are coming off their bye's, and I have to believe Jeff Fisher has fixed a few of the things that have gone wrong with his team. If not this week, when are the Titans going to win? My pick: Titans

Raiders (2-5) @ Chargers (3-3) The fact that the Chargers have only one more win than the Raiders is shocking. That speaks more to how they have been under performing and to how charitable the Eagles were to give the Raiders a win. My pick: Chargers

Vikings (6-1) @ Packers (4-2) Is the honeymoon over for Brett Favre in Minnesota? While that interception at the end of the game against the Steelers wasn't his fault, you can bet Vikings fans started to grumble about the return of the erratic gunslinger. If the Vikings truly want to be an elite team, they need to feed the ball to Adrian Peterson much more and stop relying on Favre to do everything. You have the best running back in the game, use him already. As for the Packers, you can bet they have had this game circled on their calendar for months. Expect a lot of points and expect Aaron Rodgers to pull a "Favre" and lead his team to victory in the 4th quarter. My pick: Packers

Panthers (2-4) @ Cardinals (4-2) The Panthers are really sticking with Jake Delhomme? Do they not watch their own film? The Cardinals aren't a great team but after they win this one they will be running away with the NFC West. My pick: Cardinals

Monday Night Game:

Falcons (4-2) @ Saints (6-0) The Saints officially can beat you every way possible. Want to try to run the ball all game long and keep Drew Brees off the field, Atlanta? Fine, the defense will slow you down and Brees will find a way to put points on the board in a hurry. The Saints are going to trip up one of these weeks and the Falcons are a quality team but it's just not time yet for New Orleans to lose. My pick: Saints

Those are my picks for Week 8 of the NFL Season. Check back every Thursday during the season for the latest predictions. Feel free to discuss, argue or make your own picks in the comment section!