Week 8 Picks

Washington Redskins @ Detroit Lions (20-13)


Guess where the first of Detroit’s two wins came last year…yup, the Redskins. Washington seems to like to lose to the bottom feeders of the league, and with their offense not as good as people hoped I think the Lions have a great chance to notch victory numero dos. Matt Stafford will be returning from injury which should give a boost to the Lions seventh ranked passing attack and Jahvid Best looks to perform better now that his turf toe is completely healed. As long as Stafford doesn’t decide to pull a Cutler and hand DeAngelo Hall another career day on a platter Detroit will win a close one.

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Dallas Cowboys (24-14)

Which is worse: I actually picked the Cowboys to win, or I came very close to picking a team that has lost four games by twenty points or more? Hard to say, but at the risk of sounding like a broken record you would think Dallas’s uber-talented defense and strong running game would carry the day against a terrible Jacksonville team-which is on the road no less. But I digress, anything is possible with the Cowboys, and I mean anything.

Miami Dolphins @ Cincinnati Bengals (27-17)

New formula for the Bengals to win: Go down by a huge deficit (20+ points) and let Carson Palmer sling it. He seems to perform vastly better when his team in a hole…consider this; Palmer’s two best days have come against the Patriots and the Falcons where he was down by 20+ points. Meanwhile his worst passing days have come in a close loss to Tampa Bay and a close win over Carolina.

The Dolphins are not-so-quietly-fuming over their legitimate completely bogus loss to Pittsburg. This is very close to a must win game for the fish as a loss and wins by both the Pats and Jets would put them three games back…quite a hole to dig out of. With this game on the road (where the Dolphins are 3-0), its must-win nature, and Cincinnati’s vulnerable defense I like Miami to win handily…as long as they don’t go up by twenty.

Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs (34-28)

Is it just me or is Ryan Fitzpatrick kindofsortofsemimaybeprobably good? Who would have thought he would nearly lead the Bills to a victory over a top five team in the Ravens? Check out his stats for the season: http://www.nfl.com/players/ryanfitzpatrick/profile?id=FIT792915. Pretty crazy…the guys thrown eleven touchdown passes in four games and has a quarterback rating over a 100! But alas, the Bills defense is awful and then some. Look for Matt Cassel to once again thrive off playing against a porous defense and for both Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles to have big days. Chiefs win in a high scoring affair…

Carolina Panthers @ St. Louis Rams (24-13)

The Rams are good at home and show a knack for beating the poorer teams of the league. With a surprisingly solid defense and Sam Bradford at the helm look for St. Louis to succeed where San Fran failed: beating arguably the worst team in the league.

Denver Broncos @ San Francisco 49ers (31-10)

Of all the games being played this week, this was the one that was chosen to showcase American Football in England. I know the schedule was decided upon well before the season started but it’s just a shame. Who wants to see the vastly underperforming (understatement) 49er’s play the Denver we-just-lost-to-Al-Davis’s-corpse-by-45-points Broncos? No one does, just as nobody wants to read about it. Moving on…

Green Bay Packers @ New York Jets (17-14)

New York Jets at home, coming off a bye, with a healthy Darelle Revis, and two more weeks to sharpen Mark Sanchez’s chemistry with Santonio Holmes vs. the Green Bay Packers suffering through injury Armageddon with a struggling pass defense and an offense as one dimensional as Brad Childress’s mind. I see no conceivable way for the Pack to win this unless Sanchez goes into turnover mode, the Jets secondary has a terrible game, or Aaron Rodgers goes ballistic. New York is ripe for a letdown game…but it ain’t gonna be this week.

Tennessee Titans @ San Diego Chargers (28-20)

Twice this season Tennessee has come off monster wins then gone on to lose handily (the loss to Pittsburg only looks close…trust me it wasn’t). I see the same thing happening again against a desperate San Diego team that should be making its customary run at any time now. You would think at some point everything would come together for the Chargers and their top five defense and offense would lead to wins; that’s logical right? You would think…

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Arizona Cardinals (22-20)

In case anyone hasn’t heard Bill Simmons slobbering over him…Josh Freeman is good, real good. And Max Hall is, well, let’s say a work in progress. Like St. Louis, the Bucs have shown they can beat teams at their level but struggle against the top of the league. Thankfully for them, the Cardinals are about at their level…don’t tell Raheem Morris I said that. Assuming Larry Fitzgerald doesn’t kill everyone on the Cardinals roster look for Tampa Bay to win a close battle and inch closer to an improbable Wild Card spot.

Minnesota Vikings @ New England Patriots (31-24)

Regardless of what secret information Randy has been giving the Vike’s coaching staff I doubt they comprehend how to utilize it. And with some of the shot’s Chilly has taken at the Pats and Belicheck this week I Suspect New England will be playing with a few more “chips”. The Vikings will have either Brett Favre standing on broken legs at quarterback or a guy in Travaris Jackson who hasn’t played for a solid two years…not a good sign. Surprisingly Minnesota’s defense has been unable to rush the passer thus far which points to Brady having a big game. Look for All Day to run wild but a shaky passing attack and sharp Patriot offense to lead to another Minnesota loss…and a despondent Randy Moss as he watches Tom Brady pick his new team apart.

Seattle Seahawks @ Oakland Raiders (19-17)

Seattle on the road is never a good thing…and they have to play the offensive juggernaut Oakland Raiders of all teams! It’s hard to pick Oakland to win two in a row, considering they haven’t accomplished it since 2008…but it’s even harder to pick Seattle on the road. Screw it, I’m going with the we-just-scored-59-points-we’re-ripe-for-a-letdown Oakland Raiders!

Pittsburgh Steelers @ New Orleans Saints (31-27)

By far the most interesting game of the week in my opinion. New Orleans is in serious trouble if they lose this game as they would be sitting at .500 while division leading Atlanta is 5-2. Plus, the reaction in New Orleans would be apocalyptic if the Saints fell to 4-4, losing two in a row. Pittsburg on the other hand is coming off a tough loss win against Miami and has to play the Saints in New Orleans: one of the toughest places to play in football. There pass defense is semi struggling which bodes well for a Drew Brees that has to be pissed off after a terrible performance against Cleveland (The Browns of all teams!). I believe the Saint’s offense will reemerge from their funk and they win a high scoring affair against the best team in the league. I am by no means confident in this pick, but I trust Brees to make it happen in a must win game.

Houston Texans @ Indianapolis Colts (38-34)

Three reasons why I can’t bring myself to pick the Texans:

1. It’s Peyton Manning at night…you don’t pick against Peyton manning at night man!

2. Houston sweeping Indianapolis is so improbable I can’t even comprehend it…

3. Despite the rash of injuries the Colts have suffered their offensive depth is so strong that they should still be able to ravage Houston’s abominable defense. Reggie Wayne anybody?

Last Week: 10-4

Overall: 51-37

Upset of the Week: New Orleans Saints OVER Pittsburg Steelers

Pounding of the Week: Denver Broncos OVER San Francisco 49er’s

Lock of the Week: Indianapolis Colts OVER Houston Texans