NFL Week 8 Picks

Saturday, October 27, 2012

by Joe Brackets a featured blogger for AskHoffa

Winning Picks for the week of October 27th 2012 NFL Season

NFL Week 8 Picks

We’re almost at the halfway point in the NFL, but I’ve been so preoccupied with baseball lately that I completely forgot there was a game on Thursday night until like 12:30 when I was watching World Series post game and went, “Wait, there was a football game tonight.” As a result, I missed the Tampa Bay Bucs doing their usual once-a-year random high-scoring road win over a good team thing. So, I’m off to an 0-1 start to Week 8 and officially eliminated from my survival pick ’em league. Oh well, I prefer the straight pick ’em anyway.

Panthers (1-5) at Bears (5-1): Chicago-I missed the Bears’ Monday-night win over Detroit because of the NLCS, but I’m not at all surprised to see that Chicago allowed just one measly touchdown in that game. I’ve got the Bears just behind the Falcons as the second-best team in the NFC. Yes, I think they’re that good. The Panthers, on the other hand, are a complete mess. I don’t even think they have a clue what’s going on. They won’t win in Chicago.

Chargers (3-3) at Browns (1-6): San Diego-San Diego had last weekend off to think about that Monday-night collapse against the Broncos two weeks ago. With a win there, the Chargers could’ve taken complete control of the AFC West. As it is now, though, they’re part of that massive group of 3-3 teams. San Diego was 3-1 before back-to-back prime-time losses. Fortunately for them, a game against Cleveland won’t be in prime time. I think the Chargers win it.

Seahawks (“4-3”) at Lions (2-4): Seattle-I still can’t decide if I think Seattle’s good. Every time I think I know what the Seahawks are going to do, they do the exact opposite. This week they take on a Lions team that really needs a win. I don’t think they get one, though. Even though they lost a game they should’ve won in St. Louis earlier this season, I’m going with the Seahawks.

Jaguars (1-5) at Packers (“4-3”): Green Bay-It took a little while, but it looks like the Packers have finally turned the corner. It was probably that game two weeks ago when they crushed the Texans that did it. Green Bay followed up that victory with a win over the Rams. A not-very-good Jaguars team coming to Lambeau shouldn’t be a problem, either.

Colts (3-3) at Titans (3-4): Indianapolis-This game is tough to call, and the winner has the upper-hand in the battle to finish second behind the Texans. After beating the Packers, Indianapolis got thumped by the Jets, then barely beat Cleveland last week. The Titans, meanwhile, have won two straight.to go from 1-4 to 3-4. Since the game’s in Nashville, Tennessee is favored, but I’ll take Indianapolis in a close one.

Patriots (4-3) vs. Rams (3-4): New England-The NFL’s annual London game brings the Patriots and Rams across the pond for a matchup that’s not really too compelling. New England showed last week that it’s still the team to beat in the AFC East. And with the Ravens and Texans both off, they’re teh only AFC team that’s above .500 that’s playing this week. I’m sure it’s an inconvenience to go to London, but the Patriots should end their win-loss-win-loss cycle heading into their bye. I guarantee this game won’t be anywhere near as good as that incredible USA-Canada women’s soccer semifinal in the same stadium during the Olympics.

Dolphins (3-3) at Jets (3-4): Jets-The Jets won the first meeting between these two in overtime back in Week 3. I watched that game against the Patriots last week, and I’m still not really sure how New England won. Miami had a pair of close wins against bad teams heading into its bye last week. As dysfunctional as the team is, the Jets are better than the Dolphins. I think they finish off the season sweep of Miami.

Falcons (6-0) at Eagles (3-3): Atlanta-With its undefeated record on the line, Atlanta is a road underdog in Philadelphia this week. The Falcons already have a stranglehold on the NFC South, and they look to continue the best start in franchise history. The Eagles, who were also off last week, haven’t won since they beat the Giants in Week 4. Ordinarily I’d think Philadelphia has a great shot to knock off Atlanta, but I’m not really sure why the Eagles are favored in this one. The Falcons stay undefeated.

Redskins (3-4) at Steelers (3-3): Pittsburgh-The RG3 show heads to Pittsburgh for a matchup with a Steelers team that picked up a huge win in Cincinnati last week. The Steelers still have a shot in the AFC North, and a win would put them just one game behind the Ravens in the standings. The Redskins, I think, have learned what the reality of Robert Griffin III is going to be. Their games will be a lot closer, but the better teams will still find a way in the end. It should be no different this week. Steelers win.

Raiders (2-4) at Chiefs (1-5): Oakland-Remember when people looked forward to Raiders-Chiefs games because they were absolute wars between two good teams. Now, the fact that they hate each other is the only thing that makes Raiders-Chiefs games somewhat entertaining. Kansas City is probably the worst team in football. They haven’t had the lead all season, yet somehow have a win (on a last-second overtime field goal in New Orleans). The Raiders are less bad, which is the same thing I said last week when they played the Jaguars. Whatever works. A win’s a win.

Giants (5-2) at Cowboys (3-3): Giants-Doesn’t that season opener between these two seem like it was forever ago? Well, the Cowboys won that game, which puts them in an excellent position in the division race should they also take the rematch. This Giants team is vastly different than the one Dallas saw in Week 1, though. They’ve won three straight and will take complete control of the NFC East with a win. It should also be noted that the Giants have never lost in Cowboys Stadium. That’s just a small note, but another one in the Giants’ favor. They’re the better team, and they should win. (Sidebar, FOX is so excited to finally have a Giants-Cowboys game after NBC had the last three that it’s not just the national game, it’s FOX’s only late game before the other Giants play the Tigers in Game 4 of the World Series.)

Saints (2-4) at Broncos (3-3): Denver-Peyton’s Magical Mystery Tour of national games to start the season continues with a Sunday-night matchup against New Orleans that the NFL shrewdly scheduled against Game 4 of the World Series. New Orleans just played a Sunday night game a couple weeks ago, and that’s when the Saints finally got off their shneid with a win over the Chargers. Now that Joe Vitt’s suspension is over, New Orleans will have some semblance of stability for the rest of the season, even though they continually insist on letting the embarrassment of Bountygate drag on. I picked against New Orleans last week, mainly because I really wanted them to lose, and it ended up being my only loss of the week. But in Peyton’s last game, he proved he’s still got plenty left in leading that ridiculous 24-point comeback in San Diego. This should be one heck of a matchup, but the fact that it’s in Denver has me leaning Broncos.

49ers (5-2) at Cardinals (4-3): San Francisco-Remember when Arizona started the season 4-0? Yeah, I don’t either. They’ve lost three straight since, and in the interim, the 49ers have seized control of the NFC West once again. Although, the Cardinals would technically be the division leaders with a win on Monday night. Don’t count on it. Monday might be a banner night in the Bay Area. They’ve got the 49ers in the Monday night game, and the Giants could theoretically clinch their second World Series title in three years at the same time. I feel somewhat bad for the San Francisco fans who’ll have to decide which to watch. (I’m sure they’re hoping for a Giants sweep so they won’t have to worry about Monday night.)

This Week: 0-1
Last Week: 12-1
Overall: 71-34

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