Let's get to the picks...!
Week 8 Picks
Tennessee (-3.5) vs. Jacksonville
Oh goodie, we finally get an awesome Thursday night game. Smart move by the NFL scheduling these two powerhouses on a night when the league won't even have to compete with NBA's opening night or the World Series for ratings. Does Blake Bortles need to be hugged yet?
Pick: Titans
Cincinnati (-5.5) vs. Washington
I'm not so sure I believe that the Bengals are 5.5 points better than Washington on a neutral field (which this one is, after all). Cincinnati has had a little bit of bad luck so far, but both of these teams feel like borderline playoff contenders if they could just get a couple of breaks. Neither has a star QB to lead them, but both are solid enough franchise guys. Neither defense will knock your socks off, but they make all the plays and keep them in games. Feels like a field goal game to me.
Pick: Washington
Kansas City (-2.5) at Indianapolis
Chiefs good, Colts bad. That's all this comes down to.
Pick: Chiefs
Houston (-2.5) vs. Detroit
Along with Packers/Falcons, this is one of the more difficult games of the week. It's not so much Jekyll and Hyde, as it is Hyde and Hyde. I don't honestly believe either one of them is all that good, but the Lions at least haven't looked like complete dog crap at various points this season. AND they're getting the points.
Pick: Lions
Seattle (-2.5) at New Orleans
As a general rule, I'm not a big fan of laying points with anyone when they're heading to the dome to take on the Saints. Drew Brees has made a Hall of Fame career out of hanging crooked numbers on the board. The only thing holding me back is that the Saints really aren't very good, and I'm higher than most on Seattle. But the fact that the line is actually still pretty low gives me reason to think someone knows something that I don't.
Pick: Saints
Carolina (-0.5) vs. Arizona
The last time these teams met, they were arguably two of the three best teams in the entire league. Since then, Arizona has clearly dropped off a bit. But Carolina has completely fallen off a freakin cliff. And they're favored? Ooof.
Pick: Cardinals
New York Jets (-2.5) at Cleveland
I know more than a handful of Jets fans who are looking at the upcoming schedule and trying to figure out how they can have a decent record heading into the midway point, starting with a win over the Browns. I take the opposite approach. I look at this Browns team and figure that even the worst teams will win a game or two. So who better to collapse than a putrid, infighting Jets team that's somehow favored against someone on the road?
Pick: Browns
Tampa Bay (-0.5) vs. Oakland
My wife is on this documentary kick lately. I wake up the other day and walk in the living room. I see the TV on. She turns to me and goes, "You know Jameis Winston the football player (doesn't wait for my response)? Well just so you know, he's definitely a rapist". Like come on, I didn't even have a chance to grab a donut yet!
Pick: Raiders
New England (-4.5) at Buffalo
Do not put ANY stock into the whole "the Patriots really want revenge against the Bills for shutting them out" angle. If a desire for something made it a guarantee that it would happen, then Jessica Alba's name would be Jessica Brown right now. Rex Ryan has always had success against Bill Belichick, or at least moreso than most other coaches. I think they'll do enough to keep this one tight.
Pick: Bills
Denver (-6.5) vs. San Diego
So, how much are flights to Houston in February anyway...?
Pick: Chargers
Atlanta (-2.5) vs. Green Bay
Toughest game of the week for me. I'm still not sure if I'm sold on the Chargers being good yet, which in turn would tell me whether last week's loss by Atlanta is a fluke or a sign of bad things to come or somewhere in the middle or none of the above. Green Bay has shifted its personality about a half dozen times already this season, to the point that nobody can say with any kind of certainty whatsoever that they know what to expect from these guys in a given week. When in doubt, I suppose I'll take the points.
Pick: Packers
Dallas (-4.5) vs. Philadelphia
All this talk about whether Romo should get his job back or not is completely ridiculous to me. Dak has been very solid in place of Romo, but this is SUCH a Tony Romo thing to have happen to him. He's finally got a legit Super Bowl contending cast around him, and he gets hurt again while the replacement comes in and looks solid and efficient. Put Romo under center and this team is insanely good. With Prescott, they are solid. This shouldn't even be a debate. And when the Eagles knock the Cowboys around on national TV this Sunday, it will become obvious to everyone else too.
Pick: Eagles
Minnesota (-4.5) at Chicago
There was a slight hiccup for the Vikes a week ago, but don't let that deter this train. Chicago is a completely terrible team in just about every way possible, and if anything Minnesota will probably have its best practice week and gameplan in effect coming off their first loss of the year. This could be another primetime blowout.
Pick: Vikings
BEST BETS: Chiefs, Raiders, Cardinals, Vikings
LOCK: Oakland Raiders
LAST WEEK
Overall: 6-9
Best Bets: 1-3
Lock of the Week: 0-1
YEAR TO DATE
Overall: 63-44 (58%)
Best Bets: 13-15 (46%)
Lock of the Week: 2-5 (28%)
POWER RANKINGS
Team Name W/L (Prv)
1. Patriots 6-1 (2)
2. Vikings 5-1 (1)
3. Cowboys 5-1 (3)
4. Seahawks 4-1-1 (4)
5. Broncos 5-2 (6)
6. Falcons 4-3 (5)
7. Packers 4-2 (10)
8. Steelers 4-3 (8)
9. Chiefs 4-2 (9)
10. Eagles 4-2 (14)
11. Raiders 5-2 (13)
12. Cardinals 3-3-1 (12)
13. Texans 4-3 (7)
14. Redskins 4-3 (11)
15. Bengals 3-4 (16)
16. Giants 4-3 (17)
17. Chargers 3-4 (20)
18. Lions 4-3 (21)
19. Bills 4-3 (15)
20. Ravens 3-4 (18)
21. Saints 2-4 (19)
22. Rams 3-4 (22)
23. Panthers 1-5 (23)
24. Colts 3-4 (26)
25. Bucs 3-3 (27)
26. Dolphins 3-4 (28)
27. Jets 2-5 (29)
28. Jaguars 2-4 (24)
29. Titans 3-4 (25)
30. Bears 1-6 (30)
31. 49ers 1-6 (31)
32. Browns 0-7 (32)
