Week 8 Picks

I picked a Seahawks game right! I picked a Seahawks game right! 9-5 (60-44 overall), that’s better, especially considering it came in a week that the Browns beat the Saints, the Raiders looked like the greatest show on turf, and the breaks kept going absurdly in the Steelers favor. Here’s the updated picks record. Again, the number beside each game in the picks is the number of games I am above or below .500 in games involving those two teams.

6-0: Lions, Bills
6-1: Falcons, Giants
5-1: Vikings, Cardinals
5-2: Jaguars, Packers, Saints
4-2: Colts, Steelers
4-3: Raiders, Titans, Browns, Ravens, 49ers, Eagles
3-3: Chiefs, Jets, Dolphins, Panthers, Buccaneers
3-4: Broncos, Chargers, Bears, Rams, Redskins
2-4: Texans, Patriots, Bengals, Cowboys
1-5: Seahawks

NFC (23-15)
WSH vs DET(+5)- This is tough, the Redskins keep outperforming themselves, making them due for a loss, and the Lions have some good upset potential against mid-range to fairly good teams like Washington. Yet, the Redskins fight versus the Lions various “almost” games is tough to pick against. Redskins win.
CAR vs STL(-1)- Panthers finally picked up their first win, but I still have very little faith. I’ll take the Rams to tally a win here before they continue to fall back. Rams win.
TB vs ARI(+4)- I laughed at a headline I saw saying “Buccaneers NFC’s best?” I’m definitely not going there after a few mildly impressive wins by Tampa Bay. But last week, the Bucs took care of a mediocre NFC West team and they do it again this week. Buccaneers win.

AFC (18-17)
MIA vs CIN(-2)- The Bengals have discovered the impressive formula of how to put up huge passing numbers yet still lose week in and week out. Miami missed a lot of chances last week and it still took an officiating blunder for the Steelers to win. Now THAT impresses me. Dolphins win.
BUF vs KC(+6)- Kansas City has shown an offense the last two weeks, albeit against defenses that aren’t that great, but here they get another one. Chiefs win.
TEN vs SD(0)- The Titans look pretty good, but it’s games like these that keep them from getting into the group of good teams. The Chargers haven’t been terrible for a 2¬-5 team. This is the type of game they’ll be able to pull out. Chargers win.
HOU vs IND(0)- Week 1 rematch where we got our first glimpse of the Arian Foster we now know. Not a repeat performance for the Texans running back, though he could still have a very nice game against the Colts undersized defense. The Colts have things more together now, and the Texans have only looked more questionable as time goes by. Colts win.

INT (18-11)
JAC vs DAL(+1)- It’s hard to keep picking a team with as many talented players as Dallas to keep losing, but have they showed any winning ability? Both teams are playing with backup quarterbacks. Neither is very good. But I guess Miles Austin big plays will eventually be enough to win some games here and there. Cowboys win.
DEN vs SF(0)- Broncos are 2-5. 49ers are 1-6. Like Jags/’boys, it’s hard to pick either. Troy Smith brings a spark to the 49ers, but that spark might not lead to a fire. The Broncos look to bounce back from a humiliating trouncing by the Raiders and that should motivate them. Broncos win.
GB vs NYJ(+3)- The Packers win over Minnesota showed grit, but far from proved that their problems are gone, showed that they have more, if anything. The Jets are still looking good and I’ll take their consistency over the Packers potential. Jets win.
MIN vs NE(+2)- The Vikings continue to sink and the Patriots keep winning, though Belicheck’s bad case of feelings of invincibility nearly cost them last week. Moss playing against his team of several weeks ago adds intrigue, but unless Favre manages to get himself back on the field AND plays better than he has been, that intrigue won’t last long into a Patriots blowout. Patriots win.
SEA vs OAK(-3)- Rule #1: If in doubt, don’t pick the Raiders. I’m not convinced that the Seahawks are really good, and I’m not as sure as I once was that the Raiders are totally aweful. But nothing good has ever come from picking Oakland (at least for me), so I’ll stick with the Seahawks to keep impressing. Seahawks win.
PIT vs NO(+5)- The Browns defense made Drew Brees look silly, and the Steelers defense is top notch, so it could be another tough offensive day for the Saints. And nothing can possibly go wrong for the Steelers, so Steelers win.