There was some actual exciting NFL action in week 8, especially in the Eagles/Cowboys, Raiders/Bucs and Packers/Falcons game, which was a welcome change from the bad football we’ve seen much of this year so far. This week also has some promising matchups that could easily be classified as must-see football. I’m especially looking forward to Sunday Night’s AFC West showdown.
Here we go:
GAME OF THE WEEK – Denver Broncos (6-2) at Oakland Raiders (6-2). OAK by 1 – This is the most important game that’s been played in Oakland for 14 years. It’s certainly going to have the home fans going nuts. What’s interesting is the Raiders have actually fared better on the road (5-0) than at home (1-2) this year so far. There’s something really special about this Raiders team, and while I think they’re a year out from being true championship contenders, they’ve definitely got a lot of moxy. I think they take down the Broncos this time, even if they don’t necessarily end up winning the division. Raiders 23, Broncos 20
THURSDAY NIGHT – Atlanta Falcons (5-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4), ATL by 3.5 – Story of the Falcons’ season so far: great offense, horrendous defense. Another classic Falconsism is that they struggle against divisional opponents, especially on the road. Both these teams are coming off close, hard-fought games, but at home on a short week against a divisional foe, I’ll take the upset for the Bucs. UPSET! – Bucs 27, Falcons 24
Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (5-2), KC by 9 – The Jaguars have seemingly completely given up on Gus Bradley. I have no idea how he hasn’t been fired by now. As long as he’s around, they’re doomed. The Chiefs are playing some good football, and while they’re playing third fiddle to the Broncos and Raiders right now, there’s no denying that they could potentially make some noise late in the season. Chiefs 27, Jaguars 14
Detroit Lions (4-4) at Minnesota Vikings (5-2), MIN by 6 – It’s really hard to believe that this is the same Vikings team that many people thought to be the best in the league just 10 days ago. They’ve looked like complete garbage two weeks in a row, mostly because of their offense. I expect this one to be a close game, but in the end I just can’t see the Vikings choking a third week in a row, especially given they’re playing against master choke artists themselves. Vikings 24, Lions 16
Philadelphia Eagles (4-3) at New York Giants (4-3), NYG by 2.5 – Man, this is a tough one to call. The Giants and Eagles always play each other extremely well. It certainly seems like the Eagles are the better team right now, but the Giants are playing at home. However, the Eagles have absolutely owned the Giants over the past 6 years, going 9-3 against them. I’ll take more of the same. UPSET! – Eagles 27, Giants 20
Dallas Cowboys (6-1) at Cleveland Browns (0-8), DAL by 7.5 – Even with all of their imperfections, the Dallas Cowboys are looking like the second-best team in football right now. If this is truly the case, they should have no problem with the Browns. Cowboys 30, Browns 13
New York Jets (3-5) at Miami Dolphins (3-4), MIA by 3.5 – You never know what to expect out of divisional games, but I’ll take the home team here. Dolphins 23, Jets 13
Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3) at Baltimore Ravens (3-4), BAL by 2.5 – If Ben Roethlisberger were playing, I wouldn’t hesitate at all to pick the Steelers. But with him being out against their blood rivals on the road, I’m taking the Ravens, as much as they’ve floundered this year. Ravens 27, Steelers 16
New Orleans Saints (3-4) at San Francisco 49ers (1-6), NO by 3 – The 49ers are right there with the Browns as the worst teams in football. The Saints, as awful as they are on defense, still have Drew Brees captaining the ship. Saints 33, 49ers 17
Carolina Panthers (2-5) at Los Angeles Rams (3-4), CAR by 3 – The Panthers managed to look somewhat like their old selves against the Cardinals, and the Rams don’t beat teams outside their division. This adds up to good news for Carolina. Panthers 30, Rams 20
Indianapolis Colts (3-5) at Green Bay Packers (4-3), GB by 7 – As tough as this week’s loss was to swallow for the Packers, consider this: they were playing without their top 4 cornerbacks, top 3 running backs, 2 of their most prolific receivers, and Clay Matthews, and still managed to almost pull off a victory on the road against a division-leading team. It looks like the offense has finally regained its mojo… it’s just a matter of if this fully patchwork defense can stand up to another game of abuse from a potent passing attack. Packers 31, Colts 27
Tennessee Titans (4-4) at San Diego Chargers (3-5), SD by 5 – The Titans are winning more than I ever would have predicted this year, which is remarkable for a roster on which I think I can name one player. But the Chargers, despite their propensity for finding outrageous ways to lose, are the better team on paper. I think they’ll take it. Chargers 31, Titans 20
Buffalo Bills (4-4) at Seattle Seahawks (4-2-1), SEA by 7 – The Seahawks have looked mostly awful for three weeks in a row now, but they’re playing at home in primetime against a Bills team that is poorly coached and doesn’t have the talent to stack up with them. Seahawks 27, Bills 13
BYES: Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, New England Patriots, Washington Redskins
