Week 8 Game Picks

Week 8 Game Picks 

Josh’s Record: 69-36 – (1-0 this week)

Jack’s Record: 65-40 – (1-0 this week)

Detroit Lions (5-2) at Atlanta Falcons (2-5) Sunday 1:00 PM

Jacks pick: Lions

After winning the first game against the Saints people had huge expectations for the Falcons, but since then they are 1-5 with their only win coming against Tampa.  They currently have the 29th best passing defense and 27th best rushing defense which is pretty disastrous.  On the other side, Detroit has one of the best 5 rushing and passing defenses in football this season.  Detroit’s offense has also been solid which is why they are in first in the north.  This might be the year they finally put it together, and they should get this win in Atlanta.

Josh's pick: Lions

The Lions played 10 minutes of solid football against the Saints who were coming off a bye and were still able to win the game. Their defense is one of the best in football and their offense will be regaining Calvin Johnson this week. The Falcons have been downward spiral since week 3 and I see that trend continuing against a formidable unit like the Lions.


St. Louis Rams (2-4) at Kansas City Chiefs (3-3) Sunday 1:00 PM

Jacks pick: Chiefs

Both teams are coming off very impressive wins against top teams last week with the Rams riding special teams to a victory over the super bowl champs and KC beating the Chargers in San Diego.  KC gets the edge here first off because it is a home game which gives them the advantage and they have a great running game.  The Rams come in allowing 145 rushing yards per game and the Chiefs are running for 140 a game with superstar running back Jamaal Charles.  Expect Charles to run wild en route to a Chiefs win.

Josh's pick: Chiefs

As impressive as the Rams victory over the Seahawks was, the Chiefs also had a very under-hyped win last week against the Chargers. The Chiefs are overall a much stronger unit than the Rams and Alex Smith should be laser sharp at home facing a spotty secondary.

Houston Texans (3-4) at Tennessee Titans (2-5) Sunday 1:00 PM

Jacks pick: Texans

Neither team has been particularly great in recent weeks, with Houston losing their last 3 and the Titans losing to a terrible Redskins team.  Titans will be starting rookie 4th round QB Zach Mettenberger, while I think he has promise I’ll take JJ Watt against a rookie QB any day.

Josh's pick: Texans

Zach Mettinberger is getting his first career start against a defense that is playing very hot recently. Don’t let the score of last week’s game against the Steelers fool you. Big Ben got two back to back possessions inside the 7 yard line of Texans. I hope Mettinberger does a lot of good things, but I will take the constant in the Texans and Arian Foster over the unproven Titans offense.


Minnesota Vikings (2-5) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-5) Sunday 1:00 PM

Jacks pick: Vikings

This battle of cellar dwellers is actually one of the harder games to pick this week.  Tampa Bay has the advantage of playing at home and coming off a bye week.  The Bucs have the worst pass D in the league, and I think Teddy Bridgewater can capitalize on that and have a big game en route to a Bucs win.

Josh's pick: Vikings

Josh’s Pick: Vikings: Despite the talent on this Buccaneer defense, they continuously be getting exposed by opposing quarterbacks. Teddy should have decent game this week with that favorable matchup, and the defense should thrive in back to back weeks facing a subpar offense once again.


Seattle Seahawks (3-3) at Carolina Panthers (3-2-1) Sunday 1:00 PM

Jacks pick: Seahawks

This game features the two top defenses from last year that have both been severely underperforming this year.  The Seahawks vaunted pass D is currently exactly middle of the road on passing defense and are coming off two straight losses.  The Panthers have just been a disaster on defense the whole year allowing 75 points their last two games.  I think the Seahawks will right the ship this week and get a W against this weak Panthers D.

Josh's pick:  Seahawks

Both teams known for their top notch defenses a season ago have been struggling so far this season. The Rams had to pull everything out their bag of tricks to upset the defending champs at home and I don’t see Carolina being as ballsy. The Panthers secondary isn’t stopping anyone this season and even with a quarterback not necessarily known for his passing, I suspect enough damage will be done through the air to win this one on the road.

Baltimore Ravens (5-2) at Cincinnati Bengals (3-2-1) Sunday 1:00 PM

Jacks pick: Ravens

The Ravens have quietly been one of the best teams in football this year and have been blowing out opponents to a league best point differential of 12.7 per game.  Cincinnati had a hot start and had some talking about them as the best team in the league, since then they have cooled off considerably, getting blown out last game 27-0.  Without superstar receiver AJ Green, the Bengals aren’t going to be able to keep pace offensively with the Ravens and I think Baltimore will pick up the W.

Josh's pick: Bengals

The Bengals have slipped up since their hot start and a part of that has to do with the absence of AJ Green as well as Vontez Burfict. When both of these players are active, this team is exponentially better and with them both looking to suit up this weekend, I am giving my vote of confidence to the Bengals at home who have been one of the best home teams in football the last two seasons. I have a lot of faith in the Ravens as a football team but they lost a similarly toned game against the Colts on the road earlier this season. If Green somehow is labeled inactive for the game it could be enough to swing the outcome.

Miami Dolphins (3-3) at Jacksonville Jaguars (1-6) Sunday 1:00 PM

Jacks pick: Dolphins

The Dolphins have had a solid few weeks of football with a dominant win over the Bears and a last second loss to the streaking Packers.  This week they will be facing a Jags team who just got their first one in the win column with a dominant win over the Browns.  Don’t look now but Ryan Tannehill has been on fire, shredding the Bears defense.  This week he has an opportunity to torch another secondary as the Jags are currently ranked 30th in pass defense.  Tannehill will have a big day leading to the win.

Josh's pick: Dolphins

Despite the Jags winning at home over the Browns last week they are still the Jags. This is another potential winnable matchup, and if Tannehill comes out and plays inconsistently they have a shot. I just don’t have enough faith in Bortles going against Cameron Wake and the physical Miami defense.

Chicago Bears (3-4) at New England Patriots (5-2) Sunday 1:00 PM

Jacks pick: Patriots

Ever since the Monday night thrashing they received from Kansas City the Patriots have been rolling through their competition with big wins over the Bengals and Bills and a win last week against the Jets.  The Bears D has been vulnerable which will let Brady put up some yards, the Pats 1st ranked pass defense should keep Cutler Jeffrey and Marshall at bay for a win.

Josh's pick: Patriots

The Patriots had a few extra days to prepare for this one, coming off a Thursday night game. The Bears have the potential to be as dangerous as anyone but Jay Cutler has been in quite a slump the last few weeks. The Patriots will be without arguably two of their best three defenders (Jerod Mayo and Chandler Jones), however look for Dominque Easily, Rob Ninkovich, Deontae Skinner, and Vince Wilfork all to step up in their absence. If Jay continues the inconsistent play the Bears defense has a chance to be exposed by one of the most lethal offenses of the last three weeks.

Buffalo Bills (4-3) @ New York Jets (1-6) Sunday 1:00 PM

Jacks pick: Jets

Buffalo is coming off a great win over the Vikings on a touchdown to Sammy Watkins as time expired which I was able to witness live, super exciting.  New York has lost their last 6 games and lost to NE in heartbreaking fashion on Thursday night football.  The reason the Jets 1-6 record doesn’t deter me from picking them is they have lost to Rodgers, Cutler, Brady, Manning, Rivers and Matt Stafford.  After facing those 6 Kyle Orton shouldn’t be a problem.

Josh's pick: Jets

The Jets played exceptionally well against the Patriots last Thursday night, showing the potential that their run game holds. Buffalo notched an amazing come from behind win over the Vikings. I am taking the Jets because of holes Buffalo displayed on their offensive line last week and the mismatch that creates for the Bills because of the great defensive line that the Jets boast. The Bills could easily win this game if Sammy Watkins goes off like last week against a talent deprived Jets secondary. I’m sure Rex is scheming a game plan to take him out though.

Philadelphia Eagles (5-1) at Arizona Cardinals (5-2) Sunday 4:05

Jacks pick: Eagles

This game is one of the best of the afternoon with two of the NFC’s elite teams squaring off in the desert.  The Eagles are coming off their bye week and before that a dominant shutout win over the Giants.  The main factor in this game will be the defensive line, the Eagles currently have the most sacks of any team that has had their bye week.  Arizona has had issues with the offensive line this year and if the Eagles line can pressure Palmer the Eagles will come out with a victory.

Josh's pick: Eagles

The Cardinals were exposed week 4 against the Broncos and since then have somewhat squeezed out wins against the Raiders and the Redskins. The Eagles are coming off a bye week after dismantling the Giants two weeks ago and look to be a serious contender when everyone is healthy. Having an extra week for Chip Kelly and Co. to prepare implies a more adaptable game plan and play calling that I’m sure they will execute.

Oakland Raiders (0-6) at Cleveland Browns Sunday 4:25

Jacks pick: Raiders

Why a matchup between these two teams was put on a Sunday is beyond me but they will be squaring off in prime time.  I’m taking the upset pick here with Oakland stealing a game on the road, because I think Oakland is going to be desperate.  With their insane schedule, this may be their only chance at getting a win this year and they are going to play extremely hard.  Browns got beat bad by Jacksonville last week so the Raiders should capitalize while the Browns are playing poorly.

Josh's pick: Browns

Despite dropping the game last week against the Jaguars, I don’t see Brian Hoyer having as bad as a game as last week. He is known for being a hyper-critical player (in terms of how he views his game) and coming off his worst performance of the year, I am sure he will make the most of his opportunities this week against the winless Raiders.


Indianapolis Colts (5-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (4-3)

Jacks pick: Colts

The Colts are one of the hottest teams in the league right now after 5 straight victories, including a 27-0 thrashing of the Bengals last week.  They should be able to beat a Pittsburgh team that has had a very up and down year.  Luck will continue his dominance this year and have another big game leading to a 6th straight W for the Colts.

Josh's pick: Colts

After dropping their first two games of the season, the Colts have responded by winning five straight. Andrew Luck is looking the quarterback of this next generation, however in no waydoes he deserve all the credit for this turn around. The defense has been playing out of his mind recently, having 10 different players record sacks this season, including four for Bjoern Werner in his last three games. The Steelers look solid last week and I have a lot of confidence in Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown but the Colts are playing like a better and more consistent team thus far into the season.

Green Bay Packers (5-2) at New Orleans (2-4)

Jacks pick: Packers

The days of never picking against the Saints and Drew Brees at home are over as they have been legitimately terrible this season.  Aaron Rodgers has been lighting defenses up over the last few weeks and the Saints defense has been among the worst in the NFL.  This is a bad combination for New Orleans and I think GB is going to blow them out this weekend.

Josh's pick: Packers

Ever since Aaron Rodgers said R-E-L-A-X regarding the Packers offense, the unit has been seemingly flawless. The solid play will absolutely continue against one of the worst total defenses in football. If the Saints can keep it close for most of the game they have a shot, but the Packers are playing up to their potential this season and the Saints are not.


Washington Redskins (2-5) at Dallas Cowboys (6-1)

Jacks pick: Cowboys

As much as it pains me to say this, the Cowboys have been one of the best teams in the NFL and should improve to 7-1 this week.  I’m picking the Cowboys but don’t count out the Redskins, it would be a classic Redskins move to be terrible the last few weeks then go into Dallas and steal a game.  Also anything can happen in an NFC East division game.  However, I think Demarco Murray and the cowboys get the win at home on Monday night.

Josh's pick: Cowboys

The Redskins are not known for their defense and losing their best defender in Brian Orakpo for the season doesn’t help at all. Going against a Dallas offense that has been on fire this season, I don’t think the Redskins have a legitimate shot unless they run Alfred Morris early and often and play the Cowboys own game against them. If they come of trying to throw the ball, Demarco Murray and the Cowboys O-line will control the game like they have all season long.