Week 8 Picks

Last Week's Record: 7-8
Overall Record: 54-49-6
(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

San Francisco (-14) over JACKSONVILLE (In London): What a joke for the fans in London. They get stuck with the Jags "hosting" the Niners. Quietly, with the help of an easy schedule, the 49ers have worked their way back into the thick of the NFC contenders race.

Dallas (+3) over DETROIT: Tricky game. I just don't know where to go with this one. I have a feeling the Cowboys will pull off the upset on the road. I thought I could trust the Lions, but I don't have a good feeling about them right now.

New York Giants (+6) over PHILLY: I think the Eagles will find a way to win this game outright, but look for a close game between two pretty bad teams. The Giants got their first win last week, and I could see them being a little rejuvenated for this one.

KC (-7) over Cleveland: The Chiefs are the talk of NFL with their 7-0 start, but their schedule has been a cakewalk. They get another easy win this week with Brandon Weeden and the Browns coming to town.

NEW ORLEANS (-10) over Buffalo: The Saints are at home and are coming off a bye week. The week before their bye, they lost a heartbreaker to the Pats. Look for them to take out their frustration on the Bills in the dome.

Miami (+7) over NEW ENGLAND: I don't like what I have seen from the Pats this year. They are 5-2, and they definitely could have lost Week 1 to the Bills, Week 2 to the Jets, and Week 6 to the Saints. They will probably win this game late, but look for the Fish to make them sweat it out.

New York Jets (+7) over CINCY: You have to give the Jets, Geno Smith and Rex Ryan some credit. At 4-3, they are legitimate wild card contenders in the AFC. They will be playing for a playoff spot come December. The Bengals got a huge win late over the Lions last week. At 5-2, they are leading the AFC North, but I still don't trust them at all.

Pittsburgh (-2) over OAKLAND: At 2-4, the Steelers have life in their season again. They need to take care of business over the Raiders in Oakland this week though. Last year, their season began to slip after a brutal loss at Oakland. This year is a different story and look for them to get to 3-4.

Atlanta (+3) over ARIZONA: The Cardinals have been feisty, and they are a tempting pick, but I'll take the Falcons to win a gutty game in the desert. This seems like a 23-20 game either way. I'll take Atlanta on the road to get to 3-4.

Green Bay (-8) over MINNESOTA: Awful Sunday Night Football game on NBC this week. We get stuck with the Vikings once again in a primetime game. It doesn't matter who the Vikings throw out there at QB because the Packers will take care of business in this one.

Seattle (-10) over ST. LOUIS: Awful Monday Night Football game on ESPN again this week. The Rams lost Sam Bradford for the season with a torn ACL, so they turn to Kellen Clemens with Brady Quinn on deck. That is pretty bad. The Seahawks will roll easily.

Washington (+12) over DENVER: Mike Shanahan returns to Denver, and every Broncos fan should cheer him when he comes back. Shanny is the best coach in the history of the Broncos, and he brought our franchise two Super Bowl titles, and I'll will certainly always be thankful for that. Shanny will have his troops prepared for this win, and the Skins come into the game with a great comeback win over the Bears last week. I am concerned about the Broncos and the amount of injuries that are starting to pile up. Champ Bailey will be out again after hurting the same foot that sidelined him for the first five games this season. Orlando Franklin probably won't play again, and Wesley Woodyard is a game-time decision. This game scares me, and I could see RG III going off and having a banner day. The Broncos just aren't playing well right now, and this line is way too high.

Final Score: Redskins-30 Denver-27