Week 8 Picks!

We hit the midway mark of the NFL season this week, and there really seems to be no stand alone favorite in the NFC. You would have to rank the Giants as the best team in NFC, but after there are no true great teams in the conference. The AFC is completely different. It might take 11 or 12 wins just to secure a wild card berth this year. The Steelers, Ravens, Jets, Pats, Colts all look like legitimate teams this year. The Titans, Texans, and Chiefs are all in the next level. The AFC is going to be very competitive, and anyone team who makes the playoffs can make a run at the Super Bowl. The NFC is still competitive because no one has established themselves as a real team to beat. As far as my beloved Broncos go, this year has taken a brutal turn. At 2-5, they are pretty much done with any hopes of making the playoffs. The one thing I have left in this season is to hope and pray that Tim Tebow gets a chance to start and play some games down the stretch. I know that Josh McDaniels won't go to him yet, but hopefully at some point, Tebow will get a chance. That will be the only interesting thing left to watch in a very disappointing 2010 season in Denver. On to the picks......

Last Week's Record: 8-6
Overall Record: 61-41-3
(HOME TEAM IN CAPS)

Jacksonville (+6) over DALLAS: What a blow the Cowboys took Monday Night against the Giants. They lose the game convincingly after getting off to a 10-0 amd 20-7 start, and they lose QB Tony Romo for 6-8 weeks with a broken collarbone. At 1-5, the Cowboys are done for 2010. The Jags might not win the game, but they will play hard for Jack Del Rio.

DETROIT (-2) over Washington: The Lions have played well in pretty much every game this year. It looks like Matt Stafford will be back this week. The Redskins come in at 4-3, but they will be up and down all year long. Some weeks they will look great and some weeks they will look shaky. I'm going with Detroit this week on a hunch.

Green Bay (+6) over NY JETS: One thing I have to look forward to the rest of this year is the fact that I can root so hard against the Jets every week. This looks like a layup for the Jets at home, but I think Green Bay comes in a pulls the upset. Aaron Rodgers has a big day and wins a big game on the road.

ST.LOUIS (-3) over Carolina: This is a layup for the feisty Rams. Now that Denver is imploding at 2-5, I have officially adopted the Rams as my Adopted Team for 2010. I would love to see the Rams win the NFC West. This week they get to 4-4 with a win over the Panthers.

Miami (+3) over CINCY: I called the Bengals demise before the regular season, and it really shouldn't be a shocker to everyone why the Bengals have struggled. The Dolphins suffered a brutal loss at home to Pittsburgh this week, and they might be one of the toughest 3-3 teams ever. They continue their road dominance by taking out the Bengals in Cincy this week.

KANSAS CITY (-7) over Buffalo: Everyone will be betting the Bills because of the way they played in Baltimore last week, but I don't see Buffalo playing that well this week. KC is for real. They have a great three-headed monster at RB (Thomas Jones, Dexter McCluster, and Jamal Charles) and their defense is playing very well-especially in Arrowhead. The Chiefs will win the AFC West this year, and they get to 5-2 with a romp over the Bills.

SAN DIEGO (-3) over Tennessee: The Chargers are not out of it yet, but they are making it awfully tough on themselves. At 2-5, they can't afford too many slipups. They will get it done this week and figure out a way to defeat the Titans at home. This looks like a 27-20 Charger win late.

ARIZONA (-3) over Tampa Bay: Raheem Morris should settle down with all his talk about the Bucs being the best team in the NFC. The Cards are different at home, and they will do enough to get by the Bucs this week.

Seattle (+3) over OAKLAND: The Raiders whipped Denver last week 59-14, so expect the Raiders to play crappy this week. The Seahawks are much improved at 4-2 and usually struggle on the road, but this week I'm taking them to beat the Raiders in the Black Hole.

NEW ENGLAND (-6) over Minnesota: A great late game on Sunday. I like the Pats to take care of business at home over the Vikings. Brett Favre is all banged up, and I see the Pats putting this one away late in the fourth. Call it 28-20 Pats.

NEW ORLEANS (-1) over Pittsburgh: The Saints get back on track at home with an inspired win over the Steelers. The Steelers are due for a letdown this week after their big win at Miami. Drew Brees gets it going in the dome.

INDY (-5) over Houston: The Texans defense is not that good, so expect a big day out of Peyton Manning, eventhough Dallas Clark is out. The Colts defense is much better at home, so I wouldn't expect to see Houston run the ball that effectively this time. Take the Colts and Manning at home on MNF.

San Francisco (-1) over Denver (in London): The Broncos are a mess. The 59-14 loss to the Raiders was one of the worst defeats in team history. Now, they have to go to London to take on the equally disappointing 49ers. Maybe the best thing for the Broncos was to get on a plane and go to London for this game. The Niners are going to try to run Frank Gore until his legs come off, and Denver's defense might be worse than it was two years ago. I don't care that Troy Smith is starting for SF, the Niners will win this game, and Denver will head into the bye week at 2-6.

Final Score: SF-26 Denver-13