STRAIGHT PICK-EM PREDICTIONS

LAST WEEK’S RECORD (5-8) We should burn that copy of pure crap we tried to predict in week 7.

SEASON RECORD: (62-44)

WEEK 8 STRAIGHT PICK-EM

THE THURSDAY NIGHT GAME

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (3-3) AT BUFFALO BILLS (4-3)

The Buccaneers offense has fizzled out. The Bills offense has been MIA in the first half of the last three games. The Buccaneers have lost two straight. The Bills do have a win in the last two but dropped a tough one last week to the archrival Patriots. It’s a short week playing on a Thursday. Bills at home I feel they will get off to a fast start while the Buccaneers won’t get their feet until the second quarter. Todd Bowles’ defense will blitz Josh Allen. Allen has seen this before and he will benefit with a big game. The Bills defense will find a way over a cooled off Bake Mayfield coming in. I just can’t see the Bills losing two straight and a winnable one at home.

OUR PICK: BILLS

THE SUNDAY SLATE

HOUSTON TEXANS (3-3) AT CAROLINA PANTHERS (0-6)

A pair of top drafted quarterbacks picked in round one square off in this match up. Panthers fans have to wonder why they did not pick CJ Stroud instead of going with Bryce Young. Why didn’t the Bears pick Patrick Mahomes in 2017 instead of Mitch Trubisky? Sometimes it’s luck of the draw. Both teams coming off their bye week. The Texans are playing well on both sides of the ball while the Panthers have struggled on both offense and defense. Stroud looks like a veteran & Young looks like a confused rookie.

OUR PICK: TEXANS

LA RAMS (3-4) AT DALLAS COWBOYS (4-2)

The Rams have been in every game but lack the killer instinct to put the team away at the end.

Instead of finishing the opponent, the Rams have turned into the fatality. The Cowboys will step on the neck of Matthew Stafford in this one as they are well rested from their bye week. The confidence the Cowboys had over the win versus the Chargers two weeks ago should carry over. It will be a close game, but Rams end up with another loss.

OUR PICK: COWBOYS

MINNESOTA VIKINGS(3-4) AT GREEN BAY PACKERS (2-4)

The Packers lost to the hump of a team called the Broncos last week. The Vikings took out the 49ers. The Vikings cut the cheese in this one. While the Packers smelt it and will have to dealt it. The cheese is rotten right now in the state of Wisconsin.

OUR PICK: VIKINGS

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (3-4) AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (3-4)

Both the Saints and Colts play in the south division of their own conferences so this is not a must win game for either team. To get back on track, it’s a must win in that realm of thinking. Both teams have lost two straight. Both teams continue to shoot themselves in the foot. I like the Colts offense more as they are scoring more points. The Saints are moving the ball but now converting the touchdowns in the red zone. Gardner Minshew can out-duel a Derek Carr. Jonathan Taylor keeps improving after each game since he ended his hold out. The Colts scored 38 points off a better defense, the Browns, and should be able to put points on the score board versus the Saints.

OUR PICK: COLTS

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (2-5) AT MIAMI DOLPHINS (5-2)

When Tom Brady was on the Patriots, going to Miami was never an easy match up for New England. The Dolphins are 5-0 this season against losing teams this season. The Patriots played their best game of the season last week, but almost blew it at the end versus the Bills. The Dolphins lost to the Eagles and look for home cooking. This is not a good match up for the Patriots defense. Mac Jones is up and down – a quarterback you can’t trust week after week. The Dolphins do their thing with the track meet for an offense and Bill Belichick once again will not have the answers in Miami. Dolphins win this by two scores or more.

OUR PICK: DOLPHINS

NEW YORK JETS (3-3) AT NEW YORK GIANTS (2-5)

The battle of New York hosted in New Jersey. Before the season started, you envisioned this Big Apple bowl having Daniel Jones versus Aaron Rodgers. Now it’s Zach Wilson for the Jets vs Tyrod Taylor for the Giants. It sounds like a rated G movie. Both New York teams have solid defenses. The Giants defense has played well the last two weeks and held the Commanders to seven points. The Giants only scored 14 points but won. The Jets are coming off the bye week after beating the Eagles. Wilson, my gut tells me, did nothing to improve his game on the bye week. Taylor is trying one last time to be a starter in this league once again. The Jets historically have not done well coming off a bye week which is why I’m leaning for an upset here.

OUR PICK: GIANTS

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS(5-2) AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS (4-2)

The Jaguars have won 4 straight. The Steelers won on the road in LA and beat the Rams last week. The Steelers have laid two clunkers this season so far. The Jaguars won two games in London staying over the pond for two weeks. Then the Jaguars won a game last Thursday as the Saints tight end dropped an easy catch that could tie that one late and make the outcome different. The Jaguars are due for a slip up. I like the Steelers defense showing up at home. I like the Steelers getting it done through the air which is Jacksonville’s weakness on defense. Kenny Pickett to George Pickens are 4-0 when these two hook up for 75 yards or over.

Once the Pickett and Pickens combination reach 75 passing yards the Steelers will explode into the win column.

OUR PICK: STEELERS

ATLANTA FALCONS (4-3) AT TENNESSEE TITANS (2-4)

The Titans will be wearing the retro Houston Oilers uniforms at home this weekend. The Falcons are on top of the NFC South crap pile as they won last week beating Tampa Bay. The Titans were on a bye week. The Titans are starting rookie quarterback Will Lewis for the injured Ryan Tannehill. The Titans are looking for answers as this team is in disarray right now as their season has not gone right. The Falcons defense has improved from the last few miserable seasons. The Falcons running game is one of the best in the league as now the passing game is doing some nice things. Desmond Ridder should not have a problem getting some nice completions versus a bad Titan defense.

OUR PICK: FALCONS

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES(6-1) AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (3-4)

I don’t think this rematch between the Commanders and the Eagles will be as close as the first game a few weeks ago. The Eagles rebounded from their only lost beating up on very talented Dolphins team last Sunday night. The Commanders only mustered up 7 points versus the Giants. The Commanders have issues protecting the quarterback. The Commanders can’t defend the pass very well. The Eagles do both these things well. The Commanders frustration has spilled over in the locker room and River Boat Ron Rivera has gone dark on his roll of the dice.

OUR PICK: EAGLES

CLEVELAND BROWNS (4-2) AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (4-2)

I feel the Browns should have more like a 2-4 record right now. Seattle got back on the winning track with a win over the Cardinals. The Browns pulled out a rabbit out of their hat in a win over the Colts in the game that had the most points scored in week 7. The Browns will have to rely once again on PJ Walker as the Deshaun Watson not worth all that guaranteed money has a shoulder issue and nobody to massage it. I like Seattle’s running attack ground and pound. Exactly what the Colts did to them last week, found a weakness in that Browns number 1 rated defense. Seattle defense can take away the Browns reserves in their running game. The long trip to Seattle for the Browns will not help with the stale offense. Walker will run of luck.

OUR PICK: SEAHAWKS

BALTIMORE RAVENS (5-2) AT ARIZONA CARDINALS (1-6)

The Ravens played their best game of the season beating up on a very talented Lions team. The Cardinals seem to have lost their fight and will serve as the door mat for the rest of the year. Could the Ravens look down at this Cardinal team and look ahead to the next match up? Perhaps something inside the head of the Ravens team would go off like an alarm if they found themselves losing to the Cards. The Ravens team is too talented and Lamar Jackson looks like the old Lamar with the eye of the tiger. The Ravens defense is a deadly unit with fire power to wipe out the Cardinals species in one swoop.

OUR PICK: RAVENS

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (6-1) AT DENVER BRONCOS (2-5)

The AFC West has turned into the old AFC East when the Patriots would have the automatic bye every year to the playoffs. The Broncos won last week versus probably another team that’s in the same toilet as them. The Chiefs will go through the motions with the Broncos. Maybe tease them a little. Play with them & then at the end step on their throat for two scores or more to win.

OUR PICK: CHIEFS

CINCINNATI BENGALS (3-3) AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (5-2)

The Bengals dug themselves out of the hole they dug for the season and are back to 500. The 49ers have suddenly fallen on hard times losing two straight. The Bengals are well rested coming off a bye week. The 49ers may have to start former Jets & Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold. Brock Purdy is still in concussion protocol. This match up is a Superbowl prediction. How do you figure a 49er team to lose three straight after opening the season at 5-0? Joe Burrow has not been Joe Burrow. However his calf has probably healed over the bye week. Do you trust Burrow and the Bengals to go on the road and win a huge game they absolutely need in a stacked division and conference? It would not surprise me if the Bengals get the win and worm their way back into the thick of things in the AFC. One team is cold while the Bengals are feeling warmed up.

OUR PICK: BENGALS

THE SUNDAY NIGHT GAME

CHICAGO BEARS (2-5) AT LA CHARGERS (2-4)

The Bears looked solid in Tyson Bagent’s first ever start in the NFL.

The Chargers are desperate for any kind of win. Le’ts not forget the Chargers were a playoff team last season. The Bears won their first home game in over a year versus a Raiders team without their starting quarterback. The Chargers have an offense that can fight back versus any score the Bears scratch and claw their way to. Bagent is a nice story and he played well. Now the league has film on this young division II quarterback and an X-Bear will be the X-factor, Khaili Mack. Mack had six sacks this year versus his former team the Raiders. I think he will let his old team Chicago know how he is doing. I don’t like the Bears’ chances in this one until they prove they can string two games together before I go picking them.

OUR PICK: CHARGERS

THE MONDAY NIGHT GAME

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (3-4) AT DETROIT LIONS (5-2)

The Raiders looked dreadful versus the Bears last week in Chicago. The Lions were shocked as everyone else was in the football world to be dissected by the Ravens in the worst loss of the season. The Raiders travel for their second consecutive road game. Remember the Raiders were once upon a time ago king on Monday night football. Not anymore. I like the Lions rebounding and getting back on track getting their frustrations out versus a Raiders team. A team that got lucky on a few wins but have not played a complete game so far this season.

OUR PICK: LIONS