LAST WEEK’S RECORD FOR WEEK 7, (12-3) Our best of the year.
THURSDAY NIGHT GAMES:(5-2)
FRIDAY GAMES:(0-1)
MONDAY NIGHT GAMES:(6-3)
SEASON RECORD:(68-39)
NFL WEEK 8 STRAIGHT PICK-EM
THE THURSDAY NIGHT GAME
MINNESOTA VIKINGS(5-1) AT LA RAMS(2-4)
Last Sunday the Vikings got their first loss of the season by a division rival, Detroit Lions, on a game-ending field goal. The Rams managed to get by a bad Raiders team. The Rams will be getting some of their bigger play makers back on offense as Cooper Cupp and Puka Nacua will give Matthew Stafford his two best receivers back in the fold. The Vikings defense were gashed by the Lions after the offense built the team a nice lead early in that one. This will be the hardest thing for the Vikings all season, which is to rebound quickly from a loss on a short week which is their first one all year. Do you trust the Rams? They have been wishy washy all year. Stafford will get better with his guys back. The Vikings should rebound especially that defense. I’ve been liking what Sam Darnold has done to this point. Close game but I like Vikes on the road.
OUR PICK: VIKINGS
THE SUNDAY SLATE
BALTIMORE RAVENS(5-2) AT CLEVELAND BROWNS(1-6)
The Ravens have won 5 straight games. The Browns lost their starting quarterback for the year. The Browns fans are dancing in the streets naked until they see QB 2 in Jameis Winston. The Ravens defense has not been that elite unit like they were last season. With the interception king at quarterback for the Browns, oh the hunting they will go as they could force multiple turnovers. Overall I can see the Browns playing better with Nick Chubb back. I think Winston will keep this game close and watch the Browns offense run smoother. These two teams know each other. The Browns defense will have a hard time stopping Derrick Henry or do you get Lamar Jackson in an option running game that has worked well. I will go back to the interception king serving up too many gifts for the Ravens to seal the deal with another win under their feathers.
OUR PICK: RAVENS
TENNESSEE TITANS(1-5) AT DETROIT LIONS(5-1)
The Lions have taken over the throne of the NFC North kingdom removing the Vikings last Sunday. The Titans waving the white flag as they traded veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Chiefs. This will be the second consecutive road game for the Titans who are looking for Rudolf the back up quarterback to take the Lions down in his story. Mason Rudolf is a better option than Will Levis who is hurt and has not done well as the starting quarterback this season. The Lions are at home and their offense, and they score points which the Titans can’t match. The Lions are just far better than the Titans as well. Detroit will sit on their throne for at least another week.
OUR PICK: LIONS
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS(4-3) AT HOUSTON TEXANS(5-2)
This week 8 match up is a battle for first place in the AFC South. Some would have thought that Houston was light years ahead of any other team in the division. The Colts have quietly stayed in striking distance as they just got by the Miami Dolphins. The Texans lost a close game to the Green Bay Packers that sent Stephon Diggs in a tizzy with a Packers defender during that contest.
Diggs is lone wolf on things and his mind set is all about the Diggies which could sink the Texans time to time. The Colts will have their star running back Jonathan Taylor back. If the Colts win this, they will both be 5-3 for the year. I like Texans in this one because the Colts will have Anthony Richardson starting and he can’t match anything CJ Stroud is putting up on the scoreboard. If Joe Flacco was the starter, then this match up got way better.
OUR PICK: TEXANS
GREEN BAY PACKERS(5-2) AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS(2-5)
The Jaguars return from their summer home in England the last two weeks, and now will play a home game in Florida with the visiting Packers. The Packers coming off a big win over the Texans. The Jags won last week over the Patriots and now you can say they are not in last place in the AFC south. The Packers are not the Patriots and Jordan Love should carve the Jaguars up like Thanksgiving turkey as Jacksonville has a weak secondary. Trevor Lawrence could have games where he can match anyone in the NFL but with the long stay and long flight the Jaguars may come out purring like kittens then a jungle animal.
OUR PICK: PACKERS
ARIZONA CARDINALS(3-4) AT MIAMI DOLPHINS(2-4)
The Dolphins will be getting the guy that makes their merry go round, go around. Tua Tagovailoa is cleared to start from the concussion protocols. Tua has missed several weeks after suffering a concussion in week two versus the Bills. The Cardinals found a way to beat a team not in their division with a walk off field goal to end the Chargers on Monday night. The Dolphins offense without Tua has been dormant. The Cardinals defense is the best recipe for the Dolphins to knock off the rust. Can Kyler Murray go head to head with TUA? I don’t like the Cardinals playing on the road in Miami where the humid conditions favor the Dolphins most of the time. Tua is the spark that will light up the Cardinals with a big boom.
OUR PICK: DOLPHINS
NEW YORK JETS(2-5) AT NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS(1-6)
I find myself rooting for the Patriots in this one even though the wreckage of the previous dynasty is still smoldering. This match up gives me no choice because the Jets have Aaron Rodgers, a guy you have to hate with a deeper anger. Jets need this win more than the Patriots just because of the season aspirations coming in. Jets want to be that darling playoff team with an aging Rodgers leading them deep into post season. The Patriots are developing a rookie quarterback Drake Maye who has done well so far in a few starts. The Patriots coming home after playing in England will probably get steam rolled by the Jets as their defense who will make the bold statement. Mr. Darkness Retreat will play well in this one and get the Jets back in the win column.
OUR PICK: JETS
ATLANTA FALCONS(4-3) AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS(4-3)
The Falcons and the Buccaneers met in week 5 on Thursday night that was an epic battle for sole possession of the NFC South. Last week Kirk Cousins was rattled as he felt like he was in a cage from the Seahawks defense which encapsulated him in the pocket with punishment all game. The Buccaneers defense has seen better days as the Ravens hung a 40 berger on them in the Monday Night game. I like the Falcons getting back on track with that Buccaneer defense being unable to stop anyone. The Buccaneers offense during that game lost their two best receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Not sure how Baker Mayfield will respond with these guys out. The Falcons defense is nowhere to be compared to this Buccaneers unit. I like Cousins dropping another 30 points on this Buccaneers teams, sweeping the series. and taking over first place.
OUR PICK: FALCONS
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES(4-2) AT CINCINNATI BENGALS(3-4)
The Eagles and Bengals have quietly won two straight games. With a win, the Bengals will get to the 500 mark and once again look like they have dug themselves out of an early grave.
The Eagles are winning games but Jalen Hurts and that offense do not look crisp like they use to. The entire Eagles team just looks ordinary and nothing special. The Eagles should generate some offense from this terrible Bengals defense. Joe Burrow is the grave digger for this team and after the hole is dug, he brings his team out of the hole and the Bengals usually go on a tear and win 5 or more games. That Bengals offense will be hard for this Eagles defense to contain. Hurts and company will not score more than that Bengals offense. Bengals even up their record and are back in the playoff conversation. This is one of the norms about the NFL in these scenarios. Bengals find their way back into the season and Chiefs continue to win Superbowls. Just part of the regular scripts.
OUR PICK: BENGALS
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS(2-5) AT LA CHARGERS(3-3)
Did some witch doctor in New Orleans get the Voo Doo doll wrong? Derek Carr is still out. The Saints injured list is a mile long. Each week & each poke of the doll something bad happens to this Saints team who have now lost 5 straight after winning their first two games. The Chargers are Even Steven at 3-3 and lost to the Cardinals in a game that was not a thriller on Monday night on a walk off field goal. Chargers only scored 15 points. Spencer Rattler has had some flashes of looking like a quarterback in this league. He is still a rookie and the Chargers defense should gobble him up. The Chargers will run the ball well to establish control in this game. The Saints front office needs to eliminate the witch doctor to remove the curse or this season may be one of the worst for New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina leveled most of the town.
OUR PICK: CHARGERS
BUFFALO BILLS(5-2) AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS(4-3)
Both the Bills and Seahawks come away with wins last Sunday. The Bills inserted their new weapon for Josh Allen and he connected with Amari Cooper for a score, a guy they just landed in a trade. Meanwhile Seahawks defensive front was in the face of Kirk Cousins all afternoon in a win over the Falcons. The Seahawks can score points. The Bills bend and try not to break defense will look for turnovers where Geno Smith can make mistakes. Smith has six interceptions this season. The Bills are 2-2 on the road this season and Seattle is not the easiest place to win on the road. I like Josh Allen being able to escape the Seattle pressure. I like the Bills well-balanced offense. The Seahawks will generate points. However the Seahawks will have one less weapon for the Bills to deal with in wide receiver DK Metcalf. The Bills defense will get that Smith turnover and get out of Seattle with a win.
OUR PICK: BILLS
CHICAGO BEARS(4-2) AT WASHINGTON COMMANDERS(5-2)
This Bears versus Commanders game features the top two quarterbacks picked in last April’s draft. For the Bears Caleb Williams was picked number one. He started off slowly out of the gates & now looks like he has figured out the speed of the NFL game compared to college. Jayden Daniels out of the gates behind center has been red hot. Williams is completing so far 65.3% of his passes with 9 touchdown passes and 5 interceptions. Williams can run the ball but prefers to pass the ball when he is on the run. Then Daniels is completing a whopping 75.6% of his passes which is unbelievable. Daniels has thrown 6 touchdown passes to only 2 interceptions and has 4 rushing touchdowns with his legs. Both these teams have solid defenses to go along with electric offenses. Daniels looks like he will play but he will be playing with bruised ribs he suffered versus Carolina. This may be a start of inter conference battle for years to come. Who wins this one?
The X-factor is Montez Sweat who actually led both teams last year in sacks. Sweat was traded by the Commanders to the Bears. I can see Sweat having a big game and making a impact play to turn the tides in favor of the Bears as they win a close one.
OUR PICK: BEARS
CAROLINA PANTHERS(1-6) AT DENVER BRONCOS(4-3)
The Panthers are a very bad team. The Broncos knocked off a very bad team last Thursday beating up on the Saints. The Broncos have one hell of a defense that should paint the picture right there. The Broncos QB Bo Nix is slowly developing and should have a solid game versus a bad Panther defense. It’s in Denver. That’s all she wrote.
OUR PICK: BRONCOS
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS(6-0) AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS(2-5)
What happened to that Raiders team that knocked around Patrick Mahomes on Christmas Day? The silver and black would win that game. I ask myself: Is it possible for the Raiders that are 2-5 right now to give the Chiefs their first loss? The Raiders will reinsert Gardner Minshew who was benched weeks ago because he struggled. The Chiefs QB Mahomes has not thrown a touchdown pass of his own in weeks. The Chiefs just made a trade with the Titans as they land DeAndre Hopkins in hopes that will change in Vegas. It’s a home game for the Raiders but I imagine you will see more red than black jerseys. I’m sure the Raiders defense will throw everything including the kitchen sink at Mahomes. I just don’t see Minshew or the Raiders running game getting much off this Chiefs defense. It is just a pipe dream to think Raiders can resurrect that Christmas magic.
OUR PICK: CHIEFS
THE SUNDAY NIGHT GAME
DALLAS COWBOYS(3-3) AT SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS(3-4)
The last time we saw the Cowboys they were pummeled by the Lions. Detroit put up over 40 points on this horrible Dallas defense. The 49ers gave you hope last week for a little while of getting revenge versus the Chiefs from the Superbowl loss. The Chiefs won that as you all know that. The 49ers have a grocery store list at Aldi stocking up the covers and fridge with injuries. The Cowboys are rested and set for another prime time game. The last few meetings the 49ers defense has toppled the Cowboys offense. I really don’t care for either team as they both reek and desperate for a win. The 49ers are favored in this one. Just the way the NFL has gone, watch America’s team have a big night knocking the 49ers out with what ever they have standing in this game. Dak Prescott now the highest paid QB in the league has to show something or he will be headed for Watson Bust Boulevard. My gut says the Cowboys will be a complete different team and barely win this one on the road. You can’t have a week without talking about the Boys making it to the Superbowl those sickies.
OUR PICK: COWBOYS???
THE MONDAY NIGHT GAME
NEW YORK GIANTS(2-5) AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS(5-2)
Do the Giants show a pulse in this Monday clash versus the Steelers? The Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin may be the QB whisperer.
The Steelers have gotten 5 wins out of QB’s tossed to the curb from other teams. Justin Fields went 4-2 as a starter to start the season for Pittsburgh. Last week Russell Wilson got his first action of the season and he looked like his old Seattle self and Steelers grounded the Jets. The Giants are probably the worst New York team that plays their games in New Jersey. The Steelers defense should easily prevent Daniel Jones from having any kind of chance that he thinks he’s going to win the game. Wilson may come down to earth but the Steelers running game will do the heavy lifting on offense and Pittsburgh should be 6-2 as we are closing on the first half of the season. Not too shabby.
OUR PICK: STEELERS
The Wild shamrock 