NFL Picks for Week 8

Tomorrow has both Ohio teams back in action at home, with the Browns hosting the New York Jets and the Bengals hosting the Atlanta Falcons. As I caught up on scores, I am happy to see that USC was beaten in a shootout with Oregon State, even though I had picked USC to be victorious in that one. Overall, with the Tennessee at South Carolina game yet to be finished (it is 14-10 Volunteers in the 2nd quarter), I am sitting at 3-4. If I decide to be cheap, and say that I picked OSU and Michigan (I did, just without scores), then I am 5-4. Iowa was able to contain Garrett Wolfe, something I thought improbable and Jake Christensen played well in getting the nod at QB. Drew Stanton continued to be inconsistent, and the Spartan D gave up 46 unanswered points at one point in the game against Indiana. Mizzou QB Chase Daniel played well enough, but they were unable to punch it in, going down at home to the Sooners. The other three games that I picked (Notre Dame at Navy, Florida at Georgia, Miami (FL) at Georgia Tech) all were winners, even though Georgia came close to knocking off the Gators. After those wins, Georgia Tech and Florida are on cruise control of sorts towards their conference championship games in the ACC and SEC, respectively.
Anyhow, let's get to the NFL slate for tomorrow, without too much analysis:

San Francisco at Chicago (1:00 on FOX)
The Bears should cruise in this one, and the defense will get back on track against a young QB (Alex Smith) who is missing a favorite target (TE Vernon Davis). Look for Chicago to remain undefeated by a score of about 27-10.

Atlanta at Cincinnati (1:00 on FOX)
Cincinnati is destroying NFC competition so far this season, and I don't see any reason why this will be any different against the Falcons. QB Michael Vick is always worse on the road, and I see Bengals WR Chad Johnson to come up big tomorrow with a couple of TD grabs. There will be a lot of points in Cincy, but the Bengals come up on the winning end, 31-24.

Seattle at Kansas City (1:00 on FOX)
That Arrowhead Stadium is a tough place to visit is a commonly accepted fact; that it is a tough place to play without your starting QB (Matt Hasselbeck), RB (Shaun Alexander), and WR (Bobby Engram) is a certainty. The Chiefs will be starting rookie QB Brodie Croyle, but he has all of his weapons around him, whereas Seahawks QB Seneca Wallace does not. I don't see this being a defensive game, but with inexperience at key positions on both sides, there won't be too many points on the board. Look for Chiefs RB Larry Johnson to have a solid performance in a Chiefs victory, 20-13.

Houston at Tennessee (1:00 on CBS)
Both of these teams have struggled this season, but Texans QB David Carr is finally finding his stride behind the best O-line he has had as a pro. The Titans have thrown rookie QB Vince Young into the mix, and he has done alright thus far, but he will be missing WR David Givens tomorrow. I see Carr having another good game, and connecting with WR Andre Johnson, who is quietly becoming a top wideout, all day long against a banged up Titans secondary. The Texans pick up another win here, 34-13.

Arizona at Green Bay (1:00 on FOX)
The Cardinals are officially in tailspin mode after blowing it on MNF against Chicago, but Coach Dennis Green knows Green Bay well after spending eight seasons as the head man with the Vikings. Rookie QB Matt Leinart will get plenty of opportunities to air it out against the Packers, who have a very flammable secondary. Brett Favre will be Brett Favre, and should have a very good showing at home in front of the Lambeau faithful; I think the home field advantage will bode well for them. Packers win one against the reeling Cards, 23-21.

Tampa Bay at New York Giants (1:00 on FOX)
The Bucs have showed improvement over the last two weeks, and are on a winning streak to boot after knocking off the Eagles last week. Rookie QB Bruce Gradkowski has played well, but he gets to face the best defense he has seen so far in the Giants. The Giants dominated every aspect of the game against the Cowboys last Monday, and Eli Manning is coming into fine form. Tampa Bay could make it a game by striking early on a banged-up New York defense, but I just don't see it. Manning and the G-Men keep it going, 34-13.

Jacksonville at Philadelphia (1:00 on CBS)
David Garrard gets the call at QB for the Jags, who have had an up and down year. Philly went down to New Orleans last week, but I see them getting back on track as WR Donte Stallworth comes back from injury. Donovan McNabb will continue to put up MVP-type numbers for the Eagles, and even with Garrard stepping in for Byron Leftwich, I don't think Jacksonville has the firepower to keep up. Philly should put this one away with ease, as they win 30-17.

Baltimore at New Orleans (1:00 on CBS)
Playing at the Superdome has been nothing short of magical for the Saints this season. RB Deuce McAllister has been banged up, but I think he comes back to pair with RB Reggie Bush and put up solid numbers. The Ravens are in flux at QB, with Steve McNair still questionable from a concussion; if Kyle Boller plays, advantage Saints. Baltimore's offense has struggled all year, and I don't see that changing against an underrated New Orleans D. The Saints should win, but it will be a fight, 20-12.

St. Louis at San Diego (4:05 on FOX)
The Rams have not lost a step on offense, even though it is more of a running attack these days. San Diego seems to be here one week, gone the next. Shawne Merriman will be on the field for the Chargers while he awaits his steriods appeal, which definitely helps their cause. I doubt that there will be too much defense played, though, as the Chargers are still banged up and the Rams never really did play any D. Look for St. Louis QB Marc Bulger and San Diego QB Philip Rivers to have big days, and I think the Chargers hold a slim edge due to being at home. San Diego is my pick here, 34-28, over the Rams.

Pittsburgh at Oakland (4:15 on CBS)
Oakland got a gift from Arizona last week, but they are still the clear favorite to win the sweepstakes for the #1 draft pick. Andrew Walters will have a rough day against the Steel Curtain D, which will be getting Joey Porter back. Even with all the hubbub around Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger, it is really a non-issue, because Charlie Batch has played just as well (even better, in cases) in relief duty. Oakland is probably without RB Lamont Jordan as well, even though he has had a terrible year. Art Shell continues on the path to unenployment, and the Steelers stay in the playoff hunt, 27-6.

Indianapolis at Denver (4:15 on CBS)
The Broncos are often overlooked when the top defensive teams in the league are debated, but the fact is that they have dominated. They simply don't give up touchdowns, and they don't allow opponents much room on the ground, either. Problem is, the offense has been downright ugly, and QB Jake Plummer is under growing pressure to shape up or ship out. Tony Dungy brings his Colts to town following a bye week, and their undefeated record is on the line. Even without Edgerrin James toting the ball this season, the high-octane Indy offense has lit up the scoreboard and statbook. WR Brandon Stokley will not play, but that only means that Peyton Manning will have to throw more to Reggie Kelly and Marvin Harrison, never a bad thing. It will be a close one, so definitely make time to watch, but the Colts march on, 23-16.

New York Jets at Cleveland (4:15 on CBS)
It pains me to say this, but the Browns are simply terrible this season on offense, yet again. They have some semblance of a passing game, and a young team, but they just cannot run the football. Without a ground game, you cannot win consistently in the NFL. The Jets are not a great football team, but they have playoffs in sight. New York also specializes in beating up on bad teams, and the Browns definitely hold that distinction. Charlie Frye will have a decent game, and the Browns D should keep it within reach, as they have all year. However, Eric Mangini's J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets will pick up another victory over the hapless Brownies, 17-13.

Dallas at Carolina (8:15 on NBC)
QB Tony Romo will be getting his first pro start this week for the Cowboys against a great Carolina defensive squad. Dallas has talent around Romo, and look for him to have a solid start and not lose them the game. What will lose the Cowboys this game is the lack of a consistent defense and utter lack of a rushing attack. WRs Steve Smith and Keyshawn Johnson should have big days, and the Panthers will capitalize on this to carry them to a win. Carolina over Dallas, 24-21.

New England at Minnesota (Monday at 8:30 on ESPN)
QB Tom Brady and the Patriots are on a roll and are off to their best start since 1998, impressive for a franchise rich in recent success. They will miss DE Richard Seymour, and Minnesota should be able to have success running the ball. The problem for the Vikings, though, is that their entire receiving corps seems to be on the sideline right now, as three of their top wideouts are injured. New England won't dominate the game, but they should win on Monday night. I see the Pats picking up the W in the Metrodome, 19-12.