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We’re almost at the halfway point of the season and it’s just starting to get exciting. Playoff races are starting to take shape and your favorite teams have established themselves as contenders or pretenders.
There are a few key games this week that will help some teams in their conference races. So what should we expect from this week’s lineup of games as far as Free NFL Picks go?
Here is what to watch for in Week Eight.
Denver vs. Baltimore (Baltimore -3)
One of the best games of the week comes when Denver travels to Baltimore. The Broncos are putting their perfect record on the line against the Ravens and it could be their stiffest test to date.
In spite of some recent struggles, the Ravens still have one of the best defenses in the league and the Broncos' offense will be tested greatly. If Kyle Orton can keep from getting picked off two or three times, the Broncos will have a chance to stay perfect.
However, when you play at Baltimore, you know it’s going to be a tough game.
Cleveland vs. Chicago (Chicago -13.5)
The Bears lost by over 30 points last week.
Chicago heads into the week against Cleveland a 13.5 point favorite.
This is exactly the condition that the Cleveland Browns find themselves in--a heavy underdog to a team that just took a beating. Things couldn’t get much worse for the Browns at this point. They’ve traded away all of their stars and are basically looking toward the future.
The future just looks really far off at this point.
Houston vs. Buffalo (Houston -3)
The Texans have had one of the best offenses in the league this year and quarterback Matt Schaub has been on fire.
They took a bit of a hit last week when Andre Johnson was injured. His return is questionable for this week although the injury does not appear to be serious.
The Bills have made the switch to Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback, which appears to be the end of the Trent Edwards experiment.
The Bills are hoping that last week’s win against the Panthers was not a fluke.
Minnesota vs. Green Bay (Green Bay -3)
Although Minnesota won the first meeting between these teams a few weeks back, they are the underdogs in this game.
Coming off their first loss of the season last week, the Vikings will try to get things back on track. Adrian Peterson is still the best back in the league and Green Bay’s defense is vulnerable to the run.
Brett Favre is retuning to Lambeu Field for the first time since the controversial split between the Packers and their Hall of Fame quarterbak. With the stadium ignited, the game could turn into a shoot out between Favre and his former understudy, Aaron Rodgers.
Look for a good game at Lambeau.
San Francisco vs. Indianapolis (Indianapolis -12)
The 49ers have had a pretty good season so far, and they are trying to improve as they go. Michael Crabtree was recently inserted into the starting lineup and didn’t have a bad game for his first outing. They will also try Alex Smith as the starting quarterback again in what will presumably be his last chance to take the reins after being drafted No. 1 overall. Smith threw three touchdowns in the second half last week.
For the Colts, they are still rolling along with future Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning at the controls. They are fresh off a beating of the St. Louis Rams and ready for more blood.
Miami vs. New York Jets (New York -3)
The Dolphins are coming off one of the most disappointing losses of the season against the undefeated New Orleans Saints last weekend.
The Saints outscored them 22-0 in the fourth quarter after what looked like a surefire win at one point. With that being said, the Jets are no Saints.
This should be a pretty even matchup between two decent teams. The Wildcat is in full force in Miami and Ricky Williams has experienced a rejuvenation in it.
Mark Sanchez is trying to get things under control again in New York and this game will be a good place to start.
Seattle vs. Dallas (Dallas -9.5)





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