NFL Picks Week 8: Home Teams That Will Suffer Disappointing Losses

Week 8 of the NFL season holds several interesting matchups, a few of which won't fall in the home team's favor.

Home-field advantage is supposed to play well for most teams, but multiple factors are at work this time of year. Hot streaks, cold streaks, injuries, underdogs and overachievers all impact the NFL's mid-season landscape.

For whatever reason, at least, three home teams are heading for disappointing defeats in Week 8.

Let's take a look.

Dallas Cowboys

Anytime the Cowboys lose to the Giants, it's disappointing for them. In Week 1, they started off on the right foot against their division rival, but that should change to disappointment with this game.

The Giants scored a dramatic win over Washington on Sunday, while the Cowboys sneaked by a below-average Panthers team.

New York's pass offense has been dynamic this year. Eli Manning has been lighting up scoreboards, using Victor Cruz and company to penetrate opposing secondaries. He will face his biggest challenge on Sunday, facing Dallas' daunting defensive backs.

The difference lies on the ground. The Cowboys struggle at the point of attack, but New York's Ahmad Bradshaw seems to improve every week. Running the ball successfully allows the Giants to keep teams off-balance, making Manning more dangerous.

This game is in Dallas, but it won't make a difference on Sunday. New York is out to prove that the NFC East is its division, and Dallas won't stand in its way in Week 8.

Denver Broncos

Sunday night's game between the Broncos and the New Orleans Saints is going to be a treat. Watching two of the league's best quarterbacks go head to head will be worthwhile all in itself, but watching the Saints pick up their third-straight win will be even better.

Drew Brees has his team playing good football. That's not to say that they're a playoff team, but underestimating Brees would be very unwise.

The Saints are still struggling defensively. That leaves Brees and the offense to carry the load, something they're very capable of doing.

Denver is one of the league's better pass defenses, but this one just feels like an upset. Peyton Manning has played very well in the second half of games this year, and he won't get those chances against Brees.

New Orleans has a revitalized look to them right now. This feels like the Saints' time, and it will continue a bit longer on Sunday night.

Minnesota Vikings

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are only 2-4, but all four of their losses were winnable games, including Sunday's disappointing loss to the Saints courtesy of this controversial play:

Thursday night's game against the Vikings will be a different story. Tampa Bay matches up well with Minnesota's main strength, running the football.

The Buccaneers are one of the league's top run defenses, despite having one of the league's worst pass defenses. That works well against the Vikings because Adrian Peterson is their main piece on offense, with Christian Ponder playing the game manager's role.

Adding to that is the Buccaneers offense. Minnesota has been very good on defense all season, but Josh Freeman has played very well the past two weeks. If he gets time in the pocket, Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams have proven themselves as dangerous vertical threats.

The fast turnaround will leave Sunday's controversial finish fresh in Tampa Bay's mind. Hit-and-miss efforts have come to be expected from this squad, but they will be ready for Minnesota.

If Peterson runs well, this game will be close. If he doesn't, the Buccaneers will score a dominant victory.