Week 8 NFL Predictions: Teams That Will Pull Off Major Upsets

There are a number of games in Week 8 that have a clear favorite to win, but there should be a few teams that will surprise a number of people and pull off big-time upsets.

Obviously, the biggest upset from Week 7 was the Indianapolis Colts taking down the Denver Broncos.  The Colts are good, but they were able to take down Peyton Manning and company without too much trouble, holding Denver to a season-low for points scored.

While there might not be any games as big as that one this week, there will still be some good games with some surprising outcomes, so let's take a look at a few teams that will pull off upset wins.

Away	Prediction	Home
Carolina Panthers	31-10	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Dallas Cowboys	24-27	Detroit Lions
Cleveland Browns	13-28	Kansas City Chiefs
Miami Dolphins	17-24	New England Patriots
Buffalo Bills	17-28	New Orleans Saints
New York Giants	24-21	Philadelphia Eagles
San Francisco 49ers	33-7	Jacksonville Jaguars
New York Jets	14-20	Cincinnati Bengals
Pittsburgh Steelers	21-28	Oakland Raiders
Washington Redskins	24-42	Denver Broncos
Atlanta Falcons	17-24	Arizona Cardinals
Green Bay Packers	35-10	Minnesota Vikings
Seattle Seahawks	30-13	St. Louis Rams

New York Giants (1-6) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-4)

Date: Sunday, Oct. 27

Time: 1:00 p.m. ET

TV: FOX

Prediction: 24-21, Giants

The New York Giants are coming off an incredibly ugly win over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football, but the momentum from their first week of the season will carry over into Week 8 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Although Eli Manning threw for just 200 yards and a touchdown, he finally had his first game of the season without throwing an interception.  This week, he'll be going against an Eagles defense that's giving up 311.6 passing yards and 28 points per game.

On defense, the Giants will apparently be going up against Michael Vick once again.  According to Jeff McLane from Philly.com, Vick will start on Sunday after missing the past couple of weeks with a hamstring injury he suffered against the Giants in Week 5.

They may only be 1-6, but I really think that the win is going to ignite a spark in the Giants' locker room.  This was a good team just a year ago, and they haven't lost that many players from that season.  Tom Coughlin's teams have a way of turning things around midway through the season, and I really think we're going to see that in Week 8.

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4) at Oakland Raiders (2-4)

Date: Sunday, Oct. 27

Time: 4:05 p.m. ET

TV: CBS

Prediction: 28-21, Raiders

After a dreadful start, the Pittsburgh Steelers have started to turn it around, winning their last two games.  However, the Oakland Raiders aren't a team to be messed with, and Terrelle Pryor should be able to lead his team to a big win.

On the year, the Steelers have forced just two turnovers and have a turnover differential of -10.  In their first six games, they've yet to play against a true dual-threat quarterback, and that means Pryor has an opportunity to make some plays with both his arm and his legs.

Speaking of Pryor, he had his first really bad game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6, throwing three interceptions.  The reason he struggled so much was that the Chiefs were able to get plenty of pressure on him, sacking him nine times in the game.

Pryor won't have to worry about that against the Steelers.  As a team, Pittsburgh has sacked opposing quarterbacks just eight times.  

The Raiders might not have a lot of talent on their team, but they have an explosive young quarterback that should be able to step up in this game and give Oakland their third win of the season.

Atlanta Falcons (2-4) at Arizona Cardinals (3-4)

Date: Sunday, Oct. 27

Time: 4:25 p.m. ET

Prediction: 24-17, Cardinals

The Atlanta Falcons are a good team that's just had to deal with some bad luck.  Unfortunately for them, they're going to run into some more bad luck this week against the Arizona Cardinals.

Without Julio Jones, this is a different offense.  To make things even worse, Roddy White has been hobbled by injuries all season, and he's likely not going to be very effective against the Cardinals, even if he is able to play.

The Cardinals have some very talented players in the secondary that will give White and the other receivers fits.  Patrick Peterson is playing like he belongs in the Pro Bowl, and Tyrann Mathieu is making a case for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

The Falcons are also dealing with a number of injuries on defense, including players like Sean Weatherspoon and Kroy Biermann.  Meanwhile, the secondary is incredibly inexperienced, allowing 14 passing touchdowns and forcing just three interceptions.

Carson Palmer hasn't been very good, but even he should be able to pick apart the Falcons' defense.  With players like Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd, the Cardinals should be able to outscore a depleted Atlanta team that is going to have a very tough season in the NFC South.