NFL Week 8 Picks: Predicting the Winner of All 15 Matchups

Week 7 in the NFL brought us a record-breaking performance from Peyton Manning, a dramatic statement win from the Detroit Lions, another poor performance from the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and yet another dominating win from the Dallas Cowboys.

It’s time to do it all over again in Week 8.

As the middle of the season approaches, it would make sense if some of the contenders begin to separate themselves from the pack. After all, eight weeks of football is a solid sample size, although the parity in the NFL likely has something to say about that notion.

Here is a predicted winner for every Week 8 matchup before we dig into a more extensive preview of the game to watch on the schedule.

Matchup	Predicted Winner
San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos	Broncos
Chicago Bears at New England Patriots	Patriots
Detroit Lions at Atlanta Falcons (in London)	Lions
St. Louis Rams at Kansas City Chiefs	Chiefs
Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans	Texans
Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Buccaneers
Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers	Seahawks
Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals	Bengals
Miami Dolphins at Jacksonville Jaguars	Dolphins
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets	Bills
Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals	Eagles
Oakland Raiders at Cleveland Browns	Browns
Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers	Colts
Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints	Packers
Washington at Dallas Cowboys	Cowboys

Game to Watch: San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos

Justin Edmonds/Getty Images

It is rather unfortunate that NFL fans have to watch such a critical showdown between the Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers on Thursday night considering the lackluster football we have seen on the short weeks.

Rich Eisen of NFL Network noted that the majority of Thursday night games have been blowouts:

Regardless of the day of the week, this is a critical AFC West showdown with playoff positioning and a potential first-round bye on the line. The outcome will have implications on the rest of the season in that division and conference.

The first thing that jumps out in any game involving the Broncos is the passing attack with Peyton Manning, Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and Wes Welker. Denver is averaging 298.8 yards per game through the air (which is third in the NFL), and Demaryius Thomas is absolutely destroying opponents right now. 

In his last three games, Thomas finished with 226 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals, 124 receiving yards and a touchdown against the New York Jets and 171 receiving yards and two touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers.

Demaryius Thomas is definitely a star, but Manning has made his entire receiver corps look excellent and life easy for the organization, as San Francisco 49ers safety Eric Reid said, according to The Associated Press, via ESPN.com:

"

I'm not sure what their coaches do. They probably don't have to do much. When he's out there on the field, he recognizes the defense and makes audibles. He does it all. You're playing against a coordinator when he's out there. He's definitely one of the best, if not the best, ever.

"

While the Denver aerial assault is intimidating, the Chargers may be one of the few teams in the NFL equipped to slow it down. They are third in the league against the pass (209.6 yards per game) and are also solid against the run (106.9 yards per game), so Ronnie Hillman may have some trouble finding holes.

DENIS POROY/Associated Press

Yes, the Chargers’ pass defense has been impressive this year, but the secondary is dealing with lingering injuries to Brandon Flowers and Shareece Wright.

San Diego has some healthy pieces back there, but it needs all hands on deck against the Broncos. Even if it manages to somehow contain Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas, Manning will just find Welker or Sanders on crossing routes or over the top. 

Still, the Broncos aren’t the only team in this game that can score. Scott Hanson of NFL RedZone noted that the Chargers and Broncos are two of the most well-balanced teams in the league:

The Chargers’ passing attack ranks sixth in the NFL (270.7 yards per game), and Denver’s secondary is beatable (18th against the pass at 242.5 yards per game). Philip Rivers has quietly put together an impressive season, although he struggled to get it going in the most recent loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

The Chargers should put up some points in this one and keep it close, but Denver will find a way to win at home with both teams on short rest.

Things look to be clicking for the dominant Broncos offense, and Manning will find a number of his weapons against a banged-up Chargers secondary. San Diego will still find a way to make the playoffs as a wild-card team, but the AFC West belongs to Mr. Manning.

Prediction: Broncos 28, Chargers 17

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