NFL Predictions Week 8: Can't-Miss Picks and Matchup Guide

The 2014 season is nearing its midway point, with plenty of teams all bunched together near the middle of the pack.

Usually you can count on at least one or two teams creating some distance from the rest of the league and positioning itself or themselves as the Super Bowl favorite(s). This year, however, nobody is without flaws.

The reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks have lost two games in a row, one of which was to the St. Louis Rams—the Rams! Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints, whom some considered destined to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy, have fallen to 2-4.

And the Dallas Cowboys may be one of the best teams in the league.

The rapture may be nigh.

Maybe in Week 8, some of the cream will begin rising to the top and some semblance of sense will return to the league.

Date	Away	Home	Spread	Straight Up Pick	Pick ATS
Thursday, Oct. 23	San Diego Chargers	Denver Broncos	DEN (-6.5)	DEN	DEN
Sunday, Oct. 26	Detroit Lions	Atlanta Falcons	DET (-3)	DET	DET
Sunday, Oct. 26	Minnesota Vikings	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	TB (-2)	MIN	MIN
Sunday, Oct. 26	Buffalo Bills	New York Jets	NYJ (-2.5)	NYJ	NYJ
Sunday, Oct. 26	Chicago Bears	New England Patriots	NE (-7)	NE	CHI
Sunday, Oct. 26	Seattle Seahawks	Carolina Panthers	SEA (-3)	SEA	SEA
Sunday, Oct. 26	Miami Dolphins	Jacksonville Jaguars	MIA (-4)	MIA	MIA
Sunday, Oct. 26	Baltimore Ravens	Cincinnati Bengals	CIN (-2.5)	BAL	BAL
Sunday, Oct. 26	Houston Texans	Tennessee Titans	HOU (-2)	HOU	HOU
Sunday, Oct. 26	St. Louis Rams	Kansas City Chiefs	KC (-6)	KC	KC
Sunday, Oct. 26	Philadelphia Eagles	Arizona Cardinals	ARI (-2.5)	ARI	ARI
Sunday, Oct. 26	Indianapolis Colts	Pittsburgh Steelers	IND (-1.5)	PIT	PIT
Sunday, Oct. 26	Oakland Raiders	Cleveland Browns	CLE (-7)	CLE	OAK
Sunday, Oct. 26	Green Bay Packers	New Orleans Saints	NO (-1.5)	GB	GB
Monday, Oct. 27	Washington Redskins	Dallas Cowboys	DAL (-9)	DAL	DAL

Note: Spread info is courtesy of Odds Shark.

San Diego Chargers vs. Denver Broncos (-6.5)

If the Denver Broncos aren't the best team in the NFL, then they're 1a. The San Diego Chargers were getting that kind of consideration a few weeks ago, but they've since fallen down the pecking order a bit after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7.

The Broncos will have an opportunity to cement themselves as the top dogs in the league, while the Chargers can get back into the discussion with a win in Denver.

What will likely play a role in the outcome is the availability of San Diego cornerbacks Jason Verrett and Brandon Flowers.

Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Verrett is listed as questionable, while Flowers is out altogether:

They're two of San Diego's top corners, and not having them against Peyton Manning and the Broncos' stable of wide receivers could swing the game invariably toward Denver.

According to Football Outsiders, San Diego has the 23rd-best pass defense in the league despite the fact that the team is third in yards allowed a game (209.6) and seventh in yards allowed per attempt (6.8).

It doesn't help that Verrett and Flowers are working on a short week, thus they have less time to recover, which can be said for much of the Chargers as a whole as well:

The spread is high enough that you could still foresee a Broncos win where the Chargers cover. San Diego's two losses came by a combined four points. A field goal could very well decide this game.

However, Denver likely remembers last year's home loss to the Chargers and will be loathe to see a repeat happen. The Broncos should win this one comfortably against a weakened San Diego secondary.

Indianapolis Colts (-1.5) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Indianapolis Colts are one of a handful of road teams favored to win this week, and it's not hard to see why. They shut out the Cincinnati Bengals and held their opponents to 135 yards of total offense. That last number isn't a typo.

Bleacher Report AFC North Lead Writer Andrea Hangst laid out the entirety of the Colts' defensive dominance:

Meanwhile, Andrew Luck threw for 344 yards and two touchdowns, continuing his transformation from talented, promising young quarterback to devourer of worlds. He leads the NFL in passing yards (2,331) and sits in a tie with Manning for most touchdowns (19).

On the other side, the Pittsburgh Steelers keep taking one step forward and one step back, alternating wins and losses. One week they beat the Carolina Panthers on the road by 18 points; the next, they're losing at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Steelers looked good in their 30-23 win over the Houston Texans on Monday night, fighting back from an early 13-0 hole.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

"I like what transpired in the stadium," said head coach Mike Tomlin, per 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh. "A lot of significant contributions from everyone in all three phases. Thought it was a good team win. Obviously it was not perfect, we have a lot of things to work on as we move forward, but it’s good to do that with a win."

At its peak, Pittsburgh could possibly win this game. However, the team remains too inconsistent to engender much faith. Until the Steelers prove that they can go two weeks without shooting themselves in the foot, you're better off second-guessing them against teams as talented as the Colts.

Indianapolis may have had some question marks going into Week 7, but it put any doubts to bed with that demolition of the Bengals.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Arizona Cardinals (-2.5)

This might be the hardest game to predict for Week 8. The Arizona Cardinals have one of the best defenses in the game but a below-average offense. The Philadelphia Eagles, meanwhile, have an above-average offense and a defense that doesn't get the credit it truly deserves.

The Eagles are looking like one of the strongest teams in the NFC at the moment. They have a Week 2 win over the Colts, and their lone loss came on the road against the San Francisco 49ers, which looked less impressive after the Niners' performance against the Broncos in Week 7.

Going on the road, this will be a nice litmus test for Philly.

The Cardinals' quarterback situation is still a bit concerning. Carson Palmer's looked good the last two weeks, but the larger of body of work makes you question whether he can take the franchise forward.

With that said, having Andre Ellington in the backfield makes up for a lot of the deficiencies that might exist in the passing game. In the 24-13 win over the Oakland Raiders, the second-year running back ran for 88 yards and led the team in receiving with 72 yards.

According to ESPN.com's Josh Weinfuss, he touched the ball more than 61 percent of the time he was on the field:

There was some concern that Ellington may have picked up an injury during the game, but he allayed any fears after the game, per Paul Calvisi of ABC 15 in Phoenix:

As long as Ellington continues his strong run of form and helps keep the Eagles offense off the field, the Cardinals will grab possibly their biggest win of the season.

Winning the turnover battle will also go a long way toward securing the victory. Philadelphia has a turnover differential of minus-five, which ranks 28th in the league. As long as Palmer's protecting the ball, the Cardinals shouldn't run into trouble.