NFL Week 8 Picks: Rounding Up Top Experts' Predictions

Week 8 in the NFL is undeniably captivating.

There's an afternoon game in London, meaning there will be over 12 hours of nearly continuous football on Sunday. We've got five divisional matchups. We've got four games between teams at .500 or better, including one-loss Philadelphia at one-loss Arizona. We've got Green Bay at New Orleans, which could easily develop into the TCU vs. Baylor of the NFL. We've got Derek Carr vs. Brian Hoyer, if that's more your thing.

It's a jam-packed slate. Let's take a look at who the experts believe will put another in the "W" column.

NFL Week 8 Picks

Matchup	Matt Bowen, B/R	Michael Schottey, B/R	Steve Palazzolo, PFF	Pete Prisco, CBS	Gregg Rosenthal, NFL	Consensus
DET at ATL	DET	DET	ATL	DET	DET	DET, 34-3
STL at KC	KC	KC	KC	KC	KC	KC, 36-1
HOU at TEN	TEN	HOU	HOU	TEN	HOU	HOU, 32-5
MIN at TB	MIN	MIN	TB	TB	TB	MIN, 21-16
SEA at CAR	SEA	SEA	SEA	SEA	SEA	SEA, 34-3
BAL at CIN	BAL	BAL	BAL	CIN	BAL	BAL, 25-12
MIA at JAX	MIA	MIA	MIA	MIA	MIA	MIA, 35-2
CHI at NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE, 35-2
BUF at NYJ	BUF	NYJ	NYJ	NYJ	NYJ	NYJ, 24-13
PHI at ARI	PHI	ARI	PHI	ARI	PHI	PHI, 20-17
OAK at CLE	CLE	CLE	CLE	CLE	CLE	CLE, 35-2
IND at PIT	IND	IND	IND	PIT	IND	IND, 33-4
GB at NO	GB	NO	NO	GB	NO	GB, 25-12
WAS at DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL	DAL, 37-0

Note: Picks come from Bleacher Report, Pro Football Focus, CBS Sports and NFL.com. 

Game of the Week

The game of the week, at least according to the proximity of the experts' picks, features two surprising one-loss teams.

Through seven weeks, the Arizona Cardinals (5-1) are a full two games clear of the San Francisco 49ers (4-3) and Seattle Seahawks (3-3) in the loss column. The Philadelphia Eagles (5-1), meanwhile, are locked in arguably the most compelling divisional battle in the entire league with the Dallas Cowboys (6-1).

Not even Miss Cleo saw that coming.

With the Cardinals averaging 361.7 yards of total offense in Carson Palmer's three starts and the Eagles running Chip Kelly's high-octane, efficient offense, this one figures to be a shootout.

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

"They've got a lot of weapons, and they do a lot of different things on the offensive side of the ball to spread the ball around to all those guys," Kelly told reporters, via the team's official website. "You know, it's going to be quite a match up for our defense."

Chief among those weapons is Andre Ellington. The electric 25-year-old has been dealing with a foot injury all season, but he has still managed to average 108.8 yards from scrimmage per game. His versatility is nearly as impressive as his game-changing elusiveness and speed, as he is capable of carving up big plays in both the run and pass game.

AZCentral.com's Kent Somers argued Ellington's importance in Arizona's recent run of success:

The health of inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks will be key in whether or not the Eagles can keep Ellington—and thus Arizona's explosive offense—in check. Out since Week 2, he was limited in practice on both Wednesday and Thursday.

Even if Arizona is able to move the ball, Philly clearly has the offense to keep pace. LeSean McCoy struggled to start the season, but he proved against the New York Giants in Week 6 that he remains one of the best backs in the league, as illustrated by CSN Philadelphia's Reuben Frank:

Throw in Jeremy Maclin, who is 12th in the NFL in receiving yards per game, and this is a well-balanced offense under Kelly's unique, difficult-to-contain system.

As the experts' picks would suggest, this one is difficult to predict, but one thing is for sure: There are going to be offensive fireworks.