NFL Week 8 Picks: Can Patriots, Steelers Stay On Top Against Vikings, Saints?
NFL Week 8 Picks: Major quarterback showdowns (Favre vs. Brady, Roethlisberger vs. Brees, Sanchez vs. Rodgers) are the big story, but there's certainly no shortage for additional great matchups.
Most of the best showdowns are inter-conference ones.
Steelers-Saints, Patriots-Vikings, Jets-Packers, even the Raiders-Seahawks game is now promising.
Inside we'll break down and predict each of the week's top games.
Green Bay Packers (4-3) at New York Jets (5-1)
1 of 13
Where: New Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
When: Sunday, 1 p.m
Line: Jets by 6
Jets Breakdown: This was a popular preseason Super Bowl matchup. One-half of the participants have held up their end of the bargain.
The Jets cruised through Weeks Two through Six, but could the bye week slow some of their momentum? Probably not. Their offense has surprisingly be better than the defense. That should change this weekend.
Packers Breakdown: The Packers defense has more than pulled their weight this season, especially considering the injury to Nick Barnett and Clay Matthews for a game.
Green Bay's lack of a running game will pose a real problem for Aaron Rodgers and his depleted receiving crops. Still, if Rodgers is 100% he can keep pace in the first half.
The Jets running game isn't going to be quite as prolific this week and Mark Sanchez will throw a bit more, leading to more big plays and a few turnovers. Rodgers has a great day and narrows the gap in the early fourth quarter but the Jes pull away later.
Prediction: Jets 27, Green Bay 17
Carolina Panthers (1-5) at St. Louis Rams (3-4)
2 of 13
Where: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
When: Sunday, 1 p.m
Line: Rams by 3
Rams Breakdown: The line here is pretty surprising. Because the home team typically gets three points, the line implies these two teams are an even match. Hardly the case.
The Rams fell in Tampa last week but played a pretty good 55 minutes of football on the road. The question mark at running back (Stephen Jackson's broken finger) is not enough of a factor to level the playing field.
Sam Bradford has steadily improved and the suspect Rams defense is not going to be a terrible threat tested by the more-suspect Panthers offense, especially if questionable DeAngelo Williams doesn't play.
Panthers Breakdown: Losing Williams would be a major blow, but Jonathan Stewart is probably good enough to start for most NFL teams. There isn't too much dropoff. The Panthers defense gave a tremendous effort a week ago against the 49ers. Don't expect another.
Prediction: St. Louis 34, Carolina 13
Washington Redskins (4-3) at Detroit Lions (1-5)
3 of 13
Where: Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
When: Sunday, 1 p.m
Line: Lions by 2.5
Lions Breakdown: The 1-5 Lions a favorite against a over-.500 Redskins? Vegas must want to encourage bets. Still, the Lions are on the rise.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford has returned to practice and looks like he might be ready for Sunday. He'll be rusty, but with Calvin Johnson and Jahvid Best, the talented sophomore will make several big plays.
Redskins Breakdown: The Redskins have been a conundrum all year. They beat the Eagles and Redskins and hung tough with the Colts. But had it not been for Jay Cutler's love for throwing balls to Deangelo Hall, they probably lose to the mediocre Bears.
McNabb hasn't been terribly sharp in recent weeks and unless Ryan Torain posts a third straight 100-yard game, Washington isn't capable of scoring more than 20 points against an improving Detroit defense.
Prediction: Detroit 24, Washington 20.
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Denver Broncos (2-5) at San Francisco (1-6)
4 of 13
Where: Wembley Stadium, London, England
When: Sunday, 1 p.m
Line: San Francisco by 6
Denver Breakdown: If this is the matchup we are showing across the pond, our version of professional football has absolutely no chance of catching on in Europe. Back in the late 1980s this was an intriguing game (although it didn't turn out to be: see Super Bowl XXIV).
All of Denver's flaws were on display last weekend at home against the Raiders. They couldn't stop the run or pass, and that allegedly great Bronco aerial attach was grounded. Seven days and a 10,000 mile trip across the Atlantic won't cure anything.
49ers Breakdown: There has to be some optimism attached to this game. Troy Smith might not be as polished, as big, as strong-armed, as most of the quarterbacks in the NFL. But he has the ability to make plays with his feet, and has the offensive weapons to at least try.
Still, this should be an ugly game.
Prediction: San Francisco 23, Denver 17 (OT)
Bufalo Bills (0-6) at Kansas City (4-2)
5 of 13
Where: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
When: Sunday, 1 p.m
Line: Kansas City by 7.5
Bills Breakdown: On the surface, Buffalo was the worst team in the NFL during the first seven weeks. And they probably were. But that doesn't mean a win over a quality team isn't in their capacity.
They've put up great fights against three of the better teams in the AFC: Miami, New England, and Baltimore.It'll take more to grab their first win.
Chiefs Breakdown: Kansas City snapped their two game losing skid last week against the Jaguars. But that wasn't the same Jacksonville team which manhandled the Bills in Week Five: no David Garrard.
The Chiefs excellent backfield will be the Bills main concern, forcing more out of Matt Cassel. The Bills defensive line is capable of pressuring him into bad throws.
Prediction: Buffalo 26, Kansas City 23
Miami Dolphins (3-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (2-4)
6 of 13
Where: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
When: Sunday, 1 p.m
Line: Cincinnati by 2
Bengals Breakdown: The Bengals offense finally awoke in the second half last week against a good Atlanta team. Against the Dolphins they face a similar unit that is a bit hit-or-miss.
Jordan Shipley now gives Carson Palmer a third option when Terrell Owens and Chad Johnson aren't open or just annoy him. Against the Falcons, Palmer started to look like the Palmer who was considered a top tier quarterback a few seasons ago.
Dolphins Breakdowns: Miami's running game hasn't been good enough to warrant 30-plus carries from Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. That means Chad Henne will be putting the ball up more. Davone Bess is an excellent second option for him and with the poor tackling and worse coverage Cincy showed last week at the Georgia Dome, Henne will have his chances.
Prediction: Miami 31, Cincinnati 20
Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4) at Dallas Cowboys (1-5)
7 of 13
Where: New Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
When: Sunday, 1 p.m
Line: Dallas by 6.5
Cowboys Breakdown: This backup-quarterback bowl is the most uninteresting and lifeless game that will be played on the continent this weekend.
Jon Kitna is prone to mistakes and will make plenty in his eight day on the job as the Dallas quarterback. Still, his exceptional corp of receivers will make a few catch-and-runs for him.
Even more of a concern for Jerry Jones' team is the play of their defense. Eli Manning carved them up last week. For them the return of David Garrard is a major concern. He can break contain and partially neutralize the pass rush of Demarcus Ware.
Jaguars Breakdown: It's not the reason why Jacksonville has dropped below .500, but the relative disappearance of Maurice Jones-Drew is curious. He's broken 100 yards just once (105 yards against Indianapolis) and has averaging 0.7 yards less per attempt than a year ago. It may not look it, but that's a noticeable drop off.
Prediction: Dallas 27, Jacksonville 14
Tennessee Titans (5-2) at San Diego Chargers (2-4)
8 of 13
Where: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California
When: Sunday, 4:05 p.m
Line: San Diego by 3.5
Chargers Breakdown: San Diego gave the Patriots a good run in the fourth quarter but the offense was awful, at home, throughout most of the game. Not only that, they squandered a very good effort from the defense.
Phillip Rivers is doing more with less than any player in the NFL, but even he won't be able to do it alone should Antonio Gates' toe and Legedu Naanee's hamstring slow them both down. They'll need another great day from that number one ranked (yardage) defense that gets a much different test this week against Chris Johnson.
Titans Breakdown: Tennessee is are playing some of the best football in the entire NFL right now. But the return to Vince Young will cost them some sharpness at the outset. Johnson won't be affected, but don't expect Kenny Britt to have three more touchdowns.
Tennessee's defense did a masterful job against the Eagles, but because Phillip Rivers is more of a gambler than Kevin Kolb, the Chargers are a more difficult opponent.
Prediction: San Diego 23, Tennessee 20 (OT)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2) at Arizona Cardinals (3-3)
9 of 13
Where: Univ. of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
When: Sunday, 4:15 p.m
Line: Cardinals by 3
Buccaneers Breakdown: Who could have possibly expected the Bucs to be in sole possession of second place in the NFC South and just a game behind?
Well, it's true. They haven't won a game against a team with a winning record (and they've been demolished at home by Pittsburgh and New Orleans), but that doesn't devalue what they've done.
Josh Freeman really is becoming a star, no matter what his individual stats say. Their pass rush is not good (just five sacks) but they have created 14 turnovers in six games. Now if they could only run the ball.
Cardinals Breakdown: Derek Anderson get's another bite of the apple this week. And he won't be harrassed much by the Bucs front seven, so it's up to him to actually get Larry Fitzgerald the ball. Five catches per game for him is a major disservice to the team.
Because the Bucs can't run the ball consistently, the opportunistic Cardinals defense will be able to go after Freeman. Only multiple turnovers and multiple sacks will keep the Cardinals in the game.
Prediction: Tampa Bay 31, Arizona 20
Minnesota Vikings (2-4) at New England Patriots (5-1)
10 of 13
Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts
When: Sunday, 4:15 p.m
Line: Patriots by 6.5
Vikings Breakdown: If Brett Favre's streak comes to an end, Tavaris Jackson is still capable of keeping the Vikes in contention. With two more years of seasoning and the additions of Percy Harvin and Randy Moss, he is a better quarterback than the one we say in 2008. Still, whether it's Favre or Jacksson, Adrian Peterson will have to carry the team.
The Minnesota defense has been outstanding all season, but Jared Allen was largely held in check a week ago at Green Bay. The Patriots will use screens and draws to do so again and Tom Brady will get rid of the ball fast enough. The secondary will need to be sharp to keep them from falling to 2-5.
Patriots Breakdown: Although the Chargers have a good defense and contributed to the Pats woes last Sunday, Brady did not look sharp. He has yet to throw for 300 yards in 2010 and hasn't had a multi-touchdown game since Week Three.
Those are not the numbers we're used to seeing from Brady. And with the Patriots running game almost non existent, he has to do better.
Prediction: Minnesota 30, New England 27
Seattle Seahawks (4-2) at Oakland Raiders (3-4)
11 of 13
Where: Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, Oakland, California
When: Sunday, 4:15 p.m
Line: Raiders by 2.5
Seahawks Breakdown: Pete Carroll must feel like he's back in the Pac-10, having to watch the game film from the Raiders 59-14 win over Denver last week. He'll have more answers than the Broncos did.
One of the main ones will be Marshawn Lynch. If the Seahawks can move the chains on the ground, Mike Williams and Matt Hasselbeck can make plays down field and keep pace with the Raiders scoring.
Raiders Breakdown: The Seahawks feature the second-ranked rush defense in the NFL. That doesn't worry Oakland for two reasons. Darren McFadden and Michael Bush is one reason. And the fact that the Seahawks have the third-last ranked pass defense: why run on them when you can throw against Seattle?
Seattle isn't big enough up front to slow down McFadden. The Raiders offense will score plenty: if the defense shows up like it did against Denver, then they'll be .500 by Sunday evening.
Prediction: Seattle 33, Oakland 30.
Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1) at New Orleans Saints (4-3)
12 of 13
Where: Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
When: Sunday, 8:20 p.m
Line: Saints by 1
Steelers Breakdown: Although Rashard Mendenhall was held in check by the Miami defense, that's not the main reason why the Steelers were so bad in the red zone last week.
Protection has been an issue for the Steelers offense for years now, and Ben Roethlisberger's elusivness has masked that. Saints defensive coordinator Greg Williams will take advantage of that fact.
Saints Breakdown: Maybe a loss to the lowly Browns at home will finally wake up the Saints. Or perhaps they've finally gotten all the poor play out of their system.
Whatever the cause, don't expect Drew Brees to turn the ball over four more times, no matter how good Pittsburgh's front-seven is.....and it won't be as good this week without Aaron Smith and possibly LaMarr Woodley.
Prediction: Pittsburgh 21, New Orleans 17
Houston Texans (4-2) at Indianapolis Colts (4-2)
13 of 13
Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
When: Monday, 8:30 p.m
Line: Colts by 5.5
Texans Breakdown: After essentially taking three weeks off, the Texans offense returned to hammer a pretty good Kansas City defense a week ago.
In the rematch of Week One's stunner, Arian Foster won't run over the Colts defense again, so Matt Schaub will have to throw more than 17 passes in order for the Texans to sweep the series. More important is the Houston secondary: they cannot expect to allow Peyton Manning 400-plus yards and win again.
Colts Breakdown: Losing Dallas Clark will have a noticeable impact on the Indy offense. They won't be able to get the ball downfield inside the seems as often. But Pierre Garcon and Reggie Wayne remain great targets for Manning. With Joseph Addai's injury requiring a second-opinion, Donald Brown has to step up to keep the Texans defense from blitzing on nearly every play.
Prediction: Indianapolis 35, Houston 32
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