NFL SpreadSHREDDER, Week 8: San Diego Chargers to Outclass Tennessee Titans

On a Sunday that will reek with the stench of desperation, we look to take advantage of both underdogs and favorites who suddenly find themselves in must-win territory.  Hell, we even threw a bonus pick in there for the first time all year.

SAN DIEGO (-2.5) OVER TENNESSEE {Sportsbook.com}

The Chargers are in a must-win situation at home with  a disappointing 2-5 record.  With the No. 1 offense and defense in the NFL, the Chargers have suffered inflated losses all season due to silly turnovers with last week being no exception.

Suffering multiple turnovers and a missed field goal to hand the Patriots their fifth win of the season, the Chargers once again suffered a phony loss as the winning quarterback, Tom Brady, averaged only 3.67 yards per attempt.

San Diego will also be playing a big scoring Titans team that has scored over thirty points in consecutive winning efforts, a statistic that inflates their value.

The name of the game for the San Diego Chargers through the first half of this season is playing to the level of their competition.  The Chargers will be highly motivated to put forth their best possible effort against a talented Titans team (5-2), and such an effort should be more than the Titans can handle especially with the reduction of the fluky, mental lapses that lead to the Chargers' undoing last week.  Tennessee's poor passing defense will be outmatched against the NFL's league leader in passing yards, and the Chargers' passing attack should carry them to a much needed victory at home. 

SAN DIEGO, 31-21.

NEW ORLEANS (-1) OVER PITTSBURGH {Sportsbook.com}

Coming off of an embarrassing home loss to the Cleveland Browns in the biggest upset of the season, the proud, defending Super Bowl champs now have a chance to redeem themselves on national television at home. 

As just a minuscule one-point favorite at home, look for the Saints to show marked improvement after a tough, intense week of practice with the intention of redeeming themselves for last week's sloppy performance.

The Saints have value at home as they are coming off of a turnover influenced loss of the phony variety with Drew Brees easily having more yards per attempt than winning quarterback Colt McCoy.  With the Falcons slowly starting to pull away in the NFC South, the Saints should come out swinging in an emotional, must-win situation, and the Steelers may be prone to a look ahead with their division rival Cincinnati Bengals on deck.

NEW ORLEANS, 24-21.

JACKSONVILLE (+6.5) OVER DALLAS {Sportsbook.com}

While David Gerrard is mediocre down to the last letter, news of his unheralded return is definitely an upgrade for Jacksonville.  Suffering a turnover influenced blowout loss last week at Kansas City (where nobody wins), the Jaguars have value as an underdog against a Dallas team who allowed 41 points at home yet still find themselves as a touchdown favorite the following week.

Unlike the Jaguars, the Cowboys will not enjoy more stability at the quarterback position with not so polished vet Jon Kitna taking the reigns following Tony Romo's shoulder injury.  Kitna, while effective, has proven to be turnover prone, and his limited playing time over the past two seasons will serve as a disadvantage to the favorite Cowboys. Dallas will look to run the ball more often to hide Kitna's shortcomings, thus keeping the score lower and making the game closer.

The Cowboys' run defense, which is in the bottom half of the NFL, will have its hands full with the Jags' talented back Maurice Jones Drew, who is still hungry for his first breakout game this season.

As a home favorite with a backup quarterback, the Cowboys will not be as motivated or desperate for a win as this situation would suggest.  The Jaguars could pull off an upset with Gerrard at quarterback and Jack Del Rio's job on the line. 

JACKSONVILLE, 28-21.

*SpreadSHREDDER Bonus Pick*

MINNESOTA (+6) OVER NEW ENGLAND {Sportsbook.com}

First of all, don't get it twisted; Brett Favre will play.  Childress' waffling on Favre's status is not only an instance of giving Favre a taste of his own medicine, but it is also giving Bill Belichick a taste of his own medicine with the old "ambiguous injury report" trick.

Entering this season, the Vikings had Super Bowl aspirations, and at 2-4 they find themselves in a must win situation as an underdog.  The Patriots have one of the worst pass defenses in the league, and with an explosive Vikings wide receiver corps lead by Randy Moss (who will be eager to show up his old team), and Favre is liable to carve up that secondary bum ankle and all.

The Patriots will be coming off of a phony win in San Diego (see above), and at minus-6 in a non-conference game, they are among the most inflated favorites on the board.

A desperate Vikings team should pull off a much needed road win under a tamer Brett Favre in a big spot.  MINNESOTA, 24-20.

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