NFL Week 8 Preview

Remember back in the day when the NFL used to assign the entire division the same bye week? Well, it's just like old times this weekend, as the entire NFC North, minus doormat Detroit, is resting up for the second half of the season, which is surprisingly almost here. Ah, time flies when you are having fun. Denver is our fourth bye team this week, and I'm sure Mike Shanahan will spend it making sure his team doesn't embarrass themselves on national TV anytime soon again.

GAME OF THE WEEK: Giants at Steelers
Oh mylanta. An ESPN writer just picked these teams to meet in Super Bowl XLIII. Give it until noon tomorrow and the network will become an all Giants vs. Steelers, all the time network. But this is a great matchup in a Week 8 that features one of our better lineups of the season. This will be the first matchup of two of the three quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2004 draft since their rookie seasons. Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers won that game at the Meadowlands, and in the nearly four years since, both Roethlisberger and Eli Manning have led their teams to improbable Super Bowl titles. While both teams are led by stud quarterbacks and have many playmakers available on offense, the defenses will decide this clash of two 5-1 division leaders. Pittsburgh is first in total defense, New York fourth. Neither gives up a whole lot of rushing yards. So while you may say to yourself, "crap, a surefire 13-10 snoozefest!", watch it. True football fans love defense. And both offenses certainly can find a way to exploit the opposing defense every now and then. Picking a winner here is hard, but I'll give the Steelers the edge based on the fact they are more battle-tested and will have a home-field advantage. A score? You guessed it: 13-10.

OTHER TOP GAMES:

Cardinals at Panthers
I don't think too many people could have projected this game as a contest of NFC heavyweights. At 4-2 and coming off an upset of Dallas two weeks ago, Arizona is hungry and confident. Carolina is 5-2, and with John Fox's defense once again worthy of fear, they are keeping pace in the competitive NFC South. The defense stepped up to the challenge last week against Drew Brees, and they will have to do the same against Kurt Warner, who could have the services of Anquan Boldin for the first time in several weeks. The Cardinals are one of 12 defenses in the league holding their opponents to under 100 yards per game on the ground, meaning Jake Delhomme will likely have to be the driving force behind the Carolina offense.

Buccaneers at Cowboys
Wade Phillips will take over playcalling duties on defense for the Titanic. Boy, that will save their season! What they really need, aside from Brad Johnson retiring and Tony Romo coming back healthy, is to show a little heart. You would think that this squad truly believes they are destined to be Super Bowl champs, and don't have to work to earn anything. Either they are incredibly lazy or Phillips couldn't motivate Tony Robbins. The 2008 season will likely continue on its swirl down the toilet against a 5-2 Bucs team that can pressure the quarterback and create turnovers. For the man under center for Dallas who led them to their only Super Bowl championship in 2003, is about as mobile as a statue, and threw three interceptions last week, that could spell trouble. Any guesses on when TO implodes?

Chargers vs. Saints in London
I was going to use this spot to air my grievances on the absurdity of playing regular season games outside of North America, but for the case of brevity, I'll avoid the urge. Believe it or not, this is somewhat of a homecoming game for Sean Payton, who played quarterback in Britain's professional football league during the late 80s after not getting a shot at the NFL (with the exception of being a strike replacement). Who would have expected this game to feature two 3-4 teams that had high expectations entering the season? Not too many. New Orleans needs this one more because of how difficult their division is, while San Diego requires just a hot streak to chase down the slumping Broncos. However, I still see the Chargers taking the Drew Brees Bowl. Hey, at least the Brits will get two competent football teams this year, instead of the best versus the worst team as was the case in 2007.

Falcons at Eagles
For a change, the Eagles aren't the center of attention in Philadelphia. The people ignore the Phillies for six months, but as soon as the opportunity presents itself to end their hilariously long championship drought, it's time to jump on the bandwagon. Enough ranting about my least favorite city in the world, so let's talk about this game. Matt Ryan will probably have a lot of friends and family in the stands for this one, as he is from nearby Exton, PA. This young man steps up every week, and I expect him to do so again against the Eagles' defense. Atlanta is 26th in the league against the pass, so considering the fact that Andy Reid never runs the ball, Donovan McNabb should have a big game. Hopefully, all Falcons fans were deneuralized recently, because seeing their team in Philly probably brings back memories of Mike Vick, who last led the franchise to an NFC Championship Game versus the Eagles in 2005.

Colts at Titans (Monday night)
This is a role reversal game. Usually, the Colts are undefeated at this point in the season, while Tennessee sits at .500, trying to decide if they are a contender or pretender. Not too many people have seen the Titans yet in 2008 (myself included), so use this opportunity to catch one of the league's best defenses. And their running game continues to improve on a weekly basis. Obviously, Indy will have to find a way to neutralize the defense and allow Peyton Manning to make big plays, but even more worrisome has to be the fact that the defense is struggling versus the run. The Colts have lost their last two games at LP Field, and unless they can find a way to shore up the run defense, that streak will likely be stretched to three. A lot of people doubt how good the Titans are, and while I have not seen them play, you have to be pretty talented to start the season 6-0, regardless of whom you play.

AND THE REST:

Raiders at Ravens
Both squads enter this game with glaring similarities: twin brothers Rex and Rob Ryan are the respective defensive coordinators for each team, both are built on defense and running the ball, and are trying to groom first-round quarterbacks. You don't know what to expect from these teams on a week-to-week basis because they are both young at key positions, but I'd give the edge to the Ravens because of their ability to cause JaMarcus Russell to turn the ball over.

Redskins at Lions
After subpar performances against Cleveland and St. Louis at home, expect the Skins to come out and put a hurting on the Lions. Everyone else has. 0-6 Detroit was actually in the news this week because they apparently received tips from Brett Favre on the Packers' offense before their Week 2 meeting. If it's true, man, the Lions get inside information and still lose 48-25! Can't say I am that shocked.

Bills at Dolphins
Buffalo has rolled off a 5-1 start, but they have yet to face an AFC East foe. Miami is just that, and the Dolphins played the Jets tough at home while clubbing the Patriots in Foxboro. I have yet to see the Bills play this year (and probably won't until their Monday night game in a few weeks), but just looking at the numbers and listening to the talking heads, Trent Edwards is quickly developing into one of the league's best passers. To be a successful professional QB, you have to be intelligent, and Edwards attended Stanford after all.

Rams at Patriots
In case you haven't noticed, and judging by the attendance you haven't, the Rams have managed to win a couple ball games, and have actually climbed out of the cellar. In fact, they are in second place in the horrific NFC West. This week won't be a picnic, because it appears as if New England found their swagger on Monday night. St. Louis' secondary is still a liability, and Matt Cassel is playing well enough to exploit it.

Chiefs at Jets
Kansas City lost both Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard to season-ending injuries this week, meaning they are down to Tyler Thigpen and Quinn Gray at quarterback. With Larry Johnson turning into a troublemaker, forget winning another game, how are the Chiefs even gonna score another touchdown?! Meanwhile, it appears as if the Jets' bandwagon is being jumped off by many after the 3-3 team lost in Oakland last Sunday.

Browns at Jaguars
Cleveland has been in the headlines this week thanks to Kellen Winslow's staph infection, and the associated fallout brought on by his remarks about the organization. Whatever momentum they built against New York was lost in Washington, and now they have to face a rested and refreshed Jacksonville team on the road. The Jags faced a trying first six weeks, but they persevered at .500, they are well set up for a second half run to their third straight playoff appearance.

Bengals at Texans
After a rough September that left Houston at 0-4, fortunes are looking up with their third straight very winnable home game. In the suddenly average AFC, being 3-4 through two months is not a death sentence. Carson Palmer will be out again for the Bengals, meaning this team will likely fall to 0-7. You have to believe Marvin Lewis is at the top of the list of next head coaches to be canned.

Seahawks at 49ers
Mike Singletary takes over as interim coach for the fired Mike Nolan, and I think he will do a great job. Singletary was always a leader on the feared Bears' defenses of the 80s, and perhaps will light a fire under a team that is 2-5. Seattle's season has basically gone up in smoke since losing to San Francisco at home in Week 2. Until Matt Hasselbeck gets healthy, the offense will continue to be anemic, especially in the air.