NFL Picks Week 8: Buffalo Bills and Surprising Teams That Will Continue to Roll

Every NFL season has its fair share of surprising teams, and that has been no different in 2011. There is certainly still a possibility that some teams will fade back into obscurity, but they have to be considered contenders until proven otherwise.

If there's one thing a true contender must do, it is beat the teams that they are supposed to beat. That sounds easy enough, but good teams get ambushed by seemingly inferior ones all the time. Here are three surprise teams that will stand tall and continue to roll in Week 8.

New York Giants

Some may not consider the New York Giants to be a particularly surprising team, as they are in the thick of things every season, but because of the Philadelphia Eagles' offseason signings and the always-hyped Dallas Cowboys, the Giants were a forgotten team in the NFC East.

Despite that, the Giants are in first place in the division with a 4-2 record and are getting healthier every week on defense. New York has what should be an extremely easy matchup on Sunday as they hosts the winless Miami Dolphins.

The Giants had a major letdown at home against the Seattle Seahawks a few weeks back, and they need to make sure that doesn't happen again. With a balanced offense led by quarterback Eli Manning and running back Ahmad Bradshaw, and a defense with a relentless pass rush, I think the Giants will take care of business against the Dolphins.

San Francisco 49ers

Say what you will about the San Francisco 49ers playing in the weak NFC West, but they have proven themselves to be true contenders. Their lofty status was boosted by an upset victory over the Detroit Lions two weeks ago, and they enter Week 8 coming off a bye.

The Niners will host the 3-3 Cleveland Browns who, despite their decent record, aren't a particularly impressive team. The 49ers have gotten the job done with excellent defense and a mistake-free offense, and they will need to continue to use that formula against the Browns.

It would be very difficult for the Niners to blow their division lead at this point, but a loss to the Browns would certainly throw up some red flags. Luckily for them, though, the Browns have no firepower on offense and Frank Gore and the running game should give the Niners enough offensively to succeed.

Buffalo Bills

The 4-2 Buffalo Bills will enter Week 8 off a much-needed bye week, as they are dealing with a myriad of injuries. Even so, Buffalo has been very impressive this season with signature wins over the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders.

Buffalo's defense has been historically bad, but the offense, led by quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and running back Fred Jackson, has been among the league's best. This could cause some problems for the reeling 3-3 Washington Redskins who the Bills are "hosting" in Toronto on Sunday.

Washington will be without running back Tim Hightower and wide receiver Santana Moss on offense, and John Beck will be under center. If ever there were a cure to Buffalo's defensive woes, Washington's offense would be it. I think the Redskins are a team in sharp decline, and I fully expect Buffalo to improve to 5-2.