NFL Picks Week 8: Why Panthers and 49ers Will Fail to Cover the Spread

 It’s always a tough pill to swallow when taking a bad team on the road, but there are some obvious reasons to take these two road dogs in Week 8.    

(Spreads courtesy of Covers.com)

Minnesota Vikings +3.5 @ Carolina Panthers  

The first thing to remember about the Vikings is that this team is completely different from the team with a 1-5 start.  

Now that Christian Ponder is the man, the team is 0-1 with a great game against the Super Bowl champs that saw them beat the spread.  

Ponder can throw the ball vertically down the field unlike Donovan McNabb, which really opened up the offense. The 27 points on Sunday were the second highest total of the season. Not bad for a rookie’s first start.  

With the vertical passing game back into full-effect, Adrian Peterson was able to run wild for 175 yards and a touchdown, averaging over seven yards a carry. This is a good time to mention that the Panthers have the 29^th run defense.  

The Vikings offense is going to score plenty of points on the injured and aging Panthers defense. 

Offensively Cam Newton will get his. At this point you have to concede as much for every game he plays in. Yet you can expect the running game to be contained by the fourth best rush defense in the league.  

Newton will be dropping back for 40-plus passes, which means Jared Allen will be chasing around Newton all game long.  

I think the Vikes disrupt Newton enough to force multiple turnovers that turn into points, and Peterson takes care of the rest.    

Prediction: Vikings 31, Panthers 27    

Cleveland Browns +9 @ San Francisco 49ers  

There’s not a lot to like about the Browns, in fact they may be the worst 3-3 team in the history of the NFL.  

I’m laying the points on Cleveland strictly due to the point spread being too high.  

The 49ers have the 31^st ranked passing offense because they build a small lead and use RB Frank Gore to milk the clock.  

They thrive on ball control and not making the stupid mistake—which is exactly how the Browns have three wins.  

Consider that the Browns have given up the fewest passing yards in the NFL, and this isn’t as much of a mismatch as you think.  

With two sub par offenses going at it, nine points is just too high to give.    

Prediction: 49ers 20, Browns 14