NFL Picks Week 8: Which Teams Will Strengthen Their Division Leads?

The last thing an NFL team wants when they've established a lead in their division is for anything to jeopardize it.

However, two teams on top in their respective divisions are going to only extend their leads in Week 8 with likely wins.

The Houston Texans host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday in an important divisional battle that, should they win, will further secure their divisional lead. Houston has defeated both the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans, while the Jaguars also have a win over the latter.

Therefore, Houston has a tenuous one-game lead over the Jaguars in the AFC South.

However, the Texans are likely to extend that lead to 3-0 on Sunday. While Jacksonville is coming off of an impressive win over the Baltimore Ravens, it's only really the final result from that contest that's impressive.

Yes, Jacksonville has a pretty stunning defense, but their offense leaves a lot to be desired outside of the performance of running back Maurice Jones-Drew.

Houston, on the other hand, has a far more balanced team. They have a powerful defense, a solid passing game and one of the more explosive two-headed rushing attacks in the NFL.

They proved their dominance last week against the Titans, defeating them 41-7, and they're going to do so again this week against Jacksonville.

The San Diego Chargers have had some struggles this season, especially in their Week 7, 27-21 loss to the New York Jets, in which they squandered a 21-10 halftime lead by failing to adjust.

However, they still have a 2-0 record in the AFC West and an opportunity to pull away from the rest of the division with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night.

The Chiefs started their season 0-3 and followed it up by winning three games in a row. However, those first three teams were far more difficult than their most recent three. Furthermore, Kansas City already lost to the Chargers in Week 3.

Though Norv Turner's team appears to be on a downswing while the Chiefs appear to be on their way up, those appearances are deceiving.

Just take a look at whom the Chiefs have beaten in comparison to the two teams that have defeated the Chargers—it is evidence enough that Kansas City won't get a divisional win at home this week.