NFL Week 8 Picks: Cowboys vs Eagles and 3 Games Loaded with Playoff Implications

Midseason is almost here and the playoff shuffle is shaping up.  Week 8 offers some great games that will be very telling come the end of the season.

A couple division battles are on the docket that will further shape the early playoff picture and the Patriots visit the Steelers in a showdown of two of the AFC's best.

Dallas Cowboys @ Philadelphia Eagles (-3.5)

The Dallas Cowboys are still down Felix Jones, but are getting a lot healthier after a bye week and a tuneup game against the Rams.

The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off their bye and previously won their second game of the season against the Redskins.  They will look to defend their home field in hopes of getting back to where they expected to be this season. 

The Eagles under Andy Reid have won 12 straight games following their week off.  That's a lot of history that serves up some serious optimism in Philadelphia. 

This game is extremely important on both fronts. Philadelphia needs a big division win to pull themselves back into the race and Dallas need to prove they can beat Philadelphia and New York to make the playoffs this year.

Rob Ryan's comment about Philadelphia being an "all-hype team" over the offseason is rightfully being brought up again.  To this point he seems right.  More importantly for the Cowboys new defensive coordinator is the fact that his defense is giving him room to talk.  They are ranked No. 1 versus the run and No. 7 overall. 

It will be a big test for the Cowboys in their attempt to stop Michael Vick and the Eagles talented offense whom they lost to 30-27 a year ago.  At this point, the Cowboys look like a much safer bet having lost their three games by a combined 11 points.

The productivity of rookie running back DeMarco Murray will be very important to keep the Cowboys balanced in this one.  Murray set the Cowboys single-game franchise record with 253 rushing yards a week ago.  That was against the league's worst rush defense.  Philadelphia is better defensively than St. Louis, but still give up a good number of yards on the ground.

In a back and forth game, the difference will be turnovers, if the Eagles can fly to the ball the way they did in their last outing and force some mistakes from Tony Romo, they have a great shot.  Then again, if the Cowboys can find ample running room and scale back the passing attack, it will be hard to beat them.

I like the Cowboys with all their receiving threats healthy to make some big plays in the red zone and squeak by with another three-point win.

Prediction: Dallas Cowboys over Philadelphia Eagles 23, 20

New England Patriots (-3) @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Tom Brady will go to Heinz Field with a 6-1 record against the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The Steelers have always had a vaunted defense, but often struggle to stop Tom Brady when it counts.

This matchup is even more enticing, as the Steelers come in with the No. 1 pass defense and the Patriots own the league's No. 1 passing offense. 

Ever since the Patriots lost to the Bills they have scaled their pass attack down, but even while doing so have won three impressive games over the Cowboys, Jets and Raiders.

This game features two of the best crunch-time quarterbacks of the last decade, but Ben Roethlisberger is just 2-4 against the Patriots. 

The Patriots offense won't be intimidated by the Steelers and their defense, but will struggle to stop Mike Wallace. 

The Patriots have struggled to stop the pass themselves, although they did hold the Cowboys dangerous passing game down enough to get a close win.

In this one the Patriots will keep drives going with their precision routes by Wes Welker and use their tight end tandem of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski in the red zone. 

If the Patriots are able to slow the up-and-down running game of the Steelers' Rashard Mendenhall, they will be in good position to control the time of possession. 

I expect the Patriots to bring their "A" game and methodically beat down the Steelers in this one, but of course, when these titans clash, it will be down to the wire.

Prediction: New England Patriots over Pittsburgh Steelers 26, 24

San Diego Chargers (-3.5) @ Kansas City Chiefs

If you looked down the road to this matchup five weeks ago, you wouldn't expect it to have much importance at all in the AFC West.  The Chiefs have made a 180 degree turnaround en route to three straight wins. 

The Chiefs have put themselves in a great position to defend their division title now that they are just a game behind the Chargers.  They also played the Chargers to a three point game in San Diego and haven't lost since.

The Chargers took a tough loss to the Jets where they looked sloppy late.  They gave up three touchdowns in the red zone to Plaxico Burress and will have all eyes on Dwayne Bowe this time around.

They know this game will have a lot to do with avoiding a repeat of last year's finish. 

The return of Antonio Gates will play a big role in this game and should make a serious difference.  Gates brings a whole new dimension to their offense which can look baffled at times with Vincent Jackson as their only real threat in the passing game.

I like the Chargers to make a statement in this game and the Chiefs to really miss Jamaal Charles for the first time as they struggle to keep up with San Diego.

Prediction: San Diego Chargers over Kansas City Chiefs 31, 20