NFL Week 8 Picks: Carolina Panthers and More Survivor Pool Mirages to Avoid

As we enter the eighth week of the NFL season with plenty of upsets in the rear-view mirror, many survivor pools are likely getting down to the nitty gritty. Because of that, there may be some less-than-ideal choices in terms of which teams to trust this weekend.

Some picks may seem like a good idea at first, but there is no shortage of traps. Here are three survivor pool mirages you'll want to avoid this week.

Philadelphia Eagles

At 2-4 the Philadelphia Eagles may seem like a shaky selection to begin with, but after beating the Washington Redskins and having the bye week to prepare for the Dallas Cowboys, some might be tricked into thinking that the Eagles are fully back on track.

The Eagles will host the 3-3 Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, and while the Cowboys have deficiencies of their own, they have been the better team this season. Dallas' record should honestly be far better, but it blew late leads against the New York Jets, Detroit Lions and New England Patriots, and should be 5-1 at the very worst.

The point is that the Cowboys have proven capable of playing tough against anybody, while the Eagles haven't. Philly will always have a chance with Michael Vick under center, but the Cowboys have an explosive offense of their own led by Tony Romo. Also, rookie running back DeMarco Murray broke out last week and should give the Eagles' porous run defense fits.

Cincinnati Bengals

Prior to the season most survivor pool players probably figured they would be picking the Cincinnati Bengals' opponents quite often over the course of the year. That hasn't been the case, though, as Cincinnati has been one of the league's most pleasant surprises at 4-2.

Defense has been the Bengals' hallmark, as has a ball control offense with tough running from Cedric Benson and smart decisions from rookie quarterback Andy Dalton. Because of their steady play the Bengals will be favored by three on the road against the Seattle Seahawks this weekend.

The Seahawks wouldn't seem to pose much of a threat, but they have had their moments this season and upset the New York Giants a couple weeks ago. They tend to play much better at home than on the road, and with Benson out for Cincinnati due to a suspension, I think the Seahawks can grind out a low-scoring win.

Carolina Panthers

Despite being just 2-5, the Carolina Panthers have been a darling amongst many football fans due mostly to the dazzling play of rookie quarterback Cam Newton. Even in defeat the Panthers have largely look impressive and they could certainly have a winning record if things would have broke a little differently here or there.

They would look to be an enticing survivor pool pick this weekend against the 1-6 Minnesota Vikings, but the Vikings woke up a bit last week in staying within six points against the undefeated Green Bay Packers. If nothing else, rookie quarterback Christian Ponder looks to have given the Vikes a bit of a spark.

Ponder won't be the deciding factor in Sunday's game, though, as that distinction will go to Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. One area in which the Panthers have to seriously improve is run defense. That certainly isn't a good weakness to have when facing the league's best running back, so I expect Peterson to take advantage.