NFL Week 8 Picks: Which Teams Will Just Keep Tumbling Down?

The Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins are two teams who entered the 2011 NFL season with a great deal of promise. The Browns were supposed to have finally righted their troubled ship, and the Redskins were supposed to have all the pieces they've been sorely missing over the past few years.

And while the Redskins started their season 3-1, they've now fallen to 3-3, losing their last two games and suffering from a number of injuries to starting players. Things aren't looking much better for the team going into this week's game against the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills still boast one of the most aggressive offenses in the league despite dropping two games. Running back Fred Jackson has a second life with his team, with 106 carries for 601 yards and six touchdowns, plus 24 receptions for 279 yards so far this season.

It's going to take a lot for the Redskins defense to stop Jackson, especially when the Bills have so many other offensive weapons they need to pay attention to. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has come into his own this season, and his receivers have done their part to make that happen.

The Redskins offense, on the other hand, has become plagued with so many injuries that it's going to be hard for quarterback John Beck and running backs Ryan Torain and Roy Helu to put up enough yardage to stay competitive with Buffalo, even if they find ways to take advantage of the Bills' mediocre defense.

Another loss for the Redskins puts them in a bad position in the NFC East. A win by both the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants puts them in a tie for last place with Philadelphia, while the Giants would begin to pull away from the rest of the pack. No matter how desperate the situation seems, I don't see the Redskins leaving Buffalo with another win on their record.

The Browns have fallen flat this season, and at 3-3, have quite the uphill battle if they want to compete with the other heavy-hitting teams in the AFC North. This week's game won't help their cause, considering that they're traveling to San Francisco to take on the 5-1 49ers.

The main problem with Cleveland this season is the offense. Quarterback Colt McCoy is averaging just 229.5 yards per game and has eight touchdowns and four interceptions on the year. He's only had one game with over 300 passing yards despite having a number of talented receivers at the ready.

Their running game hasn't fared much better, with starter Peyton Hillis missing one game with illness and another with a hamstring injury. That hamstring is still bothering him, keeping him out of practice this week and making him less likely to play on Sunday.

But even a (relatively) healthy Hillis hasn't made much of an impact this season. In four games, he has 60 rushes for 211 yards and two touchdowns, with 141 yards, 44 touches and the two scores coming in the first two games.

Montario Hardesty gets the nod as starting running back when Hillis is out, and he had a major workload when he did so last week against the Seattle Seahawks, rushing 33 times for 95 yards. With McCoy so disappointing this season, it's fair to say that the Browns will focus on a run-intensive offensive plan against the Niners this Sunday.

That will play directly into the hands of the San Francisco defense, which ranks No. 2 against the run. It's fair to say that the Browns just don't have the talent on their roster to prove much of a challenge for San Francisco, and their slide into obscurity will continue.