NFL Picks Week 8: Steelers Get Crushed and Other Bold AFC North Predictions

The AFC North is the best division in football.

Every team is .500 or better and it is potentially sending three teams to the postseason.

Here is one bold prediction for every AFC North game this weekend:

Joe Flacco will throw for more than 300 yards against the Arizona Cardinals

OK, so this isn’t the boldest of predictions, but if you watched his performance against the Jags last week, it’s not so bold.

Flacco has bounced back incredibly well after playing like crap this season, putting up three TDs in the first quarter after their first loss to the Titans and throwing for more than 300 yards after a rocky outing against the Jets.

The Arizona secondary is young and currently 28th in total passing yards allowed.

Baltimore gets more than 300 passing yards from Flacco in the Ravens' romp.

Steelers will lose by 10 or more points

Nobody owns the Steelers quite like Tom Brady.

He is 6-1 in his career against the black and gold and has absolutely dismantled their highly ranked defense. He’s thrown for 2,008 yards, 14 touchdowns and only three interceptions against them in his career.

Brady spreads the defense out and forces the slower Pittsburgh linebackers into coverage. Without James Harrison, that’s really going to be a problem.

The Pats are coming off a bye and have had two weeks to prepare.

This one has the feeling of a 33-21 final.

Surprisingly strong Bengals slip up in Seattle

Qwest Field is the best home-field advantage in the NFL because of the intense noise that echoes throughout the stadium. In the Bengals' only other road game in a hostile environment, they lost to a horrific Broncos team.

The most telling stat of all: The Bengals are 1-12 in their last 13 West Coast games.

Without Cedric Benson and with the return of Seahawks QB Tarvaris Jackson (who is much better than Charlie Whitehurst), the Seahawks defense makes enough big plays to stave off the up-and-coming Bengals.

Browns will keep it close versus 5-1 49ers

The nine-point spread is far too high for this one.

The Browns aren’t very good, but they don’t get blown out. No team in the NFL allows fewer passing yards than the Browns. They are statically a top-four unit in the league overall.

That means the 49ers will have to relay on ball control and time of possession. Frank Gore will chew up the clock as the Niners nurse a slim lead.

The Browns won’t win, but the game isn’t be decided until well into the fourth quarter.