NFL Picks, Week 8

We are almost halfway through the NFL season. We have a good idea of who is good (New England, Indianapolis), who is bad (St. Louis, Miami), and who is in the middle (a bunch of teams). The NFL goes overseas this weekend, as the Giants and the Dolphins play each other in jolly old London, England.

Last Week: 11-3
Season: 68-35

New York Giants vs. Miami at Wembley Stadium, London: The NFL invades the land of the English Premier League with a not-so great matchup. The Giants are looking pretty good. The Dolphins look like a team that would be better left in England as a new team in NFL Europe. Oh, yeah, NFL Europe no longer exists. The Dolphins will have to return to Miami after the game. Pick: Giants

Indianapolis at Carolina: The Colts march into Carolina with an undefeated record, one week before their titanic matchup with the Patriots. The Panthers are 4-2 while starting three different quarterbacks. This week, the ageless Vinny Testaverde will start at QB for Carolina. The Colts will take care of business this week. Pick: Indy

Detroit at Chicago: The Lions are shocking the world with their 4-2 record. The Lions definitely have more offense than the Bears, but they are also going into the great outdoors of Soldier Field. I don’t trust this dome team outside. Pick: Da Bears

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati: The Bengals have a good offense, but run into a team with a good defense. Plus, Pittsburgh has a good enough offense to outscore Cincy. Look for Ben Roethlisberger to light up the Bengals in his return to Ohio. Pick: Pittsburgh

Philadelphia at Minnesota: The Eagles have stumbled on some hard luck, while the Vikings seem to be headed nowhere in spite of their two-headed running back monster of Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor. The Vikes are a different team at home. Pick: Minnesota

Cleveland at St. Louis: The Rams once played in Cleveland. St. Louis is stuck with them now. This game is not sold out, meaning this game will only be seen on TV in southern Missouri and northern Ohio. Can you blame the good people of St. Louis for not wanting to spend their hard-earned cash to see an 0-7 team? RB Steven Jackson should be back for the Rams, but that won’t be enough. Derek Anderson continues to light it up for the Browns. Pick: CLE

Oakland at Tennessee: The Raiders are rather unpredictable. So are the Titans, who expect Vince Young to return this week. The Titans won’t need eight field goals this week. Pick: Tennessee

Buffalo at New York Jets: Ugh. This qualifies as the Suck Bowl. The Bills got back in the win column last week. Every dog has its day, and Sunday is the Jets’ day. Pick: Jets

Houston at San Diego: This game was rumored to be headed everywhere from Phoenix to Houston to Dallas to back to San Diego this week. Thankfully, Qualcomm Stadium will be used for football on Sunday, and not as a shelter. The Chargers have been whipping themselves back into shape. In spite of this week’s chaos, they should be able to handle the Texans. Pick: San Diego

Jacksonville at Tampa Bay: The Battle of Florida. Or, two-thirds of it, anyway. The Jags are down to a second-team quarterback, Quinn Gray. The Bucs are much better at home than on the road. Pick: Bucs

Washington at New England: The Redskins may as well be the Washington Generals this week. You can’t stop the Patriots. You can only hope to contain them. Pick: Pats

New Orleans at San Francisco: The Saints are on the way back. The Niners are not. I’m glad I won’t get stuck watching this stinker. Pick: New Orleans

Green Bay at Denver: The Monday Night special gives us a rematch of Super Bowl XXXII. Brett Favre still plays for the Packers. John Elway does not play for the Broncos. The Broncos saved their season last week by beating Pittsburgh. Can the Broncos do it two weeks in a row? I don’t think so. Pick: Green Bay

Bye: Dallas, Kansas City, Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Seattle