Get It White: Week 8 NFL Predictions
So Peyton is no longer undefeated and the league’s worst team from last season is 7-0…that’s the NFL in 2013!
But the normality of Jay Cutler getting injured and a controversial Bill Belichick/Rex Ryan matchup brought us back to our comfy place in week 7. Speaking of injuries, I don’t think I have ever seen a season like this, with big time players going down left, right and centre: come on guys, it’s playing havoc with the picks!
9-6 last week brings me up to 65-42 for the season, so here’s hoping I can get the slate up to a 30 game difference in there this week. (At least 10-3 required!)
BYE WEEK: Ravens, Bears, Texans, Colts, Chargers, Titans
Friday 1:25am
Carolina Panthers 27-17 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Now while we weren’t looking, the Bucs are actually 0-6. No-one seems to be talking about Tampa as the worst team in the league, but even with some real talent on the roster, there is a case for it. A 31st ranked offense and a middle of the road defense (Revis and some guys) isn’t getting it done, and this could be another difficult game for rookie QB Mike Glennon who needs to turn promise into wins. The Panthers on the other hand have come out flying after their bye week and look a promising team with Cam Newton hitting stride at QB, and I don’t expect that to change here, even though Mark Barron and Darelle Revis won’t be easy to throw on. DeAngelo Williams could continue his quietly good year.
Sunday 6:00pm
San Francisco 49’ers 38-6 Jacksonville Jaguars (@Wembley Stadium, London)
Blow. Out. There have been many games at Wembley that have ceased to become a spectacle after one team crushes another in the first half, and I have a feeling that, despite their improvement lately, the Jags will be on the end of a big-time defensive performance from San Francisco. Colin Kaepernick and the Niners’ offense is finding success through simple, old-school tactics, and I can’t see them needing much more to easily beat the struggling Jags.
Cleveland Browns 13-27 Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs at 7-0 was not something anyone would have predicted, but the ‘worst to first’ story is not built on the offensive revolution many expected under Andy Reid, but on a brilliant defense, especially in the front seven. Brandon Weeden and the Browns are not playing at anywhere near a good enough level on offense to threaten that defense here, as soon as Brian Hoyer went down, so it seems did Cleveland’s hopes. Although the KC offense isn’t the best unit out there, it’s efficient enough to win against a strong Browns D, even if the scoreline may look closer than the game could be.
Miami Dolphins 17-30 New England Patriots
New England will be gutted to have gone to New York, built up a lead and thrown it away last week, and their struggles on the offensive side of the ball seemed to pale in the face of a shaky defensive effort. Obviously the team will miss presences like Wilfork, Mayo and Talib, but with the corner likely to return this week, expect a lot more pressure on Miami’s O-line, which has been a poor unit so far this season. Tom Brady’s task won’t be as difficult come Sunday either, the Dolphins’ secondary is vulnerable too. If Miami’s struggles on the ground and with their offensive line continue, this could end up being a bit more comfortable for the Pats than you may think.
Buffalo Bills 10-34 New Orleans Saints
Fresh off their bye week, the Saints will be relishing the visit of the Thad Lewis led Bills to New Orleans. With a defense ranked outside the top 20 in any category, Drew Brees should have a field day, especially if Jimmy Graham is good to go. The Bills’ running game is their best threat, but the New Orleans D will know that, and make Lewis throw for the game: a tactic that won’t work.
Dallas Cowboys 27-30 Detroit Lions
This is one of the most intriguing matchups of the week, and one that could be decided by the two main men for each team. Dez Bryant vs Calvin Johnson is a matchup not unlike the one in week 7 where AJ Green and Calvin Johnson both had 155 yards receiving, but the differences in the game are that the Bengals’ D is a better unit than the Cowboys’, and that Reggie Bush is unlikely to have as tame a game as he did in week 7 (20 carries, 50 yards). I can see this being a bit of a shootout, and if it came to it, Romo on the road has never been the most solid proposition.
New York Giants 24-27 Philadelphia Eagles
Finally the Giants got their first win on the board against the hapless Vikings, but what they beat on Monday night is questionable. The Giants’ defensive effort was highly encouraging though, no matter what QB they were playing against, as they held Adrian Peterson to pittance on the ground. LeSean McCoy is a whole new level of shifty though, and the G-men will have their work cut out once more to stop him. With the probable return of Michael Vick to the Eagles offense, they should be a totally different team to the one that could only muster 3 points on Dallas last week, but the state of his hamstring is a worry, so don’t expect many QB runs. If we look back to the week 5 match-up between these two, the Eagles gave up over 300 yards in the air and still won comfortably on the road, so if Vick is ok to go, I’ll stick with the home team.
Sunday 9:05pm
Pittsburgh Steelers 23-9 Oakland Raiders
A matchup with an old-school feel to it, and I have a feeling it could be an old-school defensive fight in the Black hole come Sunday night. The Steelers seem to have found a way to win at last, using the age old formula in Pittsburgh: play hard, don’t make mistakes, and if they do that on the road in Oakland, they give themselves a very good shot at winning their 3rd game in a row. But when the opposition has someone like Terrelle Pryor at QB, there is always the potential for fireworks. Oakland have some pieces, especially in an underrated defense, but I just don’t think they’ve got enough to beat an experienced unit like the Steelers.
New York Jets 20-27 Cincinnati Bengals
A hard fought win for both teams last week, by a late field goal in each occasion (Jets in OT), so both rosters will be coming into this on a high. The Jets took advantage of a sloppy New England performance in the Meadowlands, while the Bengals overcame Calvin Johnson’s ridiculousness in Detroit. Geno Smith is improving, but he still makes some pretty bad throws at times, and after Cincy shut down Reggie Bush last time, I doubt the Jets will have anywhere near as much help on the ground as they did last Sunday. The Bengals will be facing a tougher defense yes, but in Giovani Bernard, they have a weapon who can steady games when they become difficult to win in a standard way. I find it difficult to see the Bengals dropping this at home now they’ve hit their stride.
Sunday 9:25pm
Atlanta Falcons 30-27 Arizona Cardinals
Matt Ryan is playing at a Pro-Bowl level, that’s for sure. Without Julio Jones and Roddy White, he still led his team to 31 points against Darrelle Revis and the Bucs’ D and that was without a big Tony G performance too. The Cardinals play some tough defense, and are explosive on offense at times with Carson Palmer’s big arm, but it is the same arm that always gets them into trouble with bad throws and picks at bad times. The Cards also have trouble covering over the middle of the field, or basically anywhere that’s not Patrick Peterson. This could be a surprising shootout, which could oddly suit the Cards, and I think this will be very close. In the end, I could come down to the last drive, and I know who I would rather lead it. Ryan.
Washington Redskins 24-45 Denver Broncos
The Redskins were delighted to have beaten the Bears in a college-style track meet last week; that was until they saw their opponents in week 8, Denver, lose their unbeaten record in Indy. Two simple things here: Denver are angry now, and Manning and that offense will shred the Redskins D at home. Secondly, RGIII is working his way back to his old self, so don’t expect Denver’s poor pass D (now without Champ Bailey too) to have a comfortable evening either. Lots of points here, but in a battle of two of the worst pass defenses in the league, I’ll stick with Peyton, Wes, Demayrius, Julius, Eric, Knowshon, etc. etc. etc. at home.
Monday 1:30am
Green Bay Packers 34-20 Minnesota Vikings
The Packers are horrendously ravaged by injury on their offense, not that you’d know it, as Aaron Rodgers sauntered his way past the Cleveland Browns. It seems that every player who is required to step in does so, and to the very high standards that the players there before had set; it really is an extraordinary setup in Green Bay. And don’t forget rookie RB Eddie Lacy, who is beginning to put together an impressive season. The Vikes were horrendous in New York, and will be eager to put that behind them at home. AP will be better, but Minnesota will still lose. Their defense simply cannot handle the Packers.
Tuesday 1:40am
Seattle Seahawks 34-3 St Louis Rams
This one looks easy. The Rams are just not playing any kind of good enough defense in the pass or run game to survive the loss of Sam Bradford for the season. This is a team that could now only win once or twice before the end of the year, and this Monday Night Football matchup is not one that falls into the ‘possible’ category. The Seahawks are a unit that thrives on the mistakes of others and with Kellen Clemens (or A.N.Other) at QB, you would expect a few of them, especially with an offensive line that isn’t great at pass protecting or run blocking. Marshawn Lynch could have a big day on the ground in a comfortable win.