I put together a 7-8 record last week, as my season mark continues to be a little shaky at 63-43 (59%). My Week 8 NFL picks are below. Six teams are on the bye this week, so there are only 13 games to preview. Feel free to share your general thoughts on this week's games in the comments section.
Week 8 Games | Explanation | Pick | ||
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Taking Advantage of the Soft Schedule: The Panthers have taken advantage of a soft schedule, but if you want to prove a point during those types of games, here is how you do it: blow out the opposition. The Panthers have now beaten the Giants 38-0, the Vikings 35-10, and the Rams 30-15. The Buccaneers' secondary hasn't been enough for them to get a win, and now Doug Martin is out. The Panthers will roll again. Panthers 28, Buccaneers 16 |
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Just a Thad Too Little: It's both fun and sorrowful to see Thaddeus Lewis exert some qualities in Buffalo that the Browns could use at quarterback right now. Although the Saints might be without Jimmy Graham here, offensively and defensively, they remain one of the most complete teams in the league. The Bills won't be able to match them on either side of the ball. Saints 31, Bills 17 |
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Outside the Division: Both of these teams have had their share of struggles this season, and the Lions suffered a disappointing overtime loss to the Bengals last week. Dallas' strength has been beating up on their division, where they are 3-0. Outside of their division, they are 1-4. They will fall victim to the rest of the NFL again, as Matthew Stafford keeps the Lions in pace with the Packers. Lions 24, Cowboys 20 |
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Inevitable? Things are getting moderately interesting in the AFC East record-wise, but doesn't it seem like it's just a matter of time before they run away with the division crown again? The Tom Brady to Rob Gronkowski connection will eventually take over, and the Patriots will find a way to overcome all of their defensive losses. Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins' running game have been too lackluster as of late to have confidence that they'll get the job done. Patriots 27, Dolphins 17 |
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Shootout of the Week: In my head, I laugh at the thought of the Giants getting back into the playoff race. If there's one division it could happen, though, it's the NFC East. Michael Vick is expected to return for the Eagles, and although Chip Kelly's offense hasn't been as efficient as he had hoped, the Giants are still a defensive mess that they can exploit to no end. Eagles 35, Giants 24 |
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Blowout of the Week: We saw the Jaguars have a glimmer of hope a few weeks ago against the Broncos, in what was projected to be an extremely lopsided game. Their matchup against the 49ers will end up looking much worse at the end of the game, as I expect the 49ers to dominate defensively and capitalize on all of their good field position. 49ers 34, Jaguars 0 |
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Just Look at the Trends: Despite struggles from Andy Dalton, the Bengals boast an impressive resume this season: they are 3-0 at home, including wins over the Packers and the Patriots, and are coming off two straight road wins in which they prevailed. The Jets have alternated between a win and a loss each week this year, showing the inconsistency they have. All of the trends play in Cincinnati's favor this week. Bengals 23, Jets 13 |
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Climbing Out of the Basement: Is the Steelers' defense back? After being shredded to start the year 0-4, they have won their last two games, only giving up 6 points to the Jets and 16 points to the Ravens. Offensively, they have minimized the mistakes and scored 19 points in each of their wins. The Raiders haven't shown enough consistency, and I think Pittsburgh's slight resurgence will continue for one more week. Steelers 20, Raiders 14 |
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Turnover Machine: Should we say that Carson Palmer is officially "done" in the NFL as a threatening quarterback? He has thrown 13 interceptions already this season and the Cardinals have a dreadful 0-3 mark within their division. The Falcons can still make a play at a wildcard spot, but they'll need Matt Ryan to play like he did last week, because the rest of the team just isn't very good this year. Falcons 20, Cardinals 17 |
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Game of the Week: Is RGIII "back?" I hope so, because the guy is really fun to watch when he played like he did last week against the Bears. I think the Redskins will make some big plays this week, but because their defense is so horrendous, they won't be able to keep pace with Peyton Manning and the Broncos. Speaking of the Broncos, they have some motivation to ensure they don't get bored of winning: despite being 6-1, they don't lead their division. Broncos 42, Redskins 28 |
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Miserable QB Situation of the Week: The Vikings' quarterback situation is the NFC-equivalent of the Browns. Minnesota fans had hoped Josh Freeman could steer their ship in the right direction, but he looked bad last week and now he's out with a concussion. Lovely. Christian Ponder is back under center for Minnesota, but Aaron Rodgers will shred the Vikings' defense regardless. It's too bad this game can't be flexed out of Sunday Night Football. Packers 31, Vikings 13 |
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We Need Kosar: How much do we have to pay to get Bernie Kosar in the announcer's booth at ESPN when Kellen Clemens and the Rams' receivers have to face the Seahawks' defense? It would be well worth the price of hearing him. Seahawks 24, Rams 13 |
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Any Given Sunday: The Browns have Jason Campbell starting at quarterback this week, and the Chiefs' defense hasn't given up more than 17 points in a game this season. Hopefully Cleveland can have the "any given Sunday" luck on their side. My full game preview and prediction for the Browns vs. Chiefs will be posted on Saturday. |
TBA |
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Bye Week |
Pokorny's Week 8 NFL Picks Record: 7-8
Pokorny's Record w/ Browns Games: 3-4
Pokorny's 2013 NFL Picks Record: 63-43
Survivor Pick: I am 5-2 with a two game winning streak, having used DEN and KC. This week, I'll go with the 49ers trouncing the Jaguars.