Week 8 Picks

Paul is dead! No, not Paul the Beatle--the Paul the Beetle? No, Michelle Beadle, who do you think we're talkin'!--but, rather, Paul the Octopus. Paul the Octopus gained international fame this past summer when he correctly predicted the winner of all 7 of Germany's World Cup matches, including Germany's loss to Spain in the tournament semi-final. For being a traitor, Paul met the swift hand of vengeance that he deserved. No, actually, he died of natural causes and the average lifespan for an octopus such as Paul is about 2 years. Knowing what's in store for me if I don't start picking NFL games better I will have to improve on my 9-5 mark last week, which brought me to 61 up and 43 down on the year. So, without further ado, the picks for week 8...in the league...where they play...for pay...

Denver Broncos (2-5) vs San Francisco 49ers (1-6) - The Niners and the Broncos will fly across the Atlantic to meet in England before taking their bye week. Neither team comes into this game flying high, as their records would indicate, as the Broncos were embarrassed by the Raiders last week in Denver giving up 59 points; and the 49ers gagged one away to the Panthers, falling 23-20. I'll say the Broncos passing game gets it done here. Pick: DENVER

Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4) @ Dallas Cowboys (1-5) - The Cowboys shot themselves in the foot with stupid penalties against the Titans and Vikings, and last week the Giants knocked Tony Romo out with a broken clavical. Jon Kitna will get the start for Dallas while the Jaguars will be getting their QB, David Garrard, back. Experts say that Jacksonville has a porous defense, Dallas is 1-5 for a reason. Pick: JACKSONVILLE

Miami Dolphins (3-3) @ Cincinnati Bengals (2-4) - Cincinnati had a great comeback last week against Atlanta, rallying back from 24-3 down to take a 25-24 lead, but Atlanta still had enough time, an entire quarter, to score 18 more points and come away with the win. Miami lost to Pittsburgh 23-22 in one of the more controversial calls of the year, but if Miami wants to blame anyone, they should only blame themselves. Their first two possessions started deep in Pittsburgh territory, but they came away with only 2 field goals to keep the Steelers in the game. I don't trust either one of these teams, but Carson Palmer has been very shaky for the Bengals this year. Pick: MIAMI

Buffalo Bills (0-6) @ Kansas City Chiefs (4-2) - Buffalo has been close the past couple weeks, but they did what losing teams do, they lost. The Chiefs are building something worth taking notice of this season, and they should get a W to move out further in the AFC West. Pick: KANSAS CITY

Washington Redskins (4-3) @ Detroit Lions (1-5) - The Lions are an improving team, but so are the Redskins, and I think the Redskins are more talented. But, seriously, though, next year the Lions are going to be a lot better, especially if Matthew Stafford can come back this season and continue to learn how to play QB at the NFL level. For now, I think Shanahan and McNabb continue to move in the right direction. Pick: WASHINGTON

Carolina Panthers (1-5) @ St. Louis Rams (3-4) - The Panthers got their first win last week against the Niners, and the Rams lost on a last minute touchdown to the Bucs in Tampa. The Rams are 3-1 at home and the Panthers 0-2 on the road, and I think that trend continues here. Pick: ST. LOUIS

Green Bay Packers (4-3) @ New York Jets (5-1) - The Packers beat the Vikings last week on Sunday night and the Jets are coming back from their bye. The Jets won't let the Packers run the football, and chances are the anemic Packer running game couldn't against even an average defense, but the Jet secondary will be tested by these Green Bay receivers. Even still, the Jets are the better team and they've had a 2nd week to prepare for this game, so go with the Jets. Pick: NEW YORK JETS

Tennessee Titans (5-2) @ San Diego Chargers (2-5) - The Chargers made a furious rally late to nearly pick off the Patriots last week and the Titans came back in the 2nd half to beat the Eagles behind a huge day from Rutgers WR Kenny Britt. I was high on the Chargers early this season, but, except for a few minutes against New England, I haven't seen enough to back them here against a good Tennessee team. Pick: TENNESSEE

Minnesota Vikings (2-4) @ New England Patriots (5-1) - Randy Moss comes back to New England after being traded by the Patriots earlier this year. The Pats haven't lost since trading Moss, and after reacquiring WR Deion Branch from Seattle they are getting away from relying on the big play. The Vikings, in case you haven't heard, are possibly facing the possibility of being without Brett Favre, who may sit for the first time in almost 20 years. Pick: NEW ENGLAND

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2) @ Arizona Cardinals (3-3) - The Bucs had a thrilling victory over the Rams last week at home, and look to take that success on the road to the desert. The dropoff in QB from Kurt Warner is going to kill the Cardinals this year, and the Bucs seem to have a good one in Josh Freeman. Pick: TAMPA BAY

Seattle Seahawks (4-2) @ Oakland Raiders (3-4) - Don't expect the Raiders to put up 59 points again this week. I think this one is fairly even, and I'll give the Raiders a slight edge because they're at home. Pick: OAKLAND

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1) @ New Orleans Saints (4-3) - This one has the potential to be a great game. Both defenses are fully capable of shutting down the opposing offense, and on the fast track of the Superdome, the offenses could have big nights as well. The Steelers aren't going to be intimidated by the Superdome and the crowd though, and that defense will look to turn Drew Brees over 4 more times this week, as the Browns did to him last week. Pick: PITTSBURGH

Monday Night Football

Houston Texans (4-2) @ Indianapolis Colts (4-2) - The Texans get up to play the Colts, and they are all that the team from Houston thinks about during the year. They'll be ready to play the Colts in Indianapolis. The Colts have big health issues though, but the one player that matters most on the team is healthy, so those health concerns may not be much of an issue. I'll take the Texans here, even though I do like Peyton Manning's team. Pick: HOUSTON and 52 points

Note - A misspelling of the Beatles band name has been corrected. My apologies for the error.