2023 Picks, Week 8

Much like network cross-flexing, I'll never understand the NFL's new system for how they do the byes in the 18-game season.  For some random reason, there's a full complement of 16 games this week.  Then we go back to teams having byes next week.  Also for some random reason, even though MLB is avoiding Thursday and Sunday nights with the World Series schedule, they scheduled a terrible Sunday night game (Bears-Chargers) and didn't flex it out.  Like I said, I don't get it.

Thursday Night: Buffalo (Win)

Rams (3-4) at Cowboys (4-2): Dallas-Man, did Kevin Burkhart luck out!  This is FOX's #1 game, so he's on the call with Greg Olsen.  He also does MLB pregame.  Fortunately for him, the World Series and his NFL assignment this week are located across the street from each other!  It feels like forever since Dallas has been home after two straight on the West Coast, followed by their bye week.  They'll enjoy the spoils of being back at AT&T Stadium.

Vikings (3-4) at Packers (2-4): Green Bay-Minnesota is on a roll.  They started 1-4, then earned back-to-back wins, including that upset over the 49ers on Monday night.  The Packers are going the other way.  They've lost three straight, although the last two were close ones at AFC West opponents.  So, I don't read too much into that.  A win here puts them back ahead of Minnesota in the standings.

Falcons (4-3) at Titans (2-4): Atlanta-The NFC South isn't the strongest division.  I get that.  But the Falcons are still in first place.  And they've gotten there by winning the close games.  Three of their four wins are by one, two and three points.  So, basically, they're this year's Vikings.  Expect another close one in Nashville against a Titans team that's better than its 2-4 record.  Other than that blowout in Cleveland, they've been in every game.  Different week, similar result for them here I think.

Saints (3-4) at Colts (3-4): New Orleans-We're just about halfway through the season and I still have no idea what to make of the New Orleans Saints.  They started out 2-0, but have lost four out of five since.  The one win during that stretch, though, was an absolute annihilation of the Patriots in New England.  The Patriots aren't really that good.  I get it.  But are the Saints that team, the one that lost to the Texans and Jaguars, or something in between?  Hopefully we'll find out as their tour of the AFC South concludes.

Patriots (2-5) at Dolphins (5-2): Miami-When these two met at Foxboro in Week 2, I don't think anyone could've expected the trajectory each of their seasons would take.  The Patriots might've salvaged any remaining hope they have with that upset of the Bills last week.  Which actually helped out Miami big time since it kept the Dolphins in first place.  It also got that 300th win monkey off Belichick's back.  This week, things revert to form and the high-scoring Dolphins pile up some points on that New England defense.

Jets (3-3) at Giants (2-5): Jets-It's the first regular season meeting in four years for the two MetLife Stadium teams.  It's a Giants home game, but I have a feeling there's gonna be a lot of green in the stadium.  The Giants are coming off a win last week against Washington, while the Jets had their bye.  Throw out a stinker against New England, and they've been very good at home this season.  Even though this is technically a "road" game, it's still in their stadium, and the Jets defense is certainly capable of shutting down the Giants offense.

Jaguars (5-2) at Steelers (4-2): Pittsburgh-This one actually has the potential to be a very entertaining game.  The Jaguars have won four straight and lead the AFC South, while Pittsburgh has posted back-to-back seven-point victories.  The Steelers' point differential this season is -24, yet they're 4-2.  So, they know how to figure it out late in close games.  Like they did two weeks ago against the Ravens, last week against the Rams and this week against the Jaguars.

Eagles (6-1) at Commanders (3-4): Philadelphia-Washington nearly beat the Eagles a few weeks ago, holding the lead late in the fourth quarter before Philly pulled it out in overtime.  The Commanders then went and got their butts kicked by the Bears, while the Eagles did end up losing to the Jets.  They rebounded with a nice win over the Dolphins on Sunday night last week.  This is the last game before a brutal six-week stretch, and eight of their last nine are against playoff teams from last season.  So, basically, they need to go into DC and take care of business.

Texans (3-3) at Panthers (0-6): Carolina-Carolina is still looking for its first win.  It may come this week.  I don't know why, but I really like this matchup for them.  The Texans are playing their third of four consecutive games against the NFC South, so if nothing else, the Panthers can use that film to see what to do against their division rivals.  Houston has been really good over the past four weeks and looks at this one as a good opportunity to go over .500.  Yet I like the Panthers to finally get in the win column.

Browns (4-2) at Seahawks (4-2): Seattle-In the movie Draft Day, these two made a deal for the No. 1 pick.  Neither one is in contention for it in the actual 2023 season.  They ARE both in the playoff hunt, however.  After the high of that win over San Francisco, Cleveland played a very entertaining shootout in Indianapolis last week.  The Browns didn't seal it until Kareem Hunt scored with 15 seconds left.  Now they must deal with one of the most unpleasant experiences in football.  Visiting Seattle and the 12th Man.

Chiefs (6-1) at Broncos (2-5): Kansas City-Some division rivals don't even meet until December.  Meanwhile, these two play twice in 17 days in October, then call it a season.  That Thursday night game gave us the very unique 19-8 score.  This one should be much different.  The result should be similar, though.  The Chiefs make it seven in a row.

Ravens (5-2) at Cardinals (1-6): Baltimore-Even if Kyler Murray were healthy, the Ravens would be heavy favorites in this game.  Without him playing, well, let's just say those chances at landing the No. 1 pick keep improving by the week.  We saw what the Ravens did to the Lions last week.  I can only imagine what they'll do to the Cardinals!

Bengals (3-3) at 49ers (5-2): San Francisco-Boy, are the 49ers sure happy to be home!  They started out 5-0, then went to Cleveland and Minnesota and lost both.  Now it's back to the Bay Area for the first time in three weeks, where the Bengals await.  Cincinnati was buoyed by that Monday night win over the Rams a few weeks ago and has won its last two to get back to .500.  They'll slip back under, as San Francisco gets back in the win column.

Bears (2-5) at Chargers (2-4): Chargers-Why do NBC and the NFL think that people want to watch this game on Sunday night?  There were seriously no better options you could flex into primetime in its place?  Justin Fields won't even be playing, so the Bears will have that guy who played last week at quarterback again.  Although, he had a good game and they did beat the Raiders.  We'll see if he can do it again.  My guess is no.  The Chargers really need a win here and they should get it.

Raiders (3-4) at Lions (5-2): Detroit-I'd make the same complaint about the Raiders being on in primetime again as I made about the Sunday night game, but why bother?  This one at least involves the Lions, who are playing a home Monday night game for the first time in forever.  And, thanks to the 49ers' loss last week, they're suddenly in the mix for home field.  Yes, there's still a long way to go.  We aren't even halfway through the season yet.  But it is exciting to be talking about the Detroit Lions like this!  They're gonna be 6-2 at the end of October!

This Week: 1-0
Last Week: 7-6
Overall: 67-40