NFL 2005 Week 8 Predictions

Ugh. Only 6 wins last week. Looking at last year's performance, the same thing happened. Let's hope that doesn't carry over to this year. If I am going to end up with more wins this year than last, I have to make up the ground these next few weeks. I nailed the last 6 weeks last year.

Onto this week...

Cardinals @ Cowboys
After an 0-3 start, the Cardinals are starting to put things together a bit. They have gone 2-1 under McCown, with the loss being to Carolina by only 4. Alright, the two wins were against San Fran and Tennessee, not exactly top notch competition. But they are winning, and in two of those games McCown threw for nearly 400 yards. He has definitely established himself as the starter, and I don't expect Denny Green will make the same mistake he made last year in benching McCown for a time and throwing away playoff contention. Of course, they still have no running game. Dallas has had a good season. Parcells has both the offense and defense clicking and the team can be impressive. The key will be the Cowboy defense, which will be too good for the Cardinals to handle. Without a running game to worry about, the Dallas front will tee off on McCown who doesn't have great protection. And the secondary will take advantage of his youth and make some picks. Prediction: Cowboys.

Browns @ Texans
I was impressed with Cleveland to start the year. Dilfer was playing well, the offense was moving. They looked like maybe a middle-of-the-road caliber team. Since then, Dilfer has become an interception machine. He hasn't thrown a TD since week 5, and his yardage and rating have fallen dramatically each week for the last three games. Houston, despite being the lone winless team in the league managed to be competitive, at least for a time, against the mighty Colts last week. Cleveland's rush defense is one of the worst in the game, and the Texans have a good running game with Davis. Is it possible? Could Houston actually be the pick? Yes. Prediction: Texans.

Jaguars @ Rams
With so many key players out, the Ram offense is a shell of itself. The Jaguar defense will be all over the Ram offense, and Leftwich and company will move well against a poor Ram defense. Prediction: Jaguars.

Vikings @ Panthers
In my preseason predictions, I pointed to this game as being pivotal in the NFC playoff picture, with perhaps top seed on the line. Instead, both teams are in third place in their respective divisions. Minnesota played an impressive half of a game last week to beat Green Bay. Does that mean they've turned the corner? Or did they simply rise up a notch to defeat a hated division rival? Even in the last two years'’ 3-7 runs, the Vikings managed to look good 3 times. But none of those 3 wins were back to back. It's hard to read too much into that game. Both offenses played well for one half and dismally the other. Both defenses skipped right to the dismal portion of the game plan, and stayed there the whole time. This is the time when the Vikings need to step up if they are to justify at least some of the hype. Panthers, Lions, Giants, Packers the next four weeks. Carolina, after a stumbling start, has run off three straight wins, against lesser opponents. The offense has not quite been all together. Delhomme has almost as many interceptions as Culpepper. Two interception-prone QBs facing off this week? Maybe it'’s time to play the Panther defense in fantasy, if I played fantasy that is. In this game, I like the strong Panther defensive front against the Viking offensive line (like the linebackers last year, big and easily confused), resulting in a lot of pressure on Culpepper. That means sacks, fumbles, and interceptions down field. I also like the relentless Panther running game against the Viking defense. Prediction: Panthers.

Redskins @ Giants
I originally picked the 'Skins to win the NFC East, then retracted once Brunell took over at QB. I have to give credit here. Brunell has been fantastic. He's putting up offense I had no idea he could. Gibbs' decision to trade for him doesn't look so stupid now, does it? With their ferocious defense coupled with an offense that can put up a pretty good number of points, this is a team to watch out for, like I said originally. So, yes, I am back on the Redskin bandwagon. My prediction will be proved right, even if it's for totally the wrong reason. The Giants are very good too. Eli Manning is shaping up to rival his brother. But the defense is just not as good as it needs to be. Both teams will put up points, but Washington will put up more, thanks to strong play on both sides of the ball. Prediction: Redskins.

Bears @ Lions
How times have changed. Rather than playing for the NFC North basement, like they usually do, these two teams are playing for the undisputed top spot in the division, not to mention the singular achievement of having a winning record. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, barring a tie, someone in the NFC North will be above .500 after this weekend. Amazing. With Detroit having switched to Garcia at QB, their offense has a lot of potential, and they have an underrated defense to go along with it. Chicago doesn't have enough offense to go with its powerhouse defense. This should be a defensive game, but the Detroit will make more plays than Chicago will on offense. Prediction: Lions.

Packers @ Bengals
Having dropped to 1-5, Green Bay faces a daunting schedule the next three weeks: Bengals, Steelers, Falcons. After that comes the Viking rematch and then the Eagles. That would be a tough schedule for the Packer first string, but we are well past the first string by now. The top two running backs are out for the season, three wide receivers are out, tight end Bubba Franks is coming off an injury. Starting center Mike Flanagan is questionable. So if you don't recognize many of the names on the field for Green Bay this week, don't worry, you're not alone. Favre probably doesn't know them either. Despite the miserable record and all the injuries, Favre is having quite a season. 6th in QB ranking, 1st in TD passes, 5th in yards per game. Yet they lose. They don't lose by much, but they lose. Other than the Lion game to start the season, they've lost by 2, 1, 3, and 3. So they cannot be counted out to make a rally, and let's face it, we're talking about the NFC North here, but I certainly think Favre will end up having one losing season in his career. (Yes, I think this is his last year.) He can't do everything, he can only be the great quarterback. The Bengals have had an outstanding season, though their defeat last weeks shows they are not quite ready for AFC elite status. But playing Green Bay is not exactly like playing the Steelers. Prediction: Bengals.

Raiders @ Titans
This was the AFC title game not too long ago, which shows you how fast things can change. Oakland's strength is its deep passing game. The Titans weakness, well their biggest one, is their pass defense. Oakland really is better than their record would suggest. Prediction: Raiders.

Dolphins "@" Saints
The Saints' home this week is in Baton Rouge, where Nick Saban coached last year. That should dampen the homefield advantage for the Saints, who have to travel a ways to get home. The Saints are just dismal. The Dolphins, after a decent start, are not all that great themselves, but they can play defense and move the ball on offense. Aaron Brooks' propensity for interceptions and bad passes will hurt him against the Miami defense. Prediction: Dolphins.

Chiefs @ Chargers
KC has rebounded from back-to-back losses with a two game winning streak. They have put up points against strong defenses (Washington and Miami), but they have also given up points to lesser offenses, particularly Miami. San Diego has acquitted itself well in a four game stretch that included three of the four teams from last year's conference title games. They destroyed New England and came within a fluke play of beating the Eagles. Both teams have good offenses, but the Chargers just seem better in all facets of the game. This will be high scoring, but San Diego takes it. Prediction: Chargers.

Eagles @ Broncos
Yet again, Denver failed to put away an opponent last week, and this time they didn't even manage to hold on to eke out a win. Denver has got to do better than that, especially against this opponent. The Eagles managed a shocking win last week against the Chargers, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat at the end of the game. But still, it took a totally lucky play for them to win. I said before the season I didn't really like the Eagles this year, and they have done about what I would have thought. They play decently and win games, but, unlike the last several seasons, they have not pulled away from the pack in their own division let alone the NFC. Denver has been impressive, except for their inability to close out a game. They play offense and defense well, Jake Plummer has not made the mental mistakes so prevalent in his career to date. Especially playing in Denver, I have to go with the Broncos, but Shanahan needs to remind his players that football games go 60 minutes. They cannot keep folding late in the game. Prediction: Broncos.

Bucs @ 39ers
Here they are, the newly demoted San Francisco 39ers. At least they beat Houston. The Bucs recently traded for former San Fran starting QB Tim Rattay, and I've read that they've been picking his brain about his former team. What do you think he's telling them? On offense, run a play. It will work. On defense, run to the QB. I'm not a coach, obviously, but is it really that hard to game plan the 39ers? Especially when they are on their third starting QB of the season? Prediction: Bucs.

Bills @ Patriots
Will Tedy Bruschi make his return to the field this week? If he does, will he turn the defense around? He should certainly shore up the defensive front, adding a playmaker to the linebacking corps that they haven't had all season. Richard Seymour coming back will help even more. But neither are going to help in that secondary. Luckily for New England, Buffalo is not so much a downfield passing threat. The key to the game will be the New England running game against a weak Buffalo run defense. If Dillon plays, the Pats can run all night, control the clock, and use the running game to open up play action and the Brady passing attack. Even Pass should be able to put up good rushing numbers against Buffalo. Prediction: Patriots.

Ravens @ Steelers
Baltimore, picked by some before the season to win the division, look to be one of the worst teams in the AFC. The offense is doing nothing, not even rushing the ball. The passing game is as bad as it's been since Dilfer left. Even the defense, the backbone of the team, is faltering, and the big guns--Lewis and Reed--will not play this week. Pittsburgh is just kicking butt. The only real flaw in Steeltown is the lack of depth at QB. Ben's great, but there is a huge dropoff in ability in his backups. The terrible towels will be flying high. Prediction: Steelers.

Last Week: 6-8
Season: 54-48