NFL Picks and Predictions for Week 8

Week 8 of the NFL season got started when Kirk Cousins nickel-and-dimed his way to a 19-9 win over the Washington Redskins. With a primetime matchup between conference favorites, the best defense in the league back at it again, and an undefeated starter's quest to remain perfect against a dominant pass rush, the fireworks are just getting started.

Seahawks at Falcons

In Atlanta's first game without Mohamed Sanu, dead man walking Dan Quinn likely will be forced to start Matt Schaub, who is somehow still in the league, because of the health of Matt Ryan. Ryan or no Ryan, Russell Wilson and Seattle are expected to walk right over the Falcons porous secondary, further contributing to Russ' MVP campaign, Atlanta's horrendous defensive numbers, and Quinn's eventual firing. How poetic would it be if Seattle ends up getting Quinn canned with the Falcons?

Seahawks 35, Falcons 16

Chargers at Bears

The Chargers came into the year with Super Bowl aspirations, but the voodoo curse that has plagued this team since the AFL days handed them a 2-5 record. This team is much too talented to go 2-6, and while playing that vicious Bears defense on the road could be extremely difficult for Philip Rivers and LA, beating Mitch Trubisky is a much more manageable goal. There could be some major changes in Chicago if Trubisky puts up another rough game, and this Chargers pass rush can make his life hell.

Chargers 24, Bears 17

Giants at Lions

As is so often the case, the Lions are just a few bad brakes and blown plays away from a near perfect record this season. Matthew Stafford and the offense finally found a groove for the first time since Calvin Johnson retired, while Trey Flowers and the defense have proven to be a tough nut to crack. Darius Slay might be out for this game, but Detroit has more than enough pass rushers to create havoc for Daniel Jones, who was sacked eight times last week against the Cardinals. Losing Kerryon Johnson will be hard to overcome, but the Giants are a good team to experiment against.

Lions 24, Giants 16

Jets at Jaguars

Literally nothing went right for the Jets on Monday Night, and their next game is no cakewalk. Gardner Minshew has continued to impress as a sixth-round rookie, while Leonard Fournette is finally starting to look like the game-changer we saw at LSU. Jacksonville's defense is still formidable without Jalen Ramsey, so the turnover-prone Darnold is likely to find at least one black helmet with an errant throw. Le'Veon Bell might be in for a breakout game against a so-so rushing defense, but Adam Gase is likely to find some way to bungle this one as the Jaguars move to 4-3 with Minshew as the starter.

Jaguars 28, Jets 20

Bengals at Rams

Sorry, London. You'll have to watch one of the finest offensive minds in the game beat up on one of his cronies. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, loser of his first seven games, has somehow managed to turn Joe Mixon into Trent Richardson, as the Bengals have been out rushed by nearly 1,000 yards. The Rams might be banged up and not clicking at 100 percent, but they should have no issue destroying an iffy Cincinnati defense and handing Taylor loss No. 8 on the year. Look for a breakout game from either Todd Gurley or rookie Darrell Henderson on offense.

Rams 42, Bengals 21

Buccaneers at Titans

A few years ago, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota were viewed as the future of the league. In 2019, Mariota has been benched and Winston is running on fumes. Winston, the most turnover prone QB in the league, could run into difficulty against an aggressive, violent Titans defense that has won them a lot of games. If Ryan Tannehill plays mistake-free football, Tennessee will improve to 4-4 and 2-0 with Tannehill, which will keep both their playoff and AFC South chances alive.

Titans 24, Bucs 21

Eagles at Bills

Philly's offense fizzled out in front of the country against the Dallas Cowboys, as 10 points in a rivalry game loss is simply pathetic. Going up north to play an elite Buffalo defense is likely not the best remedy for a team that is losing their way. Josh Allen and the Bills might have the advantage in several key areas, but their offensive line play has been un and down of late. The skittish Allen could make some mind-numbing mistakes if Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox can get home regularly. If Carson Wentz can re-capture his old form from earlier in the season, Philadelphia can prove everyone wrong and get back to .500 in a winnable NFC East.

Eagles 20, Bills 17

Broncos at Colts

Denver was flying high after two straight wins, but somehow managed to get blown out at home against a Chiefs team that was forced to rely on Matt Moore for most of the game. Jacoby Brissett and Indianapolis are fresh off taking hold of first place in the AFC South, as four Brissett touchdowns gave them a win over Deshaun Watson and the Texans. The defense, and the pass rush in particular, finally started to show some consistency. Rather than ride Philip Lindsay or Royce Freeman, Broncos OC Rich Scangrello is going to live or die by Joe Flacco. One more traditionally awful Flacco performance could prompt Drew Lock being handed the starting job.

Colts 24, Broncos 10

Cardinals at Saints

Drew Brees is set to return to the lineup after Teddy Bridgewater led the team to a perfect 5-0 record in his absence and Sean Payton and New Orleans' offense will be in for a field day against a Cardinals secondary that still can't stop a nosebleed. Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury are suddenly one of the hottest teams in the league, but the rookie could be in for a learning experience against a Saints defense that has given everyone from Russell Wilson to Dak Prescott difficulty.

Saints 38, Cardinals 24

Panthers at 49ers

As much as the media wants to attribute the success of the San Francisco 49ers to Jimmy Garoppolo, who has seven touchdowns and six picks this season, Kyle Shanahan's group has become a consistent winner on the back of an explosive running game and Robert Saleh's vicious defense, led by rookie sensation Nick Bosa. Carolina quarterback Kyle Allen has yet to lose a start or throw an interception this season, but that could be in jeopardy in this game, as Christian McCaffrey will struggle against a stingy front seven. Unless Allen puts together an all-time performance and asserts himself as Carolina's starting quarterback, Jimmy G and the 49ers should keep their 2019 record unblemished.

49ers 24, Panthers 20

Raiders at Texans

Jon Gruden had to witness his Raiders defense get ripped apart by Aaron Rodgers to the point where he traded away starting cornerback Gareon Conley to this week's opponent. Deshaun Watson and Houston, hungry to prove themselves after losing to the Colts last week, shredded a similarly-bad secondary in the Atlanta Falcons a few weeks ago, and have their eyes set on dismantling Oakland. Derek Carr, Josh Jacobs, and Darren Waller are excellent pieces, but that defense will once again let Gruden and the Raiders down.

Texans 37, Raiders 27

Browns at Patriots

Tom Brady has been solid this season, but the story of the New England Patriots has been their cartoonishly-dominant defense that has allowed just one passing touchdown this year. This isn't what the struggling Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns wanted to see as they come off of their bye week. Mayfield, who has 11 picks this year against five touchdowns, normally thrives as an underdog, but this is likely too tall of a task for Freddie Kitchens and the Browns incompetent coaching to handle.

Patriots 27, Browns 14

Packers at Chiefs

This matchup of the two most talented quarterbacks in the league was ruined when Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes injured his knee against the Broncos last week. While Kansas City will still be able to put up points this week with Matt Moore by virtue of the stockpile of skill position players around him, Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay should pull this one out at Arrowhead. Rodgers, fresh off a perfect passer rating and six touchdowns against the Raiders, should dice up Kansas City's poor secondary, while the Green Bay defense gets home against the less-mobile Moore and forces a turnover or two.

Packers 30, Chiefs 21

Dolphins at Steelers

What a putrid game this is. There's no sugar coating it, this is a mess. Yeah, it's kind of cool that Minkah Fitzpatrick will go against his former team, and it's nice to see that Mason Rudolph is likely going to make his return to the starting lineup, but this is not a primetime quality matchup. Ryan Fitzpatrick played well against the Bills last week, but was let down by a defense that faltered late against Josh Allen. Expect a similar capitulation against Rudolph and the Steelers, who will win their second Monday Night game of the season.

Steelers 28, Dolphins 17