Week 8 Picks

Sunday, Oct. 30
Arizona (2-4) at Dallas (4-3), 1 p.m.
Dallas is in last place in the NFC East with the other three teams at 4-2. That's what last-minute turnovers converted to points do to you. Fortunately for Dallas, Arizona has the league's 2nd-worst rushing attack and not much of a defense. Drew Bledsoe has only a 20 percent chance of being sacked.
Prediction: Cowboys, 28-10.

Chicago (3-3) at Detroit (3-3), 1 p.m.
This is for the division lead. Last week, Chicago beat Baltimore 10-6, and Detroit beat Cleveland 13-10. Both of these teams are good at home and bad on the road. Their offenses are ranked 27th and 28th; defenses, 3rd and 9th. Wicked intriguing, eh? Your coin is as good as mine.
Prediction: Lions, 15-12.

Cleveland (2-4) at Houston (0-6), 1 p.m.
This could be a trap game for Cleveland. [long pause] Sorry, I was laughing too hard to type there. Houston played well for at least a quarter against Indy last week. Cleveland didn't play well against Detroit. Keep that coin handy.
Prediction: Texans, 6-3.

Green Bay (1-5) at Cincinnati (5-2), 1 p.m.
This is brutal.
Prediction: Bengals, 26-10.

Jacksonville (4-2) at St. Louis (3-4), 1 p.m.
St. Louis is at home, and that's most of the hope they have in this one.
Prediction: Jaguars, 23-20.

Minnesota (2-4) at Carolina (4-2), 1 p.m.
This one may not be as clear cut as it looks. Surprisingly, Carolina's defense is ranked only 19th, while Minnesota's is 25th. Meanwhile, the offenses are nearly even at 23rd and 22nd. Wait a minute. They're playing at Carolina. Yes it is.
Prediction: Panthers, 24-16.

Oakland (2-4) at Tennessee (2-5), 1 p.m.
If there's a game that has "tie" written all over it, it's this one. Steve McNair is back after a week off, resting his back during a 20-10 loss to Arizona. Oakland had several significant injuries in the defensive secondary. Kerry Collins has a growing history of success against Tennessee. Should be as interesting as a game of two .300 teams can be.
Prediction: Titans, 21-20.

Washington (4-2) at N.Y. Giants (4-2),1 p.m.
Hey, a legitimate game. As usual, there's no telling what to expect. Washington dropped two in a row before obliterating SanFran last week. New York has gotten lucky and had league and game officials hand them a couple wins. New York is ranked 31st in defense ... and they're 4-2. Washington is 4th in defense. Same 4-2. Washington is also 2nd in offense, while New York is 15th. Somehow, New York leads the league with 28.8 points per game. How can this be? Oh, it be. Thanks, Mr. Tagliabue. Plaxico Burress is still questionable with a bruised shoulder. I don't see how New York wins this game.
Prediction: Giants, 27-24.

Kansas City (4-2) at San Diego (3-4), 4:05 p.m.
Really tough one to call. Either team could blow out the other, or it could be a close high-scoring game. (Watch it be a close low-scoring game.) You can't hold a good man down, so don't expect Tomlinson to have a repeat of last week. Then again, it's entirely possible that Larry Johnson and Priest Holmes do repeat what they did last week. Unlike the games in which the winning team is the one that outscores the other, this one will be won by the team that can stop the other at least a couple times.
Prediction: Chargers, 35-27.

Miami (2-4) at New Orleans (2-5) (in Baton Rouge, LA), 4:05 p.m.
New Orleans is playing in Louisiana. That's going to be one of those big emotional edges they've used in their couple other wins this season. And the kind of edge they looked to have the couple games they got screwed in.
Prediction: Saints, 26-17.

Philadelphia (4-2) at Denver (5-2), 4:15 p.m.
Home field advantage. Philly did a great job stopping one great back last week. Don't think they can stop two really good ones. Which quarterback will be able to pick apart the other's defense? Neither passing defense is particularly stellar. Denver has the No. 2 rushing offense, Philly is No. 1 in passing. Eventually, you have to run to win.
Prediction: Broncos 31-24.

Tampa Bay (5-1) at San Francisco (1-5), 4:15 p.m.
Talk amongst yourselves and then move on.
Prediction: Buccaneers, 30-10.

Buffalo (3-4) at New England (3-3), 8:30 p.m.
Please see the separate game preview.
Prediction: Patriots, 34-17.

Monday, Oct. 31
Baltimore at Pittsburgh, 9 p.m.
I'll get to this one tomorrow.
Prediction: Steelers, 24-3.