Week 8

Oz (in black) thinks you should bet on the guy who is "6'5 rocket, laser arm." Clay (in blue) thinks differently.

7. St Louis @ New England (-7):

The oddsmakers make it hard for the Patriots, but the Pats don't really make it easy on gamblers either. St. Louis is playing pretty well in the last three weeks, and the Patriots are wildly inconsistant. Did anyone expect a 41-7 win over the Broncos? I sure didn't. Now Brady has had surgery four times and that's not really okay. But Matt Cassel won offensive player of the week. WHAT?! The world is going mad.

New England -7

Yeah, it is hard to predict what either of these teams will do. I am buying into this Rams team right now, though, because I thought before the season that they would be good. I attributed a lot of their problems from last year to injuries. I was wrong from the start, but because of that, I am not ready to call those wins flukes. I think they are competitive for the rest of the year, and I guess in their division, that means they still have a shot. I wouldn’t be surprised if either team blew the other out, but given that I think the Rams could win this outright, I have to take a full touchdown.

Rams +7

6. Atlanta @ Philadelphia (-9):

I believe Westbrook is returning this weekend meaning my fantasy team will still lose but not by as much. Atlanta isn't a bad team. The Eagles are good at giving quarterbacks fits (watch: the game with the Patriots last year), which I expect to happen this weekend against Matt Ryan. Ryan is a good quarterback, but he won't be able to do much against this defense.

Philly -9

I don’t know, Matt Ryan hasn’t been sacked very many times this year, and he has shown he can play well under pressure. Teams off of a bye are always scary, and the Atlanta defense is not scary, which leads to believe the Eagles will score a lot. The Eagles defense is one of those that either completely shuts you down, or doesn’t do anything to stop you. I am done referring to Matt Ryan as a rookie QB because I think he is legit. I think Philly gets up early and Ryan can’t do it all himself when they have to abandon the run game. I want to take the points, but I think the defense lets them down.

Philly -9

5. Tampa Bay @ Dallas (no line yet):

Tampa has been playing great as of late. I've bet against them twice in the past two weekends and lost, so there's no way I'm going against them right now. The Cowboys look like they're in a little bit of trouble. The Bucs defense is good enough to keep the Cowboys honest and their offense has been running smoothly. Without the spread listed, I'll take the bucs money line.

Tampa Bay (ML)

I can’t get behind the cowboys right now…does that sound homoerotic? Brad Johnson looked terrible last week, and one would think a week as the starter in practice should help, he isn’t that bad, right? The problem is that Tampa is pretty good, they play solid D and the offense has been more productive then expected. Dallas has had a terrible pass defense, so it isn’t a stretch to expect the Bucs to score some points her and win on the road. The ‘boys are in trouble, they could be screwed by the time Romo is back.

Tampa Bay +2

4. Arizona @ Carolina (-4.5): The Cardinals need to win on the road if they want some respect, Carolina will be a tough place to do that.

After getting their ass kicked, I feel like Carolina needs to prove something. Arizona can't stop a team that's physical and that's what the Panthers are. A few three and outs by the Cardinals offense will be a catalyst to Carolina controlling the clock. I need Fitzgerald to have a big game, but i'm not sure he can do enough to win this game for them.

Carolina -4.5

I don’t know what you are watching, but the Panthers beat the crap out of New Orleans last week. Another big offense, can the Panthers do it again. Arizona is actually 9^th against the run this year, so the Panthers will likely have to do a bit more to score against a somewhat improved defense. I think the Panthers are too good at home, the Cardinals haven’t shown anything on the road yet, and Carolina is a more balanced offense and defense. Considering the season we have had, though, I wouldn’t be surprised if Arizona wins outright. No two weeks are the same in the NFL this year.

Panthers -4.5

3. New York Giants @ Pittsburgh (-3.5): I am a little surprised they are giving three, a bye helps. I am interested to see what happens here. I think it will mostly be defense.

I know Pittsburgh is 5-1 but I'm not buying into it yet. This would be a three-point spread for whatever team is at home. The Giants look unstoppable running the ball right now and that sets up the passing game for Manning. If the Giants win this game big, which I'm expecting them to do, does that put them #1 in the power rankings? For me, yes.

New York +3.5

The Steelers should look good off of the bye, they usually do, but their O line has been a problem, and that is looking right into the Giant’s strength. I actually picked up the Giants defense this week as a fill in, because I think they get to “Ben” a lot. The Giants will struggle with consistency all year, especially against inferior opponents, but I think they are flat out better then the Steelers. Would I be surprised if the Steelers won, of course not, but I have to take the points with the team that I think should win straight up, and no, a win should put them at #2 behind the undefeated Titans who are going to….I guess I am getting ahead of myself.

Giants +3.5

2. San Diego @ New Orleans @ London (+3):

Take the under in this one. Seriously. It'll be high, but both teams are in friggin London. Should be a dreadful game actually.

San Diego -3

I totally agree. The total is set at 45, definitely lower because it is in London. I was reading today that LT met with the coaches and says they need to run the ball more. If he is going to be playing, he needs the ball. The Chargers are 28^th in the league in time of possession, because when they score, it is fast, and the defense sucks. They need to start controlling the clock like they used to, and this is definitely going to be a game where the best running team wins. Deuce should have a nice day, but I have to think without Reggie in the rain, the Saints won’t be as dynamic. LT gets the ball, Chargers control the clock for the first time all year, and come back to the States with a win.

Chargers -3

1. Indianapolis @ Tennessee (-4):

This game would virtually eliminate the Colts from winning their division. That's big. Do the Titans have the resolve to make this happen? Do the Colts not have a little advantage in experience here? It would not surprise me a bit to have the Colts win by three scores more or less announcing, "hey, guess what? We're still here."

Indy +4

That would surprise me. The Titans defense is very good, and the Colts offense hasn’t been. Dom Rhodes doesn’t scare anyone, and apparently neither does Peyton. Chris Johnson and even Fat Lendale White should have a field day against the worst run d in the league, therefore controlling the clock. I don’t see a single advantage (I guess you could say experience) that the Colts have in this game. I don’t think the Titans are the dominant team in the NFL this year, their schedule has been big, but in this game, they are the better team. Straight up, hands down. Home field helps too. Chris Johnson over 150, Titans win 24-16.

Titans -4