Week 8 NFL: New England vs Pittsburgh Predictions, Picks & Odds
The biggest and most intriguing game of the week 8 in the NFL will be the New England Patriots heading on the road to play the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s a meeting between two teams who have true Super Bowl aspirations for the season, and each team currently sits in first place in their division. They have been the best two football teams of the best decade, and this is a great middle of the season match between the powers and all of the big names and familiar faces that they have.
The Patriots are currently at 5-1, and have won three games in a row. Their only loss was a surprising loss to the Buffalo Bills, but they have rebounded nicely and have been taking care of their business since, with wins over the Raiders, the Jets and the Cowboys. Now they are also coming off their bye week, which means that Bill Belichick has had an extra week to game plan and get his team ready, and that’s always a scary thought for the opposition.
Besides his 4-INT performance against the Bills, Brady has been up to all of his usual tricks. Wes Welker has been putting up huge numbers, and Brady has also been going frequently to his double-headed tight end beast to score a lot of points through the air.
The Steelers are 5-2 and are also in first place in their division heading into week 8. They started the season with a really ugly loss to their rivals, the Baltimore Ravens. When that happened, it seemed like everyone wanted to write them off immediately. The defense was too old all of the sudden and the team wasn’t going to be any good. But since then, the Steelers have of course changed everyone’s minds.
They are 4-1 in their last five games, and are performing on both sides of the ball right now. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been playing very well in the last few weeks, and has been turning to his deep threat targets, which has helped to open up the running game as well. Meanwhile, that defense didn’t take too kindly to people calling them old, and even with James Harrison sidelined by injury, they have picked up the pace and have looked solid as of late.
The Patriots are actually 3 point favorites to beat the Steelers on the road. Many people are surprised by that figure, given that the Steelers are a very good club, they are playing at home, and they have a great home field advantage as well. The over/under for the game is at 50.5, another surprising figure given that the Steelers defense is usually so solid.
Tom Brady and the Patriots have a great recent track record against the Steelers and Roethlisberger. They also perform very well after bye weeks. However, the Steelers are playing at home, Roethlisberger is playing great right now, and the team is fired up to get a big win that they’ve been craving, and to shut up everyone who says the Patriots have their number. The Steelers will therefore pull off the upset win in week 8 against the Patriots.
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Rice vs Houston Picks, Predictions & Odds
One of the Thursday night games for the college football weekend this go round will be Rice visiting the undefeated and rising Houston Cougars. Sitting at number 18 in the rankings, Houston has the goal of going undefeated, and who knows, if the cards fall in their favor maybe they can squeak out a major bowl game at the end of the year. The Rice Owls will be playing the part of hapless opponent, and the Cougars and their high scoring offense should take center stage and keep it.
Houston is 7-0 right now, and as mentioned, has risen to number 18 in the latest rankings. They opened up the year with a win over UCLA and haven’t looked back since, narrowly escaping a few shootouts and scoring some huge blowout wins, such as their 56-3 win over East Carolina and their 63-28 win over Marshall last weekend.
For the Cougars, it’s all about the offense of course. They rank first in the nation in yards and passing yards, and first in points per game, with 49.3. They also average an astonishing 606 yards per game, and they have scored 45 touchdowns already this year.
The guy pulling the strings for all of those big numbers is of course Case Keenum. He is completing about 73% of his passes, and has thrown for 2,685 yards, 23 TDs and just 2 INTs on the season. After being sidelined for much of last year with injury, he has been back in full force in 2011, and has been improved over his already sensational performances in the three years prior to that.
Rice meanwhile is 2-5 on the year, and in fairness to them, two of their losses came to Texas and Baylor. So they’ve had a few hard match-ups on their slate, tougher than Houston has, but they simply have not done enough to win their other easier games. They ranked 105th in the nation in total yards, and 94th in points per game. The defense ranks 109th in yards surrendered and 100th in points per game surrendered. So, they’re on the wrong side of the fence on both sides of the ball, and rank near the bottom in all of those major categories.
Looking at the official numbers for the game, Houston is favored by a whopping 28 points. The over/under for the game is a ridiculous 70.5 points, a nod to Houston’s 49 points per game, and Rice’s porous defense. Houston has also given up their own fair share of points, so you could easily envision a 56-20 type game that sees Houston both covering the spread, and reaching beyond the over for the combined point total of the teams.
Rice doesn’t have what it takes to compete with the firepower that the Cougars have. So Houston will keep on rolling right now, and if some of those big conference teams drop off, then they have some potential to climb into the top 10 in the coming weeks.
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Week 8 NFL Picks Against the Spread
If you have looked at the schedule for week 8 of the NFL season, then you’ve probably already seen that there are some nice opportunities to make picks against the spread. There will be a lot of bets and a lot of action on some of these games, and here are the top 3 games that you should consider to pick against the spread. Take a look at the match-ups below.
Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans (-9.5)
The Houston Texans are big favorites to win at home over the Jacksonville Jaguars. That’s not really surprising, and right now the Texans are 4-3 and coming off a dominant win over the Titans, while the Jaguars are 2-5. However, the Jags are coming off a surprising home win over the Baltimore Ravens. Most notable there was their great defense, which held the Ravens in check.
They’ll look to do the same thing this week, and it will be much more likely if Andre Johnson is out of the lineup again for the Texans. If that’s the case, expect the Jaguars D to clamp down a bit on the high scoring Texans, keeping this one within streaking distance and beating the spread in the process.
New England Patriots (-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers
The New England Patriots are 3 point favorites to head on the road and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tom Brady has a great track record against the Steelers, and that’s certainly something to consider here. However, the Steelers will be playing at home, and they will have a chance to put some distance between them and the Ravens in the division. A loss though gives the Ravens a huge edge in the always tight AFC North race.
It’s something that the Steelers don’t want to see happen, and right now the offense is really performing well, and the defense has gotten up to speed at the same time. Look for Roethlisberger and the Steelers D to lead the team to an upset win at home over the favored Patriots.
Cincinnati Bengals (-3) at Seattle Seahawks
The Cincinnati Bengals are a surprising 4-2 right now, although one wonders how legitimate they really are, and how much of that record has been favorable scheduling and some early success for a few young players which may not continue throughout the whole season.
The Seahawks have been struggling, but they have one of the best home field advantages in the entire league. The crowd is going to be hungry again this Sunday, that’s for sure, and all of that noise and pressure should be able to disrupt a young rookie quarterback, making just his 7th professional start. Look for the Seahawks to hold home court here and get a win.
As mentioned, some intriguing games and intriguing lines to consider this week. The Steelers and the Seahawks can both pull off the upset win at home, and the Jaguars have the defense to keep their game against the Texans close, especially if Johnson is on the sidelines.
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Week 8 NFL Picks, Predictions & Odds
The NFL is approaching the midseason mark, and things have certainly continued to heat up from week to week in the season. With week 8 now on the calendar, some teams are already thinking about home field advantage in the playoffs, while others are mired in turmoil, in big need of a big win, or simply moving ahead week to week and looking to perform. Take a look at all of the NFL games slated for week 8 and an early look how they will play out.
At Tennessee -9.5 Indianapolis 43.5
Both of these teams are coming off miserable defeats in their last games. Indianapolis got absolutely crushed by the New Orleans Saints, losing by more than 50 points, and the Titans lost big to the Texans in a game that was for first place in the division. So both teams will be looking to rebound. The Titans are the better team this year, but after last week, beating the Colts by more than 9 points might be a stretch.
At Houston -10.5 Jacksonville 42.5
The Texans just got a huge win over the rival Titans and now will be facing the Jaguars, coming off a big win of their own, a surprising victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night. That big win was probably more illusion than anything else, and especially if Houston gets Andre Johnson back, their offense is going to be even better in week 8. Look for Houston to win but Jacksonville to keep it close and beat the spread.
At Carolina -3.5 Minnesota 47.5
The Panthers play host to the Vikings, and now both teams have rookie quarterbacks at their helms. Cam Newton has exceeded expectations exponentially thus far, and Ponder won’t be able to lead his offense like Newton does his. Panthers win at home and cover.
New Orleans -12.5 At St. Louis 48
One of the best teams in football will head on the road to one of the worst teams in football. The Saints are riding about as high as you can be right now, and while that could mean that this is a trap game, it won’t. Look for the Saints to steamroll the Rams and cover the spread, beating the Rams by two touchdowns or more.
At Baltimore -12 Arizona 44.5
The Ravens are heavy favorites at home, playing host to the Arizona Cardinals. On Monday Night though, the Ravens suffered a major letdown, losing to the Jaguars. That doesn’t bode well for the Cardinals, because the Ravens will be seeking to get that loss off their shoulders and will be firing on all cylinders to win and win big.
At NY Giants -10 Miami 43
The New York Giants will look to further build their lead in the NFC East, coming off their bye week to host the terrible Miami Dolphins. The G-Men tend to play down to their opponents, so they’ll win, but don’t be surprised if the Dolphins find a way to keep this one close and beat the spread.
At Buffalo (Toronto) -6 Washington 46
The Bills have a de facto home game, albeit in Toronto and not Buffalo. Coming off their bye week, and a disappointing loss before that, they need a win here to stay competitive in the AFC East and stay a step ahead of the New York Jets. The Bills will get a win over the depleted Redskins and will cover the spread.
Detroit -3.5 At Denver 43.5
Detroit is coming off two straight losses after a hot start to the season, and the Tim Tebow era is underway in Denver, as the Broncos had a big 4th quarter comeback last weekend to defeat the Dolphins. Detroit is simply better, and they’ll get the road win and cover the spread, as Tebow can’t lead a miracle comeback every weekend.
New England -3 At Pittsburgh 51
The premiere match-up of the weekend is the Patriots visiting the Steelers. The Patriots are 3 point favorites, something you wouldn’t always expect against the Steelers, who are playing at home. The Steelers won’t like that, and will also want to reclaim divisional supremacy after the Ravens lost on Monday night. Steelers get the upset at home.
At San Francisco -9.5 Cleveland 38.5
The 49ers are big favorites over the incoming Browns, and San Francisco has become one of the early season best teams in the league. Whether or not they stay up to that level remains to be seen, but they have plenty to handle the Browns at home. As for the week 8 point spread, don’t be surprised if the Browns keep it close.
Cincinnati -3 At Seattle 38
The Bengals head on the road to visit the Seattle Seahawks. Both teams have had some ups and downs this season, but surprisingly to many, the Bengals have had more ups than not behind their rookie QB and WR combo of Dalton and Green. This week though, the great Seattle home field crowd makes the difference, and the Seahawks get the upset win.
At Philadelphia -3.5 Dallas 51
The Sunday night game for week 8 showcases the Eagles hosting the rival Cowboys. The Eagles will be favored in the game, and both teams are in need of a win. Another loss for the Eagles here likely sinks their season for good, while Dallas is trying to turn the corner and contend for a playoff spot. Look for the Eagles to hold home court and get a big win here.
San Diego -3.5 At Kansas City 44
The Chargers head on the road on Monday night to visit the resurgent Kansas City Chiefs, who started the season terribly but are now coming off a very impressive win over the Raiders. The Chargers blew a game against the Jets last weekend, and they aren’t going to want to let that happen again. The Chargers with a big win on the road as they cover the spread.
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Monday Night Football: Baltimore vs Jacksonville Predictions, Picks & Odds
On Monday Night Football in week 7 of the 2011 NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens will visit the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Ravens and the Jaguars have had some great, and meaningful, games over the years. In all likelihood, this won’t be one of those, as these two teams are in very different places right now, and seem about as far apart as you can be. It’s a game where the question likely becomes, not who wins, but how much will one team win by?
The Ravens are coming off an impressive showing over the Houston Texans. Their most impressive win of the season though remains their dominating tour de force style rout of the Pittsburgh Steelers, their hated rivals. The Ravens now sit in first place in the AFC North with a 4-1 record, and they have their sights set on a deep playoff run and a Super Bowl appearance.
The defense is led by all the usual names, and Ray Lewis remains one of the true beasts of the league, despite his advanced age. He has plenty of help on that side of the ball, and the offense is rounding into form as well. Joe Flacco has improved after some poor showings, and simply put, Ray Rice might be one of the top 2 or 3 running backs in the league right now.
Perhaps most impressively as all is the fact that the Ravens hold the 2nd highest positive point differential in the league right now, second only to the Green Bay Packers. Not only that, but the Packers have played six games, winning all six, compared to the Ravens five. Still, the Ravens have outscored their opposition by a combined 77 points, compared to the Packers league leading 83 at this point of the season.
The Jaguars have been starting rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert, and it’s a move that everyone knows isn’t going to work out excellently to begin with. Gabbert has shown some promise and had good moments, but it hasn’t been enough to get the Jaguars playing at a high level. They sit at 1-5 on the season, and with teams loading up on Maurice Jones-Drew, he’s been more limited than usual in terms of what he has been able to accomplish.
Even with the Jaguars being at home for this match, they are the underdogs in this game by a wide margin, 7.5 points. The over/under for the game is the lowest combined total of the weekend, 39 points, a nod to the Ravens and their stout defense going up against the sometimes anemic Jaguars offense.
The Ravens are the better team here, there’s no question about that. In addition, they seem to be focused right now, and are on a mission. They also need to continue staying one step ahead of the Steelers. With all of that, the Ravens will get the road win in primetime on Monday night, and they’ll cover the spread too, comfortably dispatching the Jaguars and moving onto the next challenge.
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Indianapolis vs New Orleans Picks, Predictions & Odds
The big Sunday night game of the weekend features the Indianapolis Colts visiting the New Orleans Saints. It’s a beautiful game, with two Super Bowl contenders squaring off against one another, and two of the best quarterbacks in the game trading blow for blow. It’s also the return of one of New Orleans’ favorite sons to the city, as Peyton Manning leads his team against his old hometown team, and the team his father used to play for… oh wait.
That’s what the preview for the Colts vs. Saints game would have read if Manning wasn’t sidelined with a neck injury which has kept him on the sidelines for the entire season. Instead of that sensational and juicy match-up, we’re left with a winless Colts team visiting the Saints at home, a team with one of the best home field advantages in the league, and a team that despite a loss last weekend, is still viewed as a real threat to emerge as a force in the playoffs.
The Saints and Brees aren’t long removed from their Super Bowl victory of course. This season, they have at times looked to be back and better than ever. They have an improved running attack with rookie Mark Ingram providing some oomph, and Brees still has a range of targets that he can throw the ball to.
The team has been rolling, but is coming off a close loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Also meaningful is that coach Sean Payton was injured in that game in a sideline collision. He has missed a few days of game planning this week, so it will be interesting to see how the Saints look on Sunday and what their game plan is going to be.
The Colts have been, well, awful. They’ve given some good teams some very close games, such as when they almost defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers a few weekends ago. However, they still haven’t won a single game, as Manning’s absence has been too great for the team to overcome.
It’s no surprise then that the New Orleans Saints are favorites here. And they’re very big favorites, coming into the game favored by a full two touchdowns, a 14 point spread. The over/under for the game is the highest of the weekend, at 48.5 combined points for the teams.
Taking the Saints to win here is a no brainer. The question is whether they’ll cover the spread. One reason why they might not is their coach’s midweek absence. Will the playbook be altered or scaled back in any way, and will the team take it a bit easy in the early going? Not likely, take the Saints at home for the win and to cover the spread, too. The Colts simply don’t have the firepower to compete, and while it’s tempting to take them to beat that wide margin, at the end of the day, the New Orleans crowd and the sheer talent on their side of the ball will be too much.
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NFL Week 7: Houston vs Tennessee Predictions, Picks & Odds
The AFC South will showcase one of week 7′s most intriguing divisional showdowns. The Houston Texans will go on a road trip and visit the Tennessee Titans, a team that currently sits ahead of them as the first place team in the shaken up division. So which team will tell the other that they are the real deal, and which team will be relegated to potential also-ran status, in a division almost sure to only put one team into the postseason?
The Houston Texans were quick to ascend to favorite status in the division when the season began. News came that Peyton Manning wasn’t going to be playing, and then the Texans trounced the Colts in week 1, a team that perennially does the trouncing to them. But since, the Texans have reverted a bit to their more usual ways. They now stand at 3-3, and as mentioned, are in second place in the division.
Part of the problem with Houston this year has so far been their injuries. Mario Williams has gone out for the year with a pectoral injury, leaving a severe dent in the defensive line. Then, star wide receiver Andre Johnson got sidelined with a hamstring injury. He’s missed some time and may not be back in the lineup for another weeks, and that leaves an even larger hole for the offensive attack.
Meanwhile, the Titans got out of the gate a bit slowly thanks to the holdout of Chris Johnson, but now they sit at 3-2, and after their bye week sit as the team in the lead in the AFC South. Johnson has gotten himself up to speed and is up to his usual tricks, but even more impressive has been the performance of quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who has been rejuvenated this season and has been performing excellently. He’s been without some major targets such as Kenny Britt, but nonetheless he has been consistently better than expected for Tennessee.
Tennessee is the home team here, and they are going to be 3 point favorites over the Houston Texans. With home field giving 3 points in the spread, the teams are seen therefore as being basically even at this point in time. The over/under for the game has been set at 44.5 points, which seems a bit low considering that Houston has a very potent offensive attack and neither team is a defensive juggernaut.
So will the Texans or the Titans emerge as the team to beat in their division? It’s put up or shut up time for the Texans, coach Gary Kubiak and quarterback Matt Schaub, and whenever they’ve been in this position before, they have been shut up. Without Andre Johnson in the lineup, the Texans will sputter, and with a full strength Chris Johnson in the lineup, the Titans won’t. The Titans will win this one at home and cover the spread in a competitive game where they’ll eventually pull and stay ahead.
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Week 7 NFL: Chicago vs Tampa Bay Predictions, Picks & Odds
The NFL heads to London in Week 7, as part of their now annual tradition of playing one regular season game there each season. This year, it’s the turn of the Chicago Bears and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Of course, this takes away all semblance of one team being the home team, and both teams will be at an equal level of sorts. Both squads have also had their ups and downs this season already, so which will emerge looking like the more legitimate playoff team?
The Bears are coming off a Sunday night game where they crushed the struggling Minnesota Vikings, one of their divisional rivals. Chicago now sits at 3-3 on the season, but the record might be a little bit misleading. They have had a very tough slate of games, and lost a few difficult match-ups, but otherwise have looked good and gotten the wins that they have been expected to get.
The Buccaneers are at 4-2 right now, and are still trying to find their way this season now that people across the league actually have expectations for them. Last year they were under the radar, and this year they don’t get the privilege of taking anyone by surprise.
Two weekends ago they were absolutely drubbed by the San Francisco 49ers in what was a humiliating performance for everyone. Last week though the Bucs rebounded in a big way by defending their home turf against the New Orleans Saints. It was a big win for Tampa Bay, and it put them into first place for the time being in the competitive NFC South.
Both teams are in tough divisions, and are going to need to scratch and claw if they want to a chance at making the postseason. The Bears are looking up at the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions right now, and therefore have a tougher road. But the NFC South is challenging too, with the Atlanta Falcons and Saints vying with the Bucs for divisional supremacy and a playoff berth.
With no home field advantage for either team, the Bears are listed as a slight -1 favorite in the match. That basically makes this a pick-em type game where either squad could come ahead as the winner. The over/under line for the game has been set at 44 points, which is pretty middle of the road, particularly for this week where there are no outrageously high or low lines for this for any game.
Which of these teams will cope with the travel to London better, and which will deal with the different environment better? The Bears played on Sunday night and therefore have a slightly shorter time frame to work with than the Bucs. Tampa Bay feels good right now after dispatching the Saints, a team the Bears lost to, so look for them to ride high once again and score another big win, leaving themselves in very good position in the NFC South while the Bears will be stuck in desperation mode.
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Washington vs Stanford Picks, Predictions & Odds
At first glance, a Washington Huskies vs. Stanford Cardinal middle of the season game might not be of much interest to those who aren’t fans of these teams. But look again. Stanford is a national title contender, ranked 6th in the country, and has the consensus number 1 pick in next year’s NFL draft and a potential Heisman winner in quarterback Andrew Luck. And those Huskies, they sit at a surprising number 22 nationally, and feature a dynamic quarterback of their own. All told, it’s a worthy game for a primetime slot of Saturday evening during this college football weekend.
The Huskies have taken advantage of a favorable early season schedule to emerge with a 5-1 record, and a national ranking. Their only loss was a reasonably close effort to number 11 Nebraska, on the road. Meanwhile, they have wins over conference opponents California and Utah in the last two weeks, which has pushed them into the national scene after two early wins over more modest opposition.
They are undoubtedly led by their quarterback, Keith Price. Price has completed 69.4% of his passes for over 1,450 yards, and has thrown a whopping 21 TDs, and just 4 INTs. So he has been putting up some points for the Huskies and leading the way for their offensive attack, while giving the whole team confidence that they can play with anybody and are never truly out of a contest.
Stanford is coming back from an excellent 2010 season, with a player who has been one of the centerpieces of the season, Andrew Luck. Luck has completed over 71% of his passes for over 1,700 yards, and 18 TDs to go along with just 3 INTs. In other words, by sheer production alone, Price is right on par with Luck thus far this season, which has turned more than a few heads in the conference and around the country.
Stanford has cruised through their schedule thus far, winning all six games, none by less than 26 points. Average margin of victory has been over 34 points per game for a team which scores 45.8 per outing, 5th nationally, and gives up just 11.2, also 5th nationally. But all of this comes with the side note that Stanford hasn’t yet played a ranked opponent, and Washington is actually their first such opponent of the season. So Stanford needs another impressive performance here if they want to truly get into the national title hunt against teams from the SEC, for example, which have already played 3 or more ranked teams in the short season thus far.
Stanford is a 21 point favorite at home, and the showdown has a 61.5 line for the over/under. It’s Stanford’s first test of the season, but this shouldn’t be a major challenge for them. The challenge for them will be not just to win, but to excel, and to smash that point spread as they look to gain an improved standing in the polls. They’ll do all of that, as they win and cover the spread at home.
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