NFL Picks: Week 8

Photo courtesy of Fox Sports

I have no real qualms about how I ended up with another losing record last week. It happens. You win some you lose some.

As for this week, it kicked off with Thursday night football. As always, I tweeted out my pick. Follow me (@WilliamBotchway) for my random musings, and Thursday night picks like these:

My Pick for tonight's game: BRONCOS (-7) over Chargers. It's just hard to stop them at home.
— William Botchway (@WilliamBotchway) October 24, 2014

As you all probably know by now, that was a win for me. I'm still well under .500 for the year however, and I don't see when that will change. Hopefully I can pull off a streak when the bye weeks are over and these are 16 games every week. Hopefully.

UPSET ALERT next to games in which I think the underdog will win outright, not just cover. Home team in CAPS.

Lions (-3.5) over "FALCONS" (Game Played in London). While I'm excited to watch early morning football, this game is troublesome for many reasons:

1. I have to wake up earlier to finish and post these picks by 9:00 AM, then share it when a good amount of people won't be active online to see it. 
2. I have to agonize over FantasyCast earlier in the day, as my opponent has Golden Tate and the Lions defense.
3. I will have less time to do other work since I'm not going to turn down the opportunity to watch 14 hours of football.
4. The Lions are going to murder the Falcons and be arrested in London. 
5. EDIT: It seems that waking up early was an issue, as I saw my alarm, turned it off, then woke up at 9:18. I tweeted my pick out earlier. 

PANTHERS (+5.5) over Seahawks. Russell Wilson looks amazing, but the Seahawks have some real problems. Their legendarily dominant defense is no more, and their offensive line struggles at times. I still think they're a good team, and has a chance to win the NFC again, but I'm worried. For that reason, 5.5 is a lot of points for them to lay on the road against a sometimes really good Carolina team. 

BENGALS (+2) over Ravens. The Bengals have looked putrid in two of their last three games, but I don't think it's panic time just yet. I'd wait until A.J. Green returns to truly judge this team,. Now, I realize that there's a very slim chance that Green is active against the Ravens, but I still believe that the overall talent that Cincy has will prevail and they'll come away with a narrow victory at home. UPSET ALERT

JAGUARS (+6) over Dolphins. I'm picking the Jags once again after departing from that horrible strategy last week. At home, even against the Dolphins who have looked pretty good recently, 6 is a lot of points. The Jaguars are very frisky for a 1-6 team. 

CHIEFS (-7) over Rams. I don't know why or how, but the Chiefs are actually decent. But I'm not going to question anything here. The Chiefs are a better team, and should win pretty easily at home, despite the fact that Austin Davis is actually alright. 

Bears (+6) over PATRIOTS. I refuse to give up on these Bears just yet. It's very stubborn of me, but I haven't yet lost hope that this team can remain in the playoff hunt for the entire year. While they have some games, such as last week in Miami, where they do absolutely nothing, the offense is great for the most part. I don't see them putting up two straight duds, so I expect them to keep it close this week. 

PERCY HARVIN (-3) over Bills. I'll get to my reaction to the Percy Harvin trade in my Jets preview, but he adds a playmaker to an offense that is in need of one. Now, with all that is around him, Geno Smith has no more excuses. 

Teddy Time (+2.5) over BUCCANEERS. The Vikings have struggled to deal with the great offensive lines of Detroit and Buffalo in back to back weeks. While Gerald McCoy is a one man wrecking crew, the rest of this line doesn't scare me nearly as much. Teddy Bridgewater will have more team in the pocket, which has been a huge issue in his last two starts.

I hate the Buccaneers. UPSET ALERT.

J.J. Watt (-3.5) over SIXTH ROUND ROOKIE QB. Watt is going to eat Zach Mettenberger today. No quarterback should be forced to deal with J.J. Watt in their first start, especially a rookie, and especially a guy taken in the sixth round who was not expected to do anything this season. This isn't okay. Avert your eyes. 

EDIT: OH NO! Jadeveon Clowney will be returning in this game.

EDIT: Police will designate LP Field as a crime scene after what Clowney and Watt do to poor Mettenberger.

CARDINALS (-1.5) over Eagles. I don't understand the Cardinals at all. How they've remained so good while dealing with so many injuries is beyond my comprehension. But they are really good, so therefore, this week's "I'm going with the home team because I don't know what else to do" winner: the Arizona Cardinals.

BROWNS (-7) over Raiders. I know that this is a lot of points to give with a team that just lost to the Jaguars, but I don't care. I see Cleveland getting back on track this week at home. 

Colts (-3.5) over STEELERS. The Colts look like a total juggernaut right now, as their defense is surprisingly good. I don't exactly trust that it will continue, but for now, I'm riding them now that they look like one of the best teams in football. 

Packers (+2.5) over SAINTS. The fact that the Saints are favored by 2.5 over one of the best teams in the NFL right now is comical and disturbing. Whoever in their right mind would bet that the Saints have the ability to beat anyone by three points, let alone Aaron Rodgers and Co., needs to be committed to an institution immediately. As in all situatuons, there's a scenario in which I can see the Saints coming away with an unexpected victory, but I certainly wouldn't put any money on that. UPSET ALERT.

COWBOYS (-10) over Washington Professional Football Team. We've reached the point that the Cowboys are favored by 10 points and I'm taking them without hesitation. This feels really weird. If Robert Griffin III returns, he'll be rusty, and Dallas should dominate. If Colt McCoy starts, then well...you know.

Last Week: 6-9

This Week: 1-0

Season: 45-60-1