Week 8 Picks for Every NFL Game

I might just get out of this season alive! We're finally above the 60.66% mark on wins and beating out all the schmoes at ESPN, so I'll relish it while it lasts. Without further adieu, here are your Week 8 Lady Blitz game picks:

Top Shelf Games: Talent-rich, highly competitive and aged in oak barrels... spiritually speaking

Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals (-2.5) - There's still a lot of football between these two 5 - 1 teams and the division titles they're currently in pole position for.  Should make for quite the Lady Blitz Game of the Week, eh?  I think this'll be down to the wire and depend greatly on how many mistakes these offenses make against two very opportunistic defenses.  So with Carson Palmer playing pretty well and Arizona having homefield advantage, I give the slight edge to the Cards.

San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos (-8) - After last week's surprisingly competitive AFC East matchup, Thursday nights are looking a lot more interesting these days!  Fact: Philip Rivers is not afraid of the Denver Broncos, and statistically he's right up there with the almighty Peyton this season. I'm very tempted to pick the Chargers on that alone, but Denver is clearly playing like they're on some kind of a mission this year - not sure why.  Plus, San Diego's grind-it-out time of possession strategy may have diminishing returns the way Denver's offense has been swift and surgical at home this year.

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals (-1) - The way the Bengals started the season, it's almost inconceivable that they could drop their fourth straight game.  But they're welcoming a confident Ravens team that is pretty good against the run and A.J. Green is still a question mark to play on Sunday.  I see Baltimore shutting down the run and then Andy Dalton.  Also, what's up with Cincy's defense these days?  After keeping their first three opponents under 17 points, they've given up 27 or more in their last three games.  Ick.

Well Drink Games: They may surprise you from time to time without all the high expectations

Chicago Bears at New England Patriots (-6) - So the Bears lack leadership in the locker room?  Well they're about to get a heavy dose of The Patriot Way at Gillette Stadium this week.  I think that translates roughly into lots of white people fist-bumping.  I expect Chicago to play with desperation, which could mean entertaining big plays and also more Jay Cutler mistakes.  And very likely a Pats win.

St. Louis Rams at Kansas City Chiefs (-7) - This makes the well drink bucket because these are two lovable underdogs that are actually fun to watch lately.  The Chiefs are still very much in the playoff picture too with the Chargers or Broncos destined to drop a game this week, so Kansas City should come out with guns ablazin' and hopefully with an amped up Royals crowd behind them.

Seattle Seahawks (-5) at Carolina Panthers - How the mighty have fallen.  It's hard to believe that these two teams have the same number of wins, though the Panthers have looked far more miserable in the process.  Suddenly this feels like a game where anything could happen given the regression that has occurred on the Seahawks' and Panthers' defenses.  If that's the case, Seattle still has the better weapons to take advantage with or without Percy Harvin.

Indianapolis Colts (-3) at Pittsburgh Steelers - I went to bed pretty early on Monday night, but apparently the Steelers bottled their whole offense into a 3-minute 'splosion.  I don't see the surprisingly stingy Colts defense allowing much of that, at least not enough to keep Andrew Luck off schedule.  Plus, the Steelers haven't had consecutive wins or losses all year, so it's time to plummet on the Pittsburgh rollercoaster.

Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints (-1.5) - Holy crap, gamblers out there - Take. The. Packers. If the Saints can wrangle this into a back-and-forth shootout, they might just have a chance in primetime at the Superdome. But there’s no way to make that porous defense look rosy these days, and New Orleans almost never does well when Pierre Thomas is out. Green Bay should continue to let the good times roll just fine in the Big Easy.

Washington Redskinks at Dallas Cowboys (-9.5) - Let's be real, this will probably be a slaughter, but you just never know in the NFC East, especially now that Colt McCoy is this week's "Answer" for the Redskinks.  What will be most interesting is whether or not DeMarco Murray can extend his 100-yard rushing streak to 8 this week, a truly remarkable bit of NFL history in this pass-happy era.

House Punch Games: Most likely to be lop-sided, sloppy and/or otherwise painful to digest

Detroit Lions (-3.5) at Atlanta Falcons - Nobody said this game was going to be good, but Lions and Falcons fans really got the scheduling shaft - they'll have to be up and at 'em at 9:30 or earlier to watch these teams slog it out in London (or maybe Barcelona if you're an Atlanta geography scholar).  Jet lag has a funny way of making these games extra sloppy, but the Lions should still have a field day with the Falcons' shell of an offensive line.


Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3) - Sigh.  The Vikings, I guess?  Shouldn't this finally be Teddy Bridgewater's breakout game?

Buffalo Bills at New York Jets (-3) - A week ago, I think the Bills could have won this game handily, but they are in serious trouble with both C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson out.  As long as the Jets stay patient and don't expect too much of Geno Smith, they should squeak by while the rest of us are watching more interesting games.

Miami Dolphins (-6) at Jacksonville Jaguars - Given Miami's unpredictability, no outcome would truly surprise me at the Great Neglected Florida NFL Franchise Bowl of 2014.  But now that the Jaguars aren't the absolute worst, they'll probably have less of a sense of urgency to win one here.

Houston Texans (-2) at Tennessee Titans - This could be low-scoring and ugly, and that's just how the Texans will want it - taking their time with Arian Foster on the ground on offense and forcing Charlie Whitehurst (or whoever) into one too many mistakes.

Oakland Raiders at Cleveland Browns (-7) - Kalil Mack vs. a busted up Browns offensive line could make this a closer game than I would’ve thought a week ago. That doesn’t make it an interesting game though. Cleveland has played well at home, so hopefully another week to get the new line arrangement to gel will be enough to take advantage of a pretty bad defense.


So How's My Pickin'?
Last Week's Record: 11 - 4
Season Record: 64 - 41 - 1