NFL Picks: Week 8

• Vikings over the Bucs.  
  Unfortunately I was still buying into the Vikings (at least at home) when I picked this game
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• Bears over the Panthers.
  My fantasy team would love to see Cam Newton have a great day. I'm not holding my breath.
  
• Chargers over the Browns.
   Cleveland's first win was nice and they want another. Phillip Rivers and Norv Turner might just be accommodating enough. However, my guess is the bi-polar Chargers might show up this week.
  
• Seahawks over the Lions.
  The Seattle pass-rush should give Stafford fits. He'll need to get rid of it quick and locate Calvin Johnson. But lets be real here; the Lions are a mess. I'm convinced they are badly coached and will be better if/when Schwartz is gone.
  
• Patriots over the Rams.
  So a football game again in London. American football that is. Bloody brilliant.   The Brits have it right that their game is properly named football and our game is the most mis-named sport in history. Of course the name is rooted in the murky origins of the game and its links to British rugby.....which was originally linked to British football (soccer).  If only our gridiron forbearers could have thought up a name that was cool enough and distinct enough so that it didn't confuse the hell out of foreign sports brothers. Then again, should we care what the Brits and others think? This game is uniquely American and I don't think we will ever export the interest in it in any great numbers.  Still I'm curious as to the level of interest (however small) that the Brits (or Europeans in general) have in our game.  If they're smart, our English cousins will bet on the Pats for this game.
  
• Jets over the Dolphins
  I would love to see Reggie Bush run on the Jets Defense. Interesting that the Jets are upset with him for running his mouth. Pot, meet kettle.
  
• Eagles over the Falcons
  Crazy, right? I don't know if Michael Vick has any magic left. He might be a "has been" at this point but the Falcons will lose at some point this season and it would be a little weird if Vick was the one that helped hand them that loss.
  
• Steelers over the Redskins. 
   The Steelers need this game and perhaps desperation will breed good play. Rothlisberger will need to shake off a few guys like he has been known to do a time or two. The Steelers will need to control Griffin better than the Giants did last week. I like the accuracy of Griffin and he is quickly becoming an automatic record on my dvr. Not too many guys get that spot if they're on a team I don't like. But like Vick in the mid 2000s, Griffin does amazing things with his legs and arm.  However, Griffin is more accurate and has some touch. Vick, even at his best, always had the arm but lacked the touch that could keep drives going. Comparing Vick and Griffin is less about comparing black QBs and more about comparing mobile QBs with strong arms. Comparing guys based on skin color is lazy. If Aaron Rodgers ran more (which he could if he wanted to) we could throw him into the conversation with Griffin, Vick and Cam Newton. Andrew Luck is showing some athletic ability as well.  However, Vick, Newton and Griffin are the only QBs with over 200 rushing yards this season. It's not about race, it's about stats. Anyway, Griffin has the wow factor so he'll be on the record list for awhile.
  
• Packers over the Jaguars
  Jags are without Jones-Drew as well as their QB Gabbert and added to that is the fact that Rodgers is looking more like his 2011 self.  Shouldn't be close.
  
• Colts over the Titans
  Titans run game has woken up. Chris Johnson is alive!  Still, I don't trust him yet. I like the Colts in this game though even though I think they'll give up some rushing yards.
  
• Chiefs over the Raiders. 
  Always an interesting game between these two old rivals. But probably a bit hard to watch. This game is not on my to-do list on Sunday.
  
• Giants over the Cowboys. 
  There are no guarantees with this game no matter how much better one team is compared to the other. And make no mistake, the Giants are a much better team here despite the early season loss they took against the Cowboys.
  
• Saints over the Broncos
  I'm thinking shootout. The Broncos defense is better but the Saints are still playing for their lives. I don't think they'll have 9 lives but maybe they get lucky a couple more times.
  
• 49ers over the Cardinals. 
  Alex Smith has a had a couple of sub-par offensive games and everybody's ready to throw him under the bus again. He's not turning into Aaron Rodgers (ever) but with a good defense and a good running game he's still  a valuable QB. I don't know if he can be a championship QB but San Fran is still ok and it's not time to start burning Smith in effigy.  Actually it's never time to do that. I mean they only do that kind of thing at Raider games right?