A Gander Across the Gridiron: Week 8
A look around the league and my predictions
I can’t believe we are already at week 8. I don’t hate the Patriots as much as most NFL fans do, but that blowout felt really good. I love being wrong about games like that. It’s now Toots Week, and nothing makes me more nervous than the Toots. Be ready for heart attacks, and the need to distract yourself with the other NFL games this week!
Last Week’s Scores: 9-4
Last Week’s Lines: 6-7
Overall Scores: 68-29-1
Overall Lines: 48-48
Falcons @ Panthers
5:20 pm (TNF) PT CAR -1
Shout-out to the Falcons. I always expect chokes from Georgia teams nowadays, and I saw their loss coming as soon as Gurley scored. But I’ve never seen a loss by scoring a touchdown! It must be rough mentally to play after that kind of loss on a short week, so the Falcons need a short memory. They will be down starting defensive end Takk McKinley, and the Panthers will play without left tackle Russell Okung. In week 5, I correctly guessed a Carolina win over Atlanta. With Julio Jones available this time, I think the Falcons take their only division win this season.
Shana’s prediction: ATL wins 30-28
Patriots @ Bills
10:00 am PT BUF -4
It only took my entire lifetime as a football fan, but the Patriots might be a bad team. They quit on the Niners last week and don’t have enough talent on offense. Julian Edelman is reportedly getting knee surgery Thursday, and N’Keal Harry has a concussion. With Cam Newton already in danger of losing his job, things are not looking good in New England. It is true that Buffalo has slowed down immensely. They *only* beat the Jets by 8 points and have struggled in October. But a win is a win and the Patriots are down right now.
Shana’s prediction: BUF wins 27-10
Titans @ Bengals
10:00 am PT TEN -5.5
Tennessee has finally lost a game, and they almost managed to come back against Pittsburgh. Jadeveon Clowney is unlikely to play after missing two practices with a knee injury, as will several corners and O-linemen. Cincinnati also has a lengthy injury report including Joe Mixon and 3 O-linemen. Sunday will likely be a sloppy game with Joe Burrow getting hit nonstop.
Shana’s prediction: TEN wins 26-17
Raiders @ Browns
10:00 am PT CLE -2.5
After starting 0-5 and an interception, Mayfield popped off against the Bengals. He ended the game going 22/28 for 297 yards and 5 touchdowns. Unfortunately, it came at the cost of Odell Beckham Jr. who will miss the rest of the season with an ACL tear. Myles Garrett and Austin Hooper missed both practices so far, so it’s hard to feel too good about the Browns win. The Raiders got predictably crushed by Tampa after much of their line could not practice, but they should be able to bounce back against Cleveland. I think the Browns are the better team, but the Raiders are healthier.
Shana’s prediction: LV wins 33-29
Colts @ Lions
10:00 am PT IND -3
Consider me shocked, the Lions are .500 coming into week 8. They are relatively healthy, just as the Colts are. Aside from an injured Arizona team, the Lions have not had a big test until now. Indy is rested coming off a bye, and has a good defense to challenge Matthew Stafford.
Shana’s prediction: IND wins 27-13
Vikings @ Packers
10:00 am PT GB -6.5
One big focus for Vikings-Packers is the star running backs’ health. Packer Aaron Jones has not practiced either Wednesday or Thursday. Viking Dalvin Cook has had two limited practices. The Vikings are rested coming off a bye and are looking for revenge against Green Bay. The Packers have a massive injury report (19 players). Other notable names besides Jones listed include Mason Crosby (yes the kicker), David Bakhtiari, Darnell Savage, Kevin King, and Za'Darius Smith. Most of these guys had limited practices and should play. The Packers still have enough talent to be heavy favorites, but this will be closer than the week 1 game.
Shana’s prediction: GB wins 27-23
Jets @ Chiefs
10:00 am PT KC -19.5
The blowout game of the week. The main storyline will be the revenge game for Le’Veon Bell. He only had 6 carries in his first game for the Chiefs. This was with 17 snaps, which was 33% of the total for Kansas City. In his second game I can see an increase in workload, plus the Chiefs will likely run a lot while having a huge lead. Outside of Bell watch, there isn’t much to say about the game. Poor Frank Gore.
Shana’s prediction: KC wins 30-10
Rams @ Dolphins
10:00 am PT LAR -3.5
On paper, Miami should have a big advantage. They are off a bye while LA played on Monday. The Rams rebounded nicely on MNF and have regained momentum. No one missed practice Thursday. The Dolphins will be starting Tua Tagovailoa. He had some snaps against the Jets and extra time to prepare, but I never trust a rookie QB in his first game. Fitz was hot, and I don’t know the the Dolphins can keep momentum this season without him.
Shana’s prediction: LAR wins 24-23
Steelers @ Ravens
10:00 am PT BAL -4
Game of the week. The undefeated Steelers against the strong Ravens off a bye. Mark Ingram is hurt, so the Ravens won’t be able to run much against a vaunted Steelers front 7. Jimmy Smith is questionable, and Steeler receivers like Juju Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson aren’t 100%. This looks to be a typical, physical, defensive AFCN rivalry game. The extra rest and home field advantage are just enough to make the Ravens the favorites.
Shana’s prediction: BAL wins 27-24
Chargers @ Broncos
1:05 pm PT LAC -3.5
Herbert had a day against Jacksonville. He had his third 300 yard game and 4 total TDs. Lock is coming off two games where he threw 0 TDs and 2 INTs. He did rush for a score against Kansas City. That score was the first since a passing touchdown against Tennessee week 1. Obviously Lock and many of his weapons have been hurt, but he still played 3 full games and is suffering a sophomore slump. Herbert should be able to win a duel and have enough of a lead to avoid the typical Chargers choke.
Shana’s prediction: LAC wins 28-18
Saints @ Bears
1:25 pm PT NO -4.5
The Bears looked like garbage against the Rams. The entire offense was off, and matters are only worse with wide receiver Allen Robinson’s concussion. Khalil Mack has missed both practices so far with an ankle injury, and center Cody Whitehair has a calf injury. The Saints were able to win without any receivers, and could finally have Michael Thomas back this week. Although, I’ve been waiting for Michael Thomas all season. Even without MT, the Saints are in a better position than da Bears.
Shana’s prediction: NO wins 28-13
Cowboys @ Eagles
5:20 pm (SNF) PT PHI -9
Gross. Remove this game from primetime immediately and put in the 49ers-Seahawks or Steelers-Ravens. As I’m sure you realized, the Cowboys are terrible. After getting blown out by Washington and Andy Dalton getting concussed, Dallas has little chance. Assuming Dalton can’t go, the starter will be Ben DiNucci, a 7th round rookie out of FCS school James Madison. He won’t be ready to handle a good Eagles front 7 and the Cowboys defense sucks. DiNucci is doomed.
Shana’s prediction: PHI wins 31-13
Buccaneers @ Giants
5:15 pm (MNF) PT TB -12
Tom Brady is officially back and that is scary. Even without Antonio Brown (officially signed but cannot play this week), the Bucs have the O-line and receivers for Brady. And their receivers are finally healthy. Wifs was a great draft pick. The defense is still amazing. Much like the Raiders last week, most of the Giants O-line has been held out of practice because of a positive Covid test. And because the New York Giants are not Dodger Justin Turner, they are being careful. With how strong the Tampa D-line is, the Giants will have trouble protecting Daniel Jones.
Shana’s prediction: TB wins 38-20
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Thinking about Wirfs. Thinking about Kinlaw.
Yes, we’ve had OL issues and Kinlaw has underwhelmed. But has he? What would our DL look like without Kinlaw, a rookie learning the ropes with little practice time? This trial by fire will serve him well in the long run and I think we are under appreciating his contribution to the DL, especially in the run game.