Sanders's Week 8 picks

By Jacob Sanders

Wow. I found time to write today. What a miracle. The NFL has been rather exciting and there is so much I could put in this blurb here but I am going to write about one person specifically. Carson. Wentz. My man. Take a bow. Despite the injuries to cornerstone franchise players, this guy came out in primetime and lit it up to bring his team a victory. If he becomes the next big house QB name for years to come, I’m not surprised. Wonder what Browns fans think of this…

Anyway, on to the picks!

Sanders went 10-5 last week putting him at 50-42 on the season.

Miami Dolphins VS Baltimore Ravens

So the Ravens got Williams back. Aaannndd still looked like one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. And that’s how Miami wins this game. Keep pressure off of Moore and let the running game punish Balitmore’s faults. Unless Flacco and Co. can show signs of life, the answer is to just tire out Baltimore’s defense.

Dolphins 16 Ravens 13

Minnesota Vikings VS Cleveland Browns

I actually laughed when I read this matchup. Is it possible for the Browns to win this? Not at all. The QB position looks worse than it did last year (that’s saying something) and the Vikings defense is an impenetrable wall at the moment with Harrison Smith leading the way. Frankly, the Vikings could have there offense on the field for only twenty minutes and I would still give the game to the Vikings.

Vikings 30 Browns 10

Oakland Raiders VS Buffalo Bills

The Raiders are starting to look up again. They’ll continue to look up as well but it will be at the scoreboard wondering how they lost. Both of these teams are feisty right now but the Bills are playing some excellent defense. The same can’t be said about the Raiders offense as they have consistently been sub-par. Yes, they just beat the Chiefs. But one can’t wonder how much of that was a trap game for the Chiefs and more about the rivalry for the Raiders than a statement of how good they are. Guess we’ll find out.

Raiders 23 Bills 30

Indianapolis Colts VS Cincinnati Bengals

At first I thought this was a no-brainer. But then I took a look at the Bengals past performances and was reminded this team isn’t playing up to it’s potential. Then again, the Colts are playing just about where you would expect them to be playing. With the Bengals having a higher ceiling and being at home, frankly, it’s hard to pick a Colts team that just got shutout at home last week.

Colts 13 Bengals 24

Los Angeles Chargers VS New England Patriots

I really really want to pick the Chargers here. Something tells me I should. But I’m not going to. It’s hard to pick against a team that’s on a 3 game winning streak. It’s also hard to pick against a team that has shown in the last 18 years it’s the most adaptable team we have ever seen, and so far, the Patriots have been covering up their weaknesses. I won’t be surprised at all if the Chargers pull it off but for the sake of my pick record, I’m going safe. New England wins with another Tom Brady 2 minute drive.

Chargers 30 Patriots 34

Chicago Bears VS New Orleans Saints

You would think this would be easy. It’s not. The Bears have won two of their last three in rather dominant fasion. However, the Saints, for me, have become my pick to win the NFC South. I thought the race would come between the Saints and the Bucs with the Bucs winning the division. My oh my was I wrong because the Saints are gonna be 5-2 after this one. This isn’t any discredit to the Bears. It’s just that the Saints have the defense to match the Bears defense (wow, so weird to type). I can’t say that the Bears have the offense to match the Saints.

Bears 17 Saints 24

Atlanta Falcons VS New York Jets

Call me crazy, but it’s not an upset pick for the Jets here. Fun fact: The Falcons are 0-3 against the AFC East this year. Make it 0-4 after this game. The Jets have played surprisingly well for a roster deemed to go 0-16 or 1-15 (2-14 by your lovely writer here) and the Falcons have, also surprisingly, played badly. In hindsight, this shouldn’t have been difficult to call or predict. The Ryan-Jones combo has always been there but what made it shine was having Shanahan as the O.C. So far? No Shanahan, no shine for the duo. Go figure.

Falcons 17 Jets 24

San Francisco 49ers VS Philadelphia Eagles

Well. The 49ers are a team. That’s about what you can say for them. Especially playing against the top team in the NFC and possibly the best team in the NFL but I’m not ready to crown them yet. Read my blurb in the beginning if you wanna know where I think the Eagles stand.

49ers 3 Eagles 35

Carolina Panthers VS Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cam Newton will be Cam Newton. A loveable guy when he is winning and a poor sport when he is losing. Frankly, it’s a little pathetic but some people are just that way. I can’t speculate what it does to the locker room, but what I can speculate is that Newton typically slumps when his team starts losing. With that in mind, I’m going to pick the Bucs. I’m not confident about it, but the Bucs are at home and need to be hungry for a win. Their season pretty much rides on this game here.

Panthers 20 Bucs 21

UPSET OF THE WEEK!!!!

Houston Texans VS Seattle Seahawks

This is probably the most exciting matchup of the week. Watson has been lighting up the scoreboard and the Seahawks have quietly become a rising team. Both teams will garner attention with a win here but I’m sure you guys already know who I’m picking. Yep, I’m taking the rookie against the Legion of Boom. Why? Because Watson has quickly become a fan-favorite and a guy who has proven no stage is too big for him. In fact, he typically performs better when the stage is bigger than him. It’s no primetime game, but it’s in Seattle and he is a rookie. He’s gonna do it again because his back’s against the wall.

Texans 31 Seattle 24

Dallas Cowboys VS Washington Redskins

Oh man. You have no idea how much I want to pick the Redskins. But I seriously can’t ignore the improvements that Dallas has made across the board in the last few weeks. They have looked like the Dallas Cowboys of last year. And the Redskins were 0-2 against the Boys last year. Ugh. Cousins needs to outduel Prescott if the Redskins are gonna win this one. Prescott just has the better weapons.

Cowboys 27 Redskins 23

Pittsburgh Steelers VS Detriot Lions

This seriously feels like a “lets lose to an inferior team” kind of game for the Steelers. However, I’m going to go ahead and pick the Steelers. It’s a primetime game plus AB and Bell have to be shutdown in order for the Lions to have a chance at winning this game. Do you trust the Lions defense to do that? I certainly don’t.

Steelers 24 Lions 21

Denver Broncos VS Kansas City Chiefs

I agree with Coach Joseph’s take on the Broncos offense. It’s not a Siemian issue. It’s a unit issue. Frankly, Siemian hasn’t had much time to throw the ball and the running game hasn’t been performing like it did in the first three weeks of the season. The Chiefs, on the other hand, are in a two-game skid but that isn’t saying much when it was against the Steelers and Raiders. It just means the Chiefs are vulnerable and nothing more. Their job Monday Night is to get after Siemian. Not too hard of a job against this Broncos O-line. And they’re at home. Uh oh for the Broncos.

Broncos 13 Chiefs 27