NFL Week 8 predictions

Thursday, 8:25 p.m. ET (NFL Network)

Have fun figuring out the Dolphins. Miami's offense has been wretched, yet rose to the occasion against the Jets, with Jay Cutler tossing two touchdowns before bowing to injury, and then Matt Moore entering the game and rallying the Dolphins from 14 points down in the fourth quarter en route to a 31-28 win. Lost in Miami's quarterback drama is the fact that their defense has been stout, especially against the run.

Meanwhile, even the return of Brandon Williams couldn't help the Ravens, who were gashed on the ground in Minnesota, and lost virtually every offensive player on the roster to injury. At 3-4 and already with a loss to the Steelers on the ledger, the Ravens are on the brink. The guess here is that Moore and the Dolphins find a way to push them over.

Pick: Dolphins

Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET (NFL Network)

(Game at Twickenham Stadium, London)

Fans in London should get a glimpse of some great defense from the Vikings, and also a primer on how not to play good football from the Browns, if the first seven weeks are any indication of how this one might go. Minnesota has found its stride even without Sam Bradford and Dalvin Cook, as Case Keenum has been steady, and a fast, aggressive defense has carried the day. The Vikings haven't forced a ton of turnovers, but that might change against a Cleveland offense that could charitably be described as "lacking." The Browns lead the league in giveaways, have no answers at quarterback, and can't run the ball very well. Other than that, everything is peachy. Minnesota ought to cruise to 6-2.

Pick: Vikings

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

The Raiders may have saved their season with a thrilling win over Kansas City, one that cannot even be termed "last-second," because the winning play happened on an untimed down. With Denver suddenly looking vulnerable and most of the rest of the AFC unspectacular if not outright flawed, 3-4 is not a death sentence for playoff hopes. That said, if Buffalo can continue its run of successfully playing takeaway on defense, the Bills can kill two birds with one stone –strengthen their playoff hopes, while denting Oakland's wild-card chances. Tyrod Taylor has been steady, and while Buffalo's turnover margin may not be sustainable, it's getting harder to bet against a team whose confidence seems to be building steadily week after week. 

Pick: Bills

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

The Bengals had no answers for a ferocious Steelers defense in the second half last week, and by the late fourth quarter, Andy Dalton looked like a man who had had enough. Cincinnati's offensive line is not good, to put it bluntly, but their defense has excelled, despite taking a beating from Le'Veon Bell and the Steelers. A visit from Indianapolis, a team with an anemic offense and a very ragged defense, should be just what the doctor ordered for Cincy. If the Bengals should somehow lose, they can bid farewell to any chance of rallying to make the AFC North race interesting. Fortunately for Bengals fans, that won't happen. The Colts may well be the worst team in the league outside of Cleveland and San Francisco – coincidentally their only two wins.

Pick: Bengals

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)

The Pats turned in a stifling performance against Atlanta in the fog, keeping the Falcons off the scoreboard for over 55 minutes in their Super Bowl rematch. That should scare those waiting for New England to hit its stride more than anything, because it may mean that their defense is figuring some things out. The Chargers have won three in a row after an 0-4 start, and throttled Denver last week, harassing the Broncos into three turnovers and becoming the first team in nearly 25 years to shut them out. A Los Angeles win would make them a very interesting team to watch in the second half of the season, but two things are working against them. One, they're a west coast team traveling east for a 1 p.m. start. Two, Tom Brady is not Trevor Siemian. 

Pick: Patriots

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Rookie safety Eddie Jackson had a pretty fair game for Chicago in their win over Carolina last week, becoming the first player in league history to notch two defensive touchdowns of at least 75 yards in the same game. The Bears' defense has been a pleasant surprise – not great against the run, to be sure, but stingy against the pass and opportunistic, to boot. Problem is, they're going up against a resurgent Saints team, the game is in the Superdome, and Mitch Trubisky has shown little to no ability to carry the team to victory. After going through four weeks without a turnover, the Saints have coughed it up five times in the past two weeks, but have won both games. Chicago's only chance is to continue that trend, and possibly score another defensive touchdown – or two. The assumption here is that they won't.

Pick: Saints

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

Though they are 3-4, the Jets could, with a few breaks, easily be 5-2. They aren't a great team, but they aren't the dysfunctional franchise looking to tank that many assumed they would be. As long as Josh McCown is under center, the Jets have a puncher's chance on offense, and their defense, while statistically unspectacular, has forced two or more turnovers in four of the last five weeks. Interestingly, no Jets game has featured fewer than two combined takeaways, and only one game has been played without both teams coughing up the ball at least once. The Falcons, losers of three in a row, are desperate for answers. A win in the Meadowlands would set them up nicely for a showdown with Carolina, but it's anyone's guess as to whether they'll shake the malaise that has dogged them of late.

Pick: Falcons

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

You already know about how great Carson Wentz has been, but the primary beneficiary of his passing prowess still isn't quite a household name. Zach Ertz leads the Birds in catches, receiving yards, and touchdowns, and has emerged as Wentz's most reliable target. Ertz, along with Nelson Agholor and Alshon Jeffery, as well as LeGarrette Blount on the ground, gives the Eagles plenty of weapons with which to hurt teams. Certainly, they should have way too much firepower for San Francisco, a team that finally got blown out after suffering through several close losses in a row. The 49ers may play Philly tough for a half, but the combination of travel, an early start time, and a very tough opponent should add up to Philadelphia pulling away in the second half and winning comfortably.

Pick: Eagles

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)

The Bucs need this game more than the Panthers, but both teams have been anything but consistent thus far. Cam Newton has been flat out bad, with 10 interceptions against nine touchdowns this season, and Jameis Winston, while his 95.5 passer rating looks impressive, has not been able to translate that into more wins. Only one game has seen Tampa Bay look dominant, and that was over a month ago against Chicago. A loss would drop the Bucs to 2-5 and put them in a real bind, especially with New Orleans having a very winnable home date with Chicago. Tampa Bay's defense is very bad, but they have forced five turnovers in their last three games. They'll need to do more of that against Newton, who just might be ripe for the picking. This one is tough to forecast, but when in doubt, go with the home team.

Pick: Buccaneers

Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)

This one should be a very fun watch, as Deshaun Watson will have quite a test against a still-ferocious Seattle defense and a deafening crowd. The Seahawks are giving up the fewest points in the league, with only one opponent topping 20 so far this season. Watson's feet could be a difference-maker for Houston's offense, as they will allow him extra time to move around and make plays through the air, as well as simply move the chains in scramble situations. For Seattle, finding some consistency at running back will be key. Russell Wilson is a nice supplement, but the Seahawks can't have him take off too frequently and put himself at undue risk for injury. This game may end up coming down to turnovers, and Seattle has been great at both protecting the ball and taking it away. The same cannot be said for Houston. 

Pick: Seahawks

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)

Whichever team wins this game will be well-positioned to try and make a second half push to pressure Philadelphia. The problem for Washington is that they've already lost twice to the Eagles. That said, their only other loss is against Kansas City, so they might be a bit better than their 3-3 record would suggest. The Cowboys shook off two straight frustrating losses in a big way, demolishing the 49ers right from the outset and never letting them in the game. Kirk Cousins has been impressive all season, especially given the absence of a consistent running game in Washington. These two teams are mirror images of each other in terms of big-picture stats. Both are good to very good offensively, and average to mediocre defensively. Dallas has been more careful with the football, but Washington is at home. This should be one of the better games of the week.

Pick: Redskins

Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ET (NBC)

Two weeks, two straight impressive performances for the Steelers. First, they went to Kansas City and beat up the Chiefs, and last week they played host to Cincinnati and seemingly made the Bengals want to quit in the second half. Le'Veon Bell was superb once again, though even Ben Roethlisberger opined that seeing more of James Conner wouldn't be a bad thing. Martavis Bryant's behavior on social media got him suspended for this one, but that may not matter one bit for the Steelers, as Juju Smith-Schuster appears to have seamlessly integrated himself into the offense. Detroit melted down against the Saints before nearly staging a miraculous comeback. Matthew Stafford was a turnover machine after being outstanding in that department for the first five games of the year, and will likely be without Golden Tate. Unless Detroit makes several splash plays on defense, Pittsburgh should handle them.

Pick: Steelers

Monday, 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Denver is suddenly in a tailspin after a 2-0 start, and appears to have major problems offensively. Trevor Siemian does not inspire fear in opposing defenses, and the Broncos cannot run the ball if teams load the box and dare Siemian to beat them through the air. A Denver loss would put them in serious jeopardy of falling to the bottom of the AFC West. Kansas City is still on solid footing after losing their second straight game, and Chiefs fans should take heart that the offense rebounded after being bottled up by Pittsburgh, but Kansas City's defense has gotten strafed three straight times, and appears vulnerable all over the field. The interesting thing to watch in this one is whether Denver can find a way to run on a porous Chiefs rush defense even without much help from Siemian and the passing game. They'll need to do so if they want to spring the upset. 

Pick: Chiefs