NFL picks, Week 8

Picks for week 8 of the 2009 NFL season...

Denver at Baltimore (-3.5) - The streak has to come to an end at some point, and this seems as likely a point as any. The Broncos have played well, but they've also been a beneficiary of some good bounces, some opponents who haven't played well and there not being much scouting film, what with the new players and coaches. They're better than I expected going in, but they're really a 6-0 quality team, and they won't go into Baltimore and beat the Ravens.

St. Louis at Detroit (-4) - This is one of the few winnable games on the St. Louis schedule. I don't think that they'll win it.

Seattle (+9.5) at Dallas - I'm not a fan of either of these teams. I hate picking Seattle on the road, I hate picking Dallas to cover more than a field goal. So I'm going with the Seahawks to lose by less than 10.

Cleveland (+13) at Chicago - Too many points for a mediocre Bears team to cover anywhere against anyone.

Houston at Buffalo (+3.5) - Eeny-meeny-miny-mo. We start the season with no information. After a couple of weeks, we think we know something. By now, however, we've got too much information, which is too contradictory. Which Buffalo team is this, the one that won in NY against the Jets or the one that lost at home to Cleveland? Is this the Houston team which lost to the Jaguars and Jets or that beat the Bengals and 49ers? Houston's probably a better team, if each team brings its "A" game, but you can't count on either of them to do so. So I'm crossing my fingers and going with the home team to win, but with no particular expectation of success.

Miami (+3) at N.Y. Jets - So the Dolphins just beat the Jets in Miami three weeks ago - the Jets are a good bet to return the favor at home. Right? So it would seem. I'm going with the Dolphins anyway.

San Francisco (+12.5) at Indianapolis - The Colts go to 7-0, but it's a close game and they win by 10 or less.

N.Y. Giants (+0) at Philadelphia - I look at everything involved, and keep coming back to one fact: the Eagles lost to the Raiders. How can you take them seriously?

Jacksonville at Tennessee (-3) - I made this pick thinking that this is the week that the Titans miseries end. They had an extra week to lick their wounds after being humiliated in New England, Jeff Fisher's a good coach, they're hosting a weak Jaguars team - this is the week for win number 1. Then I heard that the owner has decreed that Vince "Jamarcus Junior" Young has to start. I understand his feelings, and from a business standpoint, the season's effectively over and they need to know whether VY can play. But it doesn't help them this week. I'm leaving this pick, but I'm a lot less happy with it than I was a couple of days ago.

Oakland (+17) at San Diego - Too many points. Yeah, it's the Raiders, and I expect to lose this, but it's just too many points.

Minnesota at Green Bay (-3) - I. Do. Not. Care. About. The. Return. Of. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. To. Green. Bay. Go, Packers! Crush the Vikings! Do it on some channel that I'M NOT WATCHING!

Carolina at Arizona (-10) - Like Tom Brady, Jake Delhomme frequently puts up "video game" numbers. As scored by someone who doesn't know how to play the video game, against someone who does.

Atlanta (+10) at New Orleans - New Orleans wins this, I think. Heck, maybe they even cover, but I think Atlanta's too good to pick them to lose by double-digits.