The NFC West race is as heated as it has ever been with three 5-2 teams headed into Week 8: The 49ers, Rams, and Seahawks. While Seattle and L.A. are on a bye, San Francisco looks to extend their lead
in the NFC West with a win over Houston Texans, if they can manage it.
Do you think the 49ers are the favorites to win the NFC West? San Francisco is already 3-0 in the division.
Last week I picked the Los Angeles Rams to lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars and fortunately that was not one I got right. As for other incorrect picks, I went with Pittsburgh, Miami, Atlanta, Houston and they all lost while as the road team. As for Week 8, six teams will be on their Bye Week; including the Los Angeles Rams. Week 7 was another positive output for my weekly picks as I secured another double digit win total.
Here my predictions for the 13 game slate.
Week 7 picks: 10-5, Cumulative picks: 65-41-1 (.612)
Week 8 Matchups & Predictions
(Thursday) Minnesota Vikings @ Los Angeles Chargers, 8:15 PM EST
The Vikings have committed to Carson Wentz as their starting quarterback. Tough love for JJ McCarthy.
The Los Angeles Chargers problems seem similar to that of the Buffalo Bills. The offense revolves too much around Justin Herbert being a hero and the run defense is getting gashed.
If Jalen Hurts can beat the Vikings secondary, I imagine Justin Herbert will be able to do so.
Pick: Chargers win 27-20
Miami Dolphins @ Atlanta Falcons, 1:00 PM EST
Falcons win this handedly. Lock it in.
Pick: Falcons 28-14
New York Jets @ Cincinnati Bengals, 1:00 PM EST
The Jets are deciding to let Tyrod Taylor be QB1 so I do think this game will be closer than it would be with Justin Fields as the starting quarterback.
Cincinnati needs to win this game to stay relevant in the playoff picture until Joe Burrow can get back.
Pick: Bengals win 27-17
Cleveland Browns @ New England Patriots, 1:00 PM EST
Cleveland took advantage of the toxic-Miami Dolphins. The New England Patriots are a different story.
Pick: Patriots win 29-16
New York Giants @ Philadelphia Eagles, 1:00 PM EST
Probably the toughest game to pick this week because you just don’t know what type of Philadelphia team you are going to get. I’m going to lean Philadelphia for the following reasons:
- Giants are 0-4 on the road
- Eagles will be playing with more edge this time after losing to Giants
- The Giants defense is not good (30.0 ppg allowed on the road)
Pick: Eagles win 30-21
Buffalo Bills @ Carolina Panthers, 1:00 PM EST
As I mentioned before, the Bills need to redefine their offensive identity. They still lack a playmaking wide receiver and that could be their downfall in the playoffs.
Don’t sleep on Carolina at home. They have averaged 29.0 points per game at home this year. But they’ve also played a very weak schedule.
Pick: Bills win 31-21
Chicago Bears @ Baltimore Ravens, 1:00 PM EST
If Lamar plays, I’ll take the Ravens. But it is looking like he might miss another game. So with that I will take the Bears who have conveniently worked their way to a 4-2 record.
Pick: Bears win 28-17
San Francisco 49ers @ Houston Texans, 1:00 PM EST
Kyle Shanahan vs. Demeco Ryans. The Texans offensive line is horrendous which makes this such a difficult game to decipher. Houston’s defense is leading the league in points per game allowed but Shanahan will be crafty in getting Christian McCaffrey involved by any means necessary.
Pick: 49ers win 23-20
Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ New Orleans Saints, 4:05 PM EST
Who knows what type of game you will get when the Bucs/Saints face off. With Mike Evans injury, I might go with an upset here and take New Orleans at home in an edgy game.
Pick: Saints win 20-17
Dallas Cowboys @ Denver Broncos, 4:25 PM EST
Great offense meets really great defense. The Cowboys are averaging 31.7 points per game while Denver has allowed just 18.1 per game. Something will have to give here.
Pick: Broncos win 28-24
Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts, 4:25 PM EST
The Titans are a long way from competing in the AFC. Right now, Indianapolis is the class of the AFC.
Pick: Colts win 30-14
(Sunday Night Football) Green Bay Packers @ Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:20 PM EST
Aaron Rodgers faces off against his original franchise in what I think will be a memorable game that comes down to the quarterback with the ball last. In this case, the veteran.
Pick: Steelers win 38-34
(Monday Night Football) Washington Commanders @ Kansas City Chiefs, 8:15 PM EST
KC might be 4-3 but they are playing much better than teams ahead of them in the standings. Mahomes and Co. have to win this game to keep pace with the Broncos and Chargers. And they will get the job done with Jayden Daniels potentially missing the game.
Pick: Chiefs win 38-10Teams on Bye: Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, Jacksonville Jaguars
As always, who’s your lock of the week? Who’s your upset? Can the Texans find a way to beat the 49ers despite a sputtering offense? Leave your predictions in the comments below.
