Week 8 Picks/Spread

@Tennessee (-8.5) over Indianapolis
- The Colts are bad. As great as Peyton Manning is and as much as he means to this team, he's not a shutdown CB or an elite pass rusher. There is no excuse for how poorly their defense played against New Orleans on Sunday Night. I was tempted to pick the Colts against the 8.5 point spread, but it's hard to do so after that 62-7 showing. CJ finally puts up good numbers in a Titans win. TEN by 10.

New Orleans (-13.5) over @St. Louis
- The Saints have made it very clear that they are one of the best two or three teams in football. Drew Brees is having another tremendous year, and everything else is falling right into place. Whoever is running the ball this week for New Orleans should have a good week; the Rams are coming off a performance in which they allowed DeMarco Murray to run for 253 yards in his first career start. Saints win by 20+ points. Blowout.

@New York Giants (-10) over Miami
- The Giants already blew one game that looked like a safe "lock" of the week when they lost a home game to Seattle. Luckily for them, the Dolphins are a total mess right now. Daniel Thomas has run the ball well even when the numbers haven't suggested the same; I think he might end up having a decent career. Unfortunately, I think the Dolphins will fall behind in this one and be forced to throw the ball. Bad news for Miami. Giants win by 14.

@Carolina (-3.5) over Minnesota
- The Vikings definitely played with a newfound spark last week in Christian Ponder's first career start against the Green Bay Packers. Cam & Co. should be able to move the ball against the Vikes and add to their already gaudy offensive numbers. However, I don't think Newton will be able to control this game, as this seems like an Adrian Peterson kinda day to me. I think this game stays close for a long time. {{Last minute change: I had MIN winning this, but with Antoine Winfield out yet again, I think this is a huge day for Cam/Steve Smith and the Carolina passing attack. Ponder looks good, but Carolina wins by a TD.}}

@Baltimore (-13) over Arizona
- The Ravens' offense played absolutely horrible on Monday against the Jags; I think they'll be the opposite in their game against the Cards on Sunday. Arizona's defense is flat out bad right now; Ray Rice should have a casual 20 point fantasy day, and I'd feel comfortable starting several others on Baltimore's offense in fantasy as well. Kevin Kolb just doesn't do it for me; he just looks lost when he's pressured - not a good sign when you're playing against the Ravens. Baltimore wins by 17+.

@Houston (-9.5) over Jacksonville
- The Texans relied heavily on Arian Foster last week, and it definitely paid off. Foster has shown flashes of his 2010 form in Andre Johnson's absence. The Jags caught me by surprise on Monday by beating the heavily-favored Ravens; however, I think Houston's hire of DC Wade Phillips will pay off Sunday. There aren't more than a handful of defensive minds across the league that have seen more than Wade Phillips. I like the Texans against a Rookie QB. Texans by 14.

@Buffalo (-6) over Washington
- Jabar Gaffney is going to break the record for catches, yards, and touchdowns in a single game against Buffalo. Obviously I'm joking, I just hope he does well because I'm starting him in a couple leagues this week. Despite Santana Moss being out of the lineup, I think John Beck will be able to move the ball against the Bills. I think this could be closer than the spread, but I'll take Buffalo. Just because. BUF by 7.

 Detroit (-3) over @Denver
- It looks like Matt Stafford will be able to start on Sunday against the Broncos; if it turns out that he's inactive, I think I'd jump on the Tebow bandwagon for the 2nd consecutive week. Provided Stafford is in the lineup, I love the matchup for Detroit's passing attack. The Lions are coming off two straight losses, and I think they're hungry for a much-needed win this week. No Tebow magic this week for Denver; Detroit covers easily, wins by 17.

New England (-3) over @Pittsburgh
- Brady has always been great against the Steelers, and I see no reason to think that won't continue on Sunday. The Steelers are fortunate to have the 5-2 record that they do; they've struggled in several areas this year. I'm excited to see this game because I think both of these teams are playoff-bound, and I think it'll be somewhat of a shoot-out. Sounds like Hines Ward might be out, but I don't think the Steelers will flinch with Emmanuel Sanders seeing increased time. End of the day, I like New England by 6.

@San Francisco (-8.5) over Cleveland
- I think the 49ers are in it for the long haul, especially in the ultra-week NFC West. At the end of the year, I wouldn't be at all surprised if San Fran earned a first round bye thanks to an NFC West-influenced Win/Loss record. The Browns have played very poorly on offense, and the 49ers boast one of the top defensive units in the league. May be an ugly game, but the 49ers win by 10.

@Seattle over Cincinnati (-3)
(Straight up: Seattle) - The Seahawks always seem to play well at home, and the Bengals aren't as good as their 4-2 record would indicate. Cincy will be without their top RB as Cedric Benson will serve a one-game suspension this week. I think the Seahawks make one more play than the Bengals in an ugly game; Seattle wins by 3.

@Philadelphia (-3.5) over Dallas
- Andy Reid doesn't lose games coming off the Bye Week. I'm tempted to pick Dallas because I could see Rob Ryan devising a plan to frustrate and confuse Mike Vick, but I think the Eagles will play with a little more urgency in this one. At 2-4, the Eagles need to turn things around quickly if they want to make the Playoffs. It'll be interesting to see how DeMarco Murray does following his 253 explosion last week. I like Philly in a close one: 28-24.

Monday Night (6-2) :
San Diego (-3.5) over @Kansas City
- The Chargers will probably lose this game. The more I look at it, the more I can see this being another let-down for San Diego. But I'm rolling with it anyways because I picked the Chargers to go to the Super Bowl this year. Rivers has not looked like himself yet this year, but he's due for an explosion pretty soon. For the sake of my Super Bowl pick, I'm gonna say the Chargers make a statement this week. Rivers plays his best game yet, and the Chargers win by 14 on the road at KC.