NFL Week Eight Predictions

By Brett Malamud

A recordbreaker, a fantasy football stud, and “the next Tom Brady or Kurt Warner” are few of the many who will suit up this week. Here are your week eight predictions:

BYES: Giants, 49ers

-Chargers (5-2) at Broncos (5-1), Thursday @ 8:25 PM EST

This is shaping up to be a great game. The Broncos head into this matchup coming off of Peyton Manning’s record breaking performance and he shows no signs of slowing down. The Chargers are hungry though, and a week after taking a loss at home to the Kansas City Chiefs, they’ll look to bounce back on the road. Both teams are passing teams and that will be a big factor in the game. I’m going with the safe bet here by taking Manning and the Broncos. Verdict: Broncos

-Lions (5-2) at Falcons (2-5), Sunday @ 9:30 AM EST

At this moment in time, the Lions have the top ranked defense according to the NFL. They’ll travel to the Georgia Dome to take on the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons enter with the 30th ranked defense, but the sixth ranked offense. Defense wins games and they’ll win this one. I’m taking the Lions. Verdict: Lions

-Vikings (2-5) at Buccaneers (1-5), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

This will probably turn out to be a close game but could be a boring one. The Vikings competed with the Bills this week and barring a last second touchdown catch by Sammy Watkins, they would’ve won the game. This week will probably be different and will end in a win for the Vikings. Look for Teddy Bridgewater to come alive in this one. Verdict: Vikings

-Bills (4-3) at Jets (1-6), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

Could the Jets start their season at 1-7? At the beginning of the season, that was what I thought they’d do. Unlike my prediction, they probably won’t win their final eight in a row (Yeah that was a pretty insane prediction) to snag a playoff spot. The addition of Percy Harvin will be a bit of a decoy but won’t make an immediate impact simply because of this: If Geno Smith cannot accurately throw the ball to Percy Harvin, then Harvin is a non-factor. They’ll face the Bills here and I’ll take a shot on them in this game for the upset. Verdict: Jets

-Bears (3-4) at Patriots (5-2), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

The Patriots escaped with a win last week against the Jets. They won’t see it getting any easier for them this week when they host the Chicago Bears. The Bears enter this week off of a bad game against the Dolphins last week. They’re going to have a rough time against Tom Brady. Verdict: Patriots

–Seahawks (3-3) at Panthers (3-3-1), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

I’ve been looking forward to this game for a few week now. Russell Wilson and Cam Newton have been two of the top running quarterbacks this season. This week they’ll put it on the line to see who can lead their team to victory. I’m going to go with Wilson, but expect Newton to test the Seahawks defense. Verdict: Seahawks 

–Dolphins (3-3) at Jaguars (1-6), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

The Dolphins came out on top in their matchup against the Chicago Bears, and should have no problem this week. They’ll take on the Jaguars, who finally got their first win last week against the Browns Verdict: Dolphins 

-Ravens (5-2) at Bengals (3-2-1), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

The Bengals were shut out last week against the Colts but look to move on. They’ll probably take a loss this week though to the Ravens, who took down the Atlanta Falcons last week. Verdict: Ravens

-Texans (3-4) at Titans (2-5), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

Both of these teams took losses last week and will attempt to change what have become disappointing seasons. The team that can step up on defense will win this one and I think it’ll be Houston Verdict: Texans

-Rams (2-4) at Chiefs (3-3), Sunday @ 1:00 PM EST

Brett Favre said that Rams quarterback Austin Davis could be “the next Tom Brady or Kurt Warner.” That’s a pretty big compliment coming from one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of football. This week he’ll turn his attention the Kansas City Chiefs, whose defense was one of the leagues best last season. I can see him getting by though, and the Rams will win a close one. Verdict: Rams

Austin Davis: the next Tom Brady? (Via AP)

–Eagles (5-1) at Cardinals (5-1), Sunday @ 4:05 PM EST

This is my game of the week. The Eagles come off of their bye week and head into Phoenix to play the Cardinals. In their last game, Philadelphia shut out the New York Giants and were clicking on all cylinders. This week they’ll take on the Arizona Cardinals, who had a bit of a break last week when they faced the dreaded Oakland Raiders. This game will probably be decided in the final minutes, and I believe that the Eagles will come out on top. Verdict: Eagles

–Colts (5-2) at Steelers (4-3), Sunday @ 4:25 PM EST

Last week, Andrew luck had another great performance in route to a shut out over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers won last week, but didn’t really show that they could make some noise this coming week. Indianapolis will take the W. Verdict: Colts

–Raiders (0-6) at Cleveland (3-3), Sunday @ 4:25 PM EST

Can the Raiders finally win one? The Jacksonville Jaguars won their first game against the Cleveland Browns last weekend. This week Cleveland will take on the Oakland Raiders and hope to come out with a win. I think that they’re too good for Oakland and will coast to the victory. Verdict: Browns

–Packers (5-2) at Saints (2-4), Sunday @ 8:30 PM EST

R-E-L-A-X. Aaron Rodgers has got it under control. He threw for three more touchdowns last week in a huge win over the Panthers. Drew Brees, meanwhile, has had the worst of luck this season and can’t seem to win games. This week, the quarterback duel should be fun to watch but ultimately, the Packers will win the game. Verdict: Packers

–Redskins (2-5) at Cowboys (6-1), Monday @ 8:30 PM EST

Two NFC rivals will go head to head in this week eight matchup. DeMarco Murray continues to dominate each and every week that should continue this week. On the other side, Kirk Cousins was pulled from the game in favor of Colt McCoy, who led Washington to the victory. The Cowboys will take this one, and it could be by a landslide. Verdict: Cowboys

Brett Malamud is a Computer Science Major at Binghamton University. He is the co-founder of dabuzzza.com. His favorite athletes are Derek Jeter and Todd Bertuzzi. You can follow him on twitter at @brettnyy