NFL 2014 Week 8 picks

This is the type of week that I dread -- where I favor WAY too many visiting teams.  I just beginning to recover from my abyssmal first two weeks of the season, and now I face another disaster.  Oh well, not much to do about that.

Thursday night:  San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos:  This game is the battle for the lead in the AFC West.  San Diego had been leading, but the Broncos have been improving recently.  I usually favor the home game in these situations, especially since both teams rely more on offense than defense, and I'll do that.  Watch out for San Diego, though.  BRONCOS, 34-30

Sunday morning (London game):  Detroit Lions v Atlanta Falcons:  This one does quite concern me as much as other road games, as BOTH teams are on the road.  The Lions offense is doing okay, but their real power lies on the defensive side of the ball.  The Falcons have crumbled against tough defenses this season, and that will likely happen again.  LIONS, 24-13

Sunday early games:
Buffalo Bills at New York Jets:  The Jets may have battled hard against their rival Patriots, but that may have exhausted them.  Of course, the Bills are used to close wins, so this one may end up the same way.  BILLS, 23-20

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals:  If anyone would have shut out the Bengals, I would have picked the Ravens.  I don't think they'll suffer two in a row, but this will be a pretty one-sided game unless the Bengals get themselves straightened out quickly.  RAVENS, 26-13

Chicago Bears at New England Patriots:  The Pats are clicking, while the Bears are floundering.  Worse, their run defense can't stop anyone, which gives Bill Belichick a chance to really control the flow of the game.  PATS, 27-20

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans:  The Texans may be nose-diving, but they are still a better team than the Titans.  Hell, JJ Watt alone can beat the Titans.  TEXANS, 24-16

Miami Dolphins at Jacksonville Jaguars:  The Jags won their first game last week, but they won't make it two in a row.  DOLPHINS, 23-13

Minnesota Vikings at Tampa Bay Bucs:  The Bucs could really win this game, but I am hesitant to pick them.  They falter at the worst times, and they could do that this week.  Teddy Bridgewater is starting to show some of his college flair, and the Bucs defense can't stop anything.  Watch for the upset, but I have to favor another road team.  VIKINGS, 24-20

Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers:  Here's another ripe upset, but for other reasons.  The Seahawks have lost two in a row, and I doubt Coach Carroll will let it go to three in a row.  However, the Panthers have an annoying habit of playing up to the level of their opponents (or playing down when they get overconfident), and beating the defending Super Bowl Champ would be a great incentive.  Still, I'll pick Seattle.  SEAHAWKS, 23-20

St Louis Rams at Kansas City Chiefs:  The Chiefs are finding some life, which should be enough to overcome the struggling Rams, especially with the defense the Chiefs have shown.  CHIEFS, 26-20

Sunday late games:
Indianapolis Colts at Pittsburgh Steelers:  The Steelers offense scored 24 points in a short period at the end of the first half, but that's not normal for them.  They won't be able to keep up with the Colts offense.  COLTS, 31-20

Oakland Raiders at Cleveland Browns:  At the start of the season, I thought might be Oakland's best chance to score a victory, but the Browns are actually doing well.  The have to favor them, especially since I'm not picking very many home teams.  BROWNS, 23-13

Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals:  The high-powered offense of the Eagles meets the stingy defense of the Cardinals.  Usually I favor the defense here, especially when it's the home team, but the Eagles move so fast I'm not sure the Cards can keep up.  This may be a game that goes the other way, though, if I'm wrong about the speed of Arizona's defense.  EAGLES, 30-23

Sunday night:  Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints:  The Saints will keep this close, but I think they will ultimately fall short.  They are starting to argue among themselves, and that's when they self-destruct.  PACKERS, 27-23

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:  Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys:  Here's where the Redskins will regret putting McCoy under center.  The Cowboys defense will hound him incessantly, and the Cowboys offense will roll.  COWBOYS, 31-13