Week 8 of the 2016 NFL season is set to begin. This week the Ravens, Rams, Dolphins, Giants, Steelers, 49ers sit idle on bye weeks. For the other 26 teams I will now attempt to pick the winners of each game based off of the spreads. If you agree of disagree tweet at me @treydaubert to let me know where I’m wrong for my NFL week one predictions. *All spreads are courtesy of oddsshark.com
Thursday Night: Jaguars At Titans (JAC +3)
It’s another week of having to watch those ugly color rush jerseys. Tonight’s game features the Titans and Jaguars as you can see just how bad the jerseys will be here. This game will probably come down to the wire as both teams realistically have a chance to win a weak division. I like the points and this one having slightly more confidence in Blake Bortles.
Jaguars defeat Titans 20-17
Sunday 9:30 ET: Redskins At Bengals (WAS +3)
London games are flat out weird and tend to be low scoring. For whatever reason teams don’t tend to put up a lot of points. For that reason I will take the Redskins. Jay Gruden, the former Bengals offensive coordinator, knows Cincinnati and Andy Dalton better than anyone. Both offenses couldn’t be more similar, I just like Gruden taking the coaching advantage here. Cincy doesn’t appear to be the dominant force they were a year ago.
Redskins defeat Bengals 16-13
Sunday 1 ET: Jets At Browns (CLE +3)
Cleveland is only 3 point underdogs heading into this one as Vegas seems to think they have a realistic chance to win. I think they may be right. It appears Josh McCown will start for Cleveland who gave the team their best chance to snap their win-less season jumping out to a 20-0 lead over Baltimore before getting injured. Something strange is also happening in New York as quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick essentially said the team lost faith in him after he was benched in favor of Geno Smith. Now that Geno is out for the season, Fitzy will try his best to get this team back in contention. Again I may sound crazy but I like the points. I don’t have a great feel for this game either, it seems it could go either way.
Browns defeat Jets 24-21 OT
Sunday 1 ET: Chiefs At Colts (IND +2.5)
The Colts looked to get back on track after a win over the Titans but this Chiefs team is too good. The Colts feature a pass heavy offense that could be playing right into Kansas City’s hands featuring one of the best secondaries in the league with Marcus Peters and Eric Berry. Did I mention Indy ranks 29th in yards allowed? Alex Smith and co. should put up a lot of points in this one despite playing in that noisy dome.
Chiefs defeat Colts 31-20
Sunday 1 ET: Seahawks At Saints (NO +2.5)
The Saints home field advantage isn’t what it used to be. I’ll take the Seahawks giving up only 2.5 points. There is some cause for concern however. They are coming off an intense game that resulted in a 6-6 tie last week. It’s also clear that Russell Wilson isn’t 100 percent. Drew Brees will probably keep things interesting but I expect Seattle to put up a lot of points on the league’s worst defense.
Seahawks defeat Saints 27-21
Sunday 1 ET: Cardinals At Panthers (ARI +2.5)
The Panthers have been a mess this season but I think they will regroup following a bye. Let’s not forget Carolina is capable of running off 6 or 7 wins in a row. Arizona will also come in off that grueling 6-6 tie that may have negative consequences for Arizona. Carolina humiliated the Cards in last year’s NFC Championship game, I’ll take them here too.
Panthers defeat Cardinals 35-19
Sunday 1 ET: Lions At Texans (DET +2.5)
Matthew Stafford is probably the league’s MVP right now who’s having the best statistical season of any quarterback. Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter has had Stafford rolling. On the other end the Texans brass has had discussions of benching their quarterback Brock Osweiler after handing him a mega contract in the offseason. Osweiler has thrown for 8 touchdowns and 8 picks while frankly looking terrible along the way. Houston is carried by their defense but Detroit will put up points, I can’t say the same with Houston.
Lions defeat Texans 28-10
Sunday 1 ET: Patriots At Bills (BUF +6)
I have a feeling New England is going to try to embarrass the Bills in this one. Rex Ryan beat up on rookie quarterback Jacoby Brissett in the earlier meeting between the two teams. Now it’s Brady’s turn to do the same to the Bills. Bill Belichick obviously can’t be thrilled with Rex after he claimed he knew that he had inside information on the Patriots in the previous game. Pats win big here.
Patriots defeat Bills 41-6
Sunday 1 ET: Raiders At Buccaneers (OAK +1)
Derek Carr has a realistic chance at winning the MVP this season and has the Raiders rolling. The weird part is people are still doubting the Raiders as they are 1 point dogs to the Bucs. Jamies Winston and the Bucs probably have a bright future but they are not in the Raiders class just yet. Does anyone have more young talent than Oakland right now?
Raiders defeat Buccaneers 28-21
Sunday 4:05 ET: Chargers At Broncos (SD +5)
Disregard San Diego’s record, they are a legit football team. All four of their losses have been by one possession, most of which being utter heart breaking losses. The Chargers are the biggest chokers in the league but the return of offensive coordinator Ken Wisenhunt has reinvigorated this team as they rank 2nd in points per game (29.4). They already beat Denver once this season as it seemed they couldn’t move the ball the entire game. Broncos running back C.J. Anderson is also out for the season. Take the Chargers and the 5 points, this one is easy. San Diego defeated Denver in their previous meeting 20-13.
Chargers defeat Broncos 30-10
Sunday 4:25 ET: Packers At Falcons (GB +3)
I like the Pack in this one. Having played last Thursday, the Packers had some extra time to prepare for this game. Atlanta is also facing some turmoil having lost in overtime on a questionable failed 4th down conversation attempt. I know Atlanta has the best offense in the league but it just seems like that time where everything will go back to normal. Aaron Rodgers returns to elite status while Atlanta crumbles back into mediocrity? That sounds about right to me.
Packers defeat Falcons 26-21
Sunday Night: Eagles At Cowboys (PHI +4.5)
This game is interesting for a number of reasons. Does a win secure the starting job long term for Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott? Does Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz take over proving Dallas they were wrong not to trade up for him? Ultimately who takes control of this competitive NFC East? Dallas failed to win a home game last season and somehow are weirdly a better road team. I’m taking the Eagles plus the points. I expect this game to come down to a field goal regardless of who wins. The Eagles defense front featuring Fletcher Cox could cause problems for Dallas who rely heavily on the run game.
Eagles defeat Cowboys 34-31
Monday Night: Vikings At Bears (CHI +4.5)
For starters we aren’t sure who will be starting at quarterback for the Bears this week Jay Cutler or Matt Barkley? If it’s the later, the Vikings are a sure bet to win this game by a wide margin. If it’s Cutler, I still like the Vikings. The Vikings have the best defense in football. Sure they got punched in the mouth last week by the Eagles but I obviously saw that coming considering floppy sleeves Bradford was due to struggle in his return to Philly. Take the Vikings, Chicago is in serious contention for the first overall pick.
Vikings defeat Bears 18-0
