Mike Ivcic’s Week 8 NFL Preview and Free Picks

By Mike Ivcic, UltimateCapper Contributing Writer

Week 8 predictions from Mike Ivcic:

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Minnesota Vikings
Thu, 8:20pm, NFLN
Line: Vikings by 7
I’ll take the Vikings to win this game because they’re the better team and are playing at home, but a full touchdown? Tampa’s been a pretty frisky team this year, so I’ll say they cover.
Pick: Minnesota 20, Tampa Bay 17

Atlanta Falcons @ Philadelphia Eagles
Sun, 1pm, FOX
Line: Eagles by 1
Andy Reid is 13-0 after a bye week. Atlanta is 6-0 this season. Something has to give, and even though Atlanta’s the better team here, I’m going with the history that dates back to 1998 instead of week one.
Pick: Philadelphia 21, Atlanta 17

Carolina Panthers @ Chicago Bears
Sun, 1pm, FOX
Line: Bears by 9
52 players and 9 coaches for the Panthers have spent the entire week scraping the tread marks off themselves after Cam Newton threw every single one of them under the world’s biggest bus. And did I mention the general manager was fired? Sounds exactly like the recipe for success heading on the road to play arguably the best and most complete team in the game.
Pick: Chicago 34, Carolina 13

Indianapolis Colts @ Tennessee Titans
Sun, 1pm, CBS
Line: Titans by 3.5
I still don’t believe in Tennessee and I picked Indianapolis as a sleeper team in the AFC this year (hard not to be a contender when the wild card slots are a four-way tie at 3-3) so I’m going with an outright upset for the road underdog in this crucial AFC South battle.
Pick: Indianapolis 27, Tennessee 24

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Jacksonville Jaguars @ Green Bay Packers
Sun, 1pm, CBS
Line: Packers by 16
Generally speaking I get queasy when looking at double-digit lines (thus why I picked the Jets last week) but Jacksonville without Gabbert and MJD might be the worst NFL team ever put on a field in my lifetime – and I watched the 0-16 Lions.
Pick: Green Bay 37, Jacksonville 6

Miami Dolphins @ New York Jets
Sun, 1pm, CBS
Line: Jets by 1
Let me once again dispel the notion that the Jets performance in Foxboro last week is any indication that this team is even somewhat decent. They’re not. The Patriots are just that average now too. But the Jets have beaten this Dolphins team on the road already, so I’ll take them for the home win too.
Pick: New York 23, Miami 17

New England Patriots @ St. Louis Rams
Sun, 1pm, CBS
Line: Patriots by 7
Two weeks ago the Pats gave the Seahawks a touchdown spread and coughed up a late lead and lost. St. Louis may not be quite as talented, and Seattle may be just a bit tougher place to play for road teams, but something tells me the Rams at least cover this game. I only say this so that what I’m about to write doesn’t look as bad if it’s wrong.
Pick: New England 28, St. Louis 17

San Diego Chargers @ Cleveland Browns
Sun, 1pm, CBS
Line: Chargers by 2.5
Oh, the dreaded half-point. I’m actually tempted to just take Cleveland outright here, especially considering the way San Diego buckled two Mondays ago and the fact that Norv Turner is prominently involved. Plus, Brandon Weeden has looked to be a solid QB in recent weeks, it’s a 1pm game for a West Coast team… ok, why not?
Pick: Cleveland 16, San Diego 13

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Seattle Seahawks @ Detroit Lions
Sun, 1pm, FOX
Line: Lions by 1
Another one-point home line, this time a flailing Lions team hosting a Seahawks team that has been one of the biggest surprises of the season. Seattle’s 3-0 at home but only 1-3 on the road, though, so in this virtual pick ’em game, I’m going with Detroit.
Pick: Detroit 24, Seattle 21

Washington Redskins @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Sun, 1pm, FOX
Line: Steelers by 4.5
Say this about RGIII and the Redskins – they have been in every single game this season, with all four losses coming by one possession or less. They lead the league in rushing and will be playing in potentially nasty conditions in a bad-weather city. They’re actually built more for this game than Pittsburgh is, and with the AFC’s inferiority this season, I’m again taking the upset.
Pick: Washington 17, Pittsburgh 13

Oakland Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs
Sun, 4:05pm, CBS
Line: Chiefs by 1
Regardless of record, I always like watching games involving the Chiefs and Raiders, which is good because living in Philadelphia, this is my CBS game this week. The one issue is that the records are both terrible, but the sad part is that an Oakland win leaves them with the possibility of being tied for first at the end of the week. Oh, to play in the AFC West.
Pick: Oakland 20, Kansas City 16

New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys
Sun, 4:25pm, FOX
Line: Giants by 2
Consider this the division-defining game for Tony Romo and the Cowboys. A win here and they still have a shot to catch the Giants. A loss? Well, let’s just say Jerry Jones may be posting the job openings of “head coach” and “quarterback” on craigslist shortly.
Pick: New York 30, Dallas 24

New Orleans Saints @ Denver Broncos
Sun, 8:20pm, NBC
Line: Broncos by 6
This line opened at 2 and jumped to 6 – people can’t get on the Peyton Manning bandwagon fast enough. I do believe this Saints team will hang around, though, so I’m going with a narrow Broncos victory and praying Vegas knew what they were doing the first time.
Pick: Denver 30, New Orleans 27

San Francisco 49’ers @ Arizona Cardinals
Mon, 8:30pm, ESPN
Line: 49’ers by 7
Along with the Cowboys and Giants from opening day to week 2, the 49’ers just received the longest non-bye-week break of any team this season, going from Thursday against Seattle to Monday against Arizona. Give Jim Harbaugh that much time to prepare and a really good team that much time to heal, and San Fran rolls in this one.
Pick: San Francisco 31, Arizona 10

Straight-Up: 62-43
Against Spread: 41-61-3

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