The Sports Headquarters

Week 8 in the NFL is upon us and it is time to bring back the Mrs. to help you win money, because apparently she is the only site participant with that ability at this juncture.  Yes in the battle of the sexes the wife rolled in the first week to a 9-4 record, I stumbled to another 6-7 week.

So no fancy intro, let’s get right to it:

New Orleans @ St. Louis (+13.5): Do the Rams even keep it within 20?  That’s the real question to me.  There isn’t really a lot of analysis that goes into this one; hell did you see the Saints offense last week against the lowly Colts?  It must be nice to see back to back winless teams as one of the best teams in the league without their starting quarterbacks.

As an aside, can we PLEASE stop crowning quarterbacks as the next great thing until they win some games?  Bradford hasn’t won yet, let’s see if year two of being an awful team, and yes I know they almost won the NFC West last year they still weren’t good, wears on him, or if he is able to continue to develop.

I will leave you with one good thought though: Drew Brees single handedly save my fantasy season, with the only double digit scorers being my TE and K, I needed a huge game from him, and he provided that.  Thanks Brees.

Saints-38
Rams- 10

The Mrs. – Saints. But can I just say what they did last week to the Colts was just wrong. We all know the Colts are nothing without Peyton but come on do you have to cream them just to prove it even more?

Miami @ New York Giants (-9.5):

The Mrs. – Giants. I like Eli and the Dolphins are almost as bad as the Colts.

I’ll leave her analysis up, because it goes fine there.

Giants- 28
Dolphins- 10

Jacksonville@ Houston (-9.5):

The defensive performance by the Jags has been completely overlooked this week as Flacco and the Ravens have been torched by the “experts”.  That doesn’t go unnoticed here at TSHQ and for that I will give you your do Jags.  That’s the type of defense that the fans in LA will love, of course that offense needs to improve if you are truly going to win over the new fans.

Texans- 21
Jags- 13

Jaguars. This was a game last week that I was very wrong about being the Texans won by 34 points but I am still feeling Jacksonville so hopefully they will pull off the win.

Arizona@ Baltimore (-12.5): I’m boycotting talking about the Cards in previews from here on out until they are at least playing better.

Baltimore- 31
Cards- 17

The Mrs. – Cardinals and I am really hoping we can pull off a win this week. I am no football expert and even I know there have been games we should have won but for some reason we really suck at protecting our quarterback so he can at least throw the ball.

Minnesota @ Carolina (-3.5):

Hey the Panthers ran the football, made Cam Newton a game manager and let him make plays in spots and won the game.  Shocking, I know.  The Panthers have such a fantastic running game, which includes Newton’s abilities; I don’t understand why they refuse to use it.

Ponder came in and put on a great performance at times, and a very rookie like performance at others, yet the Vikings were close to pulling off the upset and handing the Packers their first loss of the season.

This game really comes down to the running game of the Vikings vs the passing game of the Panthers.  If the Panthers get their 30 combined carries from Williams, Stewart and Newton, they are winning this game, but if they pass the ball more, can they do enough in limited possessions against a power running game of the Vikings?

I’ll hedge my bet, and take the Panthers to win, but Vikes to cover.

Panthers- 27
Vikings- 24

The Mrs. – Panthers but this should be a fun game to watch since both teams are playing rookie quarterbacks. (Yes I actually do know somewhat about what is going on in football, we watch A LOT of sports in this house!)

Indiana @ Tennessee (-9): The Colts are TERRIBLE.  It really is a travesty that one player has such an effect on a team, but it seems to be that way in Indy, and it isn’t getting easier.  I just hope they are able to score more this week, and keep it competitive.

The Titans have to get Chris Johnson going if they are ever going to make me look like a genius with them as my pick to win the South.  Come on man!

Titans- 28
Colts- 13

The Mrs. – Colts even though I was called crazy for picking them last week which obviously I was but we will call this positive thinking!

Detroit @ Denver (+3):

This is such a big game for both teams, and that is simply because they have something to prove after last week.  The Lions are coming off back to back home losses, and the shine on a great season is starting to rub off just a little bit, but winning this game, getting back on track and showing that you weren’t a fluke is a big deal.

They have to do so with zero running game, as Maurice Morris is the best back on the roster, and all that does is make you want to pass the ball.

They also need to find a way to keep Tebow in a base offense, because as I noted in my Week 7 Power Rankings, he is only worth a damn in obvious passing situations.

For the Broncos, keep it close and hope Tebow has a little magic at the end.  Oh, and run the shit out of the middle of that ultra soft run defense.

Broncos- 28
Lions- 27

The Mrs. – Broncos and looks like I was right about Tim, he is just something special!

Washington @ Buffalo (-4.5): Wait, I can get the Bills plus points against a Skins team that has every playmaker on the injured list?

Done

Bills- 35
Skins- 28

The Mrs. – Redskins. Just the first instinct I had.

Cincinnati @ Seattle (+2): I have either Andy Dalton or AJ Green as my offensive Rookie of the Year, so I don’t think playing against an awful Seahawks team, even without Cedric Benson, is going to be that hard.  Of course I am always wrong on these games, so take that for what it is.

Bengals- 21
Seahawks- 7

The Mrs. – Bengals. Again just my first thought but I also don’t really like the Seahawks much.

New England @ Pittsburgh (+3): I hate this game, the best game of the week obviously, and something I am stoked to watch, but I have no idea who to bet on.

I mean in one corner we have a very balanced offense in New England.  On the other side of the ball for the Pats we have one of the worst defenses in the NFL.

For the Steelers, we have an inconsistent offense, but a great defense.

So how do we decide?  Coin flip.

Heads= Pats
Tails= Steelers

Heads it is.

Pats- 28
Steelers- 24

The Mrs. – Patriots…as much as I can’t stand Tom Brady I dislike the Steelers more. Probably to do with a Super Bowl game that we are still not allowed to speak of in this house.

This brings us to the three teams I have no idea how to figure out.  I don’t know how the 49ers are the second best team in the NFC record wise, I have no idea if Philly is going to get their heads screwed on straight, and the Chiefs I left for dead after their first three games.

Now, the 49ers should roll the Browns, and their awful offense, the Eagles should be in desperation mode because they can’t afford to lose this game, and the Chiefs will pull even for the division with a win.

I have no idea what to do, so I am taking the favorites in every game to cover.  I think.

You know what, I’ll let the Mrs. break this down the rest of the way, because I give up trying to figure out the NFL week to week.

Cleveland @ San Francisco (-9):

49ers- 31
Browns- 10

The Mrs. – Browns. Being a Cardinals fan we always like to watch our biggest rivals lose plus that helps with our tiny little chance of making it out of the regular season.

Dallas @ Philadelphia (-3):

Eagles- 24
Cowboys- 20

The Mrs. – Eagles because we all know of my dislike for the Cowboys. Plus I really liked that Mark Wahlberg movie.

San Diego@ Kansas City (+3.5):

Chargers- 27
Chiefs- 21

The Mrs. – Chiefs. They pulled off a win against the much hated Raiders last week so I will keep with a good thing.