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Week eight of the NFL season is upon us and it is time to present the weekly series dedicated to early picks for each NFL game in the coming week. These picks are straight up and not against the spread. Here you get who the home team and away teams are as well as the chosen winner with a little data to back up that opinion. It is just that simple, clear and concise.
You will also get a weekly Lock of the Week. Each week I will pick one game that I feel cannot lose. With that will be supporting data to back up that stance. Obviously each week anything can happen in the NFL but there is always a game that sets itself apart from the others. There are a few shockers this week. Can Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski and crew keep rolling? Will Andrew Luck score enough to beat Cam Newton and crew? Who wins when Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay go to Denver to face Peyton Manning and the Broncos? Without any further trepidation enjoy the 2015-2016 NFL Week 8 Picks and Predictions, Lock of The Week.
Lock of the Week
New England Patriots over Miami Dolphins
I know that the Miami Dolphins scored 44 points last week. I know that Lamar Miller rushed for 175 and Ryan Tannehill threw four touchdowns. That is all true. Another point of truth is that the Houston Texans defense has made many opposing quarterbacks look better than they really are all season. The Dolphins are not a bad team but expecting them to go into New England and handle them is just asking a lot at this point.
Meanwhile, the Patriots just continue to roll. If you think deflate-gate does not matter to them then you are wrong. Regardless of your stance, one thing is true. The Patriots feel wronged and are making the league pay for it. The Jets put up a fight but could not get the job done. The Patriots are the highest scoring offense in the league and that should continue against the Dolphins who are 14th in the league against the pass.
Yes it is a division game and yes the Dolphins have something to prove. Unfortunately for them, it will only prove they still cannot hang with the Patriots.
2015 Lock of the Week Record: 7-0-0
| Time (ET) | Away | Home | Pick |
| 8:25 | Miami Dolphins | New England Patriots | Patriots |
| The Patriots are doing things at a historic clip. They are on a mission and taking it out against the league. The Dolphins have won two in a row but against poor teams. Don't expect them to score 40+ in NE and that probably still would not be enough. | |||
| 9:30 | Detroit Lions | Kansas City Chiefs | Chiefs |
| West looked like what the Chiefs wanted last week which is a good sign and takes pressure of Alex Smith. The Lions fired large portions of their offensive coaching staff this past week and now got to London. Stability wins this week. | |||
| 1:00 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Atlanta Falcons | Falcons |
| The Bucs with the rookie QB just find ways to lose games like last week against Washington. The Falcons, find ways to win most of theirs and they are at home. It is what it is. | |||
| 1:00 | San Diego Chargers | Baltimore Ravens | Chargers |
| Both teams are on losing streaks and both do not get blown out but…Baltimore lost two of their last three to the 49ers and Browns. The Raven's are not good at home and the Chargers are not good on the road. In a poor coin toss I take the Chargers firepower. | |||
| 1:00 | Minnesota Vikings | Chicago Bears | Vikings |
| The Bears are not good (The Lions appreciate that) and the Vikings are solid. The Bears home field is not what it once was. AP and crew go in and get the win in a closer game than it should probably be. | |||
| 1:00 | Arizona Cardinals | Cleveland Browns | Cardinals |
| The Cardinals are a solid and complete team and the Browns are not. The Browns have lost two in a row and are 1-4 in their last five. The recipe is a road team win. | |||
| 1:00 | Tennessee Titans | Houston Texans | Texans |
| Hoyer is the guy in Houston and it is a lock with the release of Mallett. Arian Foster is gone for the year, again which puts Blue back in the mix. Mariota may or may not go. With some much flux I take the home team. | |||
| 1:00 | New York Giants | New Orleans Saints | Saints |
| The Giants scored on Off, Def and ST last week but Eli was average at best lately. The Saints and Brees and have looked good in two straight quality wins. I will take the hotter of the two. | |||
| 1:00 | Cincinnati Bengals | Pittsburgh Steelers | Steelers |
| The Bengals are for real and Andy Dalton is living up to his potential. The Steelers get Big Ben back and that changes everything. At home with Bell, Bryant, Brown and Ben the Steelers give the Bengals their first blemish. | |||
| 1:00 | San Francisco 49ers | St Louis Rams | Rams |
| In a battle of two less than great offenses I look to defense. The Rams defense is just flat out better and they are at home. As long as they do not burn the field they get the win. | |||
| 4:05 | New York Jets | Oakland Raiders | Raiders |
| The Jets loss to NE was no surprise but neither is the fact that they really have not beaten a good team yet (Not their fault, it’s the schedule they have). The Raiders are coming around and that offense will give the Jets fits. This will be a close one and call me crazy but I think the Silver and Black use the TE to move the ball this week and squeak out a close one. | |||
| 4:25 | Seattle Seahawks | Dallas Cowboys | Seahawks |
| Matt Cassell made Weeden look good last week and that was after a bye week. The Seahawks line does have problems but not as many as the lost four straight Cowboys. I like the road team in Jerry's house. | |||
| 8:30 | Green Bay Packers | Denver Broncos | Broncos |
| The battle of the unbeaten is coming. Peyton Manning is struggling, which should be expected but the defense has held them together. Neither team has an impressive resume at this point but did handle all they needed to. In a close one, I will take the old man and crew at home. | |||
| 8:30 | Indianapolis Colts | Carolina Panthers | Panthers |
| Carolina does not win pretty but they do win. Superman finds a way each and every week. The Colts only wins are against the AFC South. The Panthers have marquee wins. Luck will throw for 300+ but it will be in a losing effort. | |||
Do you think the upsets will pan out? Weigh in with your thoughts and let’s talk about it. So what did you think of the 2015-2016 NFL Week 8 Picks and Predictions, Lock of The Week? Do you agree? Disagree? Let’s hear your thoughts.
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