WEEK 8: BLOWOUT BONANZA?

Okay, "Blowout Bonanza" may be a bit hyperbolic, but looking at what happened in the Thursday Night debacle and at some of the spreads this week, we're not looking at a lot of barn burners.  

Courtesy of Deadspin.com

Five of the twelve remaining games this week have spreads of nine or higher and only and only three have spreads under six. Now, a seven point win is hardly a blowout and, of course, spreads don't necessarily indicate what will happen, but they are based on whatever information is available. All in all, it looks like your own team playing or fantasy football will be driving viewership this week.

NINERS VS. JAGUARS (+15) @ LONDON- The Niners are starting to get a little swagger back and the Jags are, well, bad. Jacksonville is 0-7, but it is hard to say they have even looked close to winning a game this season. They did have their shining moment, being right with Peyton Manning and the Broncos going into the half, but as Peyton Manning and the Broncos are want to do, they pulled away in the second half. The Jaguars have lost every game this season by ten or more points.In five of the seven games they have lost by 15 or more points and another game they lost by 14. So while a spread this large in the NFL is tough to bet on, there is really nothing pointing to the Jaguars covering. But hey, the Jaguars may be just darned awful, at least they get a free trip to London, right? Niners 37-9

COWBOYS @ LIONS (-3)- Is it just me or do the Cowboys always seem to underachieve? A dash of talent a teaspoon of hype and you get one Cowboy fizzle. I have never been much of a fan of Tony Romo, possibly because he is on the Cowboys? I mean, a mid-major football program QB in the NFL? Should be my bread and butter, right? Well, this dislike certainly wasn't helped by the fact I was saddled with Romo at QB last year in fantasy football. Romo has been the borderline definition of inconsistency. Am I sure I know what the Lions are this season? No. So oddly, I am going with the Cowboys. Cowboys 31-28

GIANTS @ EAGLES (-5.5)- Hey, whaddya know, the Giants won a game! The weird thing here is, if the Giants win this game and the Cowboys manage to lose, the G-men are two games out of first in their division and will be a game back of the Eagles with half a season to go. What?! Yes, that is how bad the NFC East has been this season.It's hard to say that a win over that semblance of football team from Minnesota on Monday night is any indication of the G-men righting the ship, but maybe, just maybe that's what they need to get going? Giants 24-21

BROWNS @ CHIEVES (-7.5)- The Chieves are 7-0. That's right folks, the Kansas City Chieves are the last undefeated team in the NFL this season. However you slice it, that is an accomplishment. Now years ago my buddy Billyball and I had a spirited conversation at one of our local watering holes regarding the subject of an early season record for a certain team at the time and what it actually meant. We have since, had a running inside joke that has been spawned from this conversation where our response to any team peppered with early season hype due to a fast start is simply, "But who have they played?". This is absolutely only funny to us, but the Chieves have recently reminded me of this. The very talented Joe Posnanski lays it out pretty well, here, but the basic premise is many are still doubting the goodness of KC. If the Broncos were still undefeated, we'd be hearing about them making a run at 16-0, but not with these Chieves. Through no fault of their own, the Chieves have not really played any tough opponents and in the NFL, there are no polls to determine the playoff teams, only wins and losses. Add to the fact that the remaining schedule, outside of two games against Denver, does not look overly taxing and we may not know how good the Chieves really are, until playoff time. Chieves 20-10

BILLS @ SAINTS (-11)- I am not going to downplay the Saints, but there is just something feisty and gritty about these Bills.Now Spiller may not play, but really he hasn't been playing much, all season, so I am not sure this will affect the Bills too much. Circle the wagons, folks! Saints 23-20

DOLPHINS @ PATRIOTS (-6.5)- There's something unsettling about the Patriots this year.I would say they are, arguably, the toughest pick against the spread. Until last week, they were rocking that Pats persona of back in '01 where they just find ways to win.They have not looked good this season, on offense anyways. The defense was looking strong, but losing your three best defensive starters can turn that around quickly. Phins are, I dunno, mediocre. This could be a close one, but for some reason, my guts says the Pats squeak one out at home. Patriots 24-20  

JETS @ BENGALS (-6)- The Bengals are very similar to the Chieves, I think. The Bengals are not being mentioned in the same vein as KC, but are similarly off to a good start. I just don't see a clutchiness to Andy Dalton but I feel, much like KC, they have a reliable defense and an offense that does not make glaring mistakes. Cincy has also only won one game my more than a score. They keep things close, but know how to win, I guess. Bengals 16-9

STEELERS @ RADIERS (+2.5)- Sometimes I completely forget about the Raiders. It's easy to do, really. Steelers 21-14

REDSKINS @ BRONCOS (-12)- The Redskins surprised me last week against the Bears. The Broncos, are not the Bears, but expect another shootout. Broncos 41-31

FALCONS @ CARDINALS (-2.5)- Battle of the Birds in 'Zona! okay, so maybe that wasn't deserving of exclamation, but what can I say, I needed to pep it up a bit. hey, look, I know the Falcons have had some big injuries on offense, but I still refuse to believe this team is as bad as their record and numbers show, thus far. Plus, Steven Jackson looks to play this week. Falcons 31-20

PACKERS @ VIKINGS (+9)- Even down most of his receivers, Aaron Rodgers should still be able to shred the Vikings, especially if they continue to let Josh Freeman throw at will. Did putting emphasis on the pass for Josh Freeman's sake on Monday not make sense to anyone else? I am all for letting a new QB get acclimated to a new system, but you still need to focus on giving your team the best shot at winning and if you have Adrian Petersen, he is your best shot at winning. If the argument is that Giants were winless and they could get away with that, well, that won't really fly. I mean, don't all coaches preach not underestimating an opponent? The converse argument could be that the Vikes are throwing in the towel on the season already, but if that's the case, why bother getting Freeman in the first place? Well, whatever is happening in Minnesota, doesn't look good right now. Packers 27-10

SEAHAWKS @ RAMS (+11)- There is a small part of me that feels like this is a typical trap game for the 'Hawks, but then again I thought that when the Rams hosted the Niners on a Thursday night and how'd that turn out? Seahawks 31-13