I’m stuck in mediocrity. Another .500 week just doesn’t cut it when attempting to win the SuperContest.
And boy, I was close to having a decent week. Cleveland had several opportunities to win its week 7 game, and Dallas missed a field goal at the end of regulation to miss out on a cover.
Winning games, like picking the right team to cover, is a matter of inches. Let’s hope the ball bounces a few directions in my way this week in the week 8 NFL picks.
Overall: 18-21-3 ATS
SuperContest: 14-17-4 ATS (16 points)
Favorites: 8-12-1 ATS
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers (-8)
I love this pick.
The Browns are forced to play back-to-back road games. They’ve also played three overtime games in the last four games. And this last overtime game was a devastating result in week 7.
Couple those with Pittsburgh’s emerging offense and defense and this has all the makings of a major blowout.
Pittsburgh is starting to gain traction on the defensive side of the ball, allowing 5.2 yards per play in the last three games, down from its season average of 5.6. The Pittsburgh offense is still humming at 6.2 yards per play, while Cleveland ranks 29th in yards per play at 5. And in the week 7 game against a dismal Tampa Bay defense, the Browns had plenty of difficulties moving the ball.
Everything is pointing to a blowout. I don’t care if this number is more than a touchdown, it should easily be enough. — Go Chalk with Pittsburgh
Baltimore Ravens (-2) at Carolina Panthers
Usually, I’m all in on Carolina’s home-field advantage, but I can’t look past Baltimore’s stingy defense.
Even New Orleans’s high-powered offense had difficulties moving the ball against Baltimore in week 7. And for about three quarters in week 7, Carolina’s offense looked like it wasn’t going anywhere.
I’ll give the Panthers some credit, since they mounted a major comeback late against Philadelphia in week 7. However, that should present some red flags, especially with an offense that has done little in the passing game.
To move the ball effectively against Baltimore, offenses need to be diverse. Carolina’s rushing attack is good, but the passing offense isn’t enough to keep the Ravens defense at bay. — Go Chalk with Baltimore
Indianapolis Colts (-3) at Oakland Raiders
I could be going crazy, since Indianapolis’ roster is about as bad as Buffalo’s, but there’s no reason to believe Andrew Luck will allow the Colts to lose.
Oakland owns the worst defense in the NFL. And now it doesn’t have Amari Cooper on offense and there’s too much discussion happening in public about the confidence in quarterback Derek Carr.
Oakland is a mess. Teams that are undergoing that kind of stress at this juncture of the season is a very bad sign. Indianapolis is getting healthier and the defense actually hasn’t been that bad at times this season.
I know it’s difficult to favor the Colts in any road game, but Luck is good enough to propel this team to victory. — Go Chalk with Indianapolis
