As the weeks disappear, I’m still scratching my head about that week 3 loss by Minnesota.

That eliminated pretty much everyone in Survivor Pools, including me. Had it not been for that major upset to Buffalo, I’d still be humming along, getting more confident as the weeks rolled along. However, there’s nothing I can do about that now, so if you’re still alive, congratulations, and here’s the week 8 NFL Survivor Pool picks.

Teams Used: Green Bay, Los Angeles Rams, Minnesota (loss), Jacksonville, Carolina, Houston, Indianapolis

Ben Roethlisberger should help Pittsburgh as one of the week 8 quarterbacks to start. Flickr/http://bit.ly/1iAQv7r/Jeffrey Beall

Best Bet

Pittsburgh Steelers

I really like this pick. Cleveland is battling through back-to-back road games, and has now been crushed and then lost on a ridiculous overtime field goal in the last two weeks. The Browns have played overtime games in three of the last four games.

The Browns will be tired and I’m worried about how a rookie quarterback will be able to man this ship.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is coming off a bye week and looks to be heading in the right direction. The defense has stabilized itself in recent weeks and the offense looks to be back on track. The Steelers average over a yard more per play than the Browns and are actually allowing fewer yards per play in the last three games.

Don’t overthink this one. The Browns are tired and the Steelers are ready to make their move.

Sleeper Pick

Chicago Bears

Here’s another case where a rookie quarterback will undergo some growing pains.

Sam Darnold has not had it easy this season on occasion. Like most rookie quarterbacks, he is experiencing some peaks and valleys, and this one seems like a valley.

The Bears offense has shown some improvement in recent weeks and the Jets have looked worse on the defensive side of the ball. I don’t expect the Jets to do much offensively, so the Bears should hold a strong advantage with this being home.

If you’ve already taken the Steelers and don’t want to use the Patriots, the Bears offer a nice pick,

Be Careful

Cincinnati Bengals

I’ve been red hot with my “Be Careful” picks in recent weeks, so this is worth a bit of caution.

The Bengals are a streaky team. Cincinnati looked like a playoff contender in the early season. In recent weeks, though, even in a win against Miami a few weeks ago, I’m not sure if the Bengals have been better than mediocre.

Cincinnati fell in primetime once again in week 7, and that was just another instance where this offense has shown little life. In the last three weeks, the Bengals are averaging 5 yards per play. The Buccaneers, the week 8 opponent, are averaging 6.1 yards per play in that same time period.

I had this game as a much bigger mismatch, until I looked at the stats. On paper, Tampa Bay is every bit as good, if not better. Much of the tape suggests the Bengals should win, but it’s worrisome with some of the trends being observed for the Bengals.

This article has 6 comments

  1. Catherine Morearty

    Scott – Where is Week 9 2018?

  2. I’ll still read it but too late to use because games are now locked. Good luck at your new career! Will you still be writing this blog?

  3. I will read it but unfortunately too late to use because games are now locked. Good luck in your new career. Will you be continuing this blog in the future?

  4. CHICAGO. See other post.

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