The eighth week of the NFL regular season has arrived. My Week 7 picks were not great all. I picked just 8 of 15 games correctly and went 0-4 with respect to primetime games. Through seven weeks I’m sitting at 69-39 with predictions—a little less than my season goal of 65-percent accuracy. This week, there will be only thirteen games with six teams enjoying some time off on their bye week. Let’s see if I can do any better with my picks for the Week 8 slate of games.

Thursday Night Football — Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Chargers

I had pegged both these teams to come away with victories last week but wound up being wrong with both of them. It’s hard for me to be confident in Carson Wentz leading the Vikings to a victory on the road. I think the Chargers will rebound to try and keep pace with Denver in the AFC West.

Sunday Football (Early Game) — New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals pulled off a stunner on Thursday Night Football upending the Pittsburgh Steelers. This week, they host the winless Jets who have dropped seven in a row to start the season. I’ll take Cincinnati at home in this one to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Sunday Football (Early Game) — New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles

The Giants are coming off a horrendous fourth quarter collapse and loss to the Broncos, whilst the Eagles are riding high after taking down the Vikings. I’m not sure New York has what it takes to beat Philadelphia. I’ll take the Eagles at home in this NFC East matchup.

Sunday Football (Early Game) — San Francisco 49ers at Houston Texans

At some point in time, I’m going to have to stop doubting the 49ers despite all their injuries and key losses. Kyle Shanahan is a great coach and is finding ways to gut out wins. He will go up against a familiar face in DeMeco Ryans and the 2-4 Texans this weekend. It’s a must-win game for Houston who can’t afford to drop five of their first seven games. Nevertheless, I’ll take the 49ers on the road propelling them to 6-2 on the season.

Sunday Football (Early Game) — Chicago Bears at Baltimore Ravens

The Bears, winners of four in a row, head on the road to take on the Ravens who have lost four in a row. If the Ravens can’t win this one, it will likely be a curtain call on their postseason dreams in ‘25. Chicago is clearly the better team right now, and Lamar Jackson may be sidelined again. If so? Oof. I’ll go with my gut here and take the Bears.

Sunday Football (Early Game) — Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots

This game is a tale of two opposites. The Browns are 2-5 while the Patriots are 5-2. The Browns defense has been keeping them in most games, but I have a feeling Drake Maye continues to impress and helps New England win their sixth game of the season. I’m taking the Patriots at home.

Sunday Football (Early Game) — Buffalo Bills at Carolina Panthers

Josh Allen and the Bills need a big win here to keep up with the Patriots in the AFC East. The Panthers have won three in a row, but Buffalo will be a big challenge for them. I’m confident Allen and his teammates are able to take advantage of their bye week and get a win on the road.

Sunday Football (Early Game) — Miami Dolphins at Atlanta Falcons

The Dolphins have just one win on the season and appear to be a complete mess. The Falcons sport a .500 record and are definitely the more talented team. If the Falcons are ever able to figure out things on offense, they could be a playoff sleeper. I’ll be picking them to defeat the Dolphins in front of a hometown crowd.

Sunday Football (Late Game) — Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints

This NFC South matchup should be an easy win for the Buccaneers. I like their chances on the road even though they lost future Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Evans for the foreseeable future with a broken collarbone. They should still be able to score a lot of points against the Saints who have one of the worst defenses in the NFL. I’m going with Tampa Bay.

Sunday Football (Late Game) — Dallas Cowboys at Denver Broncos

This is definitely my favorite matchup of the week. The Cowboys have one of the best offenses in the NFL and Dak Prescott is playing at an MVP level. The Broncos, coming off an unreal comeback against the Giants, sit atop of the AFC West at 5-2. Denver will have to play a great game in order to win, but I think they will be playing with some confidence and swagger after last week’s game. I’ll take the Broncos.

Sunday Football (Late Game) — Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts

There isn’t much I need to write on this one. The Colts have the best record in the NFL, and the Titans are absolutely terrible. This one probably ends up getting ugly. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Colts win by over twenty points. I’m confidently choosing Indianapolis.

Sunday Night Football — Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers

The storyline here is Aaron Rodgers going up against the team he spent a lot of time with. He will certainly be playing with a bit of a grudge. I’m a bit concerned with how their defense performed last week against the Bengals. With that in mind, I think the Packers are able to come away with the victory due to having a better rushing attack.

Monday Night Football — Washington Commanders at Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs are starting to hit their stride while the Commanders have dropped two in a row. Washington has struggled to stay healthy and it’s likely Jayden Daniels is out with an injury in this one. I don’t have any hope Marcus Mariota can defeat Kansas City on the road at Arrowhead Stadium. That’s why I’m taking the Chiefs in this primetime matchup.