NFL 2023 Week 8 Picks

 Hello readers! Another week of National Football League action is coming upon us yet again. The week that was Week 7 brought us some surprises, some upsets and not so well making picks as both me and Cardinal Viking finished with below .500 records last week. Hopefully this week we can both get back to picking better. In this post I'll do a rant of the week, a week 8 preview and picks as well as the Early and Late TV Broadcast pairings. Let's get to work!

NFL Rant of the Week

I feel the story of Puka Nacua has been underwhelming. The guy kept the Rams afloat while Cooper Kupp was out via injury. Puka Nacua has had one of the best seasons for a rookie wide receiver in NFL history and yet it isn't talked about nearly enough. 

Week 8 Preview

The eighth week of the National Football League's regular season will start in Orchard Park, New York and finish up in Detroit, Michigan. The week will have a 16-game slate where all 32 teams will play. No teams are on a bye this week. Week 8 features a Thursday night game, nine early games, four late games, a Sunday night game, and a Monday night game. FOX will have the single, regional game while CBS will carry the doubleheader this week. Let's get to the picks!

Week 8 Picks

Note: All game times are in US Eastern. TW is me and CV is Cardinal Viking, my former roommate.

Tampa Bay (3-3) @ Buffalo (4-3) (Amazon; 8:15 pm): TW: Bills; CV: Bills

The Buccaneers lost to the Falcons and the Bills lost to the Patriots last week. Tampa had that Falcons game last week and almost won it despite all of the mistakes they did. It felt at times that Baker Mayfield was the only one out there against the Falcons defense. They'll need to clean up the mistakes and try to get back to running the ball more. Buffalo had gotten off to a good start but they have fallen off a cliff since the Jaguars game in London. Like the Buccaneers, they need to get back to running the ball via giving it to James Cook's hands. He had some success against the Patriots when running the ball. I still think the Bills are a solid team but this feels like a toss-up. I'll go Bills. 

Atlanta (4-3) @ Tennessee (2-4) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Falcons; CV: Falcons

The Falcons got a win against the Buccaneers and the Titans had a bye last week. Atlanta found a way to win in an ugly fashion but nonetheless Younghoe Koo came in the clutch yet again and won it. Desmond Ridder didn't throw a lot of mistake balls. Tennessee had a bye last week which means that they had some players rest a little bit and get back to playing the rest of the 2023 season. The Titans are not a great team as they still have to rely on Derrick Henry to generate any sort of offense. They're in general one of the bottom half offensive teams. Personally I think the Titans should try to get DeAndre Hopkins involved since they have him being wide out #1 in that room. Sad thing is I don't know if they have a better option. I'll take the road Falcons. 

Houston (3-3) @ Carolina (0-6) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Panthers; CV: Texans

The Texans had a bye and the Panthers had a bye as well last week. Houston has been one of the better surprises of 2023. The maturation of CJ Stroud has played a part in it as well as having one of the better defenses. They're not top-10 but they're not a slouch. Thus far the Texans are ranked #4 in passing offense with 277.7 yards/game. Carolina has had a rough season thus far in the Frank Reich era. Bryce Young has had his growing pains. They're not a particularly great offensive team but they have some decent pieces like Adam Thielen playing for them. If they can get off to a good start and play some good defense I like the Panthers chances of walking away with a win for the first time this season. I'll take my chances. 

Jacksonville (5-2) @ Pittsburgh (4-2) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Jaguars; CV: Jaguars

The Jaguars beat the Saints and the Steelers beat the Rams last week. The Jaguars have been putting up some good numbers on offense. Trevor Lawrence's maturity into a good NFL quarterback has been a sight to see. He has had some injury issues but the long break from the Thursday night game to this game is a fairly big one. With more rest, the quarterback will feel better. He'll need it. Pittsburgh may have had a breakthrough on offense. Their defense played well against the Rams and their offense did enough to beat them. I think it'll be a tough test for the Steelers to keep up with the Jaguars. I'll take the Jags. 

LA Rams (3-4) @ Dallas (4-2) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Rams; CV: Rams

The Rams lost to the Steelers and the Cowboys had a bye last week. Los Angeles comes into this game with a few losses in the last few weeks. The health of their quarterback Matthew Stafford has to be in question for this game. It isn't all doom and gloom for the Rams as they have their pieces at running back to help out Stafford. They'll need to have a balanced gameplan to take on Dallas. The Cowboys come into this game with a well-rested roster ready to take on the rest of the season. Other than a rare loss to the Cardinals and a butt-kicking by the 49ers, the Cowboys have done alright. The help of Mike McCarthy as an offensive playcaller has helped out Dallas. I think if the Rams can put it in the hands of their runners and make everyone other than CeeDee Lamb beat you I think the Rams got a chance to win. 

Minnesota (3-4) @ Green Bay (2-4) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Vikings; CV: Vikings

The Vikings beat the 49ers and the Packers lost to the Broncos last week. The Vikings have been playing some better football. They've gained an early lead and somehow manage to hold onto it. At least they somehow to win three of their last four games. Green Bay had been one of the better teams in the league but turnovers and slow starts on offense have diminished that moniker. Jordan Love has seven interceptions thus far, with a majority of them in the last few games. I have to think this will be a game where the Packers will be playing from behind. I think the Vikes will take it and get back to .500 football. 

New England (2-5) @ Miami (5-2) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Dolphins; CV: Dolphins

The Patriots beat the Bills and the Dolphins lost to the Eagles last week. New England finally made some strides on offense by upsetting the Bills at home. It was probably one of the best games in Mac Jones' career. This game against the Dolphins will be a huge test to see if the progression is where it is at or if the Bills win was just a fluke. Miami had a bit of a letdown against the Eagles last week. Their offense could kind of keep up with the Eagles but their time of possession was sided to the people in Kelly Green jerseys. They'd like to get Devon Achane back as a quality back. It'll be a huge upset if the Patriots can somehow win this one but I'll take the Dolphins. 

New Orleans (3-4) @ Indianapolis (3-4) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Colts; CV: Saints

The Saints lost to the Jaguars and the Colts lost to the Browns last week. New Orleans has had its struggles on offense thus far. They've put in a lot of effort in ensuring that Derek Carr is their guy and the book is still out on him. They had their chances to win against Jacksonville but they sadly lost. Indianapolis is kind of a similar team. Their rookie starter Anthony Richardson is out for a while and so it is on the shoulders of Gardner Minshew to navigate through the 2023 season. They had their chances to win against a Browns team that didn't produce much on pass offense. I like the Colts running game in this matchup but the Saints do have a vigorous defensive line. It is a hard-sell but I'll take the Colts. 

NY Jets (3-3) @ NY Giants (2-5) (CBS; 1:00 pm): TW: Jets; CV: Jets

The Jets were on a bye and the Giants beat the Commanders last week. The Battle of New York. Or New Jersey rather. The Jets will have some advantage in resting their players via bye week. Their offense has been lacking somewhat. Their defense has been the reason why they've kept pace with an even 3-3 record. The Giants have been the more disappointing team thus far. Their team made the playoffs last year with an offense that can score points with a defense that was somewhat mean. This year hasn't been anything like that. That 45-0 drubbing by Dallas in Week 1 seems to stifle their confidence. The playtime of backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor has been somewhat of a help. Maybe the Giants could pull off a win but I tend to like the Jets defense in this matchup. I'll take the J-E-T-S. 

Philadelphia (6-1) @ Washington (3-4) (FOX; 1:00 pm): TW: Eagles; CV: Eagles

The Eagles beat the Dolphins and the Commanders lost to the Giants last week. Philadelphia kept pace and more last week against the high octane offense in Miami. They have a balanced offense that can keep defenses guessing. Their offense got a boost with Julio Jones in an already stacked wide receiver group. Washington needs to get a win badly. They once upon a time were a 2-0 football team and then proceed to go 1-4 since then. Their defense has to prevent the Eagles from getting solid yardage on them. I would apply different blitz packages on Jalen Hurts and collapse the pocket around him. A flustered Hurts could be a key to victory. Washington tends to play well against their NFC East rival Eagles in the last few seasons. This game could come down to a touchdown but I think the Eagles will take care of business on the road. 

Cleveland (4-2) @ Seattle (4-2) (FOX; 4:05 pm): TW: Browns; CV: Browns

The Browns beat the Colts and the Seahawks beat the Cardinals last week. The Browns have somehow put together a 4-2 team despite not having their star quarterback DeShaun Watson starting for them. They somehow pull off the upset of the year in beating San Francisco and proceed to beat the Colts all the while scoring 39 points. Their obvious weakness is their quarterbacks outside of Watson. If PJ Walker can somehow play wiser football and not force things they have a chance to give their defense a helping hand. I like the Browns defense as Myles Garrett could very well be a worthy candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. Seattle as well has put together a nice season. Geno Smith has been producing some good numbers but has some interceptions to his name. He will need to cut it down a bit and ensure that he doesn't do too much to lose this game. The Seahawks defense has a chance to really put that 6th best rush defense to the test. It could be a risk but I'll take the Brownies. 

Baltimore (5-2) @ Arizona (1-6) (CBS; 4:25 pm): TW: Ravens; CV: Ravens

The Ravens beat the Lions and the Cardinals lost to the Seahawks last week. The Ravens got to beat up on one of the better teams in the NFL in Detroit. They just kept on scoring and didn't let up until well into the 2nd half. Certainly their offense will have their work cut out for them against the Cardinals defense that isn't great but not terrible. If the Ravens put up points like they did last week, it'll be a tall task for sure. Arizona is not a great team but they can put up some points and try to stay competitive. This matchup against the Ravens seems like a blowout in the works. The NFL works in strange ways but I'll take the Ravens. 

Cincinnati (3-3) @ San Francisco (5-2) (CBS; 4:25 pm): TW: 49ers; CV: 49ers

The Bengals had a bye and the 49ers lost to the Vikings last week. Cincinnati has had some roadblocks to the path to getting to the playoffs but seems to getting back to playing better football. They listened to me and got the Joe Burrow to Ja'Marr Chase connection back to regularity and then some. They will have a tall task against a down but not out 49ers team. This 49ers team had a 5-0 record and then proceed to lose in heartbreaking fashion to the Browns and then the Vikings. They're a bit banged up and need to stay healthy as they faltered later in the season in past years due to injury. I still think the 49ers can put up enough points to beat the Bengals but they really need to limit the turnovers. 

Kansas City (6-1) @ Denver (2-5) (CBS; 4:25 pm): TW: Chiefs; CV: Chiefs

The Chiefs beat the Chargers and the Broncos beat the Packers last week. A rematch of the Week 6 Thursday night matchup. The Chiefs come into this game playing well on both sides of the ball. Their offense is just as good as ever. The Chiefs success in 2023 has been their defense. They can rush the passer create turnovers. It's a lethal combo. Denver has been quite the disappointment but that was somewhat to be expected. Sean Payton's offense got enough to surpass the Packers but overall it has been their offense and their defense that has been a mess. I think the Chiefs will continue their dominance over their rivals from Mile High. 

Chicago (2-5) @ LA Chargers (2-4) (NBC; 8:20 pm): TW: Chargers; CV: Chargers

The Bears beat the Raiders and the Chargers lost to the Chiefs last week. Not likely that Justin Fields is able to play for this one. At least not yet. Tyson Bagent, the unknown from Shepherd University, has played alright given the circumstances. Chicago's offense needs to turn it up a notch if they want to win this one. The Chargers have been a disappointment this season. This game could make or break their season. One would think that their offense would improve, let alone their running game. Brandon Staley's job is definitely on the line as he stares at a possible 2-5 record before November hits. I'll take the Chargers. 

Las Vegas (3-4) @ Detroit (5-2) (ABC/ESPN): TW: Lions; CV: Lions

The Raiders lost to the Bears and the Lions lost to the Ravens last week. Las Vegas is a weird team. They can look really good and then they can look really bad. Seems there is no in-between. The offense in terms of quarterback has been a mess. Starter Jimmy Garoppolo has faced some injuries. Aidan O'Connell and Brian Hoyer could be decent backups but they haven't played well enough to earn that QB1 role. Detroit had a rough game last week against the Ravens. Getting blown out in a game where you thought had a chance can wreck your confidence. Just know that you are still a superb team that can put on the hurt on other teams. Just utilize your great running game and walk away with a win. At least I hope that the Lions know how to rebound after a loss.

Early & Late Game TV Broadcast Pairings

Note: Games in bold are being shown in my area, check local listings

FOX Single

LA Rams @ Dallas

Kevin Burkhardt, Greg Olson

Philadelphia @ Washington
Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth

Minnesota @ Green Bay
Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma

New Orleans @ Indianapolis
Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez

Houston @ Carolina
Brandon Gaudin, Robert Smith

Cleveland @ Seattle (Late)
Adam Amin, Daryl Johnston

CBS Early

Jacksonville @ Pittsburgh

Ian Eagle, Charles Davis

NY Jets @ NY Giants
Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan

New England @ Miami
Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta

Atlanta @ Tennessee
Beth Mowins, James Lofton, Jay Feely

CBS Late

Cincinnati @ San Francisco

Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

Kansas City @ Denver
Kevin Harlan, Trent Green

Baltimore @ Arizona

Chris Lewis, Ross Tucker

For more information on which game is being shown in your area check out: NFL 2023: Week 8 Maps

Records

Cardinal Viking:

2023: 
Week 1: 10-6

Week 2: 10-6

Week 3: 8-8

Week 4: 13-3
Week 5: 6-8

Week 6: 9-6

Week 7: 4-9

Total: 60-46

2017: 167-89
2018: 156-98-2
2019: 151-104-1
2020: 163-92-1
2021: 167-104-1
2022: 157-112-2

My record: 

2023:
Week 1: 9-7

Week 2: 11-5
Week 3: 11-5

Week 4: 14-2

Week 5: 7-7

Week 6: 8-7

Week 7: 5-8

Total: 65-41

2012: 164-90-2

2013: 162-92-1

2014: 172-83-1

2017: 164-92

2018: 156-98-2
2019: 161-94-1

2020: 167-88-1 

2021: 173-98-1
2022: 166-103-2

See you all after the Monday night game for the Week 8 Recap! Enjoy the games!

-Tom