By: Brandon Lewis
Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets (+3)
Week 8 in the NFL kicks off from MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Thursday, as the 5-2 Bills take on the 3-4 Jets in a AFC East showdown. If the Bills win this game, they will be tied with the Patriots for the division lead. On Tuesday afternoon, right at the 4:00pm trade deadline, the Bills surrendered a third- and seventh-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin. However, I do not think Benjamin plays a huge role in this game, considering the fact he probably will not know any plays in the Bills offense within two days. The Bills will have to win the game on the ground, and I just do not see it. The Jets have one of the best front fours in the NFL, and I think they will be able to control star running back LeSean McCoy. The Jets offense has also hit its stride, scoring an average of 23 points per game the last three weeks. Quarterback Josh McCown will outplay Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor, and McCown will lead the Jets offense down the field against a twenty-fourth ranked Bills passing defense. The Jets will defend home turf, winning as an underdog on Thursday Night.
Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers (+2.5)
On Monday, news broke that the 49ers traded a second-round pick to the New England Patriots for QB Jimmy Garoppolo. The impression was that the 49ers were making the move thinking Garoppolo is their franchise QB that they have been searching for. Meanwhile, a couple weeks ago in London, Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer broke his forearm and now have to turn to veteran Drew Stanton to take over the position. This is going to be a defensive game. Both offenses are putrid, ranking in the bottom half of the league. Even though the Cardinals have the better team on paper, division games are almost always close, and I expect this one to be no different. When these two teams met in Week 4 in Glendale, the Cardinals won in overtime 18-12. However, both team’s QBs were different, and the Cardinals did not have running back Adrian Peterson. However, whoever plays quarterback for the 49ers, I trust them more to move the ball than Drew Stanton. I think the San Francisco, after getting embarrassed the last two weeks by the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, win this game and win their first game of the season. The 49ers +2.5 is a solid bet for this weekend.
Kansas City Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (pick’em)
Tony Romo, the former Cowboys quarterback and current color commentator, will call his first Cowboys game this week as a broadcaster when Dallas hosts the 6-2 Chiefs. Both of these teams are coming off huge wins last week in their division. The Chiefs beat the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, and the Cowboys thumbed the Washington Redskins in a rainstorm behind Ezekiel Elliott’s 153 rushing yards on 33 carries. The Cowboys will not have the services of Elliott this week, though, since he is serving a six-game suspension for domestic violence. I believe the Cowboys offense runs through Zeke, and I do not think quarterback quarterback Dak Prescott can win games for the Cowboys. However, if there was one game where Prescott could prove me wrong, it is this game. The Chiefs are third-to-last in the NFL against the pass, so Prescott will be able to use wide receiver Dez Bryant and tight end Jason Witten on the outside to attack the Chiefs. If he can do that, the Cowboys can win this game, but I just do not see it. Alex Smith, the Chiefs signal caller, will also be able to put up numbers against the Cowboys this week. In a shootout in Dallas, I have the Chiefs winning the pick’em contest.