NFL Picks Week 8

Each week, the Steelers Now staff is picking each NFL game.

STANDINGS

Alan Saunders: 68-35
Parker Hurley: 62-41
Mike Asti: 60-43
Ron Lippock: 59-44

LAST WEEK

Mike Asti: 11-3
Parker Hurley: 10-4
Ron Lippock: 10-4
Alan Saunders: 11-3

THURSDAY

Washington Redskins at Minnesota Vikings

Asti: Vikings. Cousins is rolling and the Redskins are bad and banged up. That’s a recipe for disaster for Washington.
Hurley: Vikings
Lippock: Vikings
Saunders: Vikings, by a lot.

SUNDAY EARLY

Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons

Asti: Seahawks
Hurley: Seahawks
Lippock: Seahawks
Saunders: Seahawks, I guess. Not feeling confident in a 1 p.m. Eastern.

Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts

Asti: Colts
Hurley: Colts
Lippock: Colts
Saunders: Colts. Really can’t figure them out, but I guess I’ll start picking them.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tennessee Titans

Asti: Bucs. My pick is mostly for my distain of the very average Titans.
Hurley: Bucs
Lippock: Titans
Saunders: Titans.

Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints

Asti: Saints
Hurley: Saints
Lippock: Saints
Saunders: Saints.

Cincinnati Bengals vs Los Angeles Rams in London

Asti: Rams. The Bengals are a great opponent for a struggling that offense with tons of talent.
Hurley: Rams
Lippock: Rams
Saunders: Rams in a jolly old beat-down.

Philadelphia Eagles at Buffalo Bills

Asti: Eagles. While the Eagles haven’t been all that impressive, the Bills have also yet to prove themselves.
Hurley: Eagles
Lippock: Eagles
Saunders: Bills? Eagles have been very unimpressive.

Los Angeles Chargers at Chicago Bears

Asti: Bears. The Charges desperately need a win, but this Chicago defense salivates at the chance to feast on desperate teams.
Hurley: Bears
Lippock: Bears
Saunders: Bears defense might have to do it on their own, but I think they can.

New York Giants at Detroit Lions

Asti: Lions
Hurley: Lions
Lippock: Lions
Saunders: Lions are the far better team.

New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars

Asti: Jaguars
Hurley: Jaguars
Lippock: Jets
Saunders: Jaguars and the ghost of Minshew Mania will be more than enough to handle the sad-sack Jets.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers

Asti: 49ers
Hurley: Panthers
Lippock: 49ers
Saunders: 49ers might be the best team in the NFC.

Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans

Asti: Texans
Hurley: Texans
Lippock: Texans
Saunders: Texans

Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots

Asti: Patriots. I guarantee it.
Hurley: Patriots
Lippock: Patriots
Saunders: Patriots, guaranteed.

SUNDAY NIGHT

Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs

Asti: Packers. Green Bay’s edge comes by being much healthier.
Hurley: Chiefs
Lippock: Packers
Saunders: Packers are in much better shape right now.

MONDAY NIGHT

Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers

Asti: Steelers. Pittsburgh couldn’t have asked for a better matchup coming out of the bye. The Steelers have their issues, aren’t healthy and are even dealing with drama, but the Dolphins are terrible in every aspect of the game. Nothing is a sure thing, but this is about as close as it gets. A Steelers loss and there’s no reason for fans to care about the rest of the season. Steelers, 30-10
Hurley: Steelers win but do not cover. We need to learn about who Mason Rudolph is in this game. With a bad pass rush and time off, Rudolph should have a big game. Steelers, 24-14
Lippock: Steelers over Miami – this will be closer than some think, but Pittsburgh still wins.
Saunders: Steelers. This is the rare game where the Dolphins actually have an incentive to win — or at least don’t have a disincentive to win — as they hold both teams’ first-round draft picks. So this one will just come down to talent, but the Steelers have more of that, too. Pittsburgh rolls, 35-17