Week 8 is the near halfway point of the NFL season.  The cream is starting to rise to the top, but with 2 quarters in the books, there are still opportunities in the divisions to make a playoff run.  I think the schedule makers are getting big points this year for putting these teams against each other every single week.

                                                                                                                        (Only Hue was shocked by this move.)

Week 8 Review:

  • ARod Almost Did It – So, the Packers were 9.5 point underdogs at the Rams on Sunday.  That was the biggest line ever in Aaron Rodgers career, and that proved to be too much.  The Packers came out and played really well leading early.  However, RB Todd Gurley was great again with over 200 yards of total offense and a TD.  When the Rams went up 29-27 late, the game got really interesting.  RB/WR Ty Montgomery ignored his coach’s advice to not return the kickoff and after an earlier meltdown, Montgomery played hero ball and fumbled the ball eliminating the chance for Rodgers to win the game.  The Rams ran out the clock including Gurley’s kneel down after getting the 1st down on a clear TD opportunity – much to the chagrin of bettors and fantasy owners across America.  Rams win 29-27.
  • Saints Get Revenge – The Minneapolis Miracle will be played for the rest of our lives, but for the Saints that is a nightmare.  Drew Brees and the gang were able to exorcise those demons on Sunday night made possible by a critical fumble by NFL leading receiver Adam Thielen’s fumble in the 1st half.  Brees was held in check, but the defense and running game gave the now 6-1 Saints the easy win on the road at 30-20.
  • Watch Out for These Teams:
    • Carolina – Cam is playing at an MVP level again under OC Norv Turner’s care.  The Panthers beat a solid Ravens team soundly turning them over repeatedly on defense and Cam threw for 2 and ran for 1 TD in an easy 36-21 win.  Can the Panthers beat the Saints?  We will see 2x later this year.  Panthers are now 5-2.
    • Seattle – Seahawks are playing great football against inferior opponents.  Their defense may not be the names we know, but they are playing at a high level, plus the commitment to the run with RB Chris Carson who went for over 100 yards again is leading to wins.  The Seahawks have a killer schedule going forward, but they are a good team.
    • Washington – At 5-2, the Redskins seem like they are living on borrowed time.  However, besides that beat down at the hands of the Saints, the Skins are running the ball with AP and playing great D.  7 sacks of Eli Manning on Sunday.  I’m excited to see how this team plays in the 2nd half.
    • Houston – The Texans have now won 5 straight games (5-3).  Sometimes it hasn’t been pretty, but the Texans have a healthy Clowney and Watt up front and as long as Watson can stay healthy, they will be right there with the Jags imploding in the South.
  • Cleveland Done with Hue and Haley – The Browns leadership ended the contentious relationship between Coach Hue Jackson and OC Todd Haley by firing them both.  DC Greg Williams gets the reins temporarily of this young, talented team.  I do not expect him to get the job starting 2019, but the Browns are not far off the pace on both sides of the ball.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see them ascend from here on out.
  • Swap Meet – The NFL has had an unprecedented amount of trades this year.  Early on, we say RB Carlos Hyde go from the Browns to the Jags, WR Amari Cooper go from Oakland to Dallas, CB Eli Apple went from the Giants to the Saints, and DT “Snacks” Harrison went from the Giants to the Lions.  At the deadline, there were several big moves of note.  WR Demaryius Thomas of Denver went to the Houston Texans (with the Will Fuller ACL injury), WR Golden Tate went from Detroit to Philly, DE Dante Fowler the 1st rounder from the Jags is going to the Rams to give them even more defensive firepower, and Safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix moves from Green Bay to Washington (who are in contention) and Green Bay shipped out the apparently disgruntled RB/WR Ty Montgomery to the Ravens.  Notable players that did not move – Le’Veon Bell, RB, Steelers, Jameis Winston, QB, Bucs, and Patrick Peterson, CB, Cardinals.

Week 9 Marquee Match Ups

3 Great Games again on the slate this week to make up for some lackluster ones (OAK at SF on TNF).

  • Steelers at Ravens – The Steelers have come back from the dead, and now they are pushing for the Division lead.  The Ravens’ schedule has picked up leading to back to back losses.  Ravens won easily in Pittsburgh, but Steelers are right now.  Game is at 1 ET/12 Noon on CBS.
  • Rams at Saints –  This one is going to be fun.  A 60 point Vegas total sees this one as a shootout of epic proportions.  The Saints have won 6 straight and if anyone is going to beat these Rams, then it’s Drew Brees in the Dome.  The Rams get WR Cooper Kupp back, and this should be the NFC Title Game we all want to see.  This game will be played at 4:25 ET/3:25 CT on Fox.
  • Packers at Patriots – The Packers gauntlet continues with ARod’s first game at Foxboro against Tommy Brady.  This game should be a fun offensive battle as both teams are not stellar defensively.  The Pats escaped Buffalo with a pick 6 late, but they will need to play better to beat Rodgers.  Currently, the Pats are a 6 point favorite here, which seems high again.  I’ll be buckled in to see another great Sunday Night Football game on NBC in this one.

Byes:  Colts, Giants, Eagles, Jags, Bengals and Cardinals

Mid-Season Predictions Update

Overall, I’m doing ok at 58.62% correct – 72-49.  5 Teams correctly predicted at 15.63%.  A few serious surprises so far.

Actual (Prediction) – Summary

AFC East

Patriots 6-2 (8-0) 2 Seed – Pats have righted the ship after playing poorly early.  The D is not great, but they know how to win games.

Dolphins 4-4 (2-6) – Dolphins have started to show their true colors.  The Osweiler experience has led to a 1-2 stretch.

Jets 3-5 (0-8) – The Jets are better than expected, but injuries are starting to stack up.  Maybe not a Bottom 5 team, but let’s see how things go.

Bills 2-6 (1-7) – The Bills lack of offense is costing them games.  The Defense is not bad, but if you can’t score in this NFL you will lose (a lot).

AFC North

Steelers 4-2-1 (7-0) 3 Seed – The Steelers have corrected themselves with much better defense and running the ball. They will win the division, but big game at Baltimore this week.

Bengals 5-3 (2-6) 6 Seed – A huge surprise no doubt, and the Bengals are winning a lot of close games.  That will reverse in the 2nd half, and here comes the Steelers.

Ravens 4-4 (4-4) – The Ravens are a solid team, but back to back losses have pushed them down the standings.  The PIT-BAL showdown this week will be huge for the division.

Browns 2-5-1 (3-5) – The change in coaching could work one of two ways.  Regardless, no playoffs for the Browns this year.

 AFC South

Texans 5-3 (4-4) 4 Seed – Texans have been able to squeak out some wins and are getting right.  The loss of WR Will Fuller will hurt, but the Jags descent opens the door to the Division.

Titans 3-4 (4-3) – I don’t like the Titans offense, but Coach Vrabel’s ability to coach in tight games has shown well.  They still have a shot at the Wild Card and only one game back in the Division.

Jags 3-5 (7-1) – Huge miss for me here.  The RB Leonard Fournette injury is killing this team.  A huge negative TO Ratio with QB Blake Bortles is dividing the team.  The bye week comes at a good time here.

Colts 3-5 (2-6) – QB Andrew Luck is playing extremely efficiently.  I think Coach Reich is a quality hire and they may not make the playoffs, but will be tough each week.

AFC West

Chiefs 7-1 (4-4) 1 Seed – QB Mahomes is the league MVP candidate that Andy Reid saw in last year’s draft.  The offense continues to churn.  They will need more defense to win the AFC, but this team is legit.

Chargers 5-2 (5-2) 5 Seed – With losses against KC and LAR, this team could be as good as anyone else.  Rivers is playing great, and if Gordon can get back healthy with Bosa returning, watch out.

Broncos 3-5 (4-4) – The Broncos are struggling on defense and turning it over on defense.  This teams is mediocre at best.

Raiders 1-6 (3-4) – The rebuild is on, and the team is really not great.  They have been in most games through 3 quarters, but players win games in the 4th Quarter and they don’t have enough.

NFC East

Redskins 5-2 (3-4) 3 Seed – Washington is holding steady, but can they hang on in the 2nd half.

Eagles 4-4 (4-4) – The 1st half of the schedule was tougher than the 2nd half, so I see the Eagles ascending here.

Cowboys 3-4 (2-5) – The lack of playmakers is showing which forced the WR Amari Cooper trade.  Let’s see if he makes a difference.

Giants 1-7 (4-3) – The Giants are in full sell mode with trades of players left and right.  The rebuild is happening – will they bench Eli?

NFC North

Bears 4-3 (5-2) 4 Seed – The Bears are the last team on top for now in the North.  QB Trubisky is running a lot, but the 2nd half schedule is much tougher than the first 7.  Maybe they can still get in the playoffs.

Vikings 4-3-1 (6-2) – The loss against the Saints at home was tough, but that Bills loss could haunt this team in the Division and seeding.

Packers 3-3-1 (5-2) – Packers looked better after the bye, but a road trip to Foxboro is not great and will keep them out of the lead in the division.

Lions 3-4 (4-3) – The Lions are hanging in there with an average defense.

NFC South

Saints 6-1 (3-4) 2 Seed – Saints have performed extremely well playing a rough schedule.  They will win this division and play for the 1 seed on Sunday against Rams.

Panthers 5-2 (5-2) 5 Seed – Cam and the gang will be there in the end in this division.

Falcons 3-4 (6-1) – Falcons are creeping back in the field now, but those early shoot out losses may hurt down the stretch.

Bucs 3-5 (1-6) – FitzMagic gives this team a chance to win each week, but Koetter is a dead man walking.

NFC West

Rams 8-0 (8-0) 1 Seed – The Rams are the league’s best team.  The NO showdown will be NFL delight.  Still, the conference should run through LA.

Seahawks 4-3 (1-6) 6 Seed – Huge surprise here.  Give Pete Carroll credit for recreating the formula that worked on the Super Bowl squads.

Cardinals 2-6 (1-7) – Still an awful team, but beating SF twice almost assures them to be higher in the standings at the end of the year.

49ers 1-7 (4-4) – Who know Jimmy G was worth 3 wins for this team.  The 49ers will be in the Top 5 in the Draft again.

Wegs Pool NFL Index – Week 9

NFL Index Week 9

Top 5:

  1. Rams
  2. Bears
  3. Ravens
  4. Chargers
  5. Seahawks

Bottom 5:

28.  Giants

29.  49ers

30.  Dolphins

31.  Cardinals

32.  Raiders

Enjoy Week 9.

Wegs

About the author

I'm a 49 year old, twice divorced guy with a 20 year old. The blog has morphed a bit lately. Not just sports or dating, social commentary and now some stories from my past experience.