NFL: 5 Things Learned Week 8

Any Given Sunday was on full display on Halloween. Updated 11/3/2021 with Rodgers news.

5 Things I Learned in Week 8

1. Back Up QBs Can Win – All over the league we had Back Up QBs step up for big wins: Mike White, the virtual unknown out of Western KY threw for the 2nd most yards in his first start in the NFL in decades to lead the Jets to a big home win over the Bengals; Cooper Rush played great in place of Dak Prescott as the Cowboys win at MIN; Trevor Simian had to come in during the 2nd quarter when Jameis Winston tore his ACL to lead the Saints to a win over the Bucs; and Geno Smith finally got a win starting for SEA over the Jags.
2. Titans Ride High, but at a Huge Cost – The Titans have run a gauntlet beating the Bills, Chiefs and Colts. The OT victory over the Colts was aided by huge Carson Wentz INTs late. However, Derrick Henry is out until probably the playoffs with a foot injury (and surgery). That offense revolves around him. Let’s see how they fare without him.
3. The Saints Own Brady – Since the Bucs picked up Brady, Tampa has lost 7 times. Twice to the Rams, once to the Chiefs and Bears and now 3 out of 4 times to the Saints. Clearly, DC Dennis Allen has both the scheme and the guys to run it to beat TB12. The big win, despite losing Winston, puts the Saints still in the mix for the NFC South.
4. Patriots Are Turning The Corner – I was pretty skeptical on how good the Pats are, and I do think they are not on the upper tier. However, when the Patriots D can dictate to the opposing offense, then they can win. The Chargers had the ball for just 24 minutes and despite gaining more yards, the Pats forced 2 TOs including the game winning Pick 6 of Justin Herbert.
5. The Rams Are All In – With the landscape in the NFC wide open, the Rams won their game over the lowly Texans to move to 7-1, but they made more news as they traded for Edge Rusher Extraordinaire, Von Miller to make that D better. Hard to see a better one-two punch upfront in the NFC plus Jalen Ramsey on the outside. I think they are the NFC favorite now.

Wegs Index – Week 8

1. Bills 5-2 (1.83) – The Bills are still the top dog in the Index – #1 in all categories except Yards Gained (6th).
2. Cardinals 7-1 (4.50) – The Cards are no lower than 8th in any category. Let’s see if that continues.
3. Bucs 6-2 (6.17) – The 2nd Best Offense in both Yards and Points, but the Saints may have shown something.
4. Rams 7-1 (8.17) – The Rams are giving up a lot of yards (21st), but the Miller pick up should help a lot.
5. Cowboys 6-1 (8.33) – The Offense (1st in Yards) still carrying this team which could cost them in January.
6. Packers 7-1 (11.17) – Surprisingly, the Defense is the top unit for The Pack. Big showdown against the Chiefs this week.
7. Saints 5-2 (11.17) – 4th in Scoring D and Point Differential helps cover up 22nd in Yards Gained. Can Trevor Simian keep this up?
8. Patriots 4-4 (11.17) – The Pats have ascended with solid numbers across the board.
9. Bengals 5-3 (11.17) – The Bengals are Top in both scoring categories, which has led to wins, but can those big plays continue?

Predictions Through 8 Weeks

After 8 weeks, my pre-season picks have held up pretty well. I’m 74 of 121 for 61.16% (63.16% in the 2nd Quarter) with 11 of the 32 teams with the correct record. There are still some total misses, which will probably be season long at this point – most notably – MIA 1-7 (Prediction 4-4), WAS 2-6 (5-3). On the positive side, there are 3 teams that have surprised: Raiders 5-2 (3-4), Saints 5-2 (3-4) and Bengals 5-3 (1-7).

With 10 more weeks, really anything can happen with all the injuries, but the best part of the NFL is it all happens on the field.

Marquee Games in Week 9

• Browns at Bengals (-2.5, 46.5 Total) – Sunday, 11/7 at 12 Noon Central – The Browns have hit the skids after a quick start, and the Bengals are coming off a huge disappointing loss at the Jets. The Browns really need this one, but the Bengals can stop the run. This should be another great AFC North match up. I like the Cardiac Kid Bengals to get this one and Cover.
• Packers at Chiefs (-7.5, 48 Total) – Sunday, 11/7 at 3:25 PM Central – The two premiere guns slingers in the NFL face off in the late window on Sunday, but hold up – Rodgers will miss the game with COVID. The Chiefs continue to turn the ball over week after week, which will really help the Pack. The script is out on the Chiefs, until Andy Reid decides to run the ball against those deep zones, this trend will continue. Not sure The Pack can beat the Chiefs without Rodgers, but -7.5 still seems steep. The Chiefs will have to show me something for me to trust them.
• Titans at Rams (-7.5, 53.5 Total) – Sunday, 11/7 at 7:20 PM Central – The Titans need to regroup after the Henry news, and the Adrian Peterson signing is not the answer. I really like the Rams in this one, even tough TEN has been killing it in the AFC lately. Rams will cover, too.

We are in the heart of the season now. Enjoy it.

Wegs