The Showdown: Week 8
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After a disastrous Week 7 for both men, Sam (57-46) extends his lead over Khaled (53-50) to four games. As we reach the business stage of the season, can he pull away further? Or will Elsayed redeem himself?
Denver @ San Francisco
Sam: The International Series yet again sees a couple of teams far from impressive as they roll into London. San Francisco are starting Troy Smith at quarterback, and as bad as he has been at times, there’s a very real chance he could be an upgrade for the 49ers. Denver was utterly humiliated last week, and I expect the Broncos to bite back this week. Pick: Denver
Khaled: Both teams are coming across the pond on the back of big time defeats for different reasons which really makes victory a must. The problem with the 49ers last week was how badly their secondary played at inopportune times, and you can just see Brandon Lloyd coming back to haunt them. Pick: Denver
Jacksonville @ Dallas
Sam: Dallas again found a way to lose the game last week, though it had a lot to do with Tony Romo’s collarbone snapping in a sack. Jon Kitna is capable of leading a team to wins, but he was noticeably rusty when he was thrown into the fire. With a week to prepare I think he can get Dallas a W. Pick: Dallas
Khaled: My record in picking Dallas games (the team I had down as my Super Bowl favorite), is notoriously bad so take solace in that, Jags fans. I just can’t see how Jacksonville is going to move the ball in the air when they won’t have any time to throw it. Their tackles are completely overmatched. Pick: Dallas
Miami @ Cincinnati
Sam: This is an interesting game. Cincinnati keeps doing just enough to avoid being written off by people, and Miami seem to be doing just enough to avoid hanging with the elite teams in the league. I do maintain that they were robbed last week, so I’m going to give them a make-up victory this week against the AFC North. Pick: Miami
Khaled: This is the kind of game Miami could drop, as Cinci has the ability to put in good solid performances. Throw in homefield advantage and I think you’ve got the makings of the Bengals getting back on track (before falling off the track in the upcoming weeks). Their defense will need to win this one for them. Pick: Cincinnati
Buffalo @ Kansas City
Sam: So who saw Buffalo taking it to the Ravens coming? I certainly didn’t. I’m a big fan of KC in Arrowhead, though I can see Buffalo making a good game of it. They do have to get a win at some stage; they’re better than a winless side (in parts anyway). Pick: Kansas City
Khaled: Tamba Hali is going to hurt Ryan Fitzpatrick. Brandon Flowers will shut down one side of the field. The running back combo will expose a Bills defense that doesn’t know whether it’s coming or going. End result? Over by halftime. That’s what logic says anyway. It will probably be a lot closer than that as the Bills are building confidence, but this isn’t the one for them. Pick: Kansas City
Washington @ Detroit
Sam: The Lions look to be getting Matthew Stafford back for this game, but that might not be a good thing. Shaun Hill is never going to be named the long-term starter by any team, but he’s better than he’s ever been given credit for, and he had the Lions competing. Washington relied on pressure last week against the Bears; can they generate it against the Lions? Pick: Washington
Khaled: This is where the Lions start to turn competitive performances around and earn a victory. They’re certainly better than their record suggests and they appear to be getting all their players on the field at key positions. The Skins just don’t inspire confidence in me. They could quite easily have a few more defeats to their name. Pick: Detroit
Carolina @ St Louis
Sam: Sam Bradford had his first poor game last week in my eyes. Before his touchdowns, he should have had a ball intercepted on each occasion, and he generally looked a little off. But Carolina has had poor quarterback play all season until last week, and there might not be a more one-dimensional side in the NFL. Pick: St Louis
Khaled: If Matt Moore plays like he did against the 49ers this could be interesting. But what odds on Moore (and his rookie receivers) putting together two excellent games? On paper I like the matchup of the Panthers defense in this one, and I think their offense will do just enough to cause the surprise victory. Pick: Carolina
Green Bay @ New York Jets
Sam: The injuries just keep mounting for Green Bay. OLB Brad Jones found his way to IR, meaning Frank Zombo now starts in his stead. That’s not ideal. The Jets are already as stingy as it gets at giving up pressure in the pass game and I’m just not sure how the Packers will have enough to stop them getting another win. Pick: NY Jets
Khaled: So this game really becomes about if the Packers offense can have its best game of the season. I can see the Jets picking up points but not at great frequency, so what decides this game is how well Aaron Rodgers plays. Not well enough against a stingy defense. Pick: New York Jets
Tennessee @ San Diego
Sam: San Diego just keeps blowing great big craters in their own feet. They do just enough to find a way to lose the game, and sooner or later they’re going to fall genuinely out of contention for the playoff race. Luckily for them, they play in the AFC West, so they’re still well in the hunt, but they have to start winning. I actually think Tennessee is a much better team right now, but San Diego has to be getting desperate, and they’re fast running out of ridiculous ways to lose the game. Pick: San Diego
Khaled: Last week, I banked on the Cowboys beating the Giants because Lady Luck was soon to shine on them. Well once bitten, twice shy as I’m plucking for a Titans team that just doesn’t make many mistakes against this current Chargers team. The Titans should be able to run on them, and there you have it. Pick: Tennessee
Minnesota @ New England
Sam: The Randy Moss Bowl. New England is much better against the run than they are against the pass, which isn’t ideal since the Vikings are trying to limit the amount of times they allow Brett Favre to throw away the game. If Minnesota can attack the Patriots with confidence, they should win, but if Brett the interception machine marches into Foxboro, it’s goodnight early. Pick: Minnesota
Khaled: It’s hard to beat the Pats at home, and the way the Vikings are playing that becomes even harder. Brett Favre’s injury makes him a target for an improving Patriots defense and that could be the difference-maker in this one. Pick: New England
Tampa Bay @ Arizona
Sam: Neither of these teams really excites you much despite respectable records. Josh Freeman is distinctly average right up until the game is on the line, then suddenly he’s Mr. Clutch. At least there’s a time where Tampa’s quarterback is good, though – the Cardinals can’t get anybody reliable to throw the ball. Pick: Tampa Bay
Khaled: I just don’t like the idea of picking the Bucs away from the Raymond James. Arizona is a team everybody knows is bad, but they’ve managed to win games and get their starting trio of receivers back for this one. That’s huge. This could be a game for the Arizona defense to have one of its better days. Pick: Arizona
Seattle @ Oakland
Sam: How exactly did Oakland just trounce the Broncos? I saw it happen, and I’m still not sure what went on. Oakland still has some major holes, and big-time problems, but they have found themselves with some nice momentum. Seattle has some good parts, but they’ve got some issues themselves, this one is really a tough game to call. Pick: Oakland
Khaled: My general rule is don’t bet against the Seahawks at home — when they’re away from the 12th man it’s a different matter all together. Throw in that the Raiders actually look good, and this is one of the easier ones to call. Oakland just needs to build on last week rather than thinking they’ve made it. Pick: Oakland
Pittsburgh @ New Orleans
Sam: Ah New Orleans … Super Bowl hangover? The Saints really did get taken to task by the Browns last week, and it really didn’t have much to do with being outfoxed schematically — they just played some stinking football. Pittsburgh gave Miami a tough game but needed a bit of luck at the end to make sure. The Saints can’t allow their season to unravel like it has so far, so I’m looking for them to bounce back a bit this week at home. Pick: New Orleans
Khaled: I thought about this one long and hard, and I came to the conclusion that is the game where Big Ben shakes off all his rust. He’ll be given an age in the pocket and the Steelers should win the battle in the trenches to run the ball. Then it comes down to Drew Brees, because at some stage he’s going to need to throw in the face of severe pressure. Brees was terrible against Cleveland last week, and while Pittsburgh won’t confuse you as much, they’ll still make life tough for you. Pick: Pittsburgh
Houston @ Indianapolis
Sam: The first encounter between these two really got me thinking this was the year Houston was legit. The Texans were able to pound Indianapolis into the ground, and they did enough on D to contain Manning. Now things aren’t going so well and the Texans look like the same old pretenders. Vonta Leach destroyed the Indy linebackers in the first meeting, and Houston needs that to happen again. Pick: Indianapolis
Khaled: The first game without Dallas Clark. The Colts are playing poorly in their division at the moment, so this is a must-win for them — and I don’t think they do it. Their secondary will be overmatched, the Texans don’t need to worry about Dallas Clark (who causes them no end of problems) and Mario Williams could hurt the Colts protection. High scoring game. Pick: Houston
