NFL Week 8 Game Picks

Christian’s Picks:

Los Angeles Rams (3-4) at Dallas Cowboys (4-2) Sunday 1 p.m.

This should be a very interesting matchup between two talented NFC opponents and two teams that have some of the best defensive players in the game in Micah Parsons and Aaron Donald.

The Cowboys are coming off their bye week and are looking to handle business back at home before their big matchup next week vs their division rival Philadelphia Eagles.

The Rams are coming off a tough loss at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers via a controversial call at the end of the game.

My Pick: Cowboys 28, Rams 20

Jacksonville Jaguars (5-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) Sunday 1 p.m.

This matchup will feature two playoff contenders on Sunday and will be a huge game for both teams that look to prove themselves as one of the best teams in the AFC.

The Jaguars are riding a 4-game win streak after a rough 1-2 start to the season and look for a huge win on the road vs. a loud crowd in Pittsburgh.

Last week the Steelers seemed to have found a rhythm on offense in their game by getting back Diontae Johnson and they also established a solid run game that will be key for them going forward.

My Pick: Steelers 21, Jaguars 20

Philadelphia Eagles (6-1) at Washington Commanders (3-4) Sunday 1 p.m.

This matchup features two division rivals that are headed in two different directions it seems like.

The Commanders have dropped four of their last five games after an impressive 2-0 start to the season, while the Eagles are coming off an impressive 31-17 win over a vigorous Miami Dolphins team.

Commanders QB Sam Howell was sacked 6 times last weekend against the Giants and his job doesn't get easier as he will go against a talented Eagles Defense.

My Pick: Eagles 33, Commanders 20

Chicago Bears (2-5) at Los Angeles Chargers (2-4) Sunday 8:20 p.m.

Both of these have not been very impressive to watch so far this season, but they will be on the big stage this week on Sunday Night Football.

The Bears are coming off a huge upset win over the Los Vegas Raiders last Sunday and were led by their undrafted rookie QB Tyson Bagent, who made his first career NFL start.

The Chargers lost a tough division matchup vs. the Chiefs where they simply could not keep up with the Chief's offensive outbursts as the game went on, but will look for a win against a young QB going on the road.

My Pick: Chargers 24, Bears 13

John’s Game Picks

New York Jets (3-3) at New York Giants (2-5) Sunday, 1 p.m.

In a battle of the two teams repping the Big Apple, both teams are looking to rise through their divisions on Sunday Night Football.

The Jets are coming off an impressive win against the Eagles who are widely considered one of the best teams in the NFL as they continue to exceed expectations after Aaron Rodgers sustained a season-ending injury.

The Giants are coming off their first win since Week 2 against the Cardinals after routing the Commanders last Sunday. Saquon Barkley had an impressive performance with 118 total yards and a touchdown.

I believe the battle of New York will be fierce, but the Giants haven’t shown enough on the offensive end to compete against a dominant Jets defense.

My Pick: Jets 24, Giants 10

Cleveland Browns (4-2) at Seattle Seahawks (4-2) Sunday, 4:05 p.m.

This matchup should be exciting as we have two playoff contenders facing off this Sunday

The Browns are coming off a close thriller against the Colts barely scraping by 39-38. Myles Garrett, who has been leading this elite defense this season stuffed the stat sheet with two sacks, two forced fumbles and a blocked field goal.

The Seahawks have proved last year was no fluke and continue to turn heads, especially with their rookies Jaxon Smith Njigba and Devon Witherspoon who heavily contributed to last week's win against the Cardinals.

Overall, despite the Browns' stellar defense, the Seahawks have both a potent defense and offense with more consistent QB play and will be able to compete on both ends.

My Pick: Seahawks 24, Browns 17

Minnesota Vikings (3-4) at Green Bay Packers (2-4) Sunday, 1 p.m.

Despite the Packers' history against the Vikings, I don’t see Sunday following the same trend in recent history.

The Vikings are coming off an unexpected win against the San Francisco 49ers where rookie Jordan Addison showed how monstrous he can be last Monday with 123 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

The Packers haven’t looked very impressive throughout this season as the Vikings look to have figured things out.

My Pick: Vikings 35, Packers 14

Baltimore Ravens (5-2) at Arizona Cardinals (1-6) Sunday, 4:25 p.m.

Unfortunately, with the way the Cardinals have played this season, I don't see this being much of a game for the Ravens.

The Ravens are coming off their best played game this season after dominating an impressive Detroit Lions team 38-6 with former MVP Lamar Jackson lighting them up for 393 total yards and 4 total touchdowns.

The Ravens have looked like legitimate Super Bowl contenders this season while the only thing the Cardinals are competing for is the number one overall pick.

My Pick: Ravens 42, Cardinals 9

Jon’s Picks:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3) at Buffalo Bills (4-3) Thursday 8:15 pm

The Buccaneers have dropped back-to-back games since their bye week, and have only put up 19 points in that span. With their offense already struggling, the Buccaneers may be without quarterback Baker Mayfield (knee) and wide receiver Chris Godwin (neck) as they are questionable for Thursday’s game.

Since demolishing the Dolphins in Week 4, the Bills have been sluggish over the last three weeks. They’re 1-2 over that span and barely scraped by the Giants in their lone win with the help of a controversial call to end the game.

The Bills should bounce back this week in prime time and show the NFL they’re still a force to be reckoned with.

My Pick: Bills 38, Buccaneers 17

New England Patriots (2-5) at Miami Dolphins (5-2) Sunday 1 pm

The Patriots are coming off a shocking win against their division rival Bills. Outside of this game, not much has gone right for them this season on either side of the ball, and there has been doubt cast over Mac Jones’ future with the team.

The Dolphins are coming off a loss to the Eagles, but their offense is undoubtedly one of the best in the league. Even with Tyreek Hill questionable for Sunday, they have plenty of other weapons that should guide them to a win in New England.

My Pick: Dolphins 31, Patriots 20

New Orleans Saints (3-4) at Indianapolis Colts (3-4) Sunday 1 pm

The Saints are coming off two straight losses and have struggled offensively in all of their games this season but one. After a slow start against the Jaguars last week, the offense woke up and made an effort to come back, but it was too little too late.

The Colts are also coming off two straight losses, but their offense is red hot coming into this game. Quarterback Gardner Minshew gave the Browns defense, which is widely regarded as one of the best defenses in the NFL, a fit last week and put up 38 points.

The Colts' offense is on fire, and they will be too much for a struggling Saints team to handle.

My Pick: Colts 34, Saints 17

Cincinnati Bengals (3-3) at San Francisco 49ers (5-2) Sunday 4:25 pm

The 49ers are looking to bounce back after losing two straight to the Browns and the Vikings. However, their offense is pretty banged up. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel is already ruled out for the game, while left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) and quarterback Brock Purdy (concussion) are questionable.

The Bengals started this season off shaky, but they’ve bounced back and played their best football of the season over their last two games. Coming off their bye week quarterback Joe Burrow (calf) and Tee Higgins (ribs) had a chance to get healthy.

With the status of two of the 49ers' key offensive players in question, Lou Anarumo and the Bengals' defense should be too much for them this week.

My Pick: Bengals 31, 49ers 16

Ashley’s Picks:

Houston Texans (3-3) at Carolina Panthers (0-6) Sunday, 1 pm

After both teams come off of a bye week, both of these teams have something to prove. Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud has had a great start to the season, and he is even in the conversation for potentially being the Offensive Rookie of the Year. He has pulled out big wins against the Jaguars, Steelers and Saints so far this season.

Meanwhile, the Panthers are still looking for their first win of the season. Number one overall pick Bryce Young has not had the strongest start to his rookie season, and having running back Miles Sanders be injured has also not helped them.

This Texans team has been playing too well for the Panthers to earn their first victory of the season.

My Pick: Texans 33, Panthers 16

Atlanta Falcons (4-3) at Tennessee Titans (2-4) Sunday, 1 pm

The Falcons have gotten off to a great start, and having the addition of rookie running back Bjian Robinson has definitely been an advantage to their offense. Even though he had to leave the game last week due to an illness, Atlanta was still able to pull out the victory thanks to Younghoe Koo’s game-ending 51-yard field goal.

The Titans have gotten off to a rocky start this season, with quarterback Ryan Tannehill suffering a right high ankle sprain in Week 6’s loss against the Ravens in London. His status for this week is still in question, and head coach Mike Vrabel has said that Malik Willis and Will Levis will both get snaps if Tannehill is ruled out.

With Tannehill’s status in doubt for Sunday, the Falcons will be able to hold the Titans back from earning a victory.

My Pick: Falcons 27, Titans 14

Kansas City Chiefs (6-1) at Denver Broncos (2-5) Sunday, 4:25 pm

Ever since their Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions, the Kansas City Chiefs have been unstoppable. The Patrick Mahomes-Travis Kelce is the best it has ever been, and Taylor Swift being in the audience has definitely had an impact on this team, especially Kelce. The future Hall of Famer tight end has gone from 47.5 receiving yards per game in September to 107.5 per game in October.

With a veteran coach and veteran quarterback paired up this season, it was expected to be a rebound year for the Denver Broncos, but it has been anything but that. Excluding the Week 3 70-20 loss to Miami, the scores have all been eleven points or fewer differences. But if Sean Payton wants to stay around, he’s going to have to figure out how to get his team into the winning column.

The Chiefs team as a whole is too electric for the struggling Broncos to overcome, even in Bronco territory.

My Pick: Chiefs 42, Broncos 10

Las Vegas Raiders (3-4) at Detroit Lions (5-2) Monday, 8:15 pm

The Raiders had a huge loss last week to a struggling Chicago Bears team, who was led by rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has had two injuries through seven games, so the Raiders have been rotating with Brian Hoyer and Aidan O’Connell at quarterback.

After a huge blowout to the Baltimore Ravens last week, the Lions are looking to recover. Jared Goff did not have a single touchdown pass last week, and the team as a whole was on the decline. They were also missing running back David Montgomery, who was out with a rib injury.

With Jimmy Garoppolo’s status still in question for this matchup, the Raiders’ inconsistency at quarterback will not be able to stop the Lions, even if they are without Montgomery again.

My Pick: Lions 27, Raiders 21

Christian Holtzapple is a fourth-year majoring in journalism, To contact him, email cmh7064@psu.edu.

John Maldonado is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jim6132@psu.edu.

Jonathan Hartley is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jdh6293@psu.edu.

Ashley Mascaro is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email aem6398@psu.edu.