5 day forecast
Gerry Dulac's NFL Forecast: Week 8
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Last week: 9-4 (.692)
Season record: 60-44 (.577)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4) at Minnesota Vikings (5-2), 8:20 p.m., Thursday
The Skinny: Finally, ???High School Harry??? Schiano???s tactics will air on national television for all to see. And you can only hope that the Vikings will take the knee at the end of the game, just to see if Schiano keeps calling timeouts so he can cheap-shot Christian Ponder more than once. Winning friends is not on his radar. Apparently, neither is winning games.
Prediction: Vikings, 27-17
Washington Redskins (3-4) at Steelers (3-3), 1 p.m., Sunday
The Skinny: The Redskins and their rookie dynamo, RG3, can certainly run AND throw the ball as well as any team in the league. But they also allow more passing yards than any team in the league. That should satisfy the Steelers appetite to throw the ball, something Ben Roethlisberger has done very well.
Prediction: Steelers, 34-20
San Diego Chargers (3-3) at Cleveland Browns (1-6), 1 p.m., Sunday
The Skinny: Quick, which rookie QB leads the NFL in TDs? Andrew Luck? RG3? Well, it???s Brandon Weeden, who has nine, including four in his past two games. The Chargers are still trying to recover from blowing a 24-0 lead to Denver.
Prediction: Chargers, 24-20
Carolina Panthers (1-5) at Chicago Bears (5-1), 1 p.m., Sunday
The Skinny: Any argument about whether the Bears are the best team in the NFL should not be taken lightly. When Jay Cutler is sharp, they are darn near unbeatable. For proof, consider they are 25-0 when he has a 100-plus passer rating.
Prediction: Bears, 30-6
Atlanta Falcons (6-0) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-3), 1 p.m., Sunday
The Skinny: The Falcons remain the only unbeaten team in the league, but maybe not for long. The Eagles had a bye week to correct some of the problems associated with their two-game losing streak. And Mike Vick gets to face his former team.
Prediction: Eagles, 24-23
Seattle Seahawks (4-3) at Detroit Lions (2-4), 1 p.m., Sunday
The Skinny: Quick, which rookie QB leads the NFL in victories? Andrew Luck? RG3? Well, it???s Russell Wilson, who has four. Two of those were against the Packers and Patriots. Can he add another against the struggling Lions? Uh???..
Prediction: Lions, 23-16
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) at Green Bay Packers (4-3), 1 p.m., Sunday
The Skinny: In his past two games, Aaron Rodgers has completed 73 percent of his passes, thrown for 680 yards and nine TDs and has not been intercepted. In case you???re wondering, that???s a passer rating of 140.77. Whoa!!
Prediction: Packers, 37-10
Miami Dolphins (3-3) at New York Jets (3-4), 1 p.m., Sunday
The Skinny: The Dolphins have won two in a row and are a couple OT defeats from having the second-best record in the AFC. Speaking of OT, the Jets thought they might walk out of a New England with a big victory before that extra period.
Prediction: Jets, 27-24
New England Patriots (4-3) at St. Louis Rams (3-4) in London, England, 1 p.m., Sunday
The Skinny: The Patriots lead the league in points (31) and yards (436.1) per game, and are tied for most victories in England (1). They should provide the best show in Wembley Stadium since Madonna.
Prediction: Patriots, 34-21
Indianapolis Colts (3-3) at Tennessee Titans (3-4), 1 p.m., Sunday
The Skinny: Since he stepped in as interim coach for ailing Chuck Pagano, Bruce Arians has led the Colts to a 2-1 record. It helps, of course, that he has Andrew Luck, who is the first rookie QB in NFL history to have three wins and 1,500 passing yards in first six games.
Prediction: Titans, 34-31
Oakland Raiders (2-4) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-5), 4:05 p.m., Sunday
The Skinny: Almost amazingly, the Raiders have won the past five meetings at Arrowhead Stadium. Just as amazingly, the Chiefs haven???t won a game at home this season. Can that dubious streak continue ... ?
Prediction: Chiefs, 21-20
New York Giants (5-2) at Dallas Cowboys (3-3), 4:15 p.m., Sunday
The Skinny: Eli Manning doesn???t need much of a window to complete passes, especially in the fourth quarter. But how could he miss when the Redskins let Victor Cruz run free down the middle of the field in the final minute? The Cowboys have big windows.
Prediction: Giants, 23-20
New Orleans Saints (2-4) at Denver Broncos (3-3), 8:20 p.m., Sunday
The Skinny: The Saints have won two in a row while their Bountygate scandal continues to simmer. But as good as Drew Brees has been, Peyton Manning has been just a little bit better for the Broncos. And he???s had an extra week to rest.
Prediction: Broncos, 28-24
San Francisco 49ers (5-2) at Arizona Cardinals (4-3), 8:30 p.m., Monday
The Skinny: Forget that 4-0 start. The Cardinals have lost three in a row after opening with four consecutive victories. Just as suddenly, the 49ers have forgotten how to score. After putting up 79 points in two games, they???ve managed just 16 in the past two.
Prediction: 49ers, 20-16
First Published October 24, 2012 5:43 pm
