NFL Predictions Week 8: Upset Picks and Projections

Every week of the NFL season, we are reminded that anything can happen in this league.

The Seattle Seahawks were considered by many to be the best team in football, but they have now lost two games in a row, most recently to the 2-4 St. Louis Rams. The Jacksonville Jaguars had not won a game heading into Week 7, but they pulled off the upset over a Cleveland Browns team that had been playing well lately.

There are plenty of potential upsets for Week 8 as well, although some would be more surprising than others. Here are predictions for the upcoming week as well as the top upsets, based on lines by OddsShark.com.

Most Likely Upsets

St. Louis Rams at Kansas City Chiefs

One of the biggest stories of the week was the Rams' upset win over the Seahawks, which featured some trick plays on special teams and some gutsy calls by head coach Jeff Fisher. However, it is important to note that the team played a strong game all-around to earn the win, and this was not a fluke.

Doug Farrar of Sports Illustrated provided his thoughts on new starting running back Tre Mason:

Meanwhile, quarterback Austin Davis was efficient throughout and found a way to came through when needed, according to Rich Eisen of NFL Network:

Add this to a defense that finally found ways to put pressure on the opposing quarterback, and the Rams have become a good team.

Before beating the Seahawks, St. Louis blew a 14-0 lead against the San Francisco 49ers after losing by six points on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles and three points at home against the Dallas Cowboys. These are four of the best teams in the NFC, and they performed as well as anyone could have hoped.

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off their biggest win of the season on the road against the San Diego Chargers, but the offensive line could end up struggling against a reawakened Rams defensive line. 

This will be a close battle, but the Rams have the ability to pull off the upset.

Buffalo Bills at New York Jets

The New York Jets will have some extra rest after playing Thursday night, but that has not necessarily led to much success this season as teams are 7-5 the following week. These inconclusive results are likely simply just good teams winning again and bad teams losing.

Despite the close effort against the New England Patriots, the Jets are one of those bad teams. They fell to 1-6 on the year and have struggled mightily at defending the pass, as Football Perspective notes:

Add this to their own problems throwing the ball (31st in the NFL in passing yards per game), and it is clear New York has a long way to go before being competitive on a weekly basis.

On the other hand, the Buffalo Bills keep finding ways to win games regardless of who is on the field. Kyle Orton is now 2-1 as a starter this season because he throws accurate passes and gives his talented receivers a chance to make a play.

Meanwhile, there are questions about the Bills' ability to run the ball with both Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller injured. However, Bryce Brown now has a chance to shine after being traded in the offseason. He certainly has confidence he can pull it off, per Matthew Fairburn of Syracuse.com:

I think anybody that watches football or knows the game of football knows that I can play. I definitely don't have anything to prove to myself. I believe in myself. I believe in my capabilities. I know what I've done and I know I can do better.

I know that I can perform, I can put on this logo, and I can play just as well as anybody who's been playing so far. 

If he can even be serviceable in the backfield along with Anthony Dixon, the Bills should be able to do enough to pull off the win.

It is certainly easier to trust this offensive situation over Geno Smith going against a Buffalo defense that leads the NFL with 24 sacks. Things could get ugly when the Jets are on the field.

Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints

The Saints are a completely different team when they play at home, but that has only happened twice this season. The squad is 0-4 on the road but 2-0 at the Superdome, where they will play against the Green Bay Packers.

However, even the wins were not as impressive as they should have been for New Orleans. The squad needed overtime to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and struggled at times against the Minnesota Vikings as well.

There are problems on both sides of the ball for the Saints, which are only exacerbated with an injured Jimmy Graham, who was held without a catch last game. There is still a lot of talent, but it is hard to trust this team based on what we have seen.

On the other hand, there might not be a hotter team in the NFL than the Packers. SportsCenter noted the recent turnaround thanks to the outstanding play of quarterback Aaron Rodgers:

A blowout win over the Carolina Panthers once again showed what the team is capable of when everything is clicking. Bleacher Report's Mike Freeman also made this proclamation:

The Packers have already won tough games on the road this year at Chicago and at Miami, and they will do what it takes to keep up their current winning streak heading into the Week 9 bye. 

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