Week 8 Preview:
In honour of the NFL’s first regular-season foray across the Pond, Lord Winston Churchill will be presenting the forecast for Week 8’s slate. Take it away, M’Lord…

Bye Week Winners: Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Kansas City & Seattle

NY Giants (At London) -9.5 Miami 48


Pip-pip and cheerio! Let’s see, no Ronnie Brown for Miami…or Zach Thomas. The Dolphins wonder why they had to make a transatlantic trip to take a beating that would be just as bad back in the ol’ US of A (to quote Archie Bunker). Well, at least it won’t be 42-7 at the half. The G-Men continue on their impressive roll. Fear not DolFans, rumor has it that Big Tuna may be coming to the rescue.

Projected Final Score: NY Giants 31, Miami 20.

Cleveland -2.5 At St. Louis 45

Some week, maybe this one, the Rams have to win a game. They’re home and Bulger and Jackson are finally together in the starting lineup. So what if the O-Line is being held together by chewing gum and chicken wire? So what if the coach is one step from the unemployment line? Just remember the old “Any Given Sunday” line! Why not? Give ‘em a go, Rams!

Projected Final Score: St. Louis 24, Cleveland 23.

At Chicago -4.5 Detroit 45

Last week, the Lions were handed a win gift wrapped by the fumble-prone Bucs. This week, they renew acquaintances with old rivals in Chicago. The Bears pulled off a highly improbable 98-yard drive beating Philly at the end for their second straight win. They’re no longer the Monsters of the Midway, but they still have a few teeth left in their head and can beat Detroit.

Projected Final Score: Chicago 23, Detroit 17.

At Tennessee -6.5 Oakland 40.5

How many points did the Titans give up in the fourth quarter last Sunday in Houston? 29? Disgracia! The Raiders lost by the hairs of their chinny-chin-chins at home to the Chiefs. Traveling east to face a tougher opponent presents problems for the Silver & Black, with or without Vince Young lining up across from them.

Projected Final Score: Tennessee 27, Oakland 16.

Philadelphia -1 At Minnesota 37.5

Are things really that bad in Philly? Yes, after last week’s loss it truly can be said that the Eagles suck. If (Yo) Adrian Peterson gets enough touches the Vikes can take these guys.

Projected Final Score: Minnesota 20, Philadelphia 17.

Pittsburgh -3.5 At Cincinnati 48

The Steelers come in to this one a humbled bunch after last week’s disaster in Denver while the Bengals continue to dishonor the memory of their founder with their undisciplined, unprofessional antics. This is a team crying out for wholesale changes from top to bottom. Pittsburgh needs to stick to its bread n’ butter: ramming the ball down the opponent’s throat and playing hardass defense. If they stick to the plan, there’s no reason why they can’t win this one comfortably.

Projected Final Score: Pittsburgh 31, Cincinnati 27.

At NY Jets -2.5 Buffalo 37.5

Whether the Jets win or lose, they’re toast for this year. Pennington deserved better than he got. The Bills continue to play their hearts out every week despite injuries and some stupid play calls. Trent Edwards has supplanted Losman at the controls for the Bills and the team will suffer the ups and downs of his learning curve in the short term.

Projected Final Score: NY Jets 20, Buffalo 17.

At San Diego -9.5 Houston 45

While we’re all about fun n’ games out here, we’d be remiss in not sending out our thoughts and prayers to the good folk in Southern California whose lives were profoundly affected by the conflagration. Many lost everything. Thanks are also sent to the gallant efforts of the firefighters, first responders and relief staff. With this tragic backdrop, the Chargers prepared in Arizona and didn’t learn that the game would be played at The Murf until Friday. The team has finally righted the ship after stumbling out of the gate. It would be wonderful for the team’s fans to celebrate a big win after such a terrible week.

Projected Final Score: San Diego 31, Houston 20.

At Tampa Bay -3.5 Jacksonville 32

David Garrard will be out of the lineup for awhile, so the Jags’ offense is going to be seriously challenged. Meanwhile, Coach Chucky had to be apoplectic after turnovers killed an otherwise good showing in Detroit. This week, Garcia & Co. hang on to the ball and come away with a win.

Projected Final Score: Tampa Bay 20, Jacksonville 16.

New Orleans -2.5 At San Francisco 40

Whatever was ailing the ‘Aints appears to have abated. “Meanwhile back in San Francisco” (Van Morrison, “Saint Dominic’s Preview), Alex Smith is back in the lineup, but what should the ‘Niners expect? Surely, it ought to be much better than last week’s fiasco in the Meadowlands, but will it be good enough to defeat a team that has just started to regain their sea legs?

Projected Final Score: New Orleans 24, San Francisco 21.

At New England -16.5 Washington 48

This is already the third or fourth time this year that New England has been favored by more than two touchdowns and they covered every time, despite picking otherwise in this space. These sort of picks presuppose that everything will click perfectly, which seems has been the case (on the surface) for the Patriots. The run that Belichick’s team has been on so far has been amazing for those of us who witness the team’s exploits on a weekly basis. They’ll come in focused, prepared and ready as they always do. But they need to address the half-ass tackling that went on in the second half last week in Miami. So what if it was 42-7 at the half? If you can’t go all out all the time, grab some pine and let the backups have a go of things. These guys understand that they are in a unique place historically.

Any team coached by Joe Gibbs would use the Vegas’ Boys spread as bulletin board material. The ‘Skins are having a nice year, and won’t come into the game as anyone’s pushover. The key to the game is determining which Jason Campbell decides to play. If Good Jason is in the game, then the Pats are going to be in for a fight. But if Bad Jason appears maybe the Vegas Boys are correct. This week, Good Jason will be there for at least three quarters…

Projected Final Score: New England 30, Washington 21.