NFL Week 8: Sunday

Recap of NFL Sunday Week 8: Pick Results- 10-2 

Pick Summary: We had a great day. Every team we picked won, with the exception of the Rams, who upset the Saints to pickup their first win. We picked the Jaguars to upset the Texans, unfortunately Maurice Jones-Drew struggled, and the Texans won 24-14. The pick for tomorrow, is the Chargers beating the Chiefs. Stay tuned for next weeks Picks!!  

What an upset. The formerly winless Rams beat southern division leader New Orleans Saints. The Rams won! Steven Jackson ran for 159 yards  and scored 2 touchdowns en route to a 31-21 victory over the Saints. AJ Feeley threw for 175 yards and for one touchdown, his first touchdown pass of the season. Brandon Lloyd had 6 catches for 53 yards and a touchdown. Drew Brees had 269 yards but threw 2 interceptions. It was the first victory of the season for the Rams. 

In other games, Curtis Painter’s 250 yards passing as well as 79 yards rushing were not enough. The Colts remain winless after 8 games. Matt Hasselbeck threw for 224 yards and a touchdown pass, and Titans running back Javon Ringer ran for 60 yards in their 27-10 victory. The Titans are now 4-3 for second place behind the Houston Texans. 

The Texans won their game Sunday, beating the Jaguars 24-14. Blaine Gabbert struggled, throwing for just 97 yards, and Maurice Jones-Drew ran for only 63 yards. Arian Foster had a great game, running for 112 yards and scoring a touchdown. On the passing side, Matt Schaub threw for 225 yards. The Texans continue their lead in the AFC south. 

Cam Newton’s 290 passing yards and 53 rushing yards were not enough for the Panthers as they lost to the Vikings 24-21. Yet another loss for Newton and his squad. Steve Smith also had a good game for the Panthers, catching 7 balls for 100 yards and a touchdown. The Panthers drop to 2-6. The Vikings won for the first time since Week 5. Christian Ponder out dueled his fellow first round pick, by throwing for 236 yards and 1 touchdown. Adrian Peterson had 86 yards rushing and 76 yards receiving, and scoring 2 touchdowns. 

Billy Cundiff kicked a game winning field goal, to help the Baltimore Ravens beat the Arizona Cardinals 30-27. Joe Flacco threw for 336 yards, but no touchdown passes. Instead, the team had to rely on the rushing of Ray Rice who scored 3 touchdowns. Those touchdowns were all scored in the second half. The Ravens trailed the Cardinals 24-6 after the first half, but Rice led them to victory in the second. Beanie Wells ran for a score and Kevin Kolb threw for 153 yards and a touchdown for the Cardinals. Another bright spot for the Cardinals was the 82 yard punt return by Patrick Peterson.  The Cardinals’ struggle continues as they drop to 1-6. 

Eli Manning had a fantastic game as he led the Giants to a 20-17 victory over the winless Miami Dolphins. Manning threw for 349 yards and 2 touchdowns. After trailing 14-10 at the half, the Giants outscored the Dolphins 10-3 to win the game. Victor Cruz caught 7 balls, including one for a touchdown, for 99 yards. Reggie Bush ran for 103 yards, and is establishing his role as a starting running back in Miami. Matt Moore struggled, failing to throw for a touchdown pass. The Dolphins now drop to 0-7. They are now reminded of that horrible 1-15 season, a few years ago. 

For the first time in 9 games, the Patriots were trailing at the end of the first half. The Steelers would not let the Patriots take the lead, as they won 25-17. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 365 yards and 2 touchdowns and Rashard Mendenhall ran for 70 yards in the victory. The Steelers took a 17-0 lead, and never looked back. Tom Brady had a solid game, throwing for 198 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, the rushing game struggled as Kevin Faulk and BenJarvus Green-Ellis combined for just 41 yards rushing. 

And you thought you had a rough day. Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos were slaughtered 45-10 by the Detroit Lions. Tebow was sacked 7 times by the Lions, including 2 each from Lawrence Jackson and Cliff Avrill. Avrill also returned a fumble 24 yards for a touchdown. Chris Houston had Tebow’s only interception returned for an 100 yard touchdown. Matthew Stafford had a great game, throwing for 3 touchdown passes and 267 yards. For the Broncos, Eric Decker caught the only touchdown pass of the game, as they remain last in the AFC west. 

The Buffalo Bills shut out the Washington Redskins 23-0. Fred Jackson and Ryan Fitzpatrick, as expected led the Bills to victory. Jackson with his 120 rushing yards, and Fitzpatrick with his 262 passing yards and 2 touchdown passes. John Beck had a solid game, throwing for 208 yards, unfortunately he also threw for 2 interceptions. The Bills Defense also sacked Beck 9 times. 9 times, ladies and gentlemen.  The Redskins had no rushing game, as they only ran the ball 12 times. The Bills’ win put them in a first place tie in the AFC east. 

Tarvaris Jackson threw for 323 yards, but no touchdown passes, leading to his team’s 34-12 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals jumped out to a 17-0 lead and never looked back. Andy Dalton threw for 2 touchdown passes, and Bernard Scott rushed for 76 yards to help the Bengals. The other touchdowns were scored by a punt return by former Patriot Brandon Tate, and an interception return by Reggie Nelson. The Seahawks struggled in the running game, as Marshawn Lynch had only 24 yards rushing despite carrying the ball 16 times. 1.5 yards per carry. Ouch. The win for the Bengals keeps them in second place, in a hard division. 

Frank Gore ran for 134 yards, and Alex Smith threw for 177 yards in the 49ers’ 20-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns. Gore scored an early touchdown in the first quarter, and the 49ers never looked back. Colt McCoy had a great game, throwing for 241 yards, but only 1 touchdown. The 49ers continue their great start to the season, as they hold on to their first place spot in the NFC west. The Browns, despite a record one game under .500 are still in last place in the best division in the AFC. 

The Dream Team is back. The Eagles go off with a roar. Scoring 24 points in the first half against the Dallas Cowboys. Michael Vick had 195 yards passing and 2 touchdown passes, and LeSean McCoy had 95 yards rushing. IN THE FIRST HALF!! The Dream Team kept on dreaming, as they cruised to a 34-7 victory. Vick finished with 279 yards passing, and McCoy finished with 185 yards rushing. For Dallas, DeMarcus Ware had a fantastic game, picking up 11 tackles and 4 sacks. Tony Romo threw for 203 yards for Dallas, which is now in a 3 way tie for second place in the NFC east.