Here’s another great Week 8 prediction from Mr. Squires, as we delve into our weekly feature Callum’s Week 8.
THE PICKS SIX – WEEK EIGHT
Yo! Welcome back to The Picks Six. Last week, I went 9-4 in picking outright winners, but two of the key games that ruined all the fun were ones I was certain were going the other way. Turns out, the Patriots did not have enough in their locker to do the “Belichick Bounce Back” I predicted, and that the Cowboys are so abjectly awful on defense that they made the WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM look competent. Embarrassing. A shambles. We jump back in with full of enthusiasm to a great slate of games in week 8, a number of which could genuinely go either way. This makes my job simultaneously harder and more enjoyable. Fingers crossed everything doesn’t blow up in my face like it did two weeks ago. Anyway… Let’s get to the predictions.
The 1st & Goal from the 1yd Line. (Season Record 2-1)
This is my lock of the week. A sure fire winner surely.
Obviously, I have to continue picking against the Jets. They’re atrocious. So, the Chiefs to win in the safest bet of all time. They’re currently TWENTY (two zero, 20) point favourites. Incredible. That spread is so big, it does come with a little inherent risk, so I’m gonna tweak it a little, play it safe, and say let’s have Chiefs -9.5. A two score margin should be very doable for Mahomes.
Furthermore, let’s spice it up and have 3 picks in this category this week. So, let’s add The Packers to win against the Vikings, and The Dolphins +10.5 against the Rams.
Rodgers is going to go all out to properly stamp out the Vikings from NFC North contention, and I don’t think Miami would put Tua in as starter if they didn’t think it would work immediately. I don’t think the Rams will blow Tagovailoa away – even with Aaron Donald – so let’s give the Dolphins a head start and play it safe.
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The 45yd Field Goal (Season Record 0-2)
This is my mid-range, toss up of the week.
It’s not been a good start for me from mid-field goal range. Ugh. We’re gonna give two this week and try desperately to claw our way back to .500 in this category before Week 9.
Let’s start with the Browns -2.5 against the Raiders. Baker’s performance last week has refuelled my Browns Hype Train and I’m ready to ride them again. The Raiders run game stumbled against the Bucs last week and I think they’ll have to throw more with Derek Carr this week. I think the Browns are better on both sides of the ball and have enough to cover this spread.
My second choice is the Saints -5.0. Yup, I still think the Bears are frauds at 5-2. Thanks to the Rams for spelling that out very clearly last Monday night. Michael Thomas still being out is a shame, but Brees, Kamara and Latavius Murray should be able to wreak enough havoc to keep the – very good – Chicago defense on it’s heels. Looks like Allen Robinson might now play, increasing the already large amount of pressure on Foles to work miracles… I don’t see it. NOLA to cover please.
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The Hail Mary (Season Record 0-2)
This is my shot from half field. Unlikely, but you never know.
I am so so so so so tempted to pick Ben Gucci DiNucci and the Cowboys to upset Philly outright. What a story it would be. I love an underdog story and, whilst it’s crazy to think of the Cowboys as the underdogs, in this case they really are. This would be the biggest upset of this season so far. I’m really talking myself into this…
You know what? Let’s change it up. This week’s Hail Mary is an underdog parlay.
Miami to win – TUA TIME.
Detroit to win – The Colts are meh on offense.
Pittsburgh to win – Ride the undefeated hand.
Dallas +7.5 – DiNucci has had a week to work with ALL those weapons, the Eagles DO have a lot of injuries… let’s give us a close game to round out Sunday night.
I’ll have to see if we classify this as one pick or as four… but this little acca is about 38/1.
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The Overs (Season Record 2-2)
Raiders @ Browns – Over 49.5
As previously mentioned, Baker was absolutely SLINGING it last week (after OBJ got hurt), and John Gruden loves to chase the points. I think both these defenses are slyly decent, hence why the total is under 50 points, but can see offense winning the day here. Feels like both teams will sell out to stop the run (Josh Jacobs & Kareem Hunt respectively), meaning the passing game for both Mayfield and Derek Carr will be prevalent. Take over 49.5.
Titans @ Bengals – Over 51.0
Joe Burrow is trying his level best to drag this under-manned and out-matched Bengals team to relevancy. Their defense is just too weak to help on the back end. Burrow has shown enough throwing (and running) the ball to warrant respect that he’s capable of almost guaranteeing you at least 21pts on the board each week. The Titans have been nothing short of fantastic, and will be looking to bounce back from losing a very close one to arguably the best defense in the league last week, the Steelers. I see Tannehill, Derrick Henry, Jonnu Smith and AJ Brown on the Bengals defense in a high scoring affair. Take over 51.0.
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The Parlay (Complete Parlays 0-2, Correct Legs 5-4-1)
LA Chargers -3.0 – Justin Herbert is fast becoming one of my favourite players to watch, and the Broncos, despite having a good defense, just don’t have enough to keep up with JHerbz in this one.
Seahawks -3.0 – One overtime shootout loss to the (very underrated) Cardinals does not stop Seattle being the NFC West top dog. They will re-establish that and solidify their Championship pedigree in this one. Russ will cook.
Lions +3.0 – What a win they had last week. Sure, blame Atlanta’s incompetence, but equally praise Matt Stafford, Kenny Golladay and TJ Hockenson for masterminding that final drive. I like the Lions to win this game outright this week also, as the Colts have been very underwhelming with the ball in their hands. Detroit plus a field goal feels like a good bet.
Bills -4.0 – The Patriots burned me last week, so I’m taking them to get burned again this week. Josh Allen and the Bills have had a little dip in form since their electric opening to the season, but this is a must win for them. If you can’t beat THIS Patriots team, and win the AFC East, you never will. BILL-ieve in Buffalo.
Steelers +4.5 – This one shouldn’t be a blow out in either direction, and with the Steelers rolling – as the lone undefeated team in the league – I think they might win this one outright, but taking the points advantage feels sensible. Lamar is of course liable to come off his bye week and go bonkers, but I’m hoping Ben and his army of weapons can stay with them.
Depending on your bookmaker, a £10 bet on this parlay will return about £260.
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The Full English: (Season Record 18-9)
Colts @ Lions – Lions
Rams @ Dolphins – Miami (There is 0% chance I’m picking against Tua on his debut… remember his Ba
Raiders @ Browns – Cleveland
Vikings @ Packers – Green Bay
Patriots @ Bills – Buffalo (Come on Josh Allen!!)
Jets @ Chiefs – Kansas City (the line is -20.0 and I think it’s way too low… sheeeeesh)
Steelers @ Ravens – Steelers (This is the toss up of all toss ups but I’m leaning Pittsburgh as their defense is for real and Lamar and the running game hasn’t been the same one we saw last year for the Ravens. Now that I’ve written this, Baltimore will probably win by 30 just to spite me…)
Titans @ Bengals – Tennessee
Chargers @ Broncos – LA
Saints @ Bears – New Orleans (Bears are still Frauds)
49ers @ Seahawks – Seattle
Cowboys @ Eagles – Eagles (I want to pick Gucci DiNucci and the Boyz but can’t quite take that risk. However, this will be closer than some people think…)
Buccaneers @ Giants – Tampa Bay
Enjoy Week 8! As ever, I’m @callumjdsquires on Twitter & Instagram. Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see me discuss or suggest picks for… Come chat and tell me why I’m wrong and your team is going to win this week. Jets fans – don’t turn the game on… don’t do it to yourself. Cheers.
All lines accurate as of 11am Saturday.’t
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