NFL News: Around the Gridiron

Week 8 Recap

It appears as though New England’s stranglehold on the AFC East has been broken as the Buffalo Bills mustered a 24-21 win over the Patriots in Week 8 and sent the perennial contenders packing with a dismal 2-5 record. Buffalo owns sole possession of first place and will welcome Russell Wilson and the Seahawks to town next week.

The Tennessee Titans were stunned by a rookie quarterback, Joe Burrow, and the Cincinnati Bengals as they fell, 31-20, despite being tagged as seven-point road favorites. In another upset, the Vikings proved they are far better than their record indicates when they traveled to Lambeau and held on for a 28-22 victory.

In the week’s marquee matchup, the Steelers kept on rolling with their perfect record intact when they delivered a mild upset over the Ravens in a 28-24 victory that now has Pittsburgh all alone in the penthouse of the AFC North.

Without further ado, let’s see what’s in store for us this week as we preview the Week 9 opening NFL lines on the most intriguing matchups.

Seattle Seahawks vs. Buffalo Bills - 1:00 PM ET, FOX

Here we have a battle of first-place teams going toe-to-toe in the blustery weather of Buffalo, New York. Seattle, formerly a club built on knock-your-socks-off defense, has now morphed into a prolific offensive juggernaut. Meanwhile, Buffalo is relying on its defense to stave off the wolves just enough so their offense can provide enough juice to get the job done.

Based on what we have seen thus far, the Seahawks’ offense looks profoundly more threatening than a good, but by no means great Buffalo defensive unit. But that is why they play the games on the field and not on paper. Bills’ quarterback, Josh Allen, will have to return to his early-season form if his team is to have any chance at keeping up with the high-octane, Russell Wilson led Seahawks’ offense.

Prediction: Seahawks 27 - Bills 17

Chicago Bears vs. Tennessee Titans - 1:00 PM ET, FOX

This is an interesting matchup and will reveal which of the two, maybe both, is a pretender rather than a contender. The Bears were upended by the Saints, 26-23, in overtime at Soldier Field last week while the Titans dropped a surprising 31-20 decision to the Bengals. Both teams are vying for the top spot in their respective divisions but there are questions whether either is a truly legitimate postseason threat.

Can the mercurial Nick Foles navigate a successful regular season, resulting in a playoff berth, where anything can happen? And how about the Titans, piling up a 5-0 record before losing their last two games and giving Tennessee fans pause regarding the viability of Ryan Tannehill leading this team to postseason glory.

Those questions will at least be partially answered and right now the oddsmakers have installed the Titans as six-point home chalk over their visitors from the Windy City.

Prediction: Titans 24 - Bears 16

New Orleans Saints vs. Tampa Bay Bucs - 8:20 PM ET, NBC

The Bucs will have revenge and redemption on their minds when they welcome the boys on the bayou after suffering an opening day loss to the Saints. It was supposed to be the beginning of a football renaissance in Tampa Bay with the GOAT, Tom Brady, suited up in a Bucs uniform to lead his charges to victory over their nemesis from New Orleans. But instead, the Saints did what they have been doing for years against the Bucs, they won.

However, TB12 has gotten familiar with his new teammates since then and Tom is looking terrific once more. There is little doubt this is a two-horse race in the NFC South with Atlanta and Carolina doing little more than taking up space in the cellar of the division. Drew Brees is Brady’s fellow future Hall-of-Famer who has the ability to turn things sideways in Tampa with a season series sweep on Sunday night.

The oddsmakers are offering the Bucs as four-point home favorites in this highly anticipated rematch. And while the Saints are a legitimate NFL power, it is hard to argue with that line considering Brady had his worst game of the season against New Orleans back in September and is unlikely to repeat his mistakes. In that game, Brady tossed two interceptions, including a 36-yard pick-six by the Saints’, Janoris Jenkins, in what resulted in a 34-23 New Orleans’ victory.

Prediction: Bucs 37 - Saints 24

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