2022 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 8

After a very good couple of weeks of NFL picks in Week 5 and 6, Week 7 took a bit of a turn. The topsy-turvy nature of the NFL has become arguably the only “consistent” thing we’ve seen all year. Are we really meant to expect road losses by Aaron Rodgers and the Packers against Taylor Heinicke? Are we meant to expect Tom Brady to get beat by the hapless Carolina Panthers?

Ultimately, heading into Monday night’s matchup between the Patriots and Bears, this past week’s NFL picks record is just 7-6. The afternoon slate of games crushed a great start to the day and I tried going against the grain a little bit with some picks that didn’t work out. That’s part of the fun of it, though. What about the NFL Week 8 schedule? Without further ado, let’s make some NFL picks and predictions for Week 8 action.

Week 8 byes: Chargers, Chiefs

2022 NFL picks and predictions for Week 8

Baltimore Ravens (4-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4)

Thursday, October 27, 8:15 PM ET (Amazon Prime)

Things are rough for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers right now. Tom Brady is struggling badly, the running game is non-existent, and players are giving out autographs to officials.

This is the first time in 100 years that Tom Brady has had a losing record this “deep” into the season. On a serious note, this is uncharted water for the Buccaneers’ captain. Brady and the Bucs are luckily still in first place in the horrendous NFC South, but ultimately, they have to get things going or they won’t be for very long. Or will they? The NFC South is really bad.

Even playing at home this week, how can you just pencil in the Bucs as the winners this week against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens? Jackson is one of the biggest game-changers in the league and the Bucs simply don’t have balance offensively. Now, with Antoine Winfield in concussion protocol, they’ll also be without a key piece of their secondary defensively.

A game like this would normally be a toss-up for me in picks and I would just give the edge to the home team, but the Bucs do not get that kind of treatment at this point. I don’t feel comfortable picking them, even at home.

Prediction: Ravens win 23-18

Denver Broncos (2-5) at Jacksonville Jaguars (2-5)

Sunday, October 30, 9:30 AM ET (ESPN+)

The NFL is back in London this week as the Jacksonville Jaguars take on the Denver Broncos in a matchup of two teams with 2-5 records who need wins in the most desperate way. As of right now, the Jacksonville Jaguars have a bit more to play for in terms of divisional standing.

The AFC South leaders are the Tennessee Titans at 4-2, so the Jaguars aren’t all that far off right now. Trevor Lawrence and the offense have been close in some recent games, but ultimately haven’t been able to close things out on this four-game losing streak with four losses by eight points or less.

Doug Pederson seems to have this offense moving the right direction and Trevor Lawrence has undoubtedly made strides. As hopeless as things look for the Denver Broncos right now, their defense presents a very interesting challenge for young Lawrence, who is about to go up against one of the league’s most dominant units.

The Broncos, defensively, barely give an inch. They are tremendous against the pass, not just in terms of coverage but also at putting pressure on the opposing quarterback. The question for the Broncos is — can they score points? This is the worst scoring offense in the NFL by a longshot right now and the Jaguars may only need a touchdown drive and a couple of field goals to beat the Broncos.

That’s truly the sad reality of things in Denver. The Broncos have suffered plenty of injuries this year including one to Russell Wilson, who may not play in this game due to a hamstring injury. This isn’t a true “home” game for the Jaguars but if Wilson doesn’t play, it’s hard to bet on the Broncos getting things right in Week 8.

Prediction: Jaguars win 20-16

Carolina Panthers (2-5) at Atlanta Falcons (3-4)

Sunday, October 30, 1:00 PM ET

It happened on Sunday. The “rally around the interim head coach” game happened for PJ Walker and the Carolina Panthers, who shocked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a rather convincing win. The Panthers did all the right things — they played strong defense, they ran the ball well, and they got DJ Moore involved.

And fantasy players who have stuck things out with Moore up to this point said amen.

The question after that win against the Bucs for the Panthers is — how much of that do they have left? Shockingly, they are just one game out of first place and could even take over first place this week with a win against Atlanta. If nothing else, Steve Wilks will have that as ammunition to motivate his squad heading into Week 8.

As far as NFL picks, everything about this matchup seems to scream “Falcons” so let’s talk it out. The Falcons are a good running team offensively, but as we saw this past week, there’s only so far that can take them. They had just 214 yards of offense against a tough Bengals defense in Week 7, and that kind of offensive output is not going to play against any opponent, even a “selling” team like the Panthers.

Ultimately, I think this is bound to be a low-scoring game and the team that makes fewer mistakes offensively will grind out a win. In that case, I would be putting my money on the home team Falcons, who have better overall weapons on offense and who have caused 10 turnovers so far this season.

Prediction: Falcons win 17-14

Chicago Bears (3-4) at Dallas Cowboys (5-2)

Sunday, October 30, 1:00 PM ET

As Dak Prescott continues to work his way back from an injury, I think we can expect the Dallas Cowboys to develop into one of the top overall contenders in the NFC this year. Prescott returned to the lineup in Week 7 and threw his first touchdown pass of the year, a great sight to see for Cowboys fans who watched Cooper Rush do an outstanding job in place of Prescott for a five-game stretch in which the team went 4-1.

With 330 total yards of offense, the Cowboys put forth their best offensive effort so far this season. Six points allowed against the Detroit Lions was the lowest so far this season for Dallas, and the team forced a whopping five turnovers. That is horrendous news for the Chicago Bears, whose offense has struggled all year and is now facing back-to-back matchups against the Patriots (Monday night) and the Cowboys, two of the tougher defenses in the NFL.

With Micah Parsons on their side, how can you bet against the Cowboys in this one? The Cowboys’ pass rush has been tremendous all year, and is forcing quarterbacks to make quick and/or bad decisions with the ball. Jared Goff was responsible for four turnovers against Dallas last week and asking Justin Fields to play ball control against this type of defense is going to be tough. Fields and the Bears shocked a lot of people with their performance Monday against the Patriots, a game that could get this team into a groove offensively.

He’s going to have to utilize his mobility and hope the Bears’ defense can hold Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense at bay in this one. Otherwise, this one could get out of hand rather quickly.

Prediction: Cowboys win 26-18

Miami Dolphins (4-3) at Detroit Lions (1-5)

Sunday, October 30, 1:00 PM ET

Week 7 of the 2022 NFL season saw the return of Tua Tagovailoa to the Miami Dolphins lineup, and that was a great sight to see. Considering how scary it was with Tua the last time he took the field on a Thursday night a few weeks back, to see him back out there playing again is really an encouraging sign.

The Dolphins only scored 16 points against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, but that would be all they’d need. Miami has a really good defense which doesn’t get talked about enough and they absolutely stifled the rookie Kenny Pickett to the tune of three interceptions.

Now, the Dolphins get the chance to go up against a Detroit Lions offense that is struggling badly. They just turned the ball over five times this past week against the Dallas Cowboys, four of those turnovers coming from Jared Goff. Is Goff hitting a bad stretch of play or was that game a one-off?

Well, the Lions were shut out by the Patriots the last time they took the field before Sunday’s dismantling at the hands of the Cowboys. Despite the fact that Detroit is playing this game at home, the Dolphins seem like the much safer pick here. If Jared Goff is in a slump, the Dolphins are probably not the team to get him out of it. They have some really good players in the secondary and young guys like Jevon Holland and pass rusher Jaelan Phillips are really emerging for this team as key foundational pieces.

Detroit had one of the most exciting offenses in the league early on, but what are we to make of them now after a shutout against New England and only six points against the Cowboys?

Prediction: Dolphins win 27-20 

Arizona Cardinals (3-4) at Minnesota Vikings (5-1)

Sunday, October 30, 1:00 PM ET

The Arizona Cardinals are taking on the Vikings with some extended rest after playing the Thursday night game in Week 7, beating the New Orleans Saints rather handily thanks to a couple of touchdown passes by Andy Dalton. Touchdown passes, that is, that were thrown to the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cardinals’ defense had a pair of pick-sixes to help get this team back on track last week, and they needed that win in the worst possible way. Arizona was 2-4 going into Thursday’s matchup and tension had obviously been running high for this team. A win against the Saints has now vaulted the Cardinals into a solid position in the rather wide-open NFC West this season, but they are going to be tested in Week 8 by the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings are going to make this one of the tougher NFL picks of the week because they are playing at home and coming off of a bye week, but they are playing against a team that is such a wild card right now in the Cardinals.

Minnesota has the offensive firepower to win this matchup outright and on paper, I think the Vikings are just a better team than the Cardinals. I think after Arizona’s win and defensive showing against the Saints, they should have some serious hope of going on the road and getting a win against the Vikings, even with Minnesota coming off of a bye.

The Vikings won four straight heading into the bye, but they played the Lions, Saints, Bears, and Dolphins without their starting quarterback. The Minnesota defense has given up over 400 yards of offense this season three times already, including giving up nearly 500 yards against the Dolphins in their final game before the bye. Again, that was without Tua Tagovailoa on the field.

As much as I want to pick the Vikings coming off the bye, I’m more on the Cardinals coming off of a convincing win with DeAndre Hopkins having a huge game.

Prediction: Cardinals win 29-27

Las Vegas Raiders (2-4) at New Orleans Saints (2-5)

Sunday, October 30, 1:00 PM ET

Who would have thought just a handful of weeks ago that Josh Jacobs would be instrumental in keeping the Raiders’ 2022 season hopes alive?

After a win against the Denver Broncos, the Raiders took the Kansas City Chiefs down to the wire heading into their bye week. Raider Nation probably didn’t care to hear it at the time, but even at 1-4, it didn’t feel like things were over for this Las Vegas team. Coming out of the bye week, the Raiders proved those who still believe in them right, as Josh Jacobs ran all over the Houston Texans to the tune of three touchdowns.

The Broncos game really was a get-right game for Jacobs. At that point in the season, the Raiders were 32nd in the NFL in rushing attempts. Now, Jacobs is clearly a key piece of this team offensively and perhaps even earning himself another contract with the Raiders in 2023. We’ve seen him come a long way recently from playing in the Hall of Fame Game, haven’t we?

The Raiders are traveling to New Orleans to take on the Saints, who are coming off of an ugly Thursday night loss against the Arizona Cardinals. This Saints team just simply cannot stop other teams from scoring at the moment. Although two scores against Arizona were of the defensive variety, the Saints have allowed 28 or more points in each of their last four games.

Even though they have the NFL’s 7th-ranked scoring offense, that has been insurmountable for them. For NFL picks purposes, that doesn’t necessarily matter this week.

Playing at home always gives New Orleans a good chance but I think the Raiders are hitting a groove right now offensively (3rd in the league in scoring) and I trust Derek Carr more than either quarterback the Saints have right now. This could be a fun, high-scoring affair.

Prediction: Raiders win 33-30

New England Patriots (3-4) at New York Jets (5-2)

Sunday, October 30, 1:00 PM ET

The New York Jets have improved to 5-2 after a road win against the Denver Broncos, but that road win came at a very great cost. The Jets lost star rookie running back Breece Hall — who had his longest touchdown run of the year against the Broncos — to a season-ending knee injury. Since the time of this post being written, however, the Jets swung an interesting trade to acquire Jaguars running back James Robinson, a sign that this team is all-in.

Hall being out is absolutely critical for the Jets and is a crushing blow for a team experiencing some of the most optimism and bright spots they have had in over a decade. Zach Wilson remains unbeaten as the starter for the Jets this year, but it’s hard to say the Jets are winning because of Wilson at this point.

Ultimately, that’s going to have to change drastically if the Jets are going to turn around this weekend and win a home game against the New England Patriots, who had seemingly also turned things around after a slow start to the season.

The Patriots’ defense had been absolutely shutting folks down in recent weeks before Monday night’s loss to the Bears, and even if they’re not playing the biggest and baddest NFL teams around, you can’t help but be impressed with the way they had been playing considering Bailey Zappe had to come in as a reliever for Mac Jones and hold down the fort. Which he did, exceptionally well.

These two teams win in very similar ways right now. They play smart defense and they don’t really give up many big plays. Even though they are playing on the road, I’m more trusting of the Patriots’ offense against New York with Zach Wilson at the helm of the Jets’ crew. I think the Jets’ fun ends in Week 8 with a home loss to a familiar thorn in their side.

Prediction: Patriots win 18-15

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-5) at Philadelphia Eagles (6-0)

Sunday, October 30, 1:00 PM ET

If you are looking for the easiest of the NFL picks in Week 8 of the 2022 season, this one might just be it. The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off of a 10-16 loss to the Miami Dolphins in which rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett threw three interceptions. Steelers fans are ready to be done with offensive coordinator Matt Canada, and it’s hard to blame them at this point.

Everyone knew this could be a retooling or rebuilding year in Pittsburgh with Ben Roethlisberger retiring, but the Steelers have had to deal with losing TJ Watt early in the season as well. Defensively, that has obviously made a massive difference for this team and going into a matchup against a team like the Eagles, who are coming off of a bye, what does anyone really expect Pittsburgh to do in this game besides show up?

The biggest advantage Pittsburgh may have at this point is that Philadelphia probably won’t go undefeated this season. They will lose some games at some point, so why not this one?

I just don’t see that happening. The Eagles are one of the NFL’s more well-oiled machines at this point in the season, and they are coming off of a bye week well-rested. They have a chance to improve to 7-0 on their home field against a team they should beat, and that’s what good teams should do.

In recent weeks of NFL picks, I’ve messed around with some upset picks based on how strongly I feel going one way into a game, but not with this one. I think Jalen Hurts and the Eagles are going to come out and prove to everyone in this game that the Eagles are not a team that’s going to get fat and happy, they are going to come out of the bye week hungry and ready.

Prediction: Eagles win 30-13

Tennessee Titans (4-2) at Houston Texans (1-4-1)

Sunday, October 30, 4:05 PM ET

At least the Houston Texans have Dameon Pierce. Thanks to Pierce’s presence on the roster, the Texans are quite entertaining offensively and while they have other pieces, Pierce is the one everyone is tuning in to see on a weekly basis at this point.

Despite Pierce’s brilliance so far as an NFL rookie, the Texans have just one win this season. They now have a home matchup against the Tennessee Titans, who looked disappointing early on in the year but have once again found a way to grind out enough wins to be in first place in the AFC South.

What do you make of this matchup? These are two teams that want to win by running the ball effectively, but even with each team’s best offensive weapon being it’s RB1, they have not run the ball as effectively as you might think.

The Titans rank 20th in the NFL in rushing this season, 26th in yards per carry, and a whopping 7th in rushing attempts. They are trying to run the ball but it’s not happening at an efficient rate. The Texans, on the other hand, rank 24th in rushing and 19th in yards per carry. Again, these are pretty surprising figures considering these two teams have leaned so heavily on Derrick Henry and Dameon Pierce, respectively.

And when I say heavily…

• Derrick Henry has 147 touches this year, next highest on the Titans is Robert Woods at 20
• Dameon Pierce has 135 touches this year, next highest on the Texans is Rex Burkhead at 45

It’s not over the top to say this matchup comes down to who runs the ball more effectively between Henry and Pierce, and in that case…

Prediction: Titans win 20-17

Washington Commanders (3-4) at Indianapolis Colts (3-3-1)

Sunday, October 30, 4:25 PM ET

The plot for this game has thickened considerably since this post started being written. Matt Ryan has been the quarterback of the Colts all season long, and he’s frankly been an absolute machine…when it comes to turning the ball over. Ryan suffered a Grade 2 shoulder separation in last week’s loss to the Titans, and the Colts are putting Matty on Ice.

Colts head coach Frank Reich said that this move would have been made injury or not, so Ryan is effectively being benched. Will that do it for his NFL career as a starting quarterback? I think we may have seen the end of Matty Ice as any team’s primary starting option.

With that being said, this is going to be a battle of backups. Sam Ehlinger will make his first start of the 2022 NFL season against a Commanders team that has found a way to grind out three wins, including a shocking victory this past weekend against the Green Bay Packers.

Taylor Heinicke vs. Sam Ehlinger in a game that actually has NFL playoff implications for at least one of these teams. Barring a tie, someone in this game is going to move to four wins this season, and that will be absolutely huge as the year progresses. The Colts, thankfully, have played good defense most of the season. It’s difficult to know what Sam Ehlinger is really going to bring to the table for this Colts’ offense in terms of being an immediate upgrade over Matt Ryan.

The move to Ehlinger is a fascinating one. I think this game was a toss-up going into it anyway, but with the Colts making a bold move at QB, why not?

Prediction: Colts win 22-20

San Francisco 49ers (3-4) at Los Angeles Rams (3-3)

Sunday, October 30, 4:25 PM ET

This is no longer just a matchup of NFC West foes. This is apparently a matchup against two teams that desperately wanted Christian McCaffrey.

In that way, I guess the 49ers already won…

McCaffrey got involved right away for the 49ers in his debut with the team against the Chiefs. Although the 49ers lost, McCaffrey brought his explosiveness to the table and proved he could be a major weapon for the 49ers going forward. The question is — with Jimmy Garoppolo at QB, does any of it matter?

The 49ers got absolutely slammed this weekend against the Chiefs and they are now heading on the road to face off against the Rams, who had a get-right game against the Panthers before heading into their bye week.

The Rams have struggled badly at times this season, but so have the 49ers. I think these are two teams trending right now in different directions, as much as you’d like to see the 49ers turn things around quickly with McCaffrey in the fold. This is already the second time these two teams have played, and you’d better believe the Rams remember the drubbing the 49ers gave them in prime time just a few weeks ago.

Unfortunately, even with the excitement of adding Christian McCaffrey, I think the 49ers drop their third straight game and the Rams start making their run at defending the NFC West title.

Prediction: Rams win 27-26

New York Giants (6-1) at Seattle Seahawks (4-3)

Sunday, October 30, 4:25 PM ET

If it weren’t for Aaron Rodgers going up against Josh Allen, this would probably be the best game of the week. In fact, you know what? It might still be that. The New York Giants are absolutely rolling right now. Brian Daboll is running away with the NFL Coach of the Year award as the Giants roll to 6-1.

I did my part last week by projecting a Jaguars victory. If Giants fans have been reading these predictions posts, they absolutely want me picking against New York because that has been working at this point.

Is it crazy that after six wins I wouldn’t be sold on the Giants going into Seattle and getting a win right now? Maybe a little, but the Seahawks are also playing well this season. Specifically running the ball with star rookie Kenneth Walker, the Seahawks have balance offensively and someone that can absolutely take games over for them.

The Seahawks have the 5th-ranked scoring offense this season while the Giants have the 6th-ranked scoring defense. These are two of the best running teams offensively in the entire NFL with the Giants leading the league in total rushing yards and the Seahawks leading the NFL in yards per carry.

This is going to be a fun matchup between two teams that have seriously exceeded expectations so far this season. Both Geno Smith and Daniel Jones are playing their way to potential Pro Bowl considerations. One key factor in this matchup? The Seahawks have been good about taking the ball away and the Giants have not had many giveaways this year.

As far as NFL picks, this has ‘toss-up’ written all over it.

Prediction: Seahawks win 24-23

Green Bay Packers (3-4) at Buffalo Bills (5-1)

Sunday, October 30, 8:20 PM ET

What in the world is going on with the Green Bay Packers at the present moment?

Aaron Rodgers laying face-down on the ground as dejected as can be really says it all, doesn’t it? Things are not well in Titletown at the moment, and up to this point, we’ve really tried giving the Packers the benefit of the doubt.

Someone is going to step up for that passing game. Someone is going to emerge as the WR1. Aaron Rodgers will “will” this team to victory. The Packers’ defense is too good.

Well, none of that stuff seems to matter or be happening right now. The things we thought about the Packers going into the 2022 NFL season were clearly wrong, which I guess makes predicting their games a little easier. I really struggled to pick the Commanders last week with their backup QB on the field, but I’m not going to struggle at all in this week’s NFL picks.

The Packers are taking on the Buffalo Bills and I think there’s no doubt with the way they are playing right now, they will drop to 3-5 on the season. Josh Allen and the Bills are getting Green Bay coming off their bye week, which obviously works to their advantage as they’ve had the week to recoup and get healthy after a big win against the Chiefs.

Now, the Bills come back and while taking down Aaron Rodgers is no small feat, I think Buffalo will win this game rather handily. Which probably means the Packers will win.

Prediction: Bills win 31-24

Cincinnati Bengals (4-3) at Cleveland Browns (2-5)

Monday, October 31, 8:15 PM ET

After a slow start to the 2022 NFL season, the Cincinnati Bengals appear to be back as contenders in the AFC. The slow start to the season was slightly concerning, but the Bengals have been playing solid defense all year and have a top-10 unit that has gone largely underrated. Now, the offense has caught up.

That’s bad news for the Cleveland Browns on Monday night, and it’s bad news for the rest of the AFC as the season progresses. The Bengals are trying to prove that there is no “hangover” from this team after their rebuild was clearly accelerated in 2021. Cincinnati went on a crazy run late last season but early on in 2022, it looked like they might take a step back.

Now, the last couple of weeks, Joe Burrow has been playing out of his mind, as have the likes of Ja’Marr Chase, Tyler Boyd, and Tee Higgins. Those three are on pace for at least 1,100 yards each this season and the production of this offense in recent weeks — 27 or more points in four of the last five games — is the reason for it.

The Browns are not hapless by any stretch. This is a Cleveland team that has hung in games despite Jacoby Brissett being the full-time starter, and their running game offensively is the primary reason for that. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are playing very well, but in this matchup, how do the Browns counter the trio of receivers at Joe Burrow’s disposal? How are they going to slow down this freight train that has poured on 65 points the last two weeks?

I just don’t see that happening.

Prediction: Bengals win 32-21