Week 8 NFL Projections

Last week: 8-4
Season: 63-23

Buffalo Bills 27, Washington Redskins 20

Both of these teams are coming off of losses last weekend; the Bills losing a close one to the Giants and the John Beck-led Redskins by thirteen to Cam Newton's Panthers. Buffalo has the worst defense in the NFL this year, but Washington won't have the skill to exploit it enough to outscore the Bills. John Beck simply isn't what Mike Shanahan expects him to be: a reliable NFL starting quarterback. He didn't have that in Rex Grossman, either. And everyone knows in the NFL you need a good starting quarterback...

Philadelphia Eagles 27, Dallas Cowboys 24

No, I shouldn't be picking the Eagles to win this game. I just have a feeling about this one. Andy Reid has finally realized that it is desperation time in Philadelphia, which means he will call the pass 99.9% of the time... That is really the only thing holding Philadelphia back (the linebackers are another issue). If Reid comes to his senses and uses LeSean McCoy effectively like he did in last week's win, the Birds should be able to keep their playoff aspirations alive (unless they can't stop DeMarco Murray).

New England Patriots 20, Pittsburgh Steelers 17

It's cold. It's in Pittsburgh, and it has the makings of an old-fashioned, grit and grind battle. Twenty points would tie the Patriots' lowest scoring output of the season, but it makes perfect sense as the Steel Curtain looms. This game rides in the hands of Ben Roethlisberger and whether he can exploit the porous pass D of the Pats, as Rashard Mendenhall should have another rough day. I still have Tom Brady pulling out a win, but this game is essentially a toss up, even if New England has looked like the better team thus far.

Tennessee Titans 20, Indianapolis Colts 13
New York Giants 30, Miami Dolphins 6
Baltimore Ravens 23, Arizona Cardinals 14
New Orleans Saints 41, St. Louis Rams 10
Carolina Panthers 28, Minnesota Vikings 24
Houston Texans 31, Jacksonville Jaguars 15
Detroit Lions 27, Denver Broncos 20
San Francisco 49ers 24, Cleveland Browns 17
Cincinnati Bengals 21, Seattle Seahawks 7
San Diego Chargers 24, Kansas City Chiefs 20

Is This the Year for the Eagles?

The fans in Philly have been waiting forever. The Andy Reid era has consisted of perennial winning seasons with numerous playoff and NFC Championship appearances. Of the five NFC Championship appearances, the Birds have only gone to the Super Bowl once, in which they lost by a field goal to New England.

Every year, when it looks like the Eagles have another strong team, fans in the City of Brotherly Love get their hopes up for a Super Bowl run. Every September, as the NFL season comes around, people ask "Is this the year?" But it never has been. They've always found a way to come up short in the end. There's always been some fatal flaw. Every year, the season ends a failure.

Fans continue to flock to the Linc, selling out game after game, in hope of a Eagles victory. More times then not, they deliver. But not in the end. Someone always gets the best of them, whether it be the Cowboys like last year, or any other team.

The failure to go all the way brings change. The former faces of the team, Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, and Brian Dawkins are all somewhere else. New, young talent has taken their place, with the likes of DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and LeSean McCoy, as well as numerous other changes. Trent Cole remains a game-changer on the defensive side of the ball, and corner Asante Samuel, who has been in Philly a couple years now, jumps routes with the best of them.

And then there's Michael Vick. No one could have mapped out his path back, as Kevin Kolb was the presumed starter. Vick's game is better than ever, and he's taken this offense places McNabb never had.

So as a Birds fan, I have my hopes up once again, while expecting them to be deflated, but always knowing there's a chance, that this could finally be the year.