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Since we were not able to record our Straight To The Extra Point episode for the Week 7 Picks & Week 6 Takeaways, we thought that it would be a nice alternative to put our thoughts in written form for our listeners!
First off, lets get our Week 8 Picks & Reasoning by Brandon Caputo:
Sunday PIT vs TEN (1.0)
Miklos: TEN over 51.0
Brandon: PIT under 51.0
*Consensus game of the week for both of us, a battle of two 5-0 teams in the AFC. Might not be the most pleasing to the eye, but 2 very tough defensive teams with sneaky good offenses. 2 very well coached & dangerous teams come playoff time.
DET vs ATL (2.5)
Miklos: ATL over 55.5
Brandon: ATL over 55.5
*This game will be high scoring with 2 teams trying to claw their way out from the depths of the bottom of their respective divisions. Matt Patricia's fate could be sealed after a loss to the soul searching 1-5 Falcons.
(Brandon) I have no words to say about ATL, other than at least the baseball team was the most recent team from this city to blow a lead & not the football team for once....
CLE (3.0) vs CIN
Miklos: CLE over 51.0
Brandon: CIN over 51.0
*AFC North battle as both teams coming off tough losses. Cleveland being obliterated by another division rival in the Steelers & the Bengals having a heartbreaking loss to the Colts after having a big lead early.
Browns trying to prove they are for real in a very tough division that includes the Steelers & Ravens, Bengals trying to continue their development after a last place finish in the NFL last season, just keep Joe Burrow safe in the pocket & make sure AJ Green actually gets targeted like he did last week.
CAR vs NO (7.5)
Miklos: NO over 51.5
Brandon: NO under 51.5
*An NFC South matchup which has the Saints trying to keep up with the hot TB12 Buccaneers in that division. No Michael Thomas for ANOTHER week(which has killed many of us in fantasy who took him with our 1st round pick) & no Emmanuel Sanders who was placed on the COVID list. With the top 2 receivers Out for the Saints, they will have to rely on star back Alvin Kamara & Trequon Smith steps in as the "top target" at WR along with Jared Cook at TE.
With that being said, it may be difficult for the Saints to move the ball, although they should pull out a victory against the McCaffrey-less Panthers, which looks to be Mike Davis' swan song game as the starting back with CMC's imminent return.
BUF (13.0) vs NYJ
Miklos: BUF under 45.5
Brandon BUF under 45.5
*Not much analysis here, the Jets are a part of this game. Luckily for the Bills, they get a confidence booster here & will be able to bounce back after 2 tough losses to AFC Frontrunners Tennessee & Kansas City. If they do not at the very least cover the 13 point spread in this game, I would consider it very disappointing for the Bills.
DAL vs WAS
Miklos: DAL over 46.0
Brandon: WAS under 46
*Everyone knows what the NFC East(and isn't) at this point. With that being said, after the dreadful performance by the Cowboys offense last week led by backup QB Andy Dalton & adjusting to life without their franchise QB Dak Prescott, the WSH Football Team's front 4 may be one of the best in the league & could take advantage of Dallas' injury plagued OL. Until I see improvement from the Dallas offense, I (Brandon) am going with Washington to get a much needed divisional confidence boost win.
GB (3.5) vs HOU
Miklos: GB over 56.5
Brandon: GB over 56.5
*A special QB matchup here with Rodgers vs Watson. Although Watson will be better off without Bill O'Brien as his Head Coach moving forward, the Packers are coming off a bad loss to Tom Brady & the Bucs.
Expecting a bounce back game from Rodgers & the Packers offense, who may be without star RB Aaron Jones. Should be a high scoring & entertaining game between 2 special talents at the QB position.
TB (3.5) vs LV
Miklos: TB over 52.5
Brandon: TB over 52.5
*Miklos going against his Raiders in this Super Bowl rematch from 2003. Buccanners Defense has been sneakily good as of late, but we both expect these Offenses to put up points. Henry Ruggs has been a game-changer on the outside with his all-world speed. Buccaneers just have too many weapons to keep held in check with Godwin, Evans, Gronk, Jones, Fournette, & soon to be the addition of the troubled Antonio Brown after Week 8.
SF vs NE (2.0)
Miklos: SF under 44.0
Brandon: NE under 44.0
*Both teams have not looked pretty this year, as both offenses have looked completely different from the ones we saw last season. Key injuries & opt-out's have plagued both of these teams, who will have to turn it around fast if both want to make it to the playoffs like last season.
KC (9.5) vs DEN
Miklos: KC over 46.5
Brandon: KC over 46.5
*Speaking of injuries, this Broncos team who had a lot of promise going into this season have been casualties of the injury bug, which essentially put an end to their playoff hopeful season very early on. With that said, a very nice Win vs the Patriots last week thanks to Brandon McManus' many field goals.
That said, nothing much you can say other than hopefully the Broncos can keep it somewhat competitive against a division opponent & defending Super Bowl Champion: Kansas City Chiefs with all of their offensive firepower, which will get even more ridiculous with the addition of Le'Veon Bell as he transitions into the lineup shortly.
JAX vs LAC (8.0)
Miklos: JAX under 49.0
Brandon: JAX under 49.0
*Miklos knows first hand about the Chargers over the years playing against his Raiders in the AFC West & how they always lose to inferior teams & games that they "should" win. Large spread for the Chargers & although they SHOULD win this game, asking them to cover 8 points against anyone is a stretch. Although, maybe the Justin Herbert era could put an end to that Chargers curse.
SEA (3.5) vs ARI
Miklos: SEA under 56.0
Brandon: ARI over 56.0
*Finally an intriguing Sunday Night matchup after a few brutal weeks in an NFC West Showdown. Seattle & Russell Wilson look to be on track to take over the NFC once again this year, with the QB having another MVP-like season. A very talented offensive team, but this new version of "The Legion Of Boom" have been giving up their fair share of points as well.
Thats where this up and coming Cardinals team comes in. Kliff Kingsbury & Kyler Murray have developed a relationship that has made Arizona a competitive team to be reckoned with in this ultra-competitive NFC West division. 2019 1st Overall Pick: Kyler Murray has many toys at his disposal to get the ball to in Edmonds, Drake, Hopkins, Kirk, Fitzgerald. A good showing by the Cardinals on Sunday Night Primetime against a great Seahawks team might finally be the exposure they need to show that they are for real.
Monday CHI vs LAR (6.0)
Miklos: CHI under 45.0
Brandon: LAR over 45.0
*Two teams who to many people, have been exceeding expectations within their respective divisions this year.
Bears have channelled their inner Foles Magic & showing that replacing Mitch Trubisky was the right decision after trading for the 20 Million Dollar QB from Jacksonville in the offseason.
The Rams & Sean McVay look to be back on track after a disappointing season in 2019, who represented the NFC in the Super Bowl the previous season.
Joe Robbins | Credit: Getty Images
Week 6 Talking Points by Miklos McMaster:
1. How bout them Bears. I’ve said before but I am coming back to it this week the bears are legit. Foles is getting more comfortable under centre and is starting to make that offense click under Matt Nagy’s leadership. The lack of a running game is still concerning but that is something that I think they will fix in time. The defense is really gelling and if it wasn’t for some penalties would have made that score even worse with those defensive scores. I still think Green Bay is going to win the division but with that ugly loss to Tampa they’re going to have to work for their money.
2. The Jets vs Dolphins game showed us a couple of things. One, the dumpster fire train wreck that is the new York jets is only keeping Adam Gase to guarantee 0-16 and getting Trevor Lawrence. That is the only possible reason for why he hasn’t been fired and they haven’t started cleaning house top to bottom. They are not only the worst team in the NFL they are not even competitive and it is getting embarrassing. Sorry Jets fans. And two, for the dolphins the future is so bright. Not only that but it is officially "TUA TIME." I feel so much for Ryan Fitzpatrick, that press conference talking about him losing his job was gut wrenching and he is truly a class act. But the Dolphins decided the future is now and with the way that they have been playing they could be playing some serious games in December and competing for a playoff spot with Tua at the helm.
3. The Cowboys and Browns…..These teams are so similar and both must be making their fan bases sick. I know the Browns are 4-2 but as Baker Mayfield said in his press conference “4-2 has never felt so much like 0-6," he's right. In the two games where the browns played against top tier talent in the Ravens and Steelers they got dominated, no offense Colts. Something is wrong there and it needs to get fixed and fast if they want to compete for the playoffs. Speaking of stinking something is seriously rotten in the Cowboys organization as well. As a team they are underachieving hard. Dak goes down, Zeke is fumbling the ball and the defence couldn’t stop a pop warner team. Andy Dalton also is having his troubles and they got whipped in a prime time game. Like the Browns, it is time for a serious gut check in Dallas because amazingly they are still in the running to win the putrid NFC east and make the playoffs.
4. It never ceases to amaze me how much coaching can make a difference in the NFL. Case and point Atlanta and Houston. I know Houston lost but they looked so much better than they had all season and in fact if they hadn’t gone for a bizarre two point conversion at the end of the game would have given the juggernaut Tennessee Titans their first blemish on the season. Despite the loss things are looking up in Houston. Now for your Atlanta Falcons coach. Wow what a difference a week makes. The team you thought they would be at the start of the season was revealed and they let the miserable Vikings know it. The offense looked scary, Julio was unleashed, and the defense looked great too. It might be a little late but with the early stumbles out of Tampa and New Orleans and if they can string together wins like this week after week we could be looking at a very competitive NFC South race in December
5. Finally, I think San Francisco saved their season Sunday night. Their team has gone through so much and took their lumps but that was a huge win against the division rival Rams and it might be the shot in the arm they needed to turn this thing around. I know it might be a bit premature but they are a tough team and with the extra wild card spot this year I think they are back in the mix to make the playoffs and we have seen once you’re in anything can happen from there.