NFL Week 8 expert picks against the spread – Del’s picks
Things were going so smoothly for Del over the past several weeks that he almost forgot it’s possible to post a losing week against the spread. Unfortunately, that’s what happened in Week 7. The good news is it was only 7-8, and Del nailed both of his locks of the week to improve to 11-7 on the season with the money-making picks.
[Reminder: The Week 8 Pick ’em Pool winner gets an official NFL football]
For whatever reason, this seems like the toughest week of the season thus far. We have two teams playing in London, so you never know how that will turn out. The spreads are tough, but aren’t they always? We’ll do our best to get you on the right side of the number. Here are Del’s Week 8 NFL picks.
(ATS = Against the Spread, SU = Straight Up)
Del’s going with the chalk in the Houston-Tennessee game in the wake of the Titans announcing that they have benched Jake Locker in favor of rookie Zach Mettenberger. While I think Mettenberger is more likely than Locker to be the long-term answer at quarterback for the Titans, he’ll have an extremely tough task in his first NFL start. Some guy named JJ Watt is making a bid to be the first defensive player to win NFL MVP since 1986. Houston is also expecting Jadeveon Clowney to return from a knee injury. The Texans should be able to force Mettenberger into a couple turnovers and sack him two or three times. Give me Houston.
Everything I have watched to this point in the season tells me the Packers should cover against the Saints with ease. The Saints have been struggling and are coming off a tough loss to the Lions. Jimmy Graham is also battling a shoulder injury and clearly was not himself last week. He didn’t catch a single pass. So why pick the Saints when they’re giving Green Bay points?
Simply put, Del always takes the Saints when they play at home in primetime. They always show up. They’re cover machines when they play at the Superdome on Sunday and Monday nights. If Drew Brees and company end up covering and I don’t lock them, I’ll kick myself. If the Packers blow them out, I still won’t regret it.