The Gridiron Gentlemen’s Super Fun Prediction League: Week 8

It’s become quite competitive in the Gents prediction league, with Dylan pulling back a couple of results against the middle of the pack. Unfortunately for him though Simon managed to pull away a little and is now 2 games ahead of the the nearest competitor.

Let’s check out the scores:

Dan: 70-35

James: 69-36

Dylan: 68-37

Simon: 72-35

Duncan: 67-38

This week’s game lineup brings a handful of fun looking games, with a decent amount of total stinkers thrown in.

Let’s take a look at week 8.

 

 

Miami Dolphins @ New England Patriots

Well we said we’d find out what the Dolphins were in this game and I think we probably did. Any belief the Dolphins had in their team might have gone for the season, with Cameron Wake tearing his Achilles and the Patriots laying the smack down on a team that believed they might be turning the season around.

 

Detroit Lions @ Kansas City Chiefs – in London

Not the game we were expecting when it was announced last year, but it should still at least still be competitive. The Chiefs are without Jamaal Charles, which is a blow but Charcandrick West played pretty well last week, so they’ll be looking for him to play well against an under-performing Lions defence. The Lions made big changes on the offensive staff, which along with travel and taking time to acclimatize to a time difference means they’ll have to implement a new scheme quickly in an unfamiliar environment. The door could swing both ways with how the offence reacts to it.

 

Green Bay Packers @ Denver Broncos

Well we’re guaranteed one less unbeaten team at least. The Packers have one of the most potent offences in the league, led by a QB that could be the best in the league. They go up against an astoundingly good defence, who loves turning mistakes into points. That being said, the Packers defence has been solid. The Packers defence forcing the Broncos to run the ball could be the difference in this game.

 

San Diego Chargers @ Baltimore Ravens

2 teams that have been somewhat disappointing. The Chargers have been able to move the ball, but struggled punching it into the endzone. This combined with an expensive defence that has woefully under-performed has seen them lose a number of close games. The Ravens however have them beat in that aspect, with a 1-6 record, but only losing each game by a single score. Something has to give with this game, but in a competitive AFC, the losers will no doubt be completely out of the play off hunt.

 

Arizona Cardinals @ Cleveland Browns

With the Browns defence being a shambles that struggles to stop both the pass and run, they’ll be forced into a shoot out with the high powered Cardinals offence. As much faith as I have in Manziel, this is not a good combination, especially when the Cardinals defence looks to be cooking on gas.

 

Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears

The Bears have a respectable record, whilst being one of the less interesting teams in the league. The Vikings however feel like they’re on the verge of taking off. Teddy Bridgewater hasn’t had that wow game, that even Alex Smith has had in the past. With the Bears secondary being up there with the Texans, Chargers and Niners as one of the worst in the league, this could be an opportunity for Bridgewater and Diggs to add to the highlight reel.

 

Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers

With Big Ben set for a comeback, we could have a much more competitive match up than we’d have, had this game been played last week. The Bengals are great in pretty much every area, so expect them to put up points on the Steelers, whilst putting Ben and Bell under a lot of pressure. However the Steelers offence is ridiculous with the right QB under center. This could be a close game and maybe the toughest test yet for the unbeaten Bengals.

 

Tennessee Titans @ Houston Texans

Game of the week! Okay maybe not, especially with no Mariota and no Foster. I’m just going to stop here. I have nothing to say about it.

 

New York Giants @ New Orleans Saints

I can honestly say I don’t really know what either of these teams are right now. The Giants won a close game against the Cowboys, but struggled to move the ball on offence. The Saints seem to have been possessed by the spirits of the Super bowl winning team of 2009. Brees is leaning on a run game that seems to be moving the ball between 3 different backs. The defence is the biggest surprise however, with a number of new faces finally gelling. I don’t really have a good read on this game, but I think we find out a lot more about both teams.

 

San Francisco 49ers @ St Louis Rams

Kaepernick seemed to be on the road to recovery in terms of his performance, but going up against a resurgent Seahawks defence might have set him back a bit and this week might set him back a little further. I don’t buy into the locker room stuff too much and just think it’s piling onto a QB that’s already got enough on his plate at the moment. With Kaepernick rattled and a defence that’s beginning to give up big plays to the natural cracks that appear when a team has an off season like there’s, we could see a big performance from the rookie, Todd Gurley. Gurley and the defence could be the difference for the Rams.

 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Atlanta Falcons

we saw the Bucs put in a decent performance last week… well at least for a half. Jameis Winston seemed to tear up the Washington defence. the Falcons haven’t looked like the Falcons over the last couple of weeks. Unfortunately for Bucs fans this could be a return to normality for both teams.

 

New York Jets @ Oakland Raiders

This is a fun game, that wouldn’t have been 12 months ago. The Raiders offence is looking excellent with Amari Cooper being right up there with Todd Gurley for offensive rookie of the year. The Jets look great all over the field, with the Todd Bowles defence fitting the Jets rather nicely. This could be a close one, with an exceptional match up between Cooper and Revis being a potential highlight of the game.

 

Seattle Seahawks @ Dallas Cowboys

Seattle seem to be settling into old ways, with a solid run game, an exceptional defence. The Cowboys have struggled over the last couple of weeks with an anemic offence and big mistakes on special teams. Even with Dez back and an angry Greg Hardy (who is unquestionably the biggest plonker in the league), it will be an uphill struggle again for the team without Romo.

 

Indianapolis Colts @ Carolina Panthers

I think when prime time games were being decided, this would have seemed to be a corker. As it is though the Panthers are vastly outperforming the Colts. Cam Newton turned the ball over 3 times last week and it made very little difference, thanks to an amazing defence. Andrew Luck can’t seem to stop turning the ball over himself. Unfortunately, his defence isn’t playing as well as Carolina’s. Andrew Luck could play his best game this year and I still don’t think it’s enough to get a result against this Panthers side.

 That’s week 8 folks, enjoy!