NFL Expert Picks Week 8: Steelers Picked By Experts To Beat Undefeated Bengals
NFL expert picks for Week 8 are coming in from ESPN. One of the intriguing Week 8 NFL picks has the ESPN experts picking the Pittsburgh Steelers to beat the undefeated Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, November 1. ESPN releases weekly predictions from experts with the network, but not all the picks from the coming week have been submitted yet. As additional injury reports get released by teams, more of the analysts will reveal their Week 8 predictions.
The Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati game is a big match-up within the AFC North. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is trying hard to return from a sprained left knee and bruised leg to play in the contest. He knows how important this head-to-head game is, especially with the Steelers at 4-3 and the Bengals at 6-0 in the current NFL standings. If the Steelers do want to stand a chance at winning the division, this becomes a must-win game for the team. Game time is slated for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
The first of the Week 8 NFL experts’ picks comes from Thursday, October 29, when the New England Patriots host the Miami Dolphins. The ESPN analysts have unanimously predicted that the Patriots will win this game to improve to 7-0 on the season. The Patriots aren’t the only team unanimously picked this week, as the ESPN analysts also pick the Atlanta Falcons to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Arizona Cardinals to beat the Cleveland Browns, the St. Louis Rams to beat the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks to beat the Dallas Cowboys, and the Carolina Panthers to beat the Indianapolis Colts.
The Indianapolis vs. Carolina game takes place on Monday, November 2, with the Panthers trying to improve to 7-0 on the season. Andrew Luck is back for the Colts,but the ESPN analysts don’t feel this is a favorable match-up for his team. This is despite the Colts leading the AFC South with a 3-4 record so far. If the NFL expert picks turn out to be correct for Week 8, the first place team in the AFC South would have a 3-5 record. The Houston Texans are picked to beat the Tennessee Titans, but that would improve the team to 3-5 and tie them with the Colts.
On Sunday night, the Denver Broncos host the Green Bay Packers in a game that should help NBC bring in a lot of viewers. Both teams are 6-0 to this point, with Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers steering their respective teams toward the postseason again. NFL expert picks predict that the Packers will beat the Broncos to improve to 7-0 on the year. The Packers are also favored to win by the Vegas oddsmakers, but the game is to be played in Colorado.
As for the rest of the games taking place in Week 8, the ESPN analysts predict the Kansas City Chiefs will beat the Detroit Lions, the New Orleans Saints will beat the New York Giants, the Minnesota Vikings will beat the Chicago Bears, the Baltimore Ravens will beat the San Diego Chargers, and the New York Jets will beat the Oakland Raiders. The Jets vs. Raiders game almost had the analysts evenly split, as some feel that the Raiders will be able to win this game. Chris Mortensen, who leads the ESPN experts with a 71-34 prediction record, is one of the analysts that sides with the Raiders.
This is an important week in the NFC East, with the 4-3 Giants leading the way so far. The team needs to win on the road against the Saints to maintain that hold on first place. The teams with Week 8 byes are the Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills, and Jacksonville Jaguars. Can the Seattle Seahawks get back to.500? Can three teams remain undefeated? Will the Baltimore Ravens get a second win? The Week 8 NFL expert picks from ESPN predict those exact outcomes.
[Photo by: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images]
