NFL Picks, week 8

I'm currently in my office, munching on a Croissant Pocket, courtesy of some poor schmuck who didn't put his or her name a box of the things. Tough luck, I suppose. That being said, I do have a sneaking suspicion that this treat is actually mine to begin with; I can't help but think I bought a box a few months ago and never dove in.

Well, whatever.

Anyway, they say on the box "CAUTION: Filling will be hot" but until I gave my tongue third-degree burns on the thing, I didn't believe them. I mean, they never have been before. It's not as if they've ever cooked evenly. I guess I just got unlucky with this ancient, no-owner pastry.

On to the picks!
Jaguars at Eagles: Byron Leftwich, David Garrard, David Copperfield - it doesn't matter who plays quarterback for the Jags this week. The Eagles are just a better team, and that's that. PHI
Falcons at Bengals: The Falcons have the number-one rushing attack in the NFL, coming into this game averaging 222 rushing yards per game (70 more yards per game than the next-best team). The Bengals, on the other hand, have the 25th-worst run defense in the league, allowing 127 yards per game. Weather's not a factor when your quarterback doesn't pass the ball. ATL
Cardinals at Packers: Two weeks ago, when the Cardinals lost to the Bears, I turned to Kirsten and said, "The Cardinals won't threaten another team this season." I stand by it. GB
Texans at Titans: Believe it or not, the former Houston team and the current Houston team play each other twice a year. And nobody in either city cares, because both teams are just that bad. TEN
Seahawks at Chiefs: The Chiefs are down to their third quarterback, probably. It's Alabama rookie Brodie Croyle, who despite only having 23 yards passing, has managed to get himself intercepted twice. Seneca Wallace is less bad than that (and he might actually be a last-minute player on my fantasy team). SEA
Ravens at Saints: The Superdome is the ultimate homefield advantage - it's the House that Won't Die. NO
Buccaneers at Giants: A bad call by a ref, a miracle kick by a rookie: those are the two things that are keeping this team from being 0-6. They could be the worst 2-4 team in the NFL today. NYG
49ers at Bears: Have you ever seen sausage being made? This is sorta like that, but gruesomer. CHI
Jets at Browns: True-story joke of the week: the Browns are favored. NYJ
Colts at Broncos: I think that weather is a factor here. The dome environment just makes teams a little softer, I guess. DEN
Steelers at Raiders: One win does not a season make - the Raiders still have the worst offense in the NFL. Playing the Cardinals not a challenge, and Raiders hopefuls have to know that. PIT
Rams at Chargers: The Rams have had a week off, sure, but they've still got to deal with jet lag and the fact that Phillip Rivers remains one of the better quarterbacks in football. SDG
Cowboys at Panthers: Tony Romo is the starting quarterback for the Cowboys, despite having his first pass of the season picked off. Anyone who gets picked off three times in one half (which Romo was) probably won't start for long. I guess that's good news for Drew Bledsoe fans - not that they'll get much more of it this season. CAR
Patriots at Vikings: The Vikings like to tout their rushing offense, admitting that they lean on it to keep the team going. The Patriots don't tout anything - they just keep winning, like ninjas. Football ninjas. NE

I went 5-8 last week - WTF?
25th