WEEK Seven was pretty interesting, as some of the scores and outcomes will attest. The one that comes immediately to mind is the New Orleans Saints merciless humiliation of the Indianapolis Colts, 62 -7.

In the headline I used the phrase “pile it on”, also called “running up the score”, which is precisely what the Saints did to the Colts. This practice is usually frowned upon in certain NFL circles, and generally creates bad blood between the teams.

I hope the Saints realise that humiliation creates long term-memories and, I suspect, somewhere down the road, they are going to be made to regret this.

The following stat-line alone is indicative of the blow out: Saints quarterback, Drew Brees, completed 31 of 35 passes for a total of 325 yards, and five touchdowns.

Come on guys, this was a bad joke, with the hapless Colts being the target of this fiasco. I never watched this game and I’m glad I didn’t.

After the Raiders acquired Carson Palmer, the ensuing media frenzy suggested that this move would make them genuine play-off contenders. But along came the Kansas City Chiefs to burst their bubble. Carson Palmer did not start the game, but when he made his debut, it was less than impressive.

The icing on the cake for the Kansas City Chiefs was the errant pass thrown by Palmer and intercepted by cornerback Brandon Marshall, who promptly returned the ball 56 yards for the final score in the 28-0 rout of the Raiders.

QB Tim Tebow is now the talk of the town in Denver, having rallied the Broncos with two touchdowns in the dying moments of their game against the Dolphins, sending it into overtime, where Denver eventually triumphed 18-15.

A heartbreaker for 0-7 Miami, but joy for the Denver fans who are in a ‘we love Tebow’ frenzy. Knowing how fickle fans are this could easily change.

Tebow, a former Heisman Trophy winner, had a stellar career in college and despite his doubters, seems to have made the transition to the big league.

He exudes a lot of confidence and although he’s not the purest of passers and doesn’t have the best mechanics, he may just have what it takes to succeed in the NFL. Time will tell.

Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers overcame a spirited effort from the Minnesota Vikings and their rookie QB Christan Ponder, to stay unbeaten at 7-0.

The Packers won despite giving up more than 200 rushing yards to Adrian Peterson and the Vikes, but hey, a win is a win.

This was a tough week in terms of predictions, and Monday Night did not make it any easier. All the so-called experts picked the Ravens to win and all of us were wrong again.

The 4-2 Ravens suffered a 12-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and they looked flat and uninspired. Ray Rice, the Ravens’s ace running back, carried the ball just eight times for a paltry 28 yards, while his counterpart, Jaguars Maurice Jones Drew had a very respectable 30 carries for 102 yards.

In the NFL, when a running back rushes for more than 100 yards it augurs well for that team. Another stat that underscores the Ravens’s poor play is the fact that they went an entire half without getting a first down.

Another guy who had a good day was the Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress. He’s the guy who accidentally shot himself in the foot with an illegal firearm while in a nightclub a few years back, and as a consequence had to do some prison time.

The Jets picked him up after he served his sentence and gave him a second chance. He didn’t do much in the first few games he played but he sure as heck turned up to play in week seven, as the Jets defeated the Chargers, 27-21, behind three touchdown catches by ‘Plax’.

In other week seven action, the Bears and the Buccaneers played a game at Wembley Stadium in London in front of a sold out crowd. The Brits seem to enjoy the game tremendously and once again there is talk about expanding the network of NFL teams to overseas markets like the UK. But for now, it’s just talk.

The Bears won incidentally. Makes one wonder about the wisdom of turning up early, like the Bucs did, as opposed to turning up late like the Bears did.

London, as one of the world’s major cities, may have distracted the Bucs from the task at hand — or maybe the Bears were just the better team on the day.

In other games, the Cowboys thumped the still winless Rams 34-7, behind a stunning 253 rushing day from Cowboys rookie running back Demarco Williams, while the Lions, who began the season 5-0, lost their second straight game, going down 23-16 at home to the Falcons.

Looking ahead to week eight, there are some key games to keep an eye on. I’m most interested in seeing if the Detroit Lions can bounce back and return to winning ways when they travel to face Denver.

The Eagles/Cowboys divisional rivalry will be renewed and this one should be a really good battle. Coming off a bye week I have to give the Eagles the edge. Then again the real reason may be that I just want QB Mike Vick to succeed.

But the game of the week is undoubtedly the Patriots/Steelers match up, which should turn out to be a contest of wills. Both these teams are more or less evenly matched and loaded with talent. I think it will be a test of determination and discipline — and of who wants it more.

There are some big point spreads this week, so my colleagues and I will need to be careful in picking these winners. But let’s wait and see what the sports betting ‘gods’ have in store. Enjoy the games — and remember to place your bets!

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NFL WEEK 8 SCHEDULE

(Handicaps in bracket, Under/Over included)

Sunday, October 30

Baltimore Ravens v Arizona Cardinals (+12.5), U/O 43.5

Carolina Panthers v Minnesota Vikings (+3.5), U/O 47.5

Houston Texans v Jacksonville Jaguars (+9.5), U/O 40.5

New York Giants v Miami Dolphins (+9.5), U/O 43.5

St Louis Rams (+12.5) v New Orleans Saints, U/O 47.5

Tennessee Titans v Indianapolis Colts (+8.5), U/O 43.5

Buffalo Bills v Washington Redskins (+6.5), U/O 46.5

Denver Broncos (+4.5) v Detroit Lions, U/O 44.5

Pittsburgh Steelers (+2.5) v New England Patriots, U/O 50.5

Seattle Seahawks (+2.5) v Cincinnati Bengals, U/O 38.5

San Francisco 49ers v Cleveland Browns (+9.5), U/O 38.5

Philadelphia Eagles v Dallas Cowboys (+3.5), U/O 49.5

Monday, October 31

Kansas City Chiefs (+3.5) v San Diego Chargers, U/O 44.5

*Handicaps and Under/Over subject to change without notice, prior to kick-off

EXPERTS’ PICKS

Peter Lindo’s – Week 8 Picks (in bold)

Ravens v Cardinals

Panthers v Vikings

Texans v Jaguars

Giants v Dolphins

Rams v Saints

Titans v Colts

Bills v Redskins

Broncos v Lions

Steelers v Patriots

Seahawks v Bengals

49ers v Browns

Eagles v Cowboys

Chiefs v Chargers

Last week: 7-6

Season to date: 53-50

Tony Scott’s – Week 8 Picks (in bold)

Ravens v Cardinals

Panthers v Vikings

Texans v Jaguars

Giants v Dolphins

Rams v Saints

Titans v Colts

Bills v Redskins

Broncos v Lions

Steelers v Patriots

Seahawks v Bengals

49ers v Browns

Eagles v Cowboys

Chiefs v Chargers

Last week: 6-7

Season to date: 56-47

Andre Hutchinson’s – Week 8 Picks (in bold)

Ravens v Cardinals

Panthers v Vikings

Texans v Jaguars

Giants v Dolphins

Rams v Saints

Titans v Colts

Bills v Redskins

Broncos v Lions

Steelers v Patriots

Seahawks v Bengals

49ers v Browns

Eagles v Cowboys

Chiefs v Chargers

Last week: 4-9

Season to date: 56-47

Andrei Roper’s – Week 8 Picks (in bold)

Ravens v Cardinals

Panthers v Vikings

Texans v Jaguars

Giants v Dolphins

Rams v Saints

Titans v Colts

Bills v Redskins

Broncos v Lions

Steelers v Patriots

Seahawks v Bengals

49ers v Browns

Eagles v Cowboys

Chiefs v Chargers

Last week: 4-9

Season to date: 50-52