THE New York Giants sit atop the NFC East with a 5-2 record. In case you forgot, they are the defending Super Bowl Champs. Last week in a close game with the Washington Redskins their quarterback Eli Manning threw a 77 yard touchdown bomb to wide receiver Victor Cruz that won the game for the “G-Men”. Just another feather in the cap of for the guy named Eli. Once upon a time, he was just Peyton’s little brother. Nowadays he’s Eli, a two-time Super Bowl winner and one of the elite signal callers in the game. And, he has a habit of winning games in the dying moments. Matter of fact, he just has a habit of winning games period. If he continues to playing at the elite level he’s playing do not be surprised if he is named the League MVP. And, do not be surprised if he takes them to the post season and perhaps yet another Super Bowl title. That would be a fitting close to yet another chapter in the book of Eli. It could happen.

In Week 7, we saw a few teams reassert their dominance. The San Francisco 49ers won a low scoring defensive slugfest on Thursday night, beating the Seattle Seahawks 13-6. The Houston Texans thumped the Baltimore Ravens 43-13, a game in which Texans’ running back Arian Foster scampered for 98 yards and a pair of touchdowns en route to victory. Over in the AFC East, the New England Patriots took advantage of mistakes by the New York Jets to win a close encounter, 29-26 in overtime. Two other teams, once dominant, but not so much this season, both registered important victories. The Green Bay Packers beat the St. Louis Rams 30-20 on the road, and the New Orleans Saints, also winning on the road, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35-28. That’s back-to-back wins for the Saints, after a shocking 0-4 start to the season.

As we enter week 8, basically the mid-way point in the season, it may help you in your selections and wagers, if we take a look at the standings thus far. In the NFC East the Giants are on top as we alluded to earlier on with a 5-2 record. They are followed by the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys with equal 3 – 3 records. Bringing up the rear in spite of having rookie phenom Robert Griffin (RGIII) as their quarterback are the Washington Redskins with a 3-4 record. Moving over to the NFC North division we find the Chicago Bears comfortably on top with a 5- 1 record. Nipping at their heels are the Minnesota Vikings who are 5-2 followed by the Green Bay Packers at 4-3 and then at the bottom of the pile the Detroit Lions with 2-4. The NFC South has the only undefeated team at this point in time – the 6-0 Atlanta Falcons, trailed by the New Orleans Saint and Tampa Bay Buccaneers with identical 2-4 records. The Carolina Panthers bring up the rear with a sad 1- 5 record. Moving on out west in the NFC we find the San Francisco 49ers sitting on top with a 5-2 record. The Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks share second place with 4-3 postings and the St. Louis Rams are in the basement at 3-4.

Moving over to the AFC East we find the New England Patriots on top with a 4-3 record followed by the Miami Dolphins who are at 3-3.The New York Jets are 3-4 tied with the Buffalo Bills with the same record. In the AFC North the Baltimore Ravens reign supreme with a 5-2 record trailed by the Pittsburgh Steelers with 3-3, the Cincinnati Bengals at 3-4 and the Cleveland Browns with their lowly 1- 6 record. In the AFC South, my new favourite team the Houston Texans is riding high with a 6-1 record followed in the distance by the Indianapolis Colts who are at 3-3. The Tennessee Titans are 3-4 and one of this year’s disappointments the Jacksonville Jaguars are at 1-5. Moving on out west in the AFC, the Denver Broncos, led by Eli’s big brother, are on top with a 3-3 record sharing that spotlight with the San Diego Chargers, also 3-3. The silver and black Brigade Oakland Raiders are at 2- 4 and the Kansas City Chiefs are at the base of that division with a 1-6 record.

Now that you are all up top speed, you can make better choices regarding your picks. Speaking of picks, it was a good week all round for my colleagues and I in making our picks against the point spread. Andrei Roper topped the group with a 10-3 record in Week 7, but Andre Hutchinson still holds the slight overall lead. The tale of the tape is below.

There was a Thursday night game last night between the Vikings and the Buccaneers. I hope the Vikings won for obvious reasons. On Sunday the Eagles vs Falcons game should be a ton of excitement with Eagles quarterback Michael Vick facing the team that drafted him a decade ago and for whom he starred for a few years, before his imprisonment. Also not to missed, is the big NFC East clash between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, as Eli Manning goes up against Tony Romo, in a battle of high-profile quarterbacks. The St. Louis Rams will face off with the New England Patriots in the NFL’s annual London game, and Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos will get a stern test from Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints on Sunday night. As usual the Monday Night game is a primetime must and another divisional battle, as the Arizona Cardinals meet the 4San Francisco 49ers in the desert.

Enjoy all the games, and remember to place your bets on the games with JustBet!

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NFL WEEK 8 SCHEDULE

Thur Oct 25

Min Vikings v TB Buccaneers +6.5, U/O 41.5

Sun Oct 28

Chi Bears v Car Panthers +8.5, U/O 43.5

Cle Browns +3.5 v SD Chargers, U/O 44.5

Det Lions v Sea Seahawks +2.5, U/O 44.5

GB Packers v Jac Jaguars +13.5, U/O 46.5

NY Jets v Mia Dolphins +2.5, U/O 40.5

Phi Eagles v Atl Falcons +1.5, U/O 46.5

Pit Steelers v Was Redskins +4.5, U/O 47.5

Ten Titans v Ind Colts +3.5, U/O 46.5

StL Rams +7.5 v NE Patriots, U/O 47.5

KC Chiefs v Oak Raiders +2.5, U/O 42.5

Dal Cowboys +1.5 v NY Giants, U/O 47.5

Den Broncos v NO Saints +6.5, U/O 55.5

Mon Oct 29

Ari Cardinals +7.5 v SF 49ers U/O 36.5

(Handicaps in bracket, Under/Over included)

*Teams on a bye: Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans

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

EXPERTS’ PICKS AGAINST THE SPREAD

Andre Hutchinson’s

Week 8 Picks (in bold)

Vikings v Buccaneers

Bears v Panthers

Browns v Chargers

Lions v Seahawks

Packers v Jaguars

Jets v Dolphins

Eagles v Falcons

Steelers v Redskins

Titans v Colts

Chiefs v Raiders

Cowboys v Giants

Broncos v Saints

Rams v Patriots

Cardinals v 49ers

Last week: 8-5

Season to date: 54-50

Andrei Roper’s

Week 8 Picks (in bold)

Vikings v Buccaneers

Bears v Panthers

Browns v Chargers

Lions v Seahawks

Packers v Jaguars

Jets v Dolphins

Eagles v Falcons

Steelers v Redskins

Titans v Colts

Chiefs v Raiders

Cowboys v Giants

Broncos v Saints

Rams v Patriots

Cardinals v 49ers

Last week: 10-3

Season to date: 53-51

Tony Scott’s

Week 8 Picks (in bold)

Vikings v Buccaneers

Bears v Panthers

Browns v Chargers

Lions v Seahawks

Packers v Jaguars

Jets v Dolphins

Eagles v Falcons

Steelers v Redskins

Titans v Colts

Chiefs v Raiders

Cowboys v Giants

Broncos v Saints

Rams v Patriots

Cardinals v 49ers

Last week: 8-5

Season to date: 49-55

Peter Lindo’s

Week 8 Picks (in bold)

Vikings v Buccaneers

Bears v Panthers

Browns v Chargers

Lions v Seahawks

Packers v Jaguars

Jets v Dolphins

Eagles v Falcons

Steelers v Redskins

Titans v Colts

Chiefs v Raiders

Cowboys v Giants

Broncos v Saints

Rams v Patriots

Cardinals v 49ers

Last week: 9-4

Season to date: 45-59