SO the game of the week did not quite live up to expectations and, for some of us, was even a bit disappointing as indicated by the tale of the tape.

The Indianapolis Colts jumped out to a 36-16 lead over the Denver Broncos before eventually prevailing 39-33. Youth prevailed, and Andrew Luck and his Colts derailed the seemingly unstoppable Denver Broncos train and handed them their first defeat of the season.

The evening started out on a gratifying note for former Indianapolis Colts superstar Peyton Manning, as the home team Colts fans gave him a warm welcome with a standing ovation that lasted about four minutes. They held up signs acknowledging his contribution to the team and many even wore T-shirts with his number (18), all of which Manning acknowledged graciously, if not emotionally.

But the cordiality disappeared soon after the game started and it became clear that the Colts were no pushovers. Their defence was all over Manning causing him to rush his throws, and nullifying his would-be receivers. The fact of the matter is Manning’s offensive line did not protect him and allowed the Colts defence to effectively shut him down. They hit him 10 times and sacked him four times. Meanwhile, the Broncos’ defence struggled and allowed Andrew Luck to be the better quarterback on Sunday night.

The Kansas City Chiefs remain undefeated at 7-0 after edging the Houston Texans 17-16. The Texans replaced the injured Matt Schaub at the quarterback position with a guy named Case Keenum, whom I know nothing about. However, he acquitted himself quite well, getting the ball out of his hands quickly and averaging 10 yards per attempt against the best defence in the league.

Alex Smith, on the other hand, did not play well for the Chiefs, missing his wide receivers and throwing a fourth quarter interception that kept the Texans in the game. The Chiefs were lucky to come away with a win.

Monday Night Football is supposed to be special. It is prime time with no competition and the games are usually exciting and competitive. Not so last Monday night as the Minnesota Vikings embarrassed themselves in front of a national prime time audience, falling to the New York Giants 23-7, giving them their first win of the season. I was happy for Eli Manning and saddened for Josh Freeman. It was supposed to be his audition for the quarterback position for the Vikings; his big chance to impress and to win the starting position, and he blew it. The guy is a physical specimen with a rifle for an arm; maybe that is why he kept missing his wide open receivers and overthrowing them by five yards or more. Even after that dismal performance I still believe he deserves another chance.

I have often described American Football as a brutal game of chess, and it is. Injuries, unfortunately, are a byproduct of this violent full-contact sport. Apart from affecting those injured in play, they oftentimes affect the team’s fortunes, especially when key players are sidelined. With this in mind, I have listed some key injuries of the past week which may help your decision making regarding your JustBet sports betting picks. The scariest one of all is the neck injury to Green Bay’s tight end, Jermichael Finley, who ended up in the Intensive Care Unit for a few days. The good news is he seems to be OK now and has been moved from the ICU. The Texans’ inside linebacker, Brian Cushing, is out for the rest of the season with a broken leg injury, among other things. The Rams quarterback, Sam Bradford, is also out for the rest of the season, and so is veteran Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne with a torn ACL. The Bears’ quarterback, Jay Cutler, went down with a groin injury and is out for at least four weeks. I saw that one go down and he didn’t look good hobbling off to the sidelines. There are other guys who are sidelined and who are playing hurt. I only mentioned those who I think are key and whose absence will have an adverse effect on their teams. Such is the nature of this truly great game.

As far as our picks against the spread were concerned, I bounced back from a God-awful week 7, to post a solid 9-6 record and maintain my overall lead over Peter Lindo. Lindo also went 9-6. Andre Hutchinson went 7-8, while Andrei Roper went 6-9.

Some key games to watch this week include the Browns-Chiefs contest. It will be interesting to see if the Chiefs can maintain their unbeaten streak against a not so bad Browns team. My guess is that they can. The Jets-Bengals clash should be interesting. I am torn between a very good Bengals team and the fortunes of a young quarterback who I want to see succeed in this league; that would be the Jets’ Geno Smith. The Eagles-Giants match-up should also be interesting, in an NFC East division that can be described as somewhat mediocre.

Lastly, the Redskins-Broncos will feature a resurging RGIII against the wily veteran Peyton Manning. Can the latter bounce back from his defeat at the hands of his old team, is the question that will be answered.

As usual, enjoy the games, place your bets early and often with JustBet, Jamaica’s number one sports betting game, and give us a listen on Hitz 92FM at 6:05 pm today, during the NFL Gameday Forecast.

And finally, “Just win baby, just win”.

To find a JustBet location near you, visit: www.supremeventures.com/justbetlocations. To find out more about JustBet, and how to bet on the NFL and other sports, visit www.supremeventures.com/justbet, www.facebook.com/justbet, www.twitter.com/justbet_ja , or call 1-888-429-5785 (toll-free).TB BUCCANEERS + 6.5 v CAR PANTHERS, U/O 41.5STL RAMS + 10.5 v SEA SEAHAWKS, U/O 42.5

NFL WEEK 8 SCHEDULE & JUSTBET HANDICAPS

(*JustBet Handicaps for each game in bracket, Under/Over for each game listed)

Thursday, Oct 24

Sunday, Oct 27

KC CHIEFS v CLE BROWNS + 9.5, U/O 39.5

NE PATRIOTS v MIA DOLPHINS + 6.5, U/O 44.5

NO SAINTS v BUF BILLS + 12.5, U/O 49.5

DET LIONS v DAL COWBOYS + 3.5, U/O 51.5

JAC JAGUARS + 18.5 v SF 49ERS, U/O 40.5

PHI EAGLES v NY GIANTS + 5.5, U/O 52.5

OAK RAIDERS + 2.5 v PIT STEELERS, U/O 40.5

CIN BENGALS v NY JETS + 6.5, U/O 41.5

ARI CARDINALS v ATL FALCONS + 2.5, U/O 44.5

DEN BRONCOS v WAS REDSKINS + 12.5, U/O 58.5

MIN VIKINGS + 9.5 v GB PACKERS, U/O 46.5

Monday, Oct 28

Teams on a bye: Chicago Bears, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans

EXPERTS’ PICKS AGAINST THE SPREAD

Tony Scott’s Week 8 Picks

BUCCANEERS v PANTHERS

CHIEFS v BROWNS

PATRIOTS v DOLPHINS

SAINTS v BILLS

LIONS v COWBOYS

JAGUARS v 49ERS

EAGLES v GIANTS

RAIDERS v STEELERS

BENGALS v JETS

ARDINALS v FALCONS

BRONCOS v REDSKINS

VIKINGS v PACKERS

RAMS v SEAHAWKS

Last week’s record: 9-6

Season record: 58-49

Peter Lindo’s Week 8 Picks

BUCCANEERS v PANTHERS

CHIEFS v BROWNS

PATRIOTS v DOLPHINS

SAINTS v BILLS

LIONS v COWBOYS

JAGUARS v 49ERS

EAGLES v GIANTS

RAIDERS v STEELERS

BENGALS v JETS

CARDINALS v FALCONS

BRONCOS v REDSKINS

VIKINGS v PACKERS

RAMS v SEAHAWKS

Last week’s record: 9-6

Season record: 54-53

Andre Hutchinson’s Week 8 Picks

BUCCANEERS v PANTHERS

CHIEFS v BROWNS

PATRIOTS v DOLPHINS

SAINTS v BILLS

LIONS v COWBOYS

JAGUARS v 49ERS

EAGLES v GIANTS

RAIDERS v STEELERS

BENGALS v JETS

CARDINALS v FALCONS

BRONCOS v REDSKINS

VIKINGS v PACKERS

RAMS v SEAHAWKS

Last week’s record: 7-8

Season record: 49-58

Andrei Roper’s Week 8 Picks

BUCCANEERS v PANTHERS

CHIEFS v BROWNS

PATRIOTS v DOLPHINS

SAINTS v BILLS

LIONS v COWBOYS

JAGUARS v 49ERS

EAGLES v GIANTS

RAIDERS v STEELERS

BENGALS v JETS

CARDINALS v FALCONS

BRONCOS v REDSKINS

VIKINGS v PACKERS

RAMS v SEAHAWKS

Last week’s record: 6-9

Season record: 45-62