NFL Week 8 + Write-ups

[McFadden]

New York Giants -9.5 @ Miami Dolphins (in London)
Technically a road game, but both teams will be on foreign territory. I don't think there's one aspect of the game in which Miami has an edge over New York. The Giants D will put a lot of pressure on Lemon, who without Ronnie Brown will be forced to shoulder a weight he can't handle by himself. He also lost his top receiver in Chris Chambers to the Chargers. The Giants, on the other hand, are looking like the 4th or maybe even 3rd best team in the NFL. I see the Giants winning by 2 touchdowns.

Indianapolis Colts -6.5 @ Carolina Panthers
This line was set as such because the Colts played Monday night and Carolina has had a couple of weeks to prepare. Despite that, they are going with Vinny Testaverde as their QB, which would've been okay in the 90s but won't cut it today. I look for the Colts D to stuff the Panthers running game like they did to Jacksonville's, and for Peyton to light up the Panthers D that has given up an average of 220 passing yds/game this season. Colts will win by at least a touchdown.

New England Patriots -16.5 vs Washington Redskins
Every week I've been laying off on betting the Pats. If I lose this, the week I finally jump in, I will be slightly upset. The only way the Redskins keep this one close is by running the ball a lot, but the Pats have allowed barely over 90 rushing yds/game to this point. The Skins have a good D themselves, but Tom Brady has just too many options -- and he's getting Laurence Maroney back for more support. The game is also at home for the Pats, and everything points toward what we've come to expect this year, a big win by New England. Note: I hate New England, but there is no stopping them... at least until next week, when they have to play the Colts at Indy.