NFL Week 8 Survival Poll Picks

[Editor's Note: Scott Simon's Survivor/Suicide Poll Picks are released every Thursday at 9am. Not the week you're looking for? Click here to see Survivor Picks from all weeks so far this season.]

Welcome back to week 8 of "NFL Survival Poll Picks." Since I began following the NFL, I do not remember a season when it was clear so early which teams were contenders and which were pretenders. While there are still questions to be answered in Baltimore, San Diego, New York (Jets and Giants), Dallas and Atlanta, the rest of the league has divided itself into two categories. The first category being a group of teams that all have the ability to make a strong push towards a Super Bowl birth. The second category, a group of teams that should have "broke" camp, declared the season a loss and returned to their respective homes. Though there are the usual suspects in this category (Cleveland, Oakland, St. Louis, Detroit), the Carolina Panthers and the Tennessee Titans have surprisingly joined in their misery this season. It will be interesting to see how these two franchises will handle the remainder of their respective seasons.
For now, let's take a look at a couple of games you may want to consider for your survival poll in week 8.
Teams Already Used:
Week 2: Minnesota Vikings
Week 3: Baltimore Ravens
Week 4: New York Giants
Week 5: Philadelphia Eagles
Week 6: Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 7: Indianapolis Colts

5. Atlanta @ New Orleans: Saints running back Reggie Bush thinks they might have the talent to "win-out" and finish the season undefeated. The Saints are good but I'm starting to think we're looking at more of a "13-14 win" type of team. However, all that I'm concerned with is whether they can knock-off divisional foe, the Atlanta Falcons. This offense is too explosive for an inconsistent defense to handle. I'll take the Saints in the dome against the Falcons.

4. Carolina @ Arizona: How did Carolina and quarterback Jake Delhomme get this bad, this quickly? The Carolina run game has been the only source of offense this season and this week they match-up against one of the league's best run defenses. I'll take Kurt and the boys at home over the Panthers.

3. San Francisco @ Indianapolis: Here's another question...Do the Colts start every season 6-0? Peyton has somehow gotten better and a group of otherwise unknown receivers are now stand-outs on one of the league's best pass offenses. As much as we'd all love the good story, I think "Niners" quarterback Alex Smith comes back down to earth in week 8. I'll take the Colts over the 49ers in Indy.

2. Cleveland @ Chicago: This is more about how poorly the Browns have played as opposed to how highly I think of the Bears right now. Bears' running back Matt Forte looks lost this season and a poor Cleveland defense might be just what the doctor ordered for a mid-season "break-out." I also like the fact that this game is being played in Chicago. I'll take da' Bears over da' Browns.

1. Oakland @ San Diego: Since I started writing this column, I've never felt so unsure of a pick. Sure, the Raiders are terrible and I don't think they have a quarter of the talent that the Chargers have on their sideline. Unfortunately however, the Chargers have had more talent than just about any other team in football over the past couple of years and we've all seen where that has gotten them. But I don't think the Chargers can even mess this one up. I've been a faithful LT owner all season and I think this is the week he finally rewards all of us that have stuck with him. I'll take the Chargers over the Raiders as my pick of the week.

That concludes my Week 8 predictions for your NFL Survivor Poll. Hopefully you'll survive week 8 and stop by next week to read my week 9 predictions. As with any SportsJudge article, please feel free to post any comments and/or questions.

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