The favorites had the edge over the underdogs for the second-straight week in the NFL with teams giving points covering in eight of the 13 games on Week 8’s schedule. The total also favored higher scoring games for the third week in a row with eight of the games going OVER the closing total line.
Steelers Visit Bengals on Monday Night
Well, the AFC North is tight again! There is a four way tie for top spot after week 1. Not surprising until you realize that NO TEAM won their Week 1 matchup.
49ers Visit Seahawks For Early control of NFL West
Two of the most hyped teams in the NFL meet on Sunday Night Football when the San Francisco 49ers head to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Seattle Seahawks – a team that has not lost at home since December 2011.
Seahawks Start Season on the Road – At Carolina in Week 1
The Seattle Seahawks begin a season full of lofty expectations on Sunday on the road against the Carolina Panthers. Some see this game as an easy “W” for the Hawks until you take a look at Seattle’s dreadful road record the last few seasons and their traditional struggles with 10 AM Pacific Time starts.
Chargers Host Texans Monday Night
The Mike McCoy era begins in San Diego Monday night when the Chargers host defending two-time AFC South champion Houston Texans. San Diego has had more than its share of problems over the past couple of seasons and unfortunately for Bolts fans they didn’t exactly remedy what had ailed them during their down times.
Giants and Cowboys Kick Off Their Seasons Sunday Night
Another year brings another expectation in the states of New York and Texas that the Giants and the Cowboys will emerge at the end of the season with the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Eagles and Redskins Renew Storied Rivalry
The NFL East promises to be one of the more competitive divisions in football once again this year and Week 1 provides a marquee matchup on the Week 1 schedule.
There is little hope that the Jacksonville Jaguars are going to surprise and be good this season. The question is whether they are going to be bad, as bad as last year or worse.
Tennessee is a classic team that is not sure if they have a quarterback or not. The athletic Jake Locker has been outshined by other young signal callers and until they know whether he can be a legit pro or not it is going to be tough to know whether this current group can be a playoff contender.
Things went about as good as could be expected last season for the Indianapols Colts. They transitioned from one franchise QB to another about as seamlessly as possible and made the playoffs in the process. It was almost a little too fortuitous which is why almost nobody thinks Indianapolis can repeat that success against in 2013.
There is little doubt that the Houston Texans are the top team in the AFC South. The question is whether or not they are a true Super Bowl contender. On paper it looks like they are but I think this team lacks some of that grittiness you expect to see from champions.
Carolina finished the season as one of the hottest teams in the NFL but it can be easy to play loose when there is no pressure on you. The Panthers have one of the most dynamic players in the NFL in Cam Newton but the rest of their playmakers are probably on offense are not quite good enough to push this team into serious contention.
In the NFC South you have stalwart Atlanta, resurgent New Orleans and intriguing Carolina thanks to Cam Newton. The one team that no one seems to be paying much attention to is Tampa Bay, who should be much better than they were a year ago as coach Greg Schiano waded into the NFL pool for the first time.
There is probably no city with as much anticipation for the 2013 NFL season as New Orleans. Last year was a complete writeoff with Bountygate leading to a 0-4 start that had the Saints eliminated from contention before October. This year things should be much different.
The Falcons have proven they know how to win games during the regular season but the playoffs have been a different story. They caught a break last year with New Orleans in disarray but with the Saints “back” and Tampa and Carolina improving it might be harder to maintain their recent success.
The Houston Texans will kick off their 2013 season in sunny southern California when they take on the San Diego Chargers in the second half of a Monday Night Football double-header.
