Joe Flacco stank up the scene on Monday Night and that's all anyone will remember from Week 7 besides Tim Tebow's "Miracle in Miami" and the resulting creation of Tebowing. The Ravens' dismal offense was actually not the worst offensive performance of the week. In fact, it wasn't even the worst offensive performance in the game! They scored around 16 points less than expected given their opportunities while Jacksonville (17 below), Tampa Bay (18 below), Seattle (21 below), and Oakland (39 below - which includes defensive touchdowns) all performed worse. I don't love any of the Week 8 games, but I have Tebow-esque faith in myself, so here goes.
Overall: 11-2-1
Last Week's Predictions:
Pittsburgh -3.5 at Arizona: WIN
Yes, Arizona was coming off a bye week. Yes, Arizona was the home team. Yes, the Steelers O-line was decimated by injuries. That being said, the Steelers dominated a brutal Cardinals team. Big Ben wracked up 3 more TDs and Mike Wallace became one of the most valuable fantasy players.
Denver Tebows +3 at Miami: WIN
I'm not going to brag about this pick, and the line ended up moving to DEN -2. Tebow and the Broncos looked god-awful for the first 57 minutes of the game. But, Tebowing is all the rave and the Broncos' made a ridiculously improbably comeback happen. I still believe Tebow gives the Broncos the best chance to win, not because he is better than Kyle Orton, but because he is less consistent.
Week 8 Predictions:
New England -2.5 at Pittsburgh
There are few coaches I have more confidence in than Bill Belichick. Give him a bye week and he'll make a top team look like the Little Giants. The Patriots are also owners to the AFC's top passing efficiency and number two rushing efficiency. Expect a shootout in Pittsburgh and Tom Brady to come out on top.
Baltimore -13 vs Arizona
As I mentioned last week on the RotoWire Fantasy Sports Today, I hate picking a double-digit spread game. It's way too easy for there to be a backdoor cover and historically, the team with the points will usually prevail. That being said, Baltimore is not nearly as bad as their Monday Night performance against Jacksonville - and I wouldn't be surprised to see the line shift toward Arizona because of public perception. Arizona, however, is that bad. Baltimore still ranks 1st in both pass and run defense efficiency, having allowed 96 points less than an average defense would in similar situations. Even if Baltimore can't get their offense going, I expect their defense to generate points in front of a raucous home crowd.
The most accurate weekly projections from numberFire.com based on wall-street style analytics. numberFire outpredicted two of the most trafficked fantasy sites 70|PERCENT| of the time and are 54-55|PERCENT| against the spread over the last 3 seasons.