Nearly halfway through the season, the 2018 picks competition is tightening up.
Through seven weeks, I’m clinging to a three-game lead over MDS. The Dallas-Washington outcome gave him a 10-4 mark for the week, and it dropped me to 9-5.
For the year, I’m at 65-42. MDS, now only three games back, has a 62-45 mark.
Then there are the best bets, where we can do a lot better. This week’s video is attached to this post. Last week, I was 1-2 and MDS came in at 0-2-1.
For the year, I’m 10-10-1 and MDS is 6-13-2.
The Week Eight picks, with four disagreements, are just a scroll away.
Dolphins at Texans
MDS’s take: The Brock Osweiler Revenge Game should be interesting, with Osweiler playing better than anyone expected and Deshaun Watson playing through broken ribs. This will be a close one, but the Texans will pull it out in the end.
MDS’s pick: Texans 24, Dolphins 23.
Florio’s take: They’ll never admit it, but the Texans defense surely can’t wait for a chance to knock Brock Osweiler into the next decade.
Florio’s pick: Texans 27, Dolphins 17.
Eagles at Jaguars
MDS’s take: London gets a game that looked good on paper when the schedule came out, but doesn’t look so good right now. I think the Eagles are closer to righting the ship than the Jaguars are.
MDS’s pick: Eagles 24, Jaguars 10.
Florio’s take: It was a Super Bowl preview when it was scheduled. It’s now a potential elimination game. The Eagles have shown more recently than the home-away-from-home team.
Florio’s pick: Eagles 24, Jaguars 16.
Broncos at Chiefs
MDS’s take: This was a very good game when the teams met in Denver, but I just don’t think the Broncos can keep it close at Arrowhead.
MDS’s pick: Chiefs 31, Broncos 17.
Florio’s take: Vance Joseph returns to the hot seat after the Chiefs launch a boat race.
Florio’s pick: Chiefs 42, Broncos 17.
Browns at Steelers
MDS’s take: This one won’t end in another tie. I don’t think.
MDS’s pick: Steelers 28, Browns 20.
Florio’s take: The Steelers are putting it together, and the Browns are watching it come apart. Cleveland is still competitive, but the Browns are a year away from becoming contenders.
Florio’s pick: Steelers 30, Browns 21.
Washington at Giants
MDS’s take: Washington is first in the NFC East, and the Giants are giving up on their season. This is an easy one.
MDS’s pick: Washington 24, Giants 13.
Florio’s take: It’s time to take Washington seriously as a contender to win the NFC East.
Florio’s pick: Washington 20, Giants 17.
Seahawks at Lions
MDS’s take: I picked the Lions in Week One and I was way off as they got blown out by the Jets. Since then I’ve been betting against the Lions all season, so of course they’ve gone 5-0 against the spread since that ugly game in Week One. Now I’m going to pick them, so watch them lose.
MDS’s pick: Lions 27, Seahawks 20.
Florio’s take: Rested and ready to do justice to the memory of Paul Allen, the Seahawks keep the Lions from getting above .500, for now.
Florio’s pick: Seahawks 27, Lions 24.
Buccaneers at Bengals
MDS’s take: The Bengals are a better team than they showed against the Chiefs. They’ll show that this week.
MDS’s pick: Bengals 27, Buccaneers 20.
Florio’s take: The home teams get back on track, at least for a week, as old friends Marvin Lewis and Dirk Koetter get together. (Maybe Marvin will hire Dirk next year.)
Florio’s pick: Bengals 30, Buccaneers 23.
Jets at Bears
MDS’s take: The Bears’ ferocious pass rush has gone silent the last two weeks, but I think they’re going to give Sam Darnold a tough game on Sunday.
MDS’s pick: Bears 20, Jets 17.
Florio’s take: The push to the playoffs begins for a team that should be better than 3-3, but that should be happy to have won that many so far.
Florio’s pick: Bears 31, Jets 20.
Ravens at Panthers
MDS’s take: The Ravens are coming off a heartbreaking loss, the Panthers are coming off a thrilling win. These things tend to even out over time.
MDS’s pick: Ravens 21, Panthers 20.
Florio’s take: It’s one of the best games of the week, and the home team is somehow the underdog. It shouldn’t be.
Florio’s pick: Panthers 23, Ravens 20.
Colts at Raiders
MDS’s take: I don’t think much of either of these teams, but the Colts at least seem to want to win, while the Raiders seem to want to get ready for next year’s draft.
MDS’s pick: Colts 27, Raiders 16.
Florio’s take: The Colts are rising, the Raiders are reeling. And the folks in Oakland won’t shed many tears when the divorce finally comes.
Florio’s pick: Colts 27, Raiders 13.
49ers at Cardinals
MDS’s take: These are two of the worst teams in the league, but the Cardinals’ defense is decent, and they’re playing at home, so I’ll go with Arizona.
MDS’s pick: Cardinals 12, 49ers 10.
Florio’s take: Arizona upended the 49ers in Santa Clara. The 49ers return the favor against a Cardinals team that is going nowhere fast.
Florio’s pick: 49ers 23, Cardinals 21.
Packers at Rams
MDS’s take: The Rams just keep chugging along, and while I don’t think they’ll go 16-0, I don’t think this is the week that the 0 will go.
MDS’s pick: Rams 28, Packers 20.
Florio’s take: But for the presence of Aaron Rodgers, this one could get really ugly. It will instead simply be regular ugly.
Florio’s pick: Rams 29, Packers 10.
Saints at Vikings
MDS’s take: This should be a fun one, with Drew Brees leading the Saints to a big conference road win.
MDS’s pick: Saints 20, Vikings 17.
Florio’s take: The Vikings continue to have the number of the team that foiled one of Minnesota’s best shots at a Super Bowl since 1976. The Saints will outplay the Vikings (like they did in January), but the Vikings will find a way to score at least one more point (like they did in January).
Florio’s pick: Vikings 34, Saints 31.
Patriots at Bills
MDS’s take: The Bills’ offense is a bad joke, no matter who’s at quarterback. This game will be a blowout by halftime, and the Patriots will take their foot off the gas in the second half.
MDS’s pick: Patriots 30, Bills 13.
Florio’s take: The only unanswered question for this one is whether the Booger mobile will get in the way of the flying dildos.
Florio’s pick: Patriots 42, Bills 13.
