Week 8 NFL Betting Marquee Matchups:
Packers @ Jets
These are the two teams an old Brett Favre left behind (a young Favre briefly donned an Atlanta Falcons jersey in the early 1990s before landing in Green Bay), and they’re doing just fine, thank you. Aaron Rodgers gives the Pack Attack a very capable quarterback, while Mark Sanchez held up very well under the strain of postseason pressure last January. The clear battle line in this game is the full-tilt throwdown between the Packers’ passing game and the Jets’ world-class secondary. Only Peyton Manning cracked New York’s back line of defense in the 2009 postseason, so Rodgers and his receivers will have their work cut out for them on the road. What’s delicious about this contest is that it will tell us how good the Packers and Jets are at their strongest points. If your best strength possesses limited potency, you’re not that great a team in the first place. Whoever loses this interconference encounter will spend the following weeks urgently trying to shore up the deficiencies that get exposed in week eight.
Vikings @ Patriots
Brett Favre versus Tom Brady. Former Viking Randy Moss, now in a Patriots uniform. An NFC favorite against an AFC contender desperately trying to remain relevant in its post-dynasty years. The storylines are abundant and compelling. The nature of the matchup promises a wild affair loaded with fireworks. The expectations figure to be considerable on both sides. What kind of a defensive game plan will Bill Belichick throw at Favre? Can Minnesota win in one of the NFL’s tougher road environments? Will Adrian Peterson avoid the case of fumble-itis that dogged him so markedly in the NFC Championship Game against the New Orleans Saints? Will Jared Allen and the rest of the Vikings’ defensive front generate pressure on Brady? These and other urgent questions will be answered in a very sexy Sunday soiree.
Steelers @ Saints
It would be reasonable to claim that Titans-Chargers or Texans-Colts should belong on the best games list for week eight, but since Tennessee and Houston have not done anything to merit respect on a long-term historical scale, the verdict here is that Pittsburgh’s night fight in New Orleans should attain top billing. One of the key things to note about this game is that Ben Roethlisberger will almost certainly be playing for the Steelers. His time served should encompass no more than six games in 2010, so unless something changes with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Big Ben will stare down Drew Brees in a very intriguing confrontation. If Pittsburgh merely survives the first several weeks of the season, this game will be rich in drama and filled with speculative uncertainty. The Steelers will find out just how good they really can be as the second half of the schedule awaits.