NFL Gridiron Great Top 11 (Week 8)
The NFL Trade Deadline has passed and teams now have the rosters that they will use down the stretch. Here’s a dive into our Gridiron Great 11 heading into week 9.
Gridiron Great Top 11 (Week 8)
#11. Cincinnati Bengals 4-3 (+1000/+1400) - Don’t look now but here come the Bengals. QB Burrow looks healthy and their offense is clicking. They are the one AFC team that does not fear the Chiefs. Last Week’s Rank: 11th
#10. Buffalo Bills 5-3 (+800/+1600) - The Bills bounced back with a win on Thursday and then upgraded their defensive backfield with a trade for Rasul Douglas. They have a monster test this week against the suddenly red-hot Bengals. Last Week’s Rank: 10th
#9. Seattle Seahawks 5-2 (+1500/+2800) - Don’t look now but the Seahawks are on top in the NFC West. They still have two games against the Niners. Last Week’s Rank: 9th
#8. SF 49ers 5-3 (+265/+600) - No team needed a bye more than the Niners. They dropped their third straight on Sunday and QB Purdy looks shaky. They did add former 1st round pick Chase Young to strengthen their defensive line. Last Week’s Rank: 4th
#7. Jacksonville Jaguars 6-2 (+750/+1600) - Don’t look now but the Jags are tied for the best record in the AFC. A good quarterback, solid ground game, and solid line play give this team a legitimate shot in the playoffs. Last Week’s Rank: 8th
#6. Miami Dolphins 6-2 (+360/+850) - Miami bounced back by sweeping the season series with New England on Sunday. The Dolphins still need a marquee win over a quality team to consider them a true threat. Last Week’s Rank: 5th
#5. Dallas Cowboys 5-2 (+400/+850) - The Cowboys routed the Rams on Sunday and QB Prescott looked sharp. Dallas stood pat at the deadline but has the talent to make a deep playoff run. Last Week’s Rank: 7th
#4. Detroit Lions 6-2 (+425/+1100) - The Lions did what good teams do on Monday night, take care of lesser teams. They then added WR Donovan Peoples-Jones at the deadline to fortify that group. Last Week’s Rank: 6th
#3. Baltimore Ravens 6-2 (+600/+1500) - Baltimore did what it had to do against a weak Cardinals team on Sunday and hold onto the 3rd spot in our Top 11. Last Week’s Rank: 3rd
#2. Kansas City Chiefs 6-2 (+2350/+500) - It took the flu to run through the Chiefs, particularly QB Mahomes, to end the Chiefs’ 16-game win streak over the Broncos. They still remain the class of the AFC. Last Week’s Rank: 1st
#1. Philadelphia Eagles 7-1 (+250/+600) - The Eagles have now won two straight games after being upended by the Jets. AJ Brown is putting together an MVP season at WR. Last Week’s Rank: 2nd
Upset Alert for Week 9: We are now 7-3 in our upset specials on the season after another 1-1 this week, winning with the Bengals (+5.5) outright win over the Niners while losing out barely with Cleveland (+3) at Seattle.
#1. Chicago at New Orleans (-8.5): I saw something in the Bears’ loss on Sunday night that gives me hope for this team. They play hard, they have some players on both sides of the ball, and they have an offense that can make plays if they avoid silly mistakes. New Orleans is not a team that is ready to be a heavy favorite against anyone. Their offense is inconsistent and they have not played well at home this year.
#2. TB at Houston (-3): I didn’t think the Texans should be 3-point favorites on the road last week and I don’t think they should be favorites here either. Tampa Bay’s defense can be very opportunistic and they have enough weapons on offense that can bother a Houston team that has had trouble putting up points lately.
*All odds courtesy of Draftkings.com
