NFL Week 8 AFC East Power Rankings: Which Team will be Studs or Duds?

Coach Rex Ryan of the New York Jets has developed a proven formula on how to defeat the New England Patriots this season. Although the Jets are dead even in the win category against the Patriots, their overtime win in week 7 was a feel good moment for a team that desperately needed another win to stay above 500 in the torrid AFC East.

The Jets remain one game behind the Patriots and Rex Ryan is no longer on the hot seat.

As a result of drumming up a winning game plan that overpowered the Patriots in a gritty overtime win, the Jets gain new life going into their week 8 matchup against the Bengals.

Each and every Jets fan would rather forget the 2012 NFL season, recalling when the Jets only won 6 games. Does Gino Smith have enough fire power to compete against a stout Bengals defense, or will Gino Smith and the Jets be a dud going into a week 9 matchup against the New Orleans Saints?

The Patriots receivers are still struggling to find their identity this season and Tom Brady is not having the season he hoped he would have – due to growing pains of Danny Amendola and Aaron Dobson.

Tom Brady faces a “Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” Miami defense. Can Tight End Rob Gronkowski be an effective X-Factor in Tom Brady’s air attack?

Will the Patriots defense be able to keep up with an evolving Miami ground attack?

A struggling Buffalo Bills defense is at a standstill trying to find their identity, this does not fare well as they face the high powered offense of the New Orleans Saints.

Can the Bills cover the point spread as fantasy duds, or will the Saints run up the fantasy point score, 40-0?

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Week 6 NFL Hot Finger Louie Top Pick Predictions

Is Eli Manning a Giant Killer, or are the New York Giants just that bad? Despite the Giants team as a whole not playing productive football, Eli Manning is leading the league in Attempts-229 to be precise, and he has thrown for 1,721 yards. The Giants recent loss to the Bears in week 5 places them dead last in the NFC East.

St. Louis Rams 27 – Houston Texans 23

Interception troubles in week 5 sum up bad news for Matt Schaub in week 6. The Rams D is hungry for a definitive win to help them get back to 500.

Cincinnati Bengals 22 – Buffalo Bills 17

One more win in week 6 will help the Bengals stay on top of the torrid AFC North.

Oakland Raiders 19 – Kansas City Chiefs 28

Head Coach Andy Reid has found new life in Kansas City, and QB Alex Smith is leading his team in mistake free football. The Chiefs are the sleeper team this season, and each win places them one step closer to a playoff contention birth.

Detroit Lions 28 – Cleveland Browns 21

Two powerhouse defenses duke it out in what is to be a slug-fest. Matthew Stafford game management will help the Lions keep one step ahead of the Packers in the NFC North.

Pittsburgh Steelers 17 – New York Jets 24

Gino Smith is getting better with each game he plays, and his decision making will help him overcome the mad rush of the angry Pittsburgh defense.

Philadelphia Eagles 28 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13

It may be a game time decision if Michael Vick plays in week 6, but his back-up Nick Foles is a security blanket just in case Vick does not suit up against the Buccaneers.

Carolina Panthers 21 - Minnesota Vikings 35

Due to the untimely death of his 2 year old son, Adrian Peterson will suit up to play against the 1-3 Panthers. Both of these disappointing fantasy teams have something to prove in week 6. This will be an emotional game for Adrian Peterson and his Vikings team, with that being said, a victory may help turn around the Vikings dismal season.

Green Bay Packers 31 – Baltimore Ravens 28

The Packers defense may not be able to shut down Joe Flacco’s air attack, but Aaron Rodgers is seeking redemption for the Packers two ugly loses in week 1 and 2.

Jacksonville Jaguars 17 – Denver Broncos 48

The high powered offense of the Denver Broncos with Peyton Manning at the helm is on a record breaking streak this season. With the addition of a running game, and a defense that gets back Champ Bailey in week 6, this is a no contest - that is too much for the Jaguars to handle.

Tennessee Titans 31 – Seattle Seahawks 30

The Titans D has studied the film on Russell Wilson playmaking abilities, and the battle in the trenches will prove too much for the second year QB to handle.

Arizona Cardinals 24 – San Francisco 49ers 27

Colin Kaepernick will to manage the game much more efficient than he has in his last two outings.

New Orleans Saints 38 – New England Patriots 17

Drew Brees is playing lights out football again in 2013; Brees is right on the footsteps of Peyton Manning in several QB statistics. The Pats D will have their hands full in their efforts to contain the Saints high powered offense, even though Brady gets back two of his key receivers, the Saints will prove their dominance over a struggling Pats team.

Washington Redskins 22 – Dallas Cowboys 35

A disappointing loss to the Denver Broncos in week 5 force Tony Romo game management skills to the limit in his week 6 matchup against the Redskins. The return of Miles Austin will be an added plus to help the Cowboys get back to 500.

Indianapolis Colts 31 – San Diego Chargers 27

This Monday Night Football showdown will be a thriller on both sides of the ball, but the standout player of the evening will be Andrew Luck. Luck has become a fourth quarter game manager, very similar to Peyton Manning fourth quarter theatrics while he played in Indy. The Colts D is rising up in the ranks, and this proves to be a fatal blow for Phillip Rivers and his key receivers.  

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Hot Finger Louie Week 3 NFL Predictions

Week 2 NFL games are now official past history, and many teams that were picked as fantasy football favorites turned out to be duds for fantasy league players. Upsets in week 2 have fantasy players scratching their heads – as they hurry up within picking their fantasy favorites in week 3. Larry Fitzgerald is dealing with a hamstring problem, and the Denver Broncos are waiting to see if Champ Bailey will suit up to play in their week 3 matchup against the Oakland Raiders. There are several teams that are dealing with injury issues which may derail their opportunity to win in week 3, and this gives an opportunity for fantasy players to reshuffle their picks in week 3.

Houston Texans 28 – Baltimore Ravens 27

New York Giants 24 – Carolina Panthers 21

Detroit Lions 20 – Washington Redskins 19

St. Louis Rams 24 – Dallas Cowboys 31

Green Bay Packers 31 – Cincinnati Bengals 17

San Diego Chargers 27 – Tennessee Titans 17

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14 – New England Patriots 28

Cleveland Browns 13 – Minnesota Vikings 28

Arizona Cardinals 20 – New Orleans Saints 34

Atlanta Falcons 28 – Miami Dolphins 31

Indianapolis Colts 28 – San Francisco 49ers 24

Buffalo Bills 16 – New York Jets 27

Jacksonville Jaguars 13 – Seattle Seahawks 27

Chicago Bears 24 – Pittsburgh 13

Week 2 NFL Hot Pick Prediction: New York Jets 17 – New England Patriots 30

Even though the Patriots may have a depleted receiving team, Tom Brady is not happy with last week’s performance against the Buffalo Bills. Forget about the infamous Mark Sanchez "buttfumble" game in which Tom Brady and the New England Patriots single handily massacred the New York Jets during last year Thanksgiving Day game. Gino Smith will not have the same success as he did against his 18-17 win over the Tampa Buccaneers.

The film room this week will not help Gino Smith in his attempt to clear a victory over the sluggish Patriots defense. Coach Bill Belichick week 2 game plan is to have his defense in sack mode. Even though Gino Smith will have some growing pains in this rival AFC match-up, this trial under fire will be his coming out game.

New York Jets

Despite the many injuries the Patriots are dealing with, there will be a few players that will step up their game and help the Patriots seal a victory in week 2.

Tom Brady 3 touchdown scores will be a better outing for the franchise QB, as his 98.9 passer rating will be a pleasant outing for a team seeking to stay above the pack in the AFC wavering division.

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Hot Finger Louie Week 1 NFL Predictions

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24 - New York Jets 10

Buccaneers pass rush will be to much for rookie QB Gino Smith to handle, fumbles and turnovers will play a big part in the win for the Buccaneers.

New England Patriots 38 – Buffalo Bills 17

Even though Tom Brady has lost 5 key receivers, he will manage the game at a super efficient pace – as he will connect with his young receivers. The Patriots defense will do a good job on controlling rookie E.J. Manuel, it will be a frustrating day for the rookie QB - as his passer rating will be 79.5 percent.

Minnesota Vikings 28 – Detroit Lions 24

Adrian Peterson will be the key in defeating the Lions; the work horse will rush for 2 touchdowns. Matthew Safford 3 touchdowns and Calvin Johnson big plays will not be enough to overcome some bad happenings in the second half of the game.

Oakland Raiders 13 – Indianapolis Colts 35

The pitiful Oakland Raiders defense will be no match for second year marvel Andrew Luck. The Raiders offense will be snuffed out by a stingy Indy defense that will make it a long day for Terrelle Pryor.

Tennessee Titans 17 – Pittsburgh Steelers 27

Not much talk of Big Ben Roethlisberger since the beginning of the 2013 season, but all of that will become old news as Big Ben shreds the Titans defense by throwing 3 touchdowns. Pittsburgh defense will shut down Ryan Fitzpatrick, turnovers will dictate Pittsburgh win over the Titans.

Kansas City Chiefs 23 – Jacksonville Jaguars 17

Alex Smith field general skills will help his struggling defense overcome a close game. Blaine Gabbert will have an efficient game, but Kansas City’s defense will make it a learning lesson for the young QB.

Seattle Seahawks 42 – Carolina Panthers 38

This will be a grand game to remember – as Russell Wilson and Cam Newton will both have great stats when the game is over. Russell Wilson will bring out the best in Marshawn Lynch as he will have a huge game to help defeat the Panthers at home.

Photo Credit: Larry Maurer

Cincinnati Bengals 17 – Chicago Bears 24

Jay Cutler will best Andy Dalton in a gun slinging duel that will be an exciting game. Chicago Bears defense will force Dalton to throw some unwanted picks. The Bears and Cutler need to start the season off with a win.

Atlanta Falcons 35 – New Orleans Saints 38

The return of Head Coach Sean Payton is just what the Saints need to help defeat the Falcons high powered offense. The Saints new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan play schemes will give the defense the edge to contain the Falcons run game. The acquisition of Steven Jackson will give Matt Ryan more air attack, but Drew Brees is seeking revenge for his teams sub-par last season.

Miami Dolphins 20 – Cleveland Browns 13

Will the new Miami Dolphins uniform help second year QB Ryan Tannehill play better? Dolphins’ fans would hope so, but they know in reality if Tannehill can throw TD’s instead of INT’s - it will give the Dolphins a much needed win. Brandon Weeden will have his hands filled due to the Dolphins revamped defense.

Green Bay Packers 34 – San Francisco 49ers 24

Week 1 will prove to be a week of super match-ups, and this game may be one that goes in the record books as one of the most exciting games to date. Aaron Rodgers air attack will lead to 4 TD scores. Colin Kaepernick will be contained by San Francisco’s defense, but he will have a great game, although a costly pick will cost San Francisco the game.

Arizona Cardinals 20 – St. Louis Rams 24

Sam Bradford has something to prove this season, and he knows that a first season win will help him and his team as a confidence booster. Carson Palmer is a feel good comeback story in the NFL, but an opening season loss will be an uphill battle for an already struggling Cardinals team.

New York Giants 31 – Dallas Cowboys 27

The New York Giants own the Dallas Cowboys in the win category, and even though the Cowboys have home field advantage – the Giants defense will prove to be too much for Tony Romo to Handle. This is a game that Eli Manning needs to win from a team perspective. This will be a hard fought battle in the trenches, but a heartbreaking loss for Tony Romo and his Dallas team.

Photo Credit: Mike Morbeck - Wikimedia Commons