2008 NFL Predictions
Season Team Previews and Over/Under Picks

Season Totals picks 67% (24-12) combined in 2005-2007!

Our 1 and 2 star totals predictions include:

San Diego UNDER 11 wins (-120) - 1 star
Tennessee UNDER 8 wins (-120) - 1 star
Washington OVER 7.5 wins (-130) - 1 star
New Orleans OVER 9 wins (-115) - 2 stars
Oakland OVER 6 wins (-105) - 2 stars
Seattle OVER 9 wins (-110) - 2 stars
Cleveland UNDER 8 wins (-110) - 2 stars

See the writeups for these picks here.

Our Top Selections for 2008
Below are our highest rated (3-4 star rated predictions):

Baltimore OVER 6 wins (-130) - 3 stars
Brian Billick, after posting a 80-64 record and a Super Bowl victory over nine seasons, is gone as the Ravens' head coach. Why? The owners and fans got sick of his offense (or lack thereof). That and a 5-11 record didn't help. Why was this offense so inept? Quarterback - plain and simple. When he had a healthy Steve McNair, Billick actually posted a 13-3 mark. But with a banged up McNair, or Kyle Boller, Chris Redman and Anthony Wright, this team just had no chance. If Billick made any mistake, it was not addressing this situation more urgently, instead assuming someone like Boller could actuallly play pro ball. The future has potential with the drafting of Joe Flacco. But, 2008 could again be dicey for new HC John Harbaugh who must rely on either Boller or an inexperienced Troy Smith or Flacco. But, the addition of Cam Cameron at offensive coordinator will have an immediate positive impact. He'll get much more out of Willis McGahee than did his predecessor. And, of course, the defense should again be stout. All in all, this team should improve enough to get to 7+ wins. more on baltimore

Buffalo UNDER 8 wins (-130) - 3 stars
Buffalo, a team seemingly on the rise, was actually pretty darn awful last season. They won seven games but in fact they could have easily lost 11 games (they could have easily lost to both Washington and Baltimore - both games in which the opposing coach mis-managed the clock to give away a win). The problem for this team is that they are a bunch of no-names in a small market and the team has made no effort to hide the fact that they are looking to move to Canada. It's a sorry state of affairs when your most recognizable "stars" are guys by the name of Lee Evans, Aaron Schobel and Chris Kelsay. The fact is, this team can't really afford to spend for big name talent and the big names don't want to be here. Their defense last season was terrible (ranked second-to-last). What we see is a team that wasn't as good as their 2007 record indicated, that hasn't improved. That tells us they are destined for the same or fewer wins and we like them to comfortably come in under this total of eight projected wins. more on buffalo

Dallas UNDER 10.5 wins (-125) - 3 stars
Dallas had an outstanding 2007 campaign, outside of their huge home playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Giants. Tony Romo answered any critics and has now officially established himself as one of the league's elite quarterbacks. His play, having Terrell Owens, the emergence of Marion Barber, the continued improvement of DeMarcus Ware, and the fortunate luck of avoiding major injuries, led to a 13-win season. No one expects that again, but how much will they fall in 2008? A lot will depend on injuries. The Cowboys have been the healthiest team in the NFL the past five seasons, by a wide margin. They have lost the fewest starters to injury and when they do lose starters, it's usually for short stints. The Cowboys didn't lose much in the off-season and added Pacman Jones. So, the OVER 10.5 wins seems like the obvious choice. But, we are going the other way. Everything went right for the 'Boys (save their playoff loss) in 2007. They won a couple of close games they could have lost and weren't really as good as 13 wins would suggest. If things don't line up so neatly for them this season, and/or their incredible luck surrounding injuries runs out, this team could struggle a lot more than many people think. They'll still be very good, but facing much improved in-division competition compared to last season, we think they take a big step backwards from 2007. more on dallas

Miami OVER 5.5 wins (+105) - 3 stars
Miami won one game in 2007, on a long pass in overtime. There's nowhere to go from there but up. But how far will they go? Vegas has said they will win 4-5 more games this season. We think they can do better than that. This team still has yet to field a quarterback of quality since Dan Marino left nearly a decade ago. Why an NFL team thinks they can win in this league without a very good quarterback is beyond us. They made some moves for big names (Trent Green, Daunte Culpepper) but these guys were over the hill by the time they joined the Dolphins. With weak supporting casts, and their age, they never had a shot. Outside of these guys, the QB position has been held by a bunch of unproven youngsters or below-average journeymen. Needless to say, Bill Parcells had a lot to work on when he joined the team in the offseason. One thing we think he'll address immediately was the team's mistakes and slopiness in 2007. The Dolphins actually were better than their 1-15 would indicate last season. They should have won closer to 3-4 games. With costly mistakes eliminated and discipline instilled, we think this team takes a huge leap right away. Jake Long will have an immediate impact, helping Fins fans forget about Jason Taylor. Ronnie Brown, if healhty, will have a good year. And, John Beck, getting all the reps with the starters, should improve. We think Miami is a huge surprise this season, winning 6+ games. more on miami

Philadelphia OVER 9 wins (-120) - 3 stars
The Eagles go as Donovan McNabb goes. He struggled early in the 2007. This was not a surprise, given his ACL surgery the year prior. It's becoming a well-known fact that the first year back after an ACL surgery is not a great one, even for great quarterbacks (see Carson Palmer). At the end of 2007, McNabb looked much better and we expect him to perform well this season. His shortfall last season helped with the continued emergence of Brian Westbrook as one of the most feared running backs in the league. On defense, they acquired All Pro Asante Samuels from the Pats. With him on one side and Lito Sheppard on the other, expect opposing offenses to have lots of trouble this season moving the ball through the air. With McNabb back to full form, this team has what it takes to get to double-digit wins and challenge for the division title. more on philadelphia

Atlanta OVER 4.5 wins (-130) - 4 stars
It couldn't get much worse for the Falcons last season. After the Vick debacle, their lame coach deserted the team without as much as a good bye late in the season. It's no wonder this team won just four games. With Vick gone now for more than a season, and Petrino a memory, the Falcons, with fewer distractions, should improve this season. The fact is, the team didn't respect Petrino even before he bailed on them. He simply never connected with players and was a disaster from the start. Former Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Smith takes over. He's a stark contrast to Petrino (no name, but just did his job very very well). They signed Michael Turner from San Diego and this team could have a very potent running game once again with the one-two punch of Turner and Jerious Norwood. They lost Alge Crumpler and DeAngelo Hall which are both hits. But, Vegas is saying this team will not improve. We think with the minimized distractions, an improved running game and a fairly easy schedule, they will notch more wins than last season. more on atlanta

Kansas City OVER 6 wins (-125) - 4 stars
The Chiefs finished 2007 with nine straight losses. Their QB situation looks bleak and their all world running back looked run down last season. So where is the hope? Larry Johnson is a big part of it. With his 2007 injuries, this team had no chance. With him in the lineup the team was 4-4 but without him, they were 0-8. And let's not forget about Tony Gonzales as well as the emergence last year of wideout Dwayne Bowe who, as a rookie, often made defenses look downright silly. While many point to 2008 as a rebuilding year for this franchise, we think they are going to be more competitive than many think. Head coach Herm Edwards has a short leash and he doesn't take kindly to losing. A very poor season, even under the guise of a "rebuilding effort" could spell doom for his career, so we don't expect this team to lay down on Sundays. If Brodie Croyle can improve, this offense will score some points. With a relatively soft schedule, we like the Chiefs' chances to surprise the NFL and the naysayers and win 7+ games. more on kansas city