NFL Week 8 - I don't even believe in Jebus

Last week saw the NFL International series game in London with the Chicago Bears coming out victorious against Tampa Bay who didn't seem to start playing until the final quarter, we're back in North America for week 8's games although Buffalo are having their regular home game at Toronto when the host the Redskins. We're concentrating on a couple of games this Sunday & hope to get back on track after the freak result with Jacksonville not just covering the spread against Baltimore on Monday night but winning the game without scoring a touchdown.

(Houston Texans number 83 Kevin Walter can get a touchdown reception this Sunday)

Ok, so miracles do happen - Jacksonville actually won a game even though they're the worst ranked offense & they were playing the 3rd best defense according to the stats, but miracles don't tend to happen twice in a week & the Jaguars look to be horribly matched against the Houston Texans. The Jaguars are ranked last in total offensive yards & it's easy to see why, they have a very average rookie quarterback & are relying on the ground game of the excellent Maurice Jones-Drew too much & become predictable to defend against because of it, they also have to rely on Jones-Drew due to the mediocrity of their receivers & tight ends who don't give Blaine Gabbert too much help in the passing game. The Texans have always traditionally been poor defensively, which would give Jacksonville hope, but they're ranked 8th in terms of yards given up per game & have 19 quarterback sacks, tieing for 4th most, their defensive ends Antonio Smith & rookie JJ Watt are having great seasons & can help shut down this weak Jacksonville offense.

On the other side of the ball the Texans have a great & varied offense, they've been missing star wide receiver Andre Johnson for 4 games now & he probably won't be fit for this one but quality QB Matt Schaub has other options with Kevin Walter &tight end Owen  Daniels being favourite targets. Awesome running back Arian Foster looks to have a really well balanced game at the moment, being used in the passing game plenty & looks to be enjoying having some competition at the position with Ben Tate getting plenty of carries as well, meaning Foster isn't getting banged up on so many plays, meaning he's staying fit & effective. Houston should see plenty of the ball offensively as they're likely to make the Jags punt the ball a load & that gives them a chance to rack up touchdowns, with Andre Johnson out, Kevin Walter is their lead receiver & 7/4 on him to score anytime seems too big. The Texans were really clicking offensively last week when they travelled to this year's chief divisional rivals Tennessee & came away with a 41-7 win, at home in front of their fans they will be looking to put on a show & the Jaguars could be tired after Monday's tough game & we're confident that the Texans can cover the -9 points on the spread with another ace display keeping them on the road to the playoffs.

(Tim Tebow will have to pray & pray & pray if he's going to cope against the Lions pass rush - they are no Miami Porpoises)

Now this game should be fun to watch with the Tim 'The Saviour' Tebow starting at quarterback for the Denver Broncos at Mile High for the first time this season, & also against an actual real team in the Detroit Lions, unlike last week's cardboard cutouts that were the Miami Dolphins. Tim Tebow was a college football phenomenon, becoming the first player ever to rush & pass for 20 or more touchdowns in a season, he's freakishly good in the running game but there remain a few tiny, little, massive doubts that he can actually be successful at passing the ball in the professional game. He didn't do a thing until the last 6 minutes of the game against the Dolphins where they were trailing 15-0 to the worst team in the league before staging a remarkable rally, Tebow only completed 13 passes all game but was using his feet well to avoid being sacked - that won't be as easy to do against the Lions pass rush & he will be put under pressure all game. Tebow doesn't exactly have elite receivers to throw to especially now Brando Lloyd has been traded to the St Louis Rams & Denver will most likely use the running game a lot with tandem running backs Willis McGahee & Knowshon Moreno needing to have good games. Their limited offense might struggle to keep up with the Lions explosive pass offense, Matt Stafford should be fit after getting hurt on their last play against Atlanta but Jahvid Best may not play at running back. Luckily Stafford has the awesome Calvin Johnson to throw to, he's had 679 receiving yards & 10 touchdowns already this year, Nate Burleson, Brandon Pettigrew & rookie Titus Young are other more than solid targets for Stafford to hit when Johnson invariably gets double covered. Stafford has been deadly accurate this season with over 60% of passes completed & just 4 interceptions given away, he really looks after the ball well & shouldn't have too much to worry about here. The Lions defense have 10 interceptions this year to the Broncos 3 & the same amount of recovered fumbles, with the Broncos on offer at odds of 5/4 to have the most turnovers this looks an excellent bet. The Lions pass rush, including the scary tackle Ndamukong Suh, can force Tebow into mistakes here meaning they get the ball back & deliver a win at a price of 4/6 to get their season back on track after starting with 5 wins only to lose the last two against good sides.

Selections:
Houston Texans to beat Jacksonville Jaguars with -9 points on the handicap at 10/11 (general)
Kevin Walter to score a touchdown at anytime at 7/4 (Bet 365) in the Jaguars v Texans game
Detroit Lions to beat Denver Broncos at 4/6 with William Hill
Denver Broncos to have most turnovers v Detroit Lions at 5/4 with William Hill