NN Week 8 Prediction Contest: 49ers hope to get back on track against Bengals

After the San Francisco 49ers fell to the Minnesota Vikings last week, losing their second-straight game, the Niners are looking to get back on track against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals, another team with Super Bowl aspirations trying to find its footing, have the talent on offense to give the Niners some problems. However, they have failed to live up to that reputation so far this season.

Due to our sponsorship with Tallysight, we have to pick every game. But, as usual, we’ll narrow it down to six for you at the bottom. Odds for all the games are available on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Marc’s picks record last year:
Regular season: 154-116-2
Postseason: 12-1

This season:
Week 1: 7-9
Week 2: 9-7
Week 3: 10-6
Week 4: 13-3
Week 5: 10-4
Week 6: 9-6
Week 7: 7-6
Overall: 65-41

Here are Marc’s picks for this week’s slate of games:

Bills over Bucs: Buffalo does not look like the AFC juggernaut many of us expected them to be, but they are still a good team with an elite quarterback.

Texans over Panthers: The Texans sure look further along in their rebuild. Even on the road, I think Houston gets the win.

Dolphins over Patriots: Bill Belichick has found ways to give Tua Tagovailoa problems in the past, but I’m not confident in New England’s ability to score points.

Giants over Jets: It’s just hard for me to pick an overdog Zach Wilson team at a neutral-site game.

Rams over Cowboys: I understand that the Rams have been inconsistent so far this season, and the Cowboys have had Super Bowl-caliber flashes. However, Los Angeles at +220 just feels way out of sync with the much smaller gap in talent between the two squads.

Saints over Colts: Derek Carr is on the easiest path to the playoffs of his career.

Packers over Vikings: Green Bay’s offense has been a mess this season, and Jordan Love has been erratic. However, I’m not super confident in the Vikings on a short week going up against the Packers coming out of a bye. If Green Bay doesn’t show some semblance of offensive cohesion, it’s not going to be long before a chance at head coach or quarterback comes along.

Titans over Falcons: Falcons as favorites? What are we doing here?

Steelers over Jaguars: Mike Tomlin has consistently been able to stack up against more talented teams. Jacksonville has gone between high highs and low lows so far this season, and Pittsburgh seems like a team that has the tools to trip them up.

Eagles over Commanders: I don’t think I’ll be picking against the Eagles anytime soon.

Seahawks over Browns: Even though we can pick Cleveland with Watson out, I’m higher on Geno Smith and Seattle. If they can pull off this win, the 49ers will have some legitimate competition for the NFC West crown.

Kansas City over Broncos: Patrick Mahomes and one of the best defense’s in football might just cruise to another Super Bowl.

49ers over Bengals: This really feels like a must-win game for the 49ers. The Bengals do have the talent to take advantage of the inconsistent defense, and it’ll only get easier if Brock Purdy cannot play. However, I think the Niners steady the ship.

Ravens over Cardinals: Kansas City’s dominance is overshadowing a quiet breakthrough game for Baltimore last week against the Lions.

Chargers over Bears: The Bears won with Ty Bagent last week, but it wasn’t an earth-shattering performance from the rookie quarterback. Let’s see how he stacks up against the Chargers.

Lions over Raiders: Lions have the easiest bounce back opponent they could ask for.

Here are the six games to pick (times in Pacific):

Jets @ Giants, 10:00 AM

Saints @ Colts, 10:00 AM

Vikings @ Packers, 10:00 AM

Jaguars @ Steelers, 10:00 AM

Browns @ Seahawks, 1:05 PM

Bengals @ 49ers, 1:25 PM