With six teams facing the bye, we're once again stuck at having only thirteen games for Week 8 in the National Football League. A lot of the attention will be focused on one game at Wembley Stadium in London, where the New York Giants will square off in the first-ever regular season game outside of North America. Unfortunately I won't be able to see the full game because my local FOX station is airing another game, but I'll be sure to catch up on all of the highlights later on. Don't forget that there isn't a Sunday Night game this week either, due to Game 4 of the World Series airing on FOX.

Here are three factoids that I'm looking forward to this week:

• Vinny's Second Stand: Surely, there's no way that Vinny Testaverde will beat the Indianapolis Colts? It should be fun to see the veteran quarterback play again, but how long will it be before David Carr is inserted into the game?

• Playing N.E. Tough: When no one has come within 17 points of the Patriots this season, I'd consider that meaning no one has come close to playing their tough, a.k.a. giving them a run for their money. At least the Redskins have verbally expressed some confidence heading into the game -- now let's see if they back it up.

• Season's Difference in NFC: The game between the Bears and the Lions could go a long way in determining one of the wildcard spots in the NFC. With the Lions already beating the Bears a few weeks ago, they'd certainly be on the right track with another win.

Now, let's start off this week's predictions with the games of the week...

GAMES OF THE WEEK

DOLPHINS BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN

The Dolphins may not boast a respectable record, but perhaps they can move to 1-0 outside of North America?

New York Giants vs. London Dolphins. If the Miami Dolphins are playing in London, they don't really qualify for having the name "Miami" in their title, although "the Miami Dolphins of London" could have worked as well. The Dolphins may be the home team hear, but neither team should have a significant advantage when it comes to the atmosphere. In a way, I wish that a better team could have been picked to take on the New York Giants in this game, but that would have caused a much bigger stir-up around the league. Can you imagine if someone like the New England Patriots lost a home game just to showcase a game overseas?

Instead, a team with Cleo Lemon at quarterback, Jesse Chatman at running back, and Ted Ginn Jr. at wide receiver is going to be fed to the wolves against the red-hot New York Giants. Lemon and the Dolphins have been able to score a fair amount of points over the past two weeks, but in both instances that only occurred after their opponents had a sizable lead. The Giants can't seem to be stopped right now, winning five straight games and looking more fluid in the passing game, running game, and in defensive assignments week after week. The bridge in Miami has already fallen - the Giants are only going to add on to the destruction in this one. Giants 34, Dolphins 14

CONFIDENCE RULES EVERYTHING

Washington Redskins vs. New England Patriots. Some of the Redskins players have boasted confidence this week in the right way heading into their match against the Patriots. Of all the teams the Patriots have faced this season, Washington will try to pose a significant threat to them -- not just because they have a good record, but because they've already played in quite a few close games. On paper, the Redskins' offense seems overmatches. Jason Campbell is more of a game-manager who works down the field off of playaction still, which only works if your defense can stop the opposing team. Washington's defense has come together this year, especially a few integral parts of their secondary, but as far as stopping the Patriots offense goes? It simply seems impossible.

It all comes down to a match-up problem. People complain that the Patriots aren't as strong on the ground, but that's partially because they have chosen to pass the ball. If the right situation arises, the threat of the passing game would allow Laurence Maroney or Kevin Faulk to frustrate opposing defenses with first down after first down. There has been talk throughout the week that the Redskins will try to shut down Randy Moss by putting two defenders on him. If I'm the Redskins, I'd take my chances and play single coverage on all four of the receivers threats, because you can't afford to double anyone. Washington's best chance is to hope that someone in their secondary really plays the game of their life. And then, they'll have to hope the other three guys do the same thing. Possible, but not likely. Patriots 35, Redskins 16

MONDAY NIGHT MAGIC

Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos. John Madden may not be calling the games, but Brett Favre is ready to shine with a winning football team on Monday Night again. That'll be easier said than done against a Broncos team that is playing its second straight prime-time game at home (how in the world did they get that luck in scheduling?). The Broncos shined against the Steelers last week by finally executing off of their red-zone possessions. It was critical for the Broncos to involve other receivers on offense with Javon Walker absent, and that's what they were able to do with Brandon Stokley and Tony Scheffler both stepping their games up. Jason Elam also connected on his third game-winning field goal of the season, occurring in each of the Broncos three wins this season.

This game is almost a must-win for the Broncos because it'll mark he fifth home game they've had within seven weeks to start the season. Over the Broncos' next eight games, six of them will be on the road. That's a hectic schedule, and before they go on it they'll try to take down a one-loss team for the second week in a row. The Packers are coming off of the bye week, but what I'm interested in seeing here is how the Packers' offense responds. The Broncos' defense is very tough to figure out. Their secondary has some fantastic individual players, but as you saw last week, Ben Roethlisberger was able to toss four touchdowns against them. The Broncos struggle against the run, but the Packers struggle getting going on the ground. I'd like to take the Packers, but Denver's defense has a golden opportunity to force Favre into some mistakes after Favre is baiting into throwing it deep. Broncos 20, Packers 17

BITTER TASTE REMAINS

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals. Despite being listed as the fourth game of the week, I'm anticipating, or at least hoping, that this will be the most exciting game of the week. In the final week of the season last year, the Bengals were still alive in the AFC wildcard race while the Steelers were already out of it. In Bill Cowher's final game as head coach for Pittsburgh, the Steelers came away with an overtime victory on a quick catch-and-run pass to Santonio Holmes. Don't think that that play still isn't etched into the minds of those Bengals players. Mike Tomlin will have his team ready to respond after a tough road loss, but can the Bengals build upon the momentum they built last week?

Cincinnati's defense still leaves a sour taste in the mouths of Bengals fans. Pittsburgh was criticized for not running the ball more often against a porous Broncos run defense last week, but I didn't have any problem with Roethlisberger being aggressive and taking some shots down the field. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, it just happened to be that a few plays early on forced the Steelers to dig themselves in too deep of a hole. The Bengals will be without Rudi Johnson in all likelihood, which would mean Kenny Watson would get the start. The Bengals' offensive line cannot block well against solid defenses, which will force the Bengals' quick strike offense to be hindered early. They may make a late run, but not enough to pull off the upset. Steelers 24, Bengals 17

REST OF THE WEEK

Indianapolis Colts vs. Carolina Panthers. With the exception of their bye week, this is the first time this season I haven't had the Colts involved in a game of the week. This game certainly has the qualifications to be a top game this week, but the game in London took precedence over this one. It's funny when you consider the fact that despite the Patriots and Colts each facing teams with 4-2 records this week, 96% of the fans on Yahoo Sports have picked them to win. Vinny Testaverde will start the game for the Panthers. While I agree with John Fox's decision, the Panthers will not be a quick strike offense under Testaverde. Once the Colts get two possessions ahead, I expect David Carr to come in to try and provide a spark. It won't happen. Colts 21, Panthers 13

Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears. A month ago, these two teams squared off in a fourth quarter that made history. The Bears' defense hasn't changed much since then, but the same can't be said for the Lions' offense. Over the past two games, Jon Kitna has gone from almost averaging 400+ yards passing in some games to not even throwing touchdowns. With the return of Kevin Jones, the Lions have tried to establish the running game. The strategy isn't as explosive, but it hasn't been bad either. I just wish Mike Martz was able to incorporate the best of both worlds, but that's something I've always felt he was weak in. Chicago's not playing great, but being at home this time around, Brian Griese should be able to continue coming up with the big plays to get this team back into contention. Bears 28, Lions 24

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Minnesota Vikings. Ride Adrian Peterson. Ride Adrian Peterson. Ride Adrian Peterson. Everyone seems to be echoing that statement, but Brad Childress hasn't been calling for it: instead, he gave inexperienced and struggling quarterback Tarvaris Jackson more plays than Peterson. Kelly Holcomb, the quarterback who I still believe should be leading the Vikings, will get the start against the team that traded him away prior to the season starting. Still, the emphasis for Minnesota has to be running the ball with Peterson. The Eagles have not executed well on offense the majority of the season, and that blame falls on the shoulders of Donovan McNabb. Brain Westbrook's productive carries will be limited due to the Vikings' stout defensive line, but he'll get plenty of underneath passes go his way. Not having faith in either passing offense to produce, I'm riding the Vikings' spark from Peterson. Vikings 20, Eagles 14

Cleveland Browns vs. St. Louis Rams. Quite a few people are projecting this to be the Rams' first win of the season, but don't expect me to fall into that crowd. I picked the Rams last week to upset the Seahawks, only to see Marc Bulger not have a single productive play in a 33-6 stomping. St. Louis will get Steven Jackson back this week, and even though the Browns' defensive line is rather week, the Rams' offensive line supercedes that. The Browns' offense hasn't shown any signs of slowing down with Derek Anderson at quarterback, but they've gotten off to slow starts on the road. Getting off to a productive start in the first quarter will guarantee victory (sorry Randy McMichael) for the Browns. Browns 31, Rams 21

Oakland Raiders vs. Tennessee Titans. The Titans nearly suffered a collapse last week, but thanks to a record eight field goals by kicker Rob Bironas, they survived with Vince Young on the sidelines. I think that with Young seeing how things operated in the offense without being in the game, he may have actually gained some valuable experience in seeing some of the plays he can start trusting his receivers to make. The Raiders' pass offense has been cold early since Daunte Culpepper took over, and LaMont Jordan wasn't able to get off to a great start last week either. Don't take the Titans' defense lightly, because their near-collapse to the Texans in the fourth quarter was a lone exception for a season's worth of quality play. Titans 21, Raiders 17

Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets. Several weeks ago, I made the big mistake of taking the Jets to beat the Bills and it ended my survivor streak early. You have to take into account a lot of variables heading into this game though. First, the Jets haven't been blown out by anybody except for when they faced the Patriots in Week 1. Chad Pennington's turnovers have been very costly, but some more plays started to develop down the field last week. Second, the Bills are 0-2 on the road this year already, being completely overmatched by the Steelers and the Patriots. You can say those teams were much more difficult than the ones they've faced at home, where they've won, but at home they've just barely lost to the Broncos and the Cowboys. Buffalo is a completely different team on the road, and that's going to play to the advantage of the Jets here. Jets 24, Bills 20

Houston Texans vs. San Diego Chargers. I was pleased to hear that the Chargers would be able to play their home game in from of all of the Chargers fans this weekend. Nothing will compensate for some of the losses the state of California suffered as a result of the fires during the week, but a little football can cheer some people up, at least for a few hours. The Texans aren't only up against a red-hot Chargers team on the road, they're up against an emotionally charged atmosphere that I don't think they'll be able to overcome. Ahman Green has not been able to establish himself effectively since returning from injury, and the Texans still haven't been able to get off to a quick start offensively since Andre Johnson went down early in the season. Chargers 34, Texans 20

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It's really bad news if your a Jagurs fan, seeing your starting quarterback go down with an ankle injury that'll keep him out for a month. They pay Quinn Gray quite a bit of money for a guy who was originally supposed to be a third-string quarterback because they liked what they saw in him. He didn't look sharp against the Colts in relief last week, and I don't envision him getting acclimated to the offense very well against a tough Buccaneers defense. I expect a lot of running with Maurice-Jones Drew and conservativeness passing. That means it'll be up to the interception-free Jeff Garcia to limit the turnovers. Buccaneers 13, Jaguars 10

New Orleans Saints vs. San Francisco 49ers. Fans couldn't be happier to see Alex Smith back in the 49ers offense after Trent Dilfer must have gone through one of the most boring and dry periods that a San Francisco offense has ever had. The Saints have the benefit of being in the midst of a rather friendly schedule, and I look at the improvements that Reggie Bush has been making since becoming the team's featured back. Drew Brees has been able to minimize his turnovers over the past two weeks, showing that he's starting to get comfortable with the system in general again. With that in place, I expect this to be a week where Brees and the Saints really go back to converting on the creative deep balls they had so often last season. Saints 27, 49ers 16

SURVIVOR PICK

Last week, I took the Cincinnati Bengals to defeat the New York Jets for my survivor pick. I picked up the victory, matching my season-high streak of three straight wins, and moving to 6-1 overall. With the London Bells tolling, this is a great week for me to take advantage of keeping the Giants in my back pocket. Plus, you never know if the Giants will fall like they did after their 6-2 start last year, and just when the Dolphins may upset their first team of the season.

STATISTICS

Predictions Record to Date: 69-34 (Reaching 100 wins before 50 losses always looks good on the resume.)
Last Week: 10-4 (My Bills upset paid off, but my Rams upset didn't.)
Survivor Streak: Won 3 (Min over Atl, Den over Oak, Car over Atl, [NYJ over Buf], Ari over StL, Cle over Mia, and Cin over NYJ.)

I won a nice little Poker Tournament over the weekend. Maybe I should start getting into wagering some NFL games, but surely anything can happen in football, right? The NFL world would go crazy if the winless and undefeated columns were erased this week.