NFL Picks & Predictions, Week 8: Lions Over Broncos, Chiefs Over Chargers

The AFC West is a stout division -- certainly not something anyone saw coming before the season began. Most believed that things would go something like this: Chargers on top, Chiefs and Raiders fighting around .500 in the middle, Broncos bottoming out. Instead, there are three teams at .500 or better and all three have looked dominant at times. The Broncos have a spark of life under Tim Tebow and are only two games back of the division lead. It's still early but anything is possible.

This week the Oakland Raiders are on a bye, so there's only two AFC West games on the NFL schedule. Here are our picks:

Detroit @ Denver
Tim Tebow moves from playing a AAA team to the real deal, so we'll see what the Florida star is made of. The Lions have lost two in a row and had an injury scare for Matt Stafford. The Broncos running game cannot get moving and that means the pass rush should be plentiful against a quarterback trying to figure it out along the way. The Dolphins let him stay close, but you can't let the Lions get ahead. That's exactly what they'll do here. Calvin Johnson should put this away early.
Lions 35, Broncos 21

San Diego @ Kansas City
The Chargers have the shiny weapons while the Chiefs have been gutting it out. They both are in a good position here, so this game for the divisional lead should be a great Monday Night Football match-up. The Chargers could sweep the season series against KC and set themselves up nicely for a divisional cushion, but if the Chiefs win, they're top dogs. Usually the best quarterback is the best bet, and there's no doubt that's Phil Rivers here, but anyone would be stupid to bet against Todd Haley's beard at this point.
Chiefs 21, Chargers, 20