With division races heating up http://www.baltimoreravensteamauthentic.com/terrell-suggs-jersey , teams must rapidly make adjustments and improve in order to remain positioned for the postseason. The Baltimore Beatdown standings continue to fluctuate, proving that it is hard to pinpoint what teams will find success from week-to-week. Readers are moving up the board once again and can continue to vote for all games in the polls at the end of this article. Current standings: Frank and Kyle A. (67-38)Sage and readers (63-42)Jake (62-43)Kyle B., Vas and Zach (61-44)Dustin (60-45)Logan (59-46)An analysis of the Baltimore Beatdown staff picksConsensus winnersThe Texans will defeat the Dolphins on Thursday Night Football (HOU -7.5)The Chiefs will win against the Broncos (KC -10.0)The Steelers will take down the Browns (PIT -8.5)The Colts will beat the Raiders (IND -3.0)The Patriots will be victorious over the struggling Bills (NE -14.0)Houston is on a four game win streak and currently leads the AFC South. Miami’s early success has come to a halt, and DeVante Parker’s agent is calling out head coach Adam Gase in the media. On a short week, the Texans appear poised to continue their winning ways. With Kansas City and the Chargers rolling, the Broncos are a distant 3-4 in the AFC West. Despite a close finish in their first matchup, Denver simply cannot win a shoot out with Patrick Mahomes. Cleveland will be worn down from another overtime loss, this time to Tampa Bay in Week 7. The Steelers know Cincinnati and Baltimore are breathing down their neck in the AFC North race and will approach the divisional game with intensity.The Raiders are stock piling for the 2019 draft http://www.baltimoreravensteamauthentic.com/joe-flacco-jersey , most recently sending Amari Cooper to the Dallas Cowboys for a first-round pick. Gruden has seemingly given up on his first year back with Raiders, leaving nothing but opportunity for the Colts on the road. Succinctly put, this is a ‘Sharpie’ game for New England on Monday Night Football. Buffalo is a mess, most recently getting blown out by Indianapolis 37-5. ‘Lone wolf’ picksFrank is the only writer to predict the Jets to beat the Bears (CHI -7.5)Vas is alone in thinking the Giants will defeat the Redskins (WSH -1.0)Zach goes against the majority in selecting the Buccaneers to take down the Bengals (CIN -4.5)Logan is solo in taking the Jaguars over the Eagles (PHI -3.0)Chicago fought to the bitter end against the Patriots in Week 7, and their 12th ranked defense should be able to overwhelm rookie quarterback Sam Darnold on the road. The Giants may have closed the gap against a less than stellar Falcons team last week, but the majority of Beatdown predicts Washington to extend their lead in the NFC East. Tampa Bay barely got past Cleveland, and while the Bengals have dropped two straight, the Chiefs and the Steelers are contenders in the AFC. Blake Bortles and the Jacksonville offense have derailed the Jaguars defensive prowess. While the championship hangover has not escaped Philly http://www.baltimoreravensteamauthentic.com/marshal-yanda-jersey , Carson Wentz still has a 108.1 passer rating this season compared to Bortles’ 80.3. No rest for the heartbrokenAfter a tough, one-point loss to the Saints in Week 7, the Ravens travel to Carolina this week. The Panthers are undefeated at home thus far and are currently chasing New Orleans in the NFC South. This Sunday, Newton will be coming off limited practice participation due to a right shoulder injury to face one of the best defenses in the league. It is worth noting that Cam Newton and company defeated the Bengals 31-21 in Week 3. The line (BAL -2.0) favors the Ravens; however, five of nine writers pick Baltimore’s away record to fall to 2-3 on the season.All writers’ picks can be found in the table below.NFL Week 8 PicksGamesFrankKyle A.SageJakeKyle B.VasilisZachDustinLoganBB ReadersGamesFrankKyle A.SageJakeKyle B.VasilisZachDustinLoganBB ReadersVote below for every Week 8 matchup! The Baltimore Ravens offense is off to one of its fastest starts in years, showing more explosiveness and consistency than any Joe Flacco led attack since 2014. It speaks a bit to how bad some of those units were over the last several seasons that this 2018 offense, which teeters between good and average depending on the week, is finally bringing some real excitement to a big play starved Baltimore fan base.The results can’t be argued with though Womens Brandon Williams Jersey , as the big plays have been there and the improvement is self evident. Part of the reason for this surge back to relevance is the commitment general manager Ozzie Newsome showed to infusing it with talent this past offseason.One of the players he sought out to bring life to the passing game was former Arizona Cardinal John “Smokey” Brown, a once highly thought of speed demon who saw his career derailed by injuries. In Baltimore though, the train is firmly back on the tracks as Brown has posted 28 receptions for 558 yards and four touchdowns through seven games.It’s fair to say the Ravens haven’t seen this type of consistent effort and explosiveness from a receiver since Steve Smith Sr. had a renaissance of his own in purple and black. Brown’s resurgence hasn’t just been good for his career, it’s been critical to the Ravens success this season. He has shown up in some of the biggest games of the season, as Brown has almost always been on the receiving end of a big passing play when it’s needed.This was evident in Week 2 against Cincinnati when he made big plays out of nothing to keep Baltimore in the game, as well as in Pittsburgh when he had an early touchdown and a long reception on a deep ball from Flacco. But this was maybe no more evident than on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints when the Ravens needed big plays to stay in the game against their toughest opponent all season.Brown made them, and in clutch moments too. His long catch and run near the end the first half set up Lamar Jackson for a short touchdown scamper, and his rabbit-from-a-hat touchdown with just seconds left should’ve forced overtime if not for an errant PAT kick.In an article in which he discusses Brown making the Ravens offense relevant for the first time in years Authentic Patrick Onwuasor Jersey , Pro Football Focus writer Ben Cooper discusses this play among a few other reasons why Brown has become invaluable to Flacco:Brown showing up the way he did against New Orleans signifies just how much his efforts have helped push this offense into a higher gear. For the first time since Steve Smith, Flacco has a receiver who is not only talented, but one he also seems to completely trust.That is an entirely different element to add onto a Ravens team that hasn’t had a consistent offense with a dominant X factor such as Brown making his presence felt. This has shown up in the first half of the season and they’ll need more of it from Brown down the stretch in order to end the season on a successful note.The obvious elephant in the room surrounding Brown, his inevitable contract negotiations, will hopefully be dealt with at a more appropriate time, But for now Ravens fans should enjoy the Smokey’s breakout while it’s still happening. They’ll need more strong play out of him in Charlotte on Sunday to end the first half of the season on the path to the playoffs.