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By DAVID THOMAS

dthomas@star-telegram.com

Browns at Bears? No thanks.

Rams at Lions? Ick.

Vikings at Packers? There we go.

It is easy to pick the marquee game of Week 8 with Brett Favre returning to Lambeau Field wearing horns on a purple helmet.

Seeing Favre in Green Bay dressed in a Vikings uniform will look stranger than some of those AFL throwback uniforms teams are wearing. Speaking of throwback, I expect Favre the Viking to have a performance throwback to his glory days in Lambeau. Of course, it will help Favre that he won’t be ducking behind Green Bay’s offensive line. The way the Packers have protected quarterback Aaron Rodgers, he may have to retire before Favre does. On to the games of Week 8 …

Seattle Seahawks at Dallas Cowboys of Arlington (-9 1/2): I kind of like this “Victory Monday” concept. In fact, I think every time the Cowboys win, the whole Metroplex should get the following Monday off. Starting with this game. Pick: Cowboys 27-20.

St. Louis Rams at Detroit Lions (no line): There is no line because Vegas does not make odds for high school teams. Pick: Lions 27-9.

Miami Dolphins at New York Jets (- 3): Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez was caught eating a hot dog on the sideline late during last week’s 38-0 rout of the Dolphins. This week, he’ll have to wait until after the game for dessert. Pick: Jets 20-14.

Cleveland Browns at Chicago Bears (-13): In the Bears’ 45-10 loss to the Bengals, we finally saw why the Bears made Cedric Benson the fourth pick in the 2005 draft. Unfortunately for Bears fan, Benson’s career-high 189 rush yards came for the Bengals. Fortunately for Bears fans, Browns quarterback Derek Anderson was a sixth-round pick — and is playing like it. Pick: Bears 34-7.

Denver Broncos at Baltimore Ravens (-3 1/2): The ’72 Dolphins can quit drawing mustaches and devil’s horns on pictures of Broncos coach Josh McDaniels. Pick: Ravens 24-23.

Houston Texans (-3 1/2) at Buffalo Bills: Here is our Jon & Kate Game of the Week. I don’t want to have to choose either one because, frankly, I can’t trust the Texans as a road favorite and I can’t trust the Bills in any situation anywhere. Pick: Texans 27-21.

San Francisco 49ers at Indianapolis Colts (-12): Alex Smith is the 49ers’ new starting quarterback after almost leading his team back from a 21-0 deficit last week. He’ll get the opportunity for another big comeback this week. Pick: Colts 38-14.

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (-1): With the Giants on a two-game losing skid after a 5-0 start, cynics are saying the Giants’ big start was because of a weak schedule. So I went back and did a little research and discovered that the Giants are 5-0 against teams that aren’t as good as them and 0-2 against teams that are better than them. Pick: Giants 26-23.

Oakland Raiders at San Diego Chargers (-16 1/2): Raiders coach Tom Cable says quarterback JaMarcus Russell has improved each week. You know, I must not have realized just how bad Russell was at the beginning of the season. Pick: Chargers 24-16.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans (-3): Reports out of Nashville say Titans owner Bud Adams has been pressuring coach Jeff Fisher to make Vince Young his starting quarterback. Optimistic Cowboys fans say the owner’s meddling is merely Fisher being prepped for his next head coaching job. Pick: Titans 24-17.

Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers (-3): This game desperately needs an intriguing story line. Pick: Vikings 30-23.

Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals (-10): Panthers coach John Fox announced this week that Jake Delhomme would remain his starting quarterback. This is a team that needs a little ownership pressure to change signal-callers. Pick: Cardinals 27-13.

Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints (-10): I know there is a lot of season left to be played, but I think the Saints should re-sign Archie Manning and let him take a snap in a playoff game. Pick: Saints 41-28.

Last week: 7-6 overall (.538), 5-6-1 vs. the spread (.458). Season: 72-31 overall (.699), 61-37-1 vs. the spread (.621).

Sports humor columnist David Thomas’ NFL picks appear Thursdays. Follow him on Twitter @FansInsider.

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