The new weekly pregame feature got a second week because: (1) you seem to like it; And (2) I feel like doing it.
Week 8 has no goodbyes. All 32 teams play. Two played Thursday night as usual. Below is a snapshot of the remaining 15 matches.
Only one team remains undefeated, the 6-0 Chiefs. It’s the deepest the Super Bowl champion has gone unbeaten in the following season since the 2019 Patriots, who went 7-0 before eventually losing in the Wild Card round at home to the Titans.
As for our official Week 8 game picks, Click here. For more, here we go. . . .
2024 NFL Week 8 Game Previews
4-2 Eagles at 3-4 Bengals (-2) Sunday, 1 PM ET, CBS (Ian Eagle and Charles Davis)
Receiver AJ Brown has caught a touchdown in each of the three games he’s played this year, and the Eagles have won all of them. But the story of Philadelphia’s offense has been that of Saquon Barkley, who is averaging 109.7 yards per game.
The Bengals, like the Eagles, have beaten the Giants and Browns in consecutive weeks. They have won three of four since an 0-3 start. They’re also 0-3 at home this season, but 11-2 against the NFC since 2022.
5-2 Ravens (-8.5) at 1-6 Browns, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS (Tom McCarthy, Ross Tucker, and Jay Feely)
Baltimore scored an average of 35 points per game during its five-game winning streak. They lead the league with 1,476 yards rushing, and are averaging 461.4 yards per game on offense. With 150 rushing yards on Sunday, Baltimore will become the first team since the 1960 Packers with 150 or more rushing yards in each of the first eight games of the season.
The Browns will start Jameis Winston at cornerback on Sunday, their first game of 2024 without Deshaun Watson. Oddly enough, Winston dropped to third last week, the first of a three-game winning streak at Cleveland.
The Ravens (who used to be the Browns) are 25-7 against the reshaped Browns since John Harbaugh became head coach in 2008.
1-5 Titans at 5-1 Lions (-11), Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Kugler and Darrell Johnston)
Jared Goff could become the first quarterback in league history to have a passer rating of 140 or above in four straight games. He’ll have to do it without receiver Jameson Williams, who is serving a two-game PED suspension.
The Giants, as underdogs, will have another trend working against them. Teams that play the Lions are 0-5 the following week.
The Giants traded receiver DeAndre Hopkins this week, suggesting they may trade other veterans before the Nov. 5 deadline.
4-3 Colts at 5-2 Texas (-5), Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, CBS (Andrew Catalon and Tiki Barber)
It’s a rematch of division rivalry. Houston beat the Colts in Week 1 29-17. But if the Texans stumble for the second straight week, the Colts will tie for the lead in the AFC South.
CJ Stroud had a career-low 86 rushing yards for Green Bay.
Running back Jonathan Taylor will return Sunday for the Colts, after missing three games with an ankle injury. He averages 87.3 yards per game.
5-2 Packers (-4) at 2-5 Jaguars, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, Fox (Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vielma)
Jacksonville returns from two games in London to face one of the best teams in the league. Green Bay won five of six games. Quarterback Jordan Love has 15 touchdown passes, despite missing two games due to injury.
Kicker Brandon McManus, who scored the game-winner against Houston in Week 7, returns to Jacksonville; The Jaguars released him earlier this year.
The Packers lead the NFL with 17 points, although they didn’t have any in Week 7. They had 18 points in all of 2023.
3-4 Cardinals at 2-4 Dolphins (-3.5), Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, Fox (Jason Benetti and Mark Schlereth)
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is back after missing four games with his latest concussion. Crime has remained stagnant without him.
Miami has scored just six touchdowns this season, the fewest in the NFL.
The Cardinals, who beat the Chargers on a field goal in Week 7, have not won back-to-back games since 2021. The short week plus the long drive plus the Dolphins’ rejuvenated offense will combine to create a real problem for Arizona, currently tied for second place in the NFC West with the 49ers and Rams. .
2-5 Jets (-7) at 1-6 Patriots, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, CBS (Spiro Deedes and Adam Archuleta)
The Patriots got off to their worst start since Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994. After coach Jerrod Mayo said the Patriots were “soft.” . . Across the board” After the lackluster loss to the Jaguars in London, will they step up?
The Jets have lost four in a row and are 0-2 since the sudden dismissal of coach Robert Saleh. They would go on a three-game winning streak against New England, which would be their longest streak since they won four from 1999 through 2001. That run ended in the game that featured Mo Lewis’ hit on Drew Bledsoe, which launched Tom Brady’s career.
The Jets drew allegations from quarterback Aaron Rodgers and receiver Davante Adams of a lack of energy in their Week 7 primetime loss to the Steelers. New York faces a shift from Sunday to Thursday for the second time this year. Houston comes to town for the Halloween game.
4-5 Falcons (-2.5) at 4-3 Buccaneers, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, Fox (Adam Amin and Greg Olsen)
Three weeks and a change after a classic game on Thursday night, the Falcons are hunting the Bucs at a time when their top two receivers are missing. Although the Falcons are coming off their worst game of the year (a 20-point loss to Seattle), the win puts them in control of the division — by one game and a head-to-head tiebreaker.
Kirk Cousins had three turnovers against the Seahawks.
The Bucs will break out their famous Creamsicle bounces. They will need to play much better than they have for most of the time they have served as the team’s starters.
2-5 Saints at 3-3 Chargers (-7), Sunday 4:05 PM ET, Fox (Chris Myers and Mark Sanchez)
The Saints have four days off after playing Thursday. The Chargers played Monday.
And while the Saints have gotten healthier, they still don’t have quarterback Derek Carr.
The Saints have closed the door on a potential trade for running back Alvin Kamara by penning a new contract. However, a loss may put them in a position to sell other contracts before the deadline.
If the Chargers are going to compete for a playoff berth in coach Jim Harbaugh’s first season, they have to win games like this. They would have beaten the Cardinals if any of their five field goals had been touchdowns instead.
5-2 Bills (-3) at 4-3 Seahawks, Sunday at 4:05 PM ET, Fox (Kevin Burkhart and Tom Brady)
Josh Allen is putting together a potential MVP season. Receiver Amari Cooper could help in that cause. As Allen told PFT after the Giants’ Week 7 defeat, he would move elsewhere if coverage moved to Cooper. If not, he will throw to Cooper.
The Seahawks, who broke a three-game winning streak, hold a one-game lead in the NFC West. Entering Week 8, Seattle quarterback Geno Smith leads the league in receiving yards, with 1,985. Receiver DK Metcalf, third in the league in receiving yards with 568, is struggling week to week with a knee injury. There are doubts about his participation in Sunday’s match.
Tom Brady officiates the regional game. The Bills wanted him to participate in production meetings, but the NFL refused to allow Buffalo to waive the restrictions applied to the new Raiders minority owner.
1-6 Panthers at 4-3 Broncos (-9.5), Sunday 4:25 PM ET, CBS (Chris Lewis and Jason McCourty)
Bryce Young is back, but only because Andy Dalton is suffering from a thumb injury. There’s no reason to expect things to go well.
The Broncos could go 5-3, which would make Bo Nix the winningest rookie quarterback in franchise history, breaking the current tie with John Elway and Drew Lock, at four games.
Denver coach Sean Payton is 25-7 against NFC South teams since 2017 and 2-0 this year.
6-0 Chiefs (-10) at 2-5 Raiders, Sunday 4:25 PM ET, CBS (Kevin Harlan and Trent Green)
The Chiefs haven’t lost a game since falling to the Raiders on Christmas Day. While they continue to win, the offense has been far from amazing. This week, the Chiefs traded to the Titans for receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who will play on Sunday.
The Raiders return Gardner Minshew at quarterback. His replacement, Aidan O’Connell, is on reserve with a fractured thumb on his hand.
Andy Reid is 18-4 against the Raiders during his tenure in Kansas City. The Chiefs have never lost in Las Vegas, posting four wins over the Raiders and a Super Bowl win over the 49ers.
4-2 Bears (-2.5) at 5-2 Commanders, Sunday 4:25 PM ET, CBS (Jim Nantz and Tony Romo)
The Bears will certainly face the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. The question is whether he will be the second baseman taken in 2024 or 2015. Jayden Daniels is questionable with a rib injury. Marcus Mariota will start if Daniels can’t go.
The Bears had a week off to prepare for this week, which was shown in the main late afternoon window on CBS. The Bears have won three in a row. During the streak, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has seven touchdown passes and one interception.
3-3 Cowboys at 3-4 49ers (-4), Sunday 8:20 PM ET, NBC (Mike Tirico and Chris Collinsworth)
It is arguably a must-win match for both teams. Both were dealing with injuries and uneven play.
The Cowboys had an eventful farewell, with owner/general manager Jerry Jones threatening to fire radio hosts he doesn’t hire, to Jones criticizing game designs and concepts in his return to the same show to an ESPN.com article delving into Dallas’ habit of conducting daily fan tours. (And it’s true that Jones was happy with the story, because it would attract more people to take the tours.)
The 49ers lost receiver Brandon Aiyuk for the season due to a knee injury in a loss to the Chiefs. Receiver Deebo Samuel left early with an illness that turned out to be pneumonia. I left him in the hospital. He is questionable due to illness and a wrist injury.
2-5 Giants at 5-2 Steelers (-6.5), Monday at 8:15 PM ET, ABC (Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)
The Giants are 2-17 in primetime since 2019. Quarterback Daniel Jones was pulled in favor of Drew Lock during the Week 7 loss to the Eagles. Jones said coach Brian Daboll told the team that Jones is a “moving forward” quarterback.
Co-owner John Mara said this week that he doesn’t expect Daboll or GM Joe Schoen to be fired after the season.
The Steelers have a chance to enter the bye at 6-2. Russell Wilson’s first game as a Steeler went well (after a slow start) against the Jets on Sunday night. They will complete two sets of night games at home against New York/New Jersey teams before beginning a nine-game finale that includes all six division games, the Chiefs, Chiefs, and Eagles.
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