Thursday, October 24th, 2024

NFL Weekend Preview: Week 8

Neil Dutton

NFL Weekend Preview: Week 8

Neil Dutton

Week 8 of the 2024 NFL season sees all 32 teams in action, and all back on American soil with the London leg of the International Series in the books. A rarity in being a full house during bye weeks, there is also no shortage of fascinating matchups, with legends chasing history, historic powerhouses looking to kickstart their season and two young stars striving to become the face of the league facing off in what fans hope will be the first of many key clashes between them over the years. Let’s dive in.

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This season has seen no shortage of close games, with 58 games decided by seven points or less. The true cardiac kids of 2024 are the 4-3 Indianapolis Colts, with every single one of their games this season decided by seven points or less, and there could be another on the cards this week as Indy heads to NRG Stadium for a clash with AFC South rival Houston (5-2). The Colts have won four of their last five games and have held their opponents to 17 points or fewer in four games this season. Anthony Richardson is not impressing too many people with his passing, completing 48.5% of his passes this season, but the sophomore is 3-0 in his last three starts. Jonathan Taylor is hoping to return to the Colts lineup and has enjoyed himself whenever he’s taken on the Texans in his career, averaging 135.7 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in each of his seven games against them.

The Texans, with C.J. Stroud at quarterback, have won their last five games against AFC South opponents and a win would give them their second six-game streak in franchise history. Stroud has 13 touchdown passes and zero interceptions against AFC South opponents, while new Texans running back Joe Mixon averages 126 yards from scrimmage against the Colts, arriving in Week 8 with 100 rushing yards and a touchdown in three of his four games this season. A repeat performance on Sunday would see Mixon become the first player in NFL history to post 100 rushing yards and a touchdown in four of his first five games on a new team.

The reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (6-0) travel to Sin City to take on the 2-5 Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. The last remaining undefeated team in the league in 2024, a win for the Chiefs would give them the third 7-0 start to a season in franchise history, and make them the seventh reigning Super Bowl champions to win their first seven games of a season defending their title, albeit the first since the 2019 New England Patriots. The Chiefs have won their last 12 games, including the playoffs, with their last defeat coming in Week 16 last season… against the Raiders. Patrick Mahomes is 6-0 when visiting the Raiders in his career, with 18 touchdowns and just one interception in those games. Travis Kelce has five or more receptions in 11 of his last 12 games against the silver-and-black and needs a single touchdown to move to fifth on the all-time list among tight ends.

The Raiders, meanwhile, have a pretty special tight end of their own in Brock Bowers, who has 47 receptions for 477 yards this season. Bowers has at least eight catches and 70 receiving yards in his last three games, and his three games with nine or more receptions are the most ever by a rookie tight end. How Bowers fares, however, may come down to who is under center, with erstwhile starter Gardner Minshew likely to return with Aidan O’Connell suffering a suspected broken thumb last weekend.

The Week 8 slate opens with the Minnesota Vikings looking to get back to winning ways after a Week 7 loss to the Detroit Lions dropped them to 5-1. The Vikes travel to Los Angeles to take on the 2-4 Rams in a clash between the pupil and the teacher, with Kevin O’Connell going up against Sean McVay. Sam Darnold has a 100+ rating in five games this season, with a 103.5 showing against the Lions. Aaron Jones, apparently over his hip injury, will be looking to add to his impressive resume versus the Rams, having amassed at least 85 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in four of his five games against them. Justin Jefferson, meanwhile, simply enjoys playing on Thursday Night Football, as evidenced by his racking up at least 135 receiving yards in his last two games to open a week.

Matthew Stafford, the subject of trade rumours linking him with the Vikings this week, has played against Minnesota 22 times in his career. He has 33 passing touchdowns in those games, but has only three so far in 2024, with his receiving corps depleted by injury. Running back Kyren Williams just cannot stop finding the endzone, however, with a rushing touchdown in nine straight games, one of only three players under the age of 25 to achieve that feat. The Rams are hoping that Cooper Kupp will be able to make his first home appearance of the season on Thursday night, especially as the veteran wideout — himself linked with trade talks —  has at least five receptions in his last six such games and nine or more grabs in six of his last seven primetime games.

The Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) take a two-game win streak with them as they travel to face the 3-4 Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals have dominated this series, with a 9-3-2 record and two wins in the last three meetings, but Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has a rushing and a passing touchdown in his last two road games and is one of only three quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 20 games with a passing and rushing score. Wide receiver A.J. Brown, meanwhile, has five or more catches, at least 85 receiving yards and a touchdown grab in his last three games.

For the opposition, quarterback Joe Burrow has dominated NFC opponents throughout his career, with a 10-1 record in his last 11 intra-conference clashes. Burrow has eight touchdown passes over his last two home games, while favourite target Ja’Marr Chase has also enjoyed his games against NFC foes, with at least 50 receiving yards in all 17 of his games against NFC teams.

AFC North rival Baltimore returns to Cleveland to take on a hapless 1-6 Browns side, owning a 36-14 record in this series. The 5-1 visitors are the only team in the Super Bowl era with at least 150 rushing yards in each of their first seven games to open a season. Lamar Jackson, his skills as a passer still closely and often negatively scrutinised by observers, is coming off a game against the Buccaneers in which he passed for 281 yards and five touchdowns. Jackson has five games with at least five touchdown passes, the same number as Dan Marino managed in his illustrious career. Jackson also has at least 275 passing yards in his last three games and leads the NFL with a 118 rating this season. Running back Derrick Henry leads the NFL with 935 yards from scrimmage and ten total touchdowns and is the only player to score in seven games this season. Linebacker Roquan Smith has racked up at least ten tackles in all four games he’s played against the Browns in his career.

Browns running back Nick Chubb, back in the lineup after a gruesome injury suffered early in 2023, has rushed for at least 90 yards in his last two games against the Ravens, while pass rusher Myles Garrett has 4.0 sacks in 2024 and has picked up at least one sack in each of his last six encounters with the Ravens. Again, there will be a lot of focus on who exactly is under center for the home team, with Deshaun Watson lost for the year to an Achilles injury, and last weekend’s replacement, Dorian Thompson-Robinson himself receiving treatment. Jameis Winston is next up, but could have recent signing Bailey Zappe as his backup.

The 5-1 Detroit Lions are the cream of the NFC crop at the moment and will look to pick up their sixth win in the opening seven games of a season for the first time since 1956. Standing in their way will be the Tennessee Titans, who have slipped to 1-5 and traded away DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this week. Lions quarterback Jared Goff has a passer rating above 140 in his last three games, one of only four players with such a streak in NFL history. The others? Aaron Rodgers, Kurt Warner and Roger Staubach, with Rodgers (2011) and Warner (1999) winning the MVP in those seasons. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St.Brown needs just 11 receiving yards to get to 4,000 for his career and, when he achieves this, will become just the fourth player in NFL with 350 receptions, 4,000 yards, and 25 touchdown grabs in the first four seasons of his career. Lions running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery have both racked up at least 70 yards from scrimmage in their last seven games, although the latter may still be banged up from a bruising encounter with the Vikings that saw him return to the fray after visiting the medical tent mid-game.

Titans running back Tony Pollard, meanwhile, has 400 rushing yards this season and averages 106.4 yards from scrimmage in his last seven games against teams in the NFC North. Rejuvenated following his free agent flit from Dallas, Pollard could be the focus of the Titans’ offense with Hopkins heading west and QB Will Levis looking unconvincing in the passing game before suffering a shoulder injury and being replaced by Mason Rudolph. The matchup will be just the Titans third all-time appearance at Ford Field, where they won in both 2008 and 2016 — the latter when new head coach Brian Callahan was the QB coach in Detroit. Tennessee are 10-3 all-time against the Lions and ride a current six-game winning streak — their longest active run of success against any opponent. The most recent Titans-Lions battle was won 46-25 by Tennessee at Nissan Stadium in 2020. Strangely, despite their record, the Titans defense ranks first in the NFL, allowing opposing offenses an average of 272.2 yards per game, with their pass defense third overall, yielding just 166.7 yards per contest.

The 2-5 Jacksonville Jaguars are back on American soil in Week 8 and welcome the 5-2 Green Bay Packers to EverBank Stadium. The Packers own a 5-2 advantage in the series and have won three on the trot against this week’s opponent. Packers quarterback Jordan Love has at least two touchdown passes in his last nine games and 15 touchdowns in his last six road games. Running back Josh Jacobs is one of only three players with 75 or more yards from scrimmage in six games this season, while Jayden Reed leads the Packers with 29 receptions and 452 receiving yards, with at least 50 yards from scrimmage in his last seven road games.

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, meanwhile, has a 90+ rating in his last three games and two or more touchdown passes in three of his last four. Evan Engram, two games back from injury, will represent Jacksonville on National Tight End Day looking for his 11th consecutive game with at least four catches, while Brian Thomas Jr has 85 receiving yards and a touchdown in three of his last four games, to lead all 2024 rookies with 513 receiving yards. The Jaguars appeared more in synch at Wembley than in most games this season, and head coach Doug Pederson will hope that that can be continued as he looks to turn down the heat on his job security.

Two teams who have largely underwhelmed in 2024 lock horns in South Beach on Sunday, with the 2-4 Miami Dolphins welcoming the 3-4 Arizona Cardinals. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has a touchdown pass in all seven games this season and is one of only four passers who can make that claim, alongside Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson. Murray also set a career-high with 106 rushing yards in the last meeting between these two sides, while tight end Trey McBride leads the Cardinals with 33 receptions and has at least five catches in each of his last seven games on the road.

Tua Tagovailoa is expected to return to the Dolphins lineup and boost an offense that has averaged a paltry 11.7 points per game in 2024. Running back De’Von Achane has 100+ yards from scrimmage in two of his three home games this season and has scored a touchdown in three of his last four games at Hard Rock Stadium, while wide receiver Tyreek Hill has made no secret of being happy to see Tagovailoa back in the lineup. During his time with the Dolphins, Hill averages 7.2 receptions for 108.4 receiving yards with Tagovailoa in the lineup. When Tua misses out, Hill’s production drops to 4.9 for 55.3. Dolphins defensive end Calais Campbell spent nine seasons as a member of the Cardinals, meanwhile, racking up 56.5 sacks which sees him at fourth all-time.

The 1-6 New England Patriots welcome AFC East rival, the 2-5 New York Jets, to Gillette Stadium on Sunday, owning a 72-55-1 advantage in the series. That said, the Jets have won the last two games, and current quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, is 3-1 in his career against the Patriots, with eight touchdowns and a single interception in those games. Breece Hall has at least 80 yards from scrimmage in his last two games against the Patriots.

With at least 225 passing yards on Sunday, Drake Maye would become just the third quarterback in NFL history with at least 225 yards in each of his first three career starts, joining Kurt Warner and Rich Gannon. Rhamondre Stevenson leads the team with 374 rushing yards and has at least 85 yards from scrimmage in five of his last six home games.

Raymond James Stadium is the site of a clash between NFC South teams with identical records, with the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers both sitting at 4-3 in 2024 and both with 31 wins in this series. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins had 509 passing yards the last time these two sides met and has 10 touchdown passes in four career starts against the Buccaneers.  Running back Bijan Robinson has at least 75 yards from scrimmage in his last two games against Tampa and has gone over 100 yards from scrimmage in his last two games, scoring a rushing touchdown in each, while WR Drake London has at least six catches and 50 receiving yards in his last six games — and 10 or more receptions with at least 150 receiving yards in his last two clashes with the Buccaneers.

Tampa quarterback Baker Mayfield, meanwhile, leads the NFL with 18 touchdown passes and has 340+ passing yards and at least two touchdowns in his last two home games. Mayfield also has at least 280 yards in five of his last six games at home, but might find life a little tougher this weekend. Tight end Cade Otton is expected to shoulder a larger workload in the absence of both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but has five or more catches in his last two meetings with the Falcons, while Rachaad White, the leader of the Buccaneers three-headed beast of a backfield, has 70 rushing yards in his last two games against Atlanta.

The 2-5 New Orleans Saints take a five-game losing streak to take on the 3-3 Los Angeles Chargers, in a game where Spencer Rattler looks set to make his first career road start. Alvin Kamara may lead all running backs with 34 receptions in 2024, and is second overall with 252 receiving yards — with at least 65 yards from scrimmage in his last three road games — but the Saints offense has looked a shadow of the unit that began the season.

Veteran safety Tyrann Mathieu has four pass breakups and two interceptions in five career games against the Chargers, but L.A. quarterback Justin Herbert has a 90+ rating in six games this season and is tied with Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson for the most such performances in the league. J.K. Dobbins has 478 rushing yards this season and at least 60 yards from scrimmage in five of his six games in 2024, while tight end Will Dissly has at least four catches in each of his last two games, and appeared to be in Herbert’s favour last time out against Arizona. Rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey, meanwhile, has at least four catches in his last three games and at least 40 receiving yards in his last four.

The AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills take their 5-2 record across country as they visit the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks, who currently own a 4-3 record. Bills quarterback Josh Allen has dominated NFC opposition in his career and boasts a 21-6 record in games across the conferences. Allen is the third player in NFL history with 10 touchdown passes and zero interceptions through the first seven games of a season, while running back James Cook leads the team with 341 rushing yards and five touchdowns in 2024, with at least 95 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in two of his last three road games. Khalil Shakir enjoyed a career-high seven grabs in Week 7, and has at least four catches and 50+ receiving yards in four of his last five games, but tight end Dalton Kincaid might make a case for a greater share of the workload — even following the trade for Amari Cooper — having posted 50+ receiving yards in back-to-back games.

Geno Smith quietly leads the league with 1,985 passing yards this season and has 280+ passing yards in his last three home games. Running back Kenneth Walker has eclipsed 50 yards from scrimmage in each of his last 11 games and may need to play a bigger role if WR D.K. Metcalf, who is nursing an injury, cannot go for the game on Sunday. If he does, he’ll look to add to his 568 receiving yards this season, the third most across the league, with Tyler Lockett — currently on 30 grabs for 384 yards and 65+ receiving yards in three of his four home games this season — looking to backfill in his absence.

Empower Field at Mile High sees a rematch between Super Bowl 50 participants, with the 1-6 Carolina Panthers traveling to take on the 4-3 Denver Broncos. The Broncos have won three of the last four regular-season meetings — and, of course, that Super Bowl — and own a 5-2 advantage in the series. Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton passed for three touchdowns and posted a 117.3 rating in his last start at Denver back in 2017, but his participation in this encounter has been thrown into doubt by a car accident suffered on Wednesday of game week, with the beleaguered Bryce Young set to get the start in either Dalton’s absence or limited involvement. Given the second-year QB’s struggles earlier this term, expect more of Chuba Hubbard, who has rushed for 50 yards in six games this season and has 537 rushing yards in all.

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix has at least 60 rushing yards in his last two games, including 75 a week ago when he became only the third Broncos quarterback ever with 75 rushing yards in a single game, and the first since Tim Tebow. Pass rusher Nik Bonitto has 5.0 sacks this season with one in each of his last five games, and another on Sunday would see him become the first Bronco with a sack in six straight games since Von Miller in 2018.

Northwest Stadium is the setting for what it is hoped will be the first of many career meetings between 2024’s first and second overall picks. Caleb Williams brings his 4-2 Chicago Bears side to Washington to take on Jayden Daniels and the 5-2 Commanders. If Daniels does play — and that currently remains contingent on the latest Heisman Trophy winner recovering from a rib injury sustained in the first half last weekend — it would mark only the sixth time in NFL history that the top two selections in the NFL draft met in their rookie seasons.

Williams led the Bears to a comprehensive victory over the Jaguars before the team went on their bye and is the first quarterback taken with the first overall pick to win four of his first six career starts. Running back D’Andre Swift has at least 115 yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown in his last three games, and averages 94.8 yards from scrimmage in four previous games against the Commanders with Detroit and Philadelphia. Wide receiver Keenan Allen needs nine catches in his next six games to have the most receptions by a player in their first 150 regular season games in NFL history, while fellow wideout D.J. Moore had 230 yards and three touchdowns in the last meeting between these two sides. On the other side of the ball, pass rusher Montez Sweat was a first-round draft pick by the Commanders back in 2019 and posted 35.5 sacks and 47 tackles for loss in 67 games for them before becoming a deadline day trade to the Bears as Washington began cleaning house in 2023.

Daniels, meanwhile, leads the NFL with a 75.6% completion rate and is second among all quarterbacks with 372 rushing yards this season, before his stellar start to the 2024 campaign was interrupted early in last Sunday’s game against Carolina. Returning from injury, running back Brian Robinson added another score to take his rushing touchdown streak to last four games, and the lopsided scoreline effectively sidelined veteran colleague Austin Ekeler, who nevertheless has 50+ yards from scrimmage in five of his six games this season. WR Terry McLaurin has gradually become more effective since Daniels’ arrival, and now has six or more catches in three of his last four home games. Linebacker Bobby Wagner, meanwhile, averages ten tackles a game against the Bears.

In a clash between two of the biggest names, but also the biggest disappointments, in the NFL this season, the 3-3 Dallas Cowboys travel west to take on the 3-4 San Francisco 49ers. These two sides have combined for 195 primetime wins since 1970, with the Cowboys leading the league with 106 under the bright lights. Dak Prescott is 9-1 in his last ten primetime games and has at least two touchdown passes in his last five. CeeDee Lamb has at least four catches in his last 39 games and five or more in his last nine on the road. With the defense still struggling, Dallas will hope that Micah Parsons could be back in the lineup this week, especially as he has proven to be something of a road warrior in his career, with 21 sacks and 25 tackles for loss in 27 games away from Jerrah World.

Brock Purdy has only started one Sunday Night Football game in his career and that came against the Cowboys in 2023, with Purdy posting 252 yards and four touchdowns. Jordan Mason has 667 rushing yards in 2024 and has rushed for 50+ yards in every game this season. Although he carried an injury into last weekend’s game, Mason will look forward to testing Dallas’ fragile run defense — something that might also tempt Christian McCaffrey into his first appearance of the year. George Kittle, meanwhile, caught three of Purdy’s four touchdowns in last October’s corresponding game and needs just three receptions to overtake Jimmy Graham as the fastest tight end to 500 career receptions in NFL history. Like Parsons, 49ers linebacker Fred Warner has shown an affinity for the big time, with at least five tackles in eight of his nine games played on Sunday Night Football

Monday Night Football, meanwhile, comes from the Steel City with the 2-5 New York Giants taking on the 5-2 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers have won the last three meetings between the sides, but the Giants own a 44-31-3 advantage all-time. Daniel Jones has two touchdown passes and a 100+ rating in three road games this season, while rookie WR Malik Nabers — back in the side after a nasty concussion suffered against Dallas — has at least eight receptions, 75 receiving yards and a touchdown in his first two career road games. On defense for Big Blue, Dexter Lawrence leads the NFL with 9.0 sacks, already a career-high, and has at least two sacks in his last two road games.

That won’t come as any solace for Russell Wilson, despite the Steelers’ newest starting QB being 3-1 as a starter against the Giants in his career, with 975 passing yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions. Najee Harris has rushed for 100+ yards and a touchdown in his last two games, and is the only player this season across the NFL with 70+ yards from scrimmage in every game. A force in every game he plays, edge rusher T.J. Watt also enjoys his days (and nights) in the spotlight, with 12.5 sacks and three forced fumbles in ten Monday Night Football appearances.

WHO YOU GOT?

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