Week 8 of the 2024 NFL season was a riot of scoring, with 777 points scored across the 16 games. But the theme of the season, namely close games, continued, with 13 of the games within eight points heading into the fourth quarter. Through the first eight weeks of the season, 67 games have been decided by seven points or less, with 57 being decided by six or less. You have to watch every game to the end, as the Chicago Bears found out the hard way in Week 8.  As mentioned once or twice, it was National Tight Ends Day in Week 8, and boy did the players respond. In Week 8, tight ends combined for 177 receptions and 1,965 receiving yards while finding the end zone 16 times. It was a wild week.

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Week 9 sees the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on their bye, leaving 15 matchups from Thursday to Monday. There is no shortage of fascinating encounters in this week’s games, including a match between an irresistible force and an immovable object in Baltimore.

M&T Bank Stadium is the venue for a clash between two 5-3 squads, with the Denver Broncos visiting the Baltimore Ravens. This matchup is the first between a side averaging 30 points a game (the Ravens average 30.3 this season) and a side allowing less than 15 points or fewer (the Broncos are allowing exactly 15) since the 2019 Ravens took on the 49ers. The Ravens, led by MVP candidate Lamar Jackson lead the league in total offense with 452.1 yards per game and are one of four teams in NFL history to rack up 20+ points and at least 375 yards in each of their first eight games of a season. Jackson is the first quarterback ever to amass at least 500 rushing yards in seven straight seasons, and in keeping with his dual-threat nature leads the NFL with a 115.4 rating in 2024. He has 17 touchdown passes to boot. Derrick Henry leads the NFL with 1,012 yards from scrimmage and needs just 54 yards to reach 1,000 rushing yards for the season. Henry is also one rushing score away from 100 for his career.

For the Broncos, rookie quarterback Bo Nix is coming off a career day against the Panthers in Week 8. Nix threw for 284 yards and three touchdowns while adding another score on the ground. Nix is second among all rookie quarterbacks with 1,530 passing yards and eight touchdown passes while also becoming the first Broncos rookie quarterback ever to win five games. Running back Javonte Williams leads the team with 345 rushing yards and has amassed at least 80 yards from scrimmage in his last two road games, while fellow back Jaleel McLaughlin had 56 yards from scrimmage a week ago, a season-high. Courtland Sutton is coming into the game on the back of his first 100-yard receiving game since September 2022 and has at least 50 receiving yards in two of his last three games.

Lambeau Field sees a clash for the NFC North between the 6-1 Detroit Lions and the 6-2 Green Bay Packers. The Packers own a decisive 104-76-7 lead in the series but the Lions have won four of the last five meetings. The Lions have been red hot on offense lately with 172 points in their last four games. Jared Goff has completed 83% of his passes over the Lions’ last five games and has at least two touchdown passes and a rating of 110+ in each of his last five outings. Goff has thrown 12 touchdown passes in seven career games against the Packers. The Lions have perhaps the league’s best running back pair in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Gibbs has gone over 70 yards from scrimmage in his last seven games, while Montgomery has scored 20 rushing touchdowns for the Lions in 21 games. Montgomery has also found the end zone against the Packers in each of his last three encounters. Amon-Ra St.Brown is on a five-game streak with at least one touchdown grab and has reeled in at least five catches in his last four games against the Packers. Defensive back Kerby Joseph has developed a nose for the football lately with five interceptions in 2024 including four in his last five games. Joseph has three interceptions in his career against the Packers.

Jordan Love is coming into the game under something of a fitness cloud but the Packers will be hoping their talismanic quarterback will be able to suit up against the Lions. Love has 24 touchdown passes in 11 career home games with at least two in his last seven games at Lambeau. Running back Josh Jacobs has 85+ scrimmage yards and a rushing touchdown in his last three games against the Lions, and has at least 75 yards from scrimmage in his last five games in total. Jayden Reed is the only player in the NFL this season with 500+ receiving yards and 100+ rushing yards, making the early career comparisons with Deebo Samuel somewhat accurate. Romeo Doubs, who is second beyond Reed with 26 receptions and 384 receiving yards in 2024, has at least 70 receiving yards in his last two games, while Tucker Kraft’s touchdown reception in Week 8 was his fifth of the season, a career-high and second among all tight ends in the NFL this year.

Monday Night Football pits the two participants of Super Bowl LV together again as the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs defend their 7-0 record against the 4-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A win for the Chiefs would make them just the sixth reigning Super Bowl champions to start a season 8-0 and the first since the 2019 New England Patriots. Baker Mayfield is having a strong statistical season despite losing his two best pass catchers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Mayfield leads the NFL with 21 touchdown passes, is second in passing yards with 2,188, and ranks third in completion rate at 71.1%. Mayfield has racked up 300+ yards and at least three touchdown passes in each of his last three games. Running back Rachaad White has at least 65 yards from scrimmage in his last four games. Tight end Cade Otton has become a focal point of the passing game and has at least eight receptions and 80 yards in back-to-back games.

The Chiefs are looking to go 8-0 for the third time in franchise history and the first time since 2013. He may have lost the Super Bowl to the Buccaneers back in 2020 but in two regular-season meetings, Patrick Mahomes is 2-0 against them, averaging 355.5 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Mahomes is 7-2 in his career on Monday Night Football, throwing 21 touchdown passes in those games. Travis Kelce had ten catches for 90 yards and a touchdown in Week 8, giving him his 75th touchdown reception and 11th game with at least ten catches in his illustrious career. DeAndre Hopkins needs five receptions to reach 950 in the first 12 seasons of his career. Defensive tackle Chris Jones averages one sack per game over his last five games on Monday Night.

The 6-2 Houston Texans travel to MetLife Stadium to face the 2-6 New York Jets on Thursday Night Football. C.J. Stroud is willing his side to victories despite mounting obstacles, especially concerning his receivers. Nico Collins is still on Injured Reserve while Stefon Diggs suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 8. The engine of the Texans offense has been Joe Mixon, who has four games this season with 120+ yards from scrimmage and a rushing touchdown. Mixon has found the end zone three times in four games against the Jets in his career. The Jets will be hoping a return to Thursday Night Football will be enough for Aaron Rodgers to recapture his mojo. Rodgers has at least two touchdown passes in his last five games on a Thursday.

The 3-4 Dallas Cowboys, coming off a 30-24 loss to the 49ers in Week 8, travel to Georgia to face the 5-3 Atlanta Falcons. Dak Prescott has ten touchdown passes and eight interceptions this season but has at least two touchdown passes in five of his last six road games. CeeDee Lamb was at the heart of the Cowboys offense a week ago with 13 catches for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Lamb has at least five catches in his last 10 road games and at least 100 yards from scrimmage in his last two games against the Falcons. Kirk Cousins has 18 touchdown passes and a 99.4 rating in 11 career starts against the Cowboys. Cousins passed for 276 yards and four touchdowns against the Buccaneers last week on his way to NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Running back Bijan Robinson leads the Falcons with 546 rushing yards and has at least 100 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in his last three games.

The AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills (6-2) welcome their division rivals the Miami Dolphins to Highmark Stadium on Sunday, with the Dolphins circling the drain at 2-5. Tua Tagovailoa has racked up at least 200 passing yards in all four of his career starts at Buffalo. Running back De’Von Achane averaged 115.3 yards from scrimmage in three career games against the Bills and rushed for 96 yards in their last meeting. Bills quarterback Josh Allen, one of the front runners for the NFL MVP this season, has 14 touchdown passes and a single interception this season. Allen has passed for 300+ yards in four of his last five games against the Dolphins and has at least two touchdown passes in 12 of his 13 encounters. James Cook has scored a rushing touchdown in his last three games and three of his last four against the Dolphins.

Bank of America Stadium is the site for a clash of also-rans, with the 2-6 New Orleans Saints facing off with their NFC South rivals the 1-7 Carolina Panthers. The Saints are hoping that Derek Carr will be healthy enough to return to the lineup, and Carr will be looking forward to locking horns with the Panthers, against whom he owns a 5-0 career record. Alvin Kamara had 67 rushing yards and 55 receiving yards in Week 8, marking the 22nd game of his career with at least 50 yards in each discipline. Former Saint Andy Dalton looks like missing his second game in a row, leaving Bryce Young to start at quarterback for the Panthers. Young tossed a pair of touchdowns in Week 8, the third game of his career with at least two scoring passes. Running back Chuba Hubbard has 50+ yards from scrimmage in his last 15 home games and 21 total games since 2023.

The 2-6 Las Vegas Raiders, 27-20 losers to the Chiefs a week ago, travel to the jungle to take on the 3-5 Cincinnati Bengals, who lost 37-17 to the Eagles in Week 8. Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew has at least 240 yards and a touchdown in each of his three career games against the Bengals. Tight end Brock Bowers, who leads the NFL with 52 receptions and the Raiders with 535 yards, has five or more receptions for 50+ yards in his last four games. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has completed 70% of his passes in five games this season and has at least 320 passing yards in two of his last three home games. Wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase has at least five catches in his last four games and 50+ receiving yards in his last six. Bengals linebacker duo Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson each have at least seven tackles in all eight games this season.

Two teams coming off Week 8 wins clash at Huntington Bank Field on Sunday, with the 4-3 Los Angeles Chargers facing off with the 2-6 Cleveland Browns. Justin Herbert has a 90+ rating in all seven games this season and has just one interception against eight touchdown passes. Herbert has five touchdown passes in two career games against the Browns. Rookie Ladd McConkey had six catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns a week ago and ranks fourth among all rookies with 30 receptions this season. Jameis Winston propelled the Browns to a season-high 29 points against the Ravens last week as he passed for 334 yards and three touchdowns. These stats were enough for Winston to be named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. Two of the touchdowns went to Cedric Tillman, who has at least seven receptions and 80 receiving yards in his last two games. Nick Chubb is slowly making his way back to full health for the Browns and has enjoyed his games against the Chargers in his career, with 295 rushing yards combined in his last two.

The NFC East-leading Washington Commanders are the fourth team since 1950 to win six of their first eight games of a season with a rookie quarterback and the first since the Dak Prescott-led Dallas Cowboys in 2016. They’ll look to improve to 7-2 as they travel to face the 2-6 New York Giants. Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner Jayden Daniels has a 90+ rating in his last four road games and ranks second in the NFL with a 71.8% completion rate. Daniels’s favorite target this season has been Terry McLaurin whose five receptions and 72.4 yards per game averages are his highest mark since the 2020 season. McLaurin averages 6.3 receptions and 90.5 yards per game in four games at the Giants. Tight end Zach Ertz has reeled in at least six catches in six of his last seven games against the Giants. The Giants’ defense has held up its end of the bargain in 2024, with the Giants’ 35 sacks the most by a team in its first eight games of a season since the 2017 Jaguars. However offensively they average just 14.6 points and 303.6 yards per game. Daniel Jones has only six touchdown passes this season but two of them came against the Commanders back in Week 2. That was a special game for rookie wideout Malik Nabers who caught ten balls for a career-high 127 yards and a touchdown. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has 9.0 sacks this season and 4.5 in his last five against the Commanders.

Another clash of disappointing sides takes place in Nashville, with the 2-6 New England Patriots traveling to face the 1-6 Tennessee Titans. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye was forced out of the Patriots’ win over the Jets in Week 8 with a concussion. If he cannot pass the concussion protocol, then Jacoby Brissett will return to the starting lineup. Brissett has one career start at the Titans and in that game, he threw three touchdown passes. But it was back in 2019 with the Colts. Patriots tight end Hunter Henry leads the team with 32 receptions and 358 yards and has five or more receptions in his last two games. Titans quarterback Mason Rudolph has started the last two games in the absence of Will Levis and has passed for at least 215 yards in both games. Tony Pollard has 65 yards from scrimmage in his last four games and in two of the three games he has played against AFC East opponents this season. Calvin Ridley immediately benefited from the absence of DeAndre Hopkins a week ago, catching ten passes for a season-high 143 yards.

The Cardiac Cardinals are 4-4 and welcome the 4-3 Chicago Bears to State Farm Stadium. The Cardinals have won three of their last four games and kicker Chad Ryland is the first player since 2021 to kick three game-winners in a four-game span. Caleb Williams is looking to become only the second quarterback selected with the first overall pick to win five of his first career games after Andrew Luck in 2012. Running back D’Andre Swift has racked up 115+ yards from scrimmage and scored a rushing touchdown in his last four games. Keenan Allen needs eight receptions to surpass his former teammate Antonio Gates for the most catches by a player in their first 150 career games. Allen hasn’t had more than five in a game this season, however. Tyrique Stevenson had nine tackles against the Commanders last week, but these have been forgotten due to his role on the game losing Hail Mary play. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray – like Williams, a former first-overall pick who played for Oklahoma in college – has a touchdown pass in 15 straight games, the second longest active streak in football, and six total touchdowns in two career games against the Bears. James Conner has 557 rushing yards this season and has 110+ yards from scrimmage and a receiving touchdown in his last two games versus the Bears. Tight end Trey McBride has five or more catches for at least 50 yards in his last four games, while rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison has a career-high six receptions in Week 8. Harrison has two 100-yard games in his first eight career outings.

The 5-2 Philadelphia Eagles have won three games in a row without turning the ball over, and they’ll look to extend that run to four games with a home game against the 2-6 Jacksonville Jaguars and Doug Pederson. Pederson returns to face the team he played for in 1999 and coached between 2016-2020, a run that included victory in Super Bowl LII. Trevor Lawrence has a 90+ rating in his last four games and has two touchdown passes in four of his last five games. The Jaguars look like being without wide receivers Brian Thomas Jnr and Christian Kirk, leaving Evan Engram to do the bulk of the receiving work. Engram averages 5.4 receptions for 50.2 yards in his Jaguars career. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts is the first player in NFL history with back-to-back games with 100+ rating and two rushing touchdowns and has three games in his career with three rushing touchdowns No other quarterback can make that claim. Saquon Barkley ranks second in the NFL with 766 rushing yards and has 125+ yards from scrimmage in his last two games against the Jaguars. Wide receiver A.J. Brown has also enjoyed his meetings with the Jaguars over the years, with 95+ receiving yards in three of his last four against them. Linebacker Nakobe Dean has seven or more tackles in his last six games.

The 3-4 Los Angeles Rams travel to Lumen Field for a meeting with their NFC West rivals the 4-4 Seattle Seahawks. Matthew Stafford is coming off his 16th-career game with at least four touchdown passes and has at least 325 passing yards in his last two games in Seattle. Kyren Williams has scored a touchdown in a league-best 10 straight games and has 50+ yards from scrimmage in his last ten road games. Cooper Kupp has at least six catches for 65 yards in his last four games in Seattle. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith leads the league with 212 pass completions for 2,197 yards but has only thrown eight touchdowns. He’ll look to correct this against a Rams side that he has tossed at least one score against in his last five games. Kenneth Walker has six rushing and one receiving touchdown this season and is one of just two running backs with seven scrimmage scores in each of the last three seasons, Derrick Henry being the other. Tyler Lockett, the Seahawks wily veteran wide receiver, has 50+ receiving yards in four of his last five games against the Rams.

The suddenly Anthony Richardson-less Indianapolis Colts, now with Joe Flacco at the helm, take their 4-4 start to the season to U.S. Bank Stadium for a clash with the 5-2 Minnesota Vikings. The last time these two sides met in Minnesota was in 2022, when the Vikings came back from a 33-point deficit to record the largest comeback win in NFL history. Flacco has at least two touchdown passes in three of his four games in 2024 and in two of his three starts against the Vikings in his long career. Running back Jonathan Taylor has 100+ yards from scrimmage in four straight games and has found the end zone on the ground in his last three. Wide receiver Josh Downs at least 65 receiving yards in four of his last five games, including a season-high 109 yards in Week 8 against the Texans. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold has five games this season with at least two touchdown passes and six with a 100+ rating. Aaron Jones has at least 50 yards from scrimmage in 11 straight games and had 95 yards in Week 8. Justin Jefferson had the 31st 100-yard game of his career in Week 8, surpassing Vikings legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the most such games in the first five seasons of a players career. He had 12 catches in that epic comeback in 2022. Vikings cornerback Stefon Gilmore has two pass breakups in each of his last three games against the Colts and 11 and two interceptions back in 2022 when he was a member of the Colts defense.