The Athletic has live coverage of NFL Week 8.
We’re just about at the midpoint of the NFL season, and things certainly have gotten interesting.
We have surprise divisional leaders across the league, projected playoff teams grappling with potentially devastating injuries, and squads slowed by early-season struggles now turning things around.
The action kicked off Thursday night when the Minnesota Vikings were blown out by the Chargers in Los Angeles. There is no international game this week, so the action kicks off with seven 1 p.m. ET games and wraps up in Pittsburgh, where the Green Bay Packers face the Steelers on Sunday night. The Kansas City Chiefs host the Washington Commanders on Monday night.
Here’s a look at five of the most compelling storylines to follow this weekend.
1. Streaking teams
Don’t look now, but some teams that are still in the building stage seem to be figuring things out and have started stringing together wins. The Indianapolis Colts remain one of the biggest surprises of the season and have won three straight to improve their record to a league-best 6-1. Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos delivered a historic 33-point fourth-quarter comeback to beat the New York Giants and extend their win streak to four games while moving into first place in the AFC West with a 5-2 mark. Meanwhile, Mike Vrabel’s New England Patriots got revenge for their coach against his former team, the Tennessee Titans, to capture their own four-game win streak and maintain their lead in the AFC East. Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears have rebounded from a 0-2 start to win four straight and move ahead of Minnesota in the NFC North, and the Carolina Panthers have won three straight to improve to 4-3 and move into second place in the NFC South.
The Colts have strong odds to improve to 7-1 as they host the lowly Titans. And the Patriots are 7.5-point favorites to beat the Cleveland Browns, a team Vrabel knows well after assisting their coaching staff last season; plus, the Browns have been held in check by instability at quarterback all season. The Panthers’ streak seems likely to end with starting quarterback Bryce Young sidelined by injury and a well-rested Buffalo Bills team coming to town.
The Broncos could have their hands full with a Cowboys team that last week topped the 40-point mark for the third time this season and the 30-point mark a fourth time. The Broncos defense has held opponents to just 17.7 points and 273.1 yards per game (both third-fewest). But which Cowboys team will we see on Sunday? In home games, they average 41.3 points and 441 yards per game. On the road, they have posted just 24.5 points and 353 yards per contest. Will their road struggles continue this week?
Meanwhile, Williams has displayed growth under Johnson, and last week, the Bears had their strongest rushing outing of the season, meaning things are starting to click for the rookie head coach and his players. This week, Chicago visits the Baltimore Ravens, who entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations but instead are 1-5 because of injuries and a putrid defense. They’ll be without Lamar Jackson for a third straight game after Baltimore ruled him out again with a hamstring injury. (Bears at Ravens, 1 p.m. ET, CBS; Bills at Panthers, 1 p.m. ET, Fox; Browns at Patriots, 1 p.m. ET, Fox; Titans at Colts, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS.)
Running out of time?
From teams on a roll to teams on a slide. The Ravens need a win in the worst way if they expect to get their season back on track and have a shot at reaching the postseason. Baltimore has lost four straight, including the last two it had to play without Jackson. Defensive woes have handcuffed the team just as badly, if not more, so we’ll soon see if John Harbaugh, defensive coordinator Zach Orr and their staff were able to figure out any improvements during the bye week.
The Ravens host a hot Bears team on Sunday, and, in addition to needing to neutralize an improving Caleb Williams, the Ravens must find a way to contain running back D’Andre Swift, who has rushed for a combined 232 yards and a touchdown in the last two games. The Bears rushed for a total of 222 yards last week, which doesn’t seem to bode well for a Ravens team that has allowed 134.3 rushing yards per game (seventh-most in the league).
Meanwhile, another 2024 playoff team in trouble — the Houston Texans — welcomes the San Francisco 49ers to town and needs a strong performance to earn their third victory of the season and take steps toward reeling in the Colts. Sunday’s game is the first meeting between Kyle Shanahan and former assistant coach DeMeco Ryans since Ryans left the 49ers for the Texans three years ago. (Shanahan is 22-11 against former assistants who have gone on to become head coaches.)
The Texans’ defense draws the task of derailing Mac Jones, who has posted a 4-1 record while completing 67 percent of his passes for six touchdowns and four interceptions while starting in place of an injured Brock Purdy. Houston also must contain Christian McCaffrey, who has recorded 66.4 rushing yards and 73.7 receiving yards per game this season. Meanwhile, the Texans’ offensive line continues to struggle to consistently protect C.J. Stroud. The Texans already trail Indianapolis by four games and Jacksonville by two, so a loss will cause their playoff hopes to fade even further. (Bears at Ravens, 1 p.m. ET, CBS; 49ers at Texans, 1 p.m. ET, Fox.)
C.J. Stroud, left, and DeMeco Ryans need to find a way to stay in the mix in the AFC South as the Colts keep stacking wins. (Jane Gershovich / Getty Images)
The Eagles’ hump
After weeks of struggles to reignite their passing attack, the Philadelphia Eagles and quarterback Jalen Hurts delivered a prolific outing last week. Hurts passed for 326 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. DeVonta Smith racked up a career-high 183 yards and a touchdown on nine catches, and A.J. Brown had two touchdown catches and 121 yards on four catches. Have the Eagles finally corrected their passing attack for the long term? We’ll see. Brown, who will miss Week 8 with a hamstring injury, still seems somewhat discontent over his usage. But the Eagles also still have a run game to fix, as Saquon Barkley has yet to register a 100-yard rushing performance this season.
The Eagles’ task of the week involves avenging their loss to the Giants in Week 6. Jaxson Dart used both his arm and his legs to keep the Eagles off-balance last time they met, and Cam Skattebo rushed for 98 yards and three touchdowns. Will familiarity help the Eagles perform better this time around? Can they finally deliver the type of balanced attack to which they were previously accustomed?
The Giants, meanwhile, are coming off a painful defeat to the Denver Broncos, after blowing a 19-0 lead and losing 33-32 on a last-second Denver field goal after missing two PATs of their own, including one with 37 seconds left. There’s a good deal of pressure riding on Dart’s shoulders. This is the first time in his NFL career to face an opponent that has already played him, and he and coach Brian Daboll will have to work hard to remain a step ahead of Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and his charges. (Giants at Eagles, 1 p.m. ET, Fox.)
Jets soap opera
As if the 0-7 Jets didn’t have enough to worry about as the league’s last remaining winless team, owner Woody Johnson took the dysfunction to another level when he criticized quarterback Justin Fields this week, saying to reporters, “It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that he’s got. I mean, he has ability, but something just is not jiving.”
Jets coach Aaron Glenn benched Fields midway through last week’s game, hoping Tyrod Taylor could spark the offense, but the veteran failed to do so. And now, due to Taylor’s knee injury, the Jets have to go back to Fields this week against the Bengals in Cincinnati.
Fields, who has a passer rating of 91.1 and just four touchdown passes this season (but no interceptions), tried to shrug off the criticism. He explained that he couldn’t let Johnson’s opinion deter him. “No matter if it’s him, no matter if it’s family members, even teammates,” Fields said. “Sometimes, there’s going to be times where you have to be the only one who believes in yourself.”
Fortunately for Fields, the Jets are facing a Bengals defense that ranks among the worst in the league, yielding 394.4 yards and 30.6 points (both second-most) per game. Can he take advantage and finally help revive an offense that has topped the 20-point mark just three times this season? (Jets at Bengals, 1 p.m. ET, CBS.)
Packers-Rodgers reunion
The Packers roll into Pittsburgh, where they will see a familiar face across the line of scrimmage. Former face of the franchise Aaron Rodgers now quarterbacks the Steelers and aims to rebound from last week’s loss to Cincinnati with a strong performance on “Sunday Night Football.” Rodgers has tried to downplay the significance of this game, saying he doesn’t view it as a revenge game. And his former head coach, Matt LaFleur, attempted to do the same, saying the Packers are “playing the Pittsburgh Steelers, who happen to have Aaron Rodgers.”
But there’s no way that Rodgers hasn’t had this game circled on his calendar. One of the most competitive figures in the NFL, he wants nothing more than to outduel replacement Jordan Love and lead Pittsburgh to victory. Rodgers will need some help from his defense. The Steelers have struggled with consistency against the run, and their secondary has hurt itself with mental errors.
The Packers, meanwhile, have more than Rodgers to worry about. Green Bay’s defense struggles against the type of heavy personnel packages the Steelers like to run, and it also has a hard time finishing games. The 18.3 points per second half the Packers have surrendered this season rank second most in the NFL this season. (Packers at Steelers, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC.)