The NFL slate rolls along into Week 8, where one of the marquee games on the schedule has a very large asterisk next to it. CBS flexed the Bears-Commanders showdown into their main national window at 4:25 p.m. ET, in hopes of getting Caleb Williams vs. Jayden Daniels. That would be the most interesting game of the week by a decent margin, if we get Daniels in the lineup. He left with a rib injury against Carolina and hasn’t practiced yet this week, with the Commanders hoping to get him back on the field on Friday but no guarantees for him to play. If he plays, that is the most exciting matchup of the week, as the two rookies have their teams above .500 and in the hunt for not just a Wild Card berth, but both are alive in their division races as well. If it’s Marcus Mariota instead of Daniels, the game is still important for the two sides but loses a good bit of its national luster.
With that uncertainty in Washington, we are going to look at the rest of the NFL in Week 8 to identify the games we’ll be keeping a close eye on, as well as a best bet down in the NFC South.
Primetime Game of the Week: Cowboys at Niners (Sunday 10/27, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC)
I don’t like it, but the mix of a not great primetime slate this weekend and the sense of desperation following both of these teams makes Sunday night’s showdown between Dallas and San Francisco fascinating. Usually when they meet, it’s a game with major stakes for winning the NFC, but this time around, the loser is going to find themselves fighting for their postseason lives in the coming weeks. The Niners are remarkably banged up, especially on offense, while the Cowboys seem constitutionally incapable of doing anything on offense. I have no feel for who wins this game, but I do think that this has the potential to be a game where one team runs away with it at the expense of the other.
Sunday Funday Game of the Week: Bills at Seahawks (Sunday 10/27, 4:05 p.m. ET, FOX)
Here’s why this game has the potential to be a blast: One team has Josh Allen, who attempts and completes insane throws every single game. The other team has Geno Smith, who does the exact same thing. This game has the potential to be a good, old-fashioned QB battle between two of the most fearless dudes who line up under center in the league, and I’m especially excited to see what Buffalo’s offense looks like after another week of getting Amari Cooper embedded. We know Seattle is going to put up points, and if the Bills finally have given Allen a WR1 to replace Amari Cooper, they should be able to do the same.
Under the Radar Banger: Eagles vs. Bengals (Sunday 10/27, 1:00 p.m. ET, CBS)
Both teams are coming off of back-to-back wins, and while neither has exactly looked like a Super Bowl contender in either of those games (well, Philly did last week, but it was against the Giants, which, come on), building up a head of steam and banking wins at this point of the year is always good. The big skill position weapons on the respective offenses — Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown, JaMarr Chase, Tee Higgins, etc. — have really started to get going in recent weeks, and at the bare minimum, this one has the potential to turn into a track meet.
Who Won The MVP Last Week: Lamar Jackson
The Ravens offense took a few weeks to warm up but it is humming right now. The combination of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry is working out as well as anyone could’ve hoped, as teams have no idea what to do against Baltimore on defense. Jackson is picking defenses apart in the passing game, going 17-for-22 for 281 yards and five TDs against the Bucs, while Henry seems to rip off a 40+ yard run each week — and totaled 169 yards on the ground against Tampa Bay. Because the MVP has become a QB award, Jackson is again the frontrunner after his play of late, and if the Ravens keep up this pace it’s going to be really hard to justify not giving him his third (and second in a row).
Best Bet (3-4): Falcons vs. Buccaneers OVER 46 (1:00 p.m. ET, FOX)
I am an Under bettor at heart, but this total is startlingly low for an NFC South matchup. The Falcons have played three times in the division and not had a game finish under 50 points. The Bucs have played two NFC South teams and the lowest score was a 36-30 shootout with the Falcons. There’s not a lot of defense that gets played in this division, and both of these offenses can get it rolling in the passing game. I like both teams to reach the mid-20s at least to take this thing Over.