NFL Week 8 preview capsules:
Miami Dolphins (1-6) at Atlanta Falcons (3-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Falcons -7.5, Total 44.5
Series Rewind: This is the first meeting since a 30-28 shootout won by the Falcons at Miami in 2021. The Dolphins lead the all-time series 9-5. Tua Tagovailoa threw four TD passes and two picks but Matt Ryan had 336 yards and moved Atlanta down the field for a late field goal to win it.
For the second time in two weeks, Tagovailoa opposes another southpaw starting quarterback in Michael Penix Jr. The lefties are trying to consistently find the passing lane but offensive gridlock is hitting Miami hard. Tagovailoa has thrown six interceptions the past two games and 10 total this season. Both teams want to lean on dual-purpose backs to move the chains. Dolphins RB De’Von Achane and Falcons RB Bijan Robinson are two of the NFL’s three backs with at least 450 rushing yards and 200 receiving (49ers RB Christian McCaffrey is the third). Finding a run-pass balance early is a priority for Miami to keep Tagovailoa out of obvious passing situations. He’s operating without Tyreek Hill the rest of the season, TE Darren Waller landed on injured reserve this week and Jaylen Waddle is fighting a hamstring injury. Atlanta’s skill-position stars are in better shape. Robinson is only 86 yards shy of 1,000 yards from scrimmage this season and the Dolphins are being trampled by effective running games to the tune of 159.3 yards per game. But Penix also could have a field day. Miami’s back seven has been inconsistent and opposing quarterbacks have a completion percentage of 74.6% this season. The Dolphins allowed six or more points in eight of the past 11 quarters.
N.Y. Jets (0-7) at Cincinnati Bengals (3-4)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Bengals -6.5, Total 44.5
Series Rewind: The Bengals have won four of the past five in the series, most recently a 27-12 victory in 2022 that featured six total field goals and three Joe Burrow TD passes.
The Jets are the only winless team in the NFL, while the Bengals appear resurrected since installing Joe Flacco — who had two previous stints with the Jets — as their starter. Points and almost all positives have been a challenge to define for the winless Jets, compounded by owner Woody Johnson sharing his critique of embattled QB Justin Fields two days after head coach Aaron Glenn turned to Tyrod Taylor in the second half of a 13-6 loss to the Panthers. Cincinnati rolls into Week 8 rested, coming off a 33-31 last-second victory over the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 16. The win rekindled visions of Cincinnati competing for the division title, with games against the Jets and the Chicago Bears coming to finish a three-game homestand. The Bengals could have the services of Trey Hendrickson again on Sunday after the star pass rusher missed the Steelers game with a hip injury. The Jets are dealing with injury issues and are without CB Sauce Gardner, who entered concussion protocol after getting hurt in the second half against Carolina last week. Not helping the offensive ineptitude, WR Garrett Wilson missed last week’s game with a knee injury and was ruled out Friday. Without Gardner, the Jets likely are to use multiple corners to attempt to slow Ja’Marr Chase. He had career-high 16 catches for 161 yards last week and has 10-plus receptions in three consecutive games.
Cleveland Browns (2-5) at New England Patriots (5-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Patriots -7, Total 40.5
Series Rewind: The Patriots have won nine of the past 10 against the Browns. Cleveland’s last win was in 2010 (34-14). Browns RB Peyton Hillis scored a pair of touchdowns and QB Colt McCoy ran for a score. Tom Brady threw two TDs to Aaron Hernandez to account for both New England scores.
Expectations appeared to be trending downward again for New England following a Week 1 home loss to the Raiders. But the Patriots are rolling with four consecutive wins and a full-blown coming-out party for QB Drake Maye. Maye leads the NFL with a 75.2 completion percentage (152 of 202). Only former Saints QB Drew Brees had a completion percentage of 75-plus in his team’s first seven games of a season (77.4 %, 188 of 243, in 2018) among passers with at least 200 attempts. The defense is getting it done, too. The Patriots have allowed 20 or fewer points in all four games in the current win streak, and Cleveland averages only 16.1 points per game. But the Browns arrive having scored more than 17 points for the first time this season in a 31-6 beatdown of the Dolphins last week. Rookie QB Dillon Gabriel hasn’t thrown an interception in three starts since supplanting since-traded veteran Joe Flacco. Flacco was leading the NFL in turnovers at the time of his demotion. The emergence of a strong running game hasn’t hurt a defense-first approach. Rookie Quinshon Judkins has 467 yards and five touchdowns this season, including a three-TD performance against Miami.
New York Giants (2-5) at Philadelphia Eagles (5-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Eagles -7.5, Total 43.5
Series Rewind: The Giants look to sweep the Eagles for the first time since 2007. New York has won the first leg of the NFC East derby four times (2008, 2011, 2016, 2021) since then but settled for a split each time.
Jaxson Dart has experienced the highs and lows of NFL life in back-to-back games. After stunning the Super Bowl champion Eagles in Week 6, his Giants blew a 19-0 fourth-quarter lead in last weekend’s shocking collapse at Denver. Instead of looking back, the rookie quarterback looked ahead to “the hostility in the air” in Philadelphia for this rematch. He ran for a score and threw a touchdown in a 34-17 win in the first meeting, with fellow rookie Cam Skattebo scooting for three TD runs. The Eagles bounced back with an impressive win at Minnesota, where Jalen Hurts (326 passing yards) and receivers DeVonta Smith (183) and A.J. Brown (121) all set season highs. The Eagles have only turned the ball over three times this season, with two of them coming in the loss to the Giants — including Hurts’ only interception in his last 13 regular-season starts
Chicago Bears (4-2) at Baltimore Ravens (1-5)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Ravens -6.5, Total 49.5
Series Rewind: While the Ravens won the most recent meeting in 2021, Chicago prevailed in each of the previous two on overtime field goals.
Chicago could corral a five-game winning streak for the first time since 2018. Baltimore already has five losses and the Ravens are mired in a four-game slide as part of the worst six-game start in the 30-season history of the franchise. The Ravens will have a lot more optimism with QB Lamar Jackson back from a hamstring strain. Baltimore has scored a total of 13 points over the past two games with understudy Cooper Rush at quarterback. He threw for a grand total of 72 yards in a 17-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams prior to last week’s bye. Two-time NFL MVP Jackson was injured during a 37-20 Week 4 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs. Ravens LB Roquan Smith (hamstring) will return from a two-game absence to go up against the Bears, the club he spent 4 1/2 season with before being traded to the Ravens in 2022. The Chicago defense has been superb with a league-high 16 takeaways to help the team sport a league-best plus-11 turnover margin. Bears S Kevin Byard III is tied for the NFL lead with four interceptions. He has three picks in four career games at Baltimore. Offensively, quarterback Caleb Williams has passed for 1,351 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions in his second NFL season and running back D’Andre Swift (419 yards, three touchdowns) also is playing well.
Buffalo Bills (4-2) at Carolina Panthers (4-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Bills -7.5, Total 46.5
Series Rewind: The Bills are 6-2 all-time against the Panthers. However, Carolina won 9-3 the last time these teams played in Charlotte in 2017.
The Bills lost their last two games before their bye last week while the Panthers enter the game on their first three-game winning streak since 2021, which was also the last time they were above .500. Buffalo hopes recent history continues at Carolina as the Bills have won their last eight games coming out of a bye dating back to 2017. They’re also hoping to come out of the bye week a bit healthier, potentially getting tight end Dalton Kincaid and linebacker Matt Milano back from injury. Carolina, meanwhile, appears likely to be without starting QB Bryce Young. He left last week’s win over the Jets with an ankle injury and didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday. If he’s unable to go, the Panthers will turn to Andy Dalton, who started six games for Carolina over the 2023-24 seasons and has 168 career starts and 254 touchdown passes to his name.
San Francisco 49ers (5-2) at Houston Texans (2-4)
Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Texans -2.5, Total 41.5
Series Rewind: This will be just the sixth time these teams have played since Houston’s expansion season in 2002. San Francisco is 4-1 and has won the last three over Houston.
The Houston Texans have dug themselves quite a hole in the AFC South. Division winners each of the last two seasons, they trail Indianapolis by 3 1/2 games seven weeks into the season. Things won’t get any easier this week against a San Francisco win that keeps piling wins despite being down multiple key contributors on both sides of the ball. 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey is coming off his best game of the season, amassing 201 yards from scrimmage and scoring twice in last week’s 20-10 win over Atlanta. Starting QB Brock Purdy (toe) remains limited so it appears likely Mac Jones will make his sixth start of the season. Jones has filled in admirably, anchoring the NFL’s best passing offense (271.3 yards per game) despite having a limited receiver room due to injuries. The Texans could also be without a few crucial receivers with Nico Collins (concussion) and Christian Kirk (hamstring) each not practicing Wednesday and Thursday. That will test C.J. Stroud, who hasn’t yet thrown for 250 yards in a game this season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-2) at New Orleans Saints (1-6)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Buccaneers -4.5, Total 46.5
Series Rewind: New Orleans has handled Tampa Bay historically, holding a 40-27 lead in the all-time series. However, the Buccaneers have dominated of late, with five wins in the last six matchups.
The Buccaneers, who began the season with an impressive run of close-game wins, were humbled Monday night in a 24-9 loss at Detroit. A matchup against lowly New Orleans could be just what the doctor ordered to get on the right track. The tough news for the Bucs is that star receiver Mike Evans is out for the foreseeable future with a broken collarbone sustained in the loss to the Lions. The good news is that rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka continues to tear it up. His 527 receiving yards are nearly 100 more than any other rookie and rank seventh in the NFL entering Week 8. Mayfield also has a good track record in New Orleans, throwing 3-plus TD passes in each of his two road starts against the Saints. Saints QB Spencer Rattle is coming off a four-turnover performance (three picks, one fumble) in last week’s 26-14 loss at Chicago. However, he’s thrown four touchdowns with no interceptions in his last three home starts. New Orleans’ struggling offense will be without center Eric McCoy (biceps) and running back Kendre Miller (knee) the rest of the way due to season-ending injuries sustained last week.
Tennessee Titans (1-6) at Indianapolis Colts (6-1)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Colts -14.5, Total 46.5
Series Rewind: The Colts and Titans have split the last 10 meetings — five wins in a row for Tennessee from 2020-22 and five wins in a row for Indianapolis since the start of 2023. Four of the last five were one-score games.
The Colts lead the NFL with an average of 33.1 points per game and have scored at least 30 points five times, while the Titans are last in the league with 13.7 points per game and have scored at least 20 only twice. Hence the massive point spread. Indianapolis cruised to a 41-20 victory in the first meeting in Nashville in Week 3, led by Jonathan Taylor with 102 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He is the third player in the past 20 seasons with three games of three or more rushing TDs in a season: LaDainian Tomlinson (2006) and Derrick Henry (2021). The Titans are coming off a 31-13 loss to former coach Mike Vrabel’s Patriots, spoiling the debut of interim coach Mike McCoy. Making things tougher for Tennessee against the Indy offense, CB L’Jarius Sneed was placed on IR this week and DT Jeffery Simmons is not 100 percent.
Dallas Cowboys (3-3-1) at Denver Broncos (5-2)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Broncos -3.5, Total 50.5
Series Rewind: Denver coach Sean Payton was the assistant head coach and QBs coach in Dallas (2003-05) before taking the reins in New Orleans. It’s the first time his Broncos have faced the Cowboys.
The Broncos have won eight straight home games since Week 8 of last season, the longest active streak in the NFL. Second-year QB Bo Nix made history in last week’s instant-classic comeback to beat the Giants, becoming the first player in league history with two passing TDs and two rushing TDs in the fourth quarter. The Denver D leads the NFL in sacks (34) and ranks third in total defense (273.1 yards per game) and fourth in scoring defense (18.1 points per game). Dallas counters with a unit that ranks No. 1 in total offense (390.6) and No. 2 in scoring (31.7). Cowboys star Dak Prescott is 0-2 vs. the Broncos in his career but heads to the Mile High City on quite a roll, just the third player ever with four straight games of three or more TD passes and a 120-plus rating (Russell Wilson in 2015 and Andrew Luck in 2018). The Broncos’ pass rush and talent in the secondary presents an intriguing chess match and strength-vs-strength showdown, including All-Pros potentially locking horns with Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb covered by Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II.
Green Bay Packers (4-1-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Packers -3, Total 45.5
Series Rewind: The Steelers have won six of the past seven regular-season meetings, including a 23-19 victory during Jordan Love’s first season as a Green Bay starter in 2023. Also, Aaron Rodgers’ lone Super Bowl victory came against Pittsburgh following the 2010 regular season.
Rodgers insists he harbors no grudges against his former team of 18 seasons as he competes against the Packers for the first time in his storied career. Of course, he felt much differently when he left the organization following the 2022 season. You could picture NBC executives saying, “no, don’t say that!” when Rodgers said “this is not a revenge for me.” The bulletin board material may be gone but you can bet Rodgers would like to beat former coach Matt LaFleur on the Sunday Night stage. Rodgers has played solidly for the Steelers (4-2), completing 68.6% of his passes for 1,270 yards, 14 touchdowns and five interceptions. Love, who backed up Rodgers for three seasons, has passed for 1,438 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions this season. Love has thrown 67 touchdown passes in 38 regular-season games since taking over the full-time starting role in 2023. One player Rodgers hopes to avoid is Green Bay playmaker Micah Parsons, who recorded a career-high three sacks versus the Arizona Cardinals last week. Parsons shares the team lead of 5.5 sacks with fellow defensive lineman Rashan Gary. Packers star running back Josh Jacobs (414 rushing yards, eight TDs) is bothered by a calf injury and was limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday. Pittsburgh star linebacker T.J. Watt is dealing with a hip injury and his four sacks are second on the team behind fellow linebacker Nick Herbig (4.5).
Washington Commanders (3-4) at Kansas City Chiefs (4-3)
Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET
FanDuel odds: Chiefs -11.5, Total 47.5
Series Rewind: The Chiefs have won the past eight meetings and are 10-1 all-time against Washington.
Kansas City is above .500 for the first time this season after winning four of the past five games. The Chiefs demolished the Las Vegas Raiders 31-0 last weekend when they began taking kneeldowns with 2:36 left in the game. The shutout was Kansas City’s first in the regular season since 2011. Kansas City allowed just 95 yards and three first downs to the overmatched Raiders. Patrick Mahomes passed for 286 yards and three touchdowns and he has 11 TD passes against one interception over the last four contests. The Chiefs had Rashee Rice on the field for the first time this season after he completed a suspension and he caught seven passes for 42 yards and two touchdowns against the Raiders. The Commanders will be operating without star quarterback Jayden Daniels (hamstring), who was injured in last week’s 44-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Marcus Mariota will draw the start for the third time this season. Washington split his first two starting assignments. Mariota has thrown 100 touchdown passes in his 11-year career. Commanders top wideout Terry McLaurin (quadriceps) could return after missing the previous four games. He was a full practice participant on Thursday. Washington’s defense has been a problem – the Commanders ranks 27th in total defense (364.3 yards per game) and 25th against the pass (238.3).
