The game to watch in Week 8, of course, is the Minneapolis Miracle rematch on Sunday night, Saints at Vikings, albeit without the quarterback who threw the miraculous pass.
The team to watch, though, is playing in what otherwise would have been as mundane a late-afternoon game as could be imagined. The Raiders have made themselves a spectacle, and have made a spectacle of themselves, in Year 1 of the Jon Gruden monarchy. The sideshow continued Monday afternoon, their first day back from their bye, and could pick up speed before their home game Sunday afternoon against the Colts.
Heck, the game itself might be a sideshow. How will the Oakland fans respond this time — the ones, remember, being abandoned by the franchise as it bulls its way toward its debut in Las Vegas, and now seeing their beloved team’s roster being stripped for parts? The anticipated revolts have not happened in their first two games in the Coliseum, not even in the prime-time home opener after Khalil Mack was traded. The rest of the home schedule, though? We shall see.
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Week 8 NFL picks, predictions
(All times ET)
Miami Dolphins (4-3) at Houston Texans (4-3)
Thursday, 8:20 p.m., Fox, NFLN, Amazon Prime
The Dolphins’ visit to Houston lets the home fans revisit the Brock Osweiler debacle as he starts again for Ryan Tannehill. The Texans’ current quarterback, Deshaun Watson, doesn’t have to worry about bus rides this week, since his injured lung and ribs only have to endure a short week after a road game. Houston has manufactured a way to flip an 0-3 start to take first place in the division. They’re in position to solidify that lead before their rivals take the field Sunday.
Prediction: Texans, 24-16
Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-4) in London
Sunday, 9:30 a.m., NFLN
The moment of reckoning for both teams takes place overseas, in what seemed like such an attractive matchup when it was scheduled. The absence of Leonard Fournette has proven the Jaguars were smart in drafting him to take pressure off Blake Bortles … or that they weren't smart in taking him instead of a QB to replace Bortles. The Eagles have blown late leads twice in the last four weeks and are digging a deep hole that will make repeating as champs harder by the week.
Prediction: Eagles, 27-21
Baltimore Ravens (4-3) at Carolina Panthers (4-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS
Cam Newton engineered the Panthers’ comeback that put the Eagles in that hole, and it put Carolina in the thick of the NFC South race. The Ravens were excruciatingly close to pulling out a win against a Saints team with the top offense in the NFL, and they kept New Orleans in check most of the day. Another chess match between rugged defense and explosive offense is on deck. The Panthers’ defense, though, has enough of an edge on the Ravens' offense to tip the scales.
Prediction: Panthers, 26-24
MORE NFL PREDICTIONS:
Week 8 picks against the spread
Cleveland Browns (2-4-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS
It's the rematch of the bizarre opener in Cleveland, the first hint that the Browns might not be the same old Browns, and that the Steelers were going to dodge land mines all season, some self-set. The Browns, though, keep finding ways not to win, as they did last week in Tampa. The Steelers should be able to scrounge up enough defense on their home field to maintain their edge in the AFC North. All of which is to say: not another tie this time.
Prediction: Steelers, 27-20
Denver Broncos (3-4) at Kansas City Chiefs (6-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS
Another rematch, four weeks after Patrick Mahomes took a leap forward in Denver with a dramatic comeback win. The Broncos keep looking like they should be winning more than they are; that game was a reminder, and so was Thursday’s bludgeoning of the Cardinals. But their record is what it is, their defense and offense keeps taking turns disappearing at the wrong times, and Mahomes handled the threat on the road last time.
Prediction: Chiefs, 33-26
Washington Redskins (4-2) at New York Giants (1-6)
Sunday, 1 p.m., Fox
If there ever was a reason for Washington to not look past a division rival, as bad as this one is, this is it. While they’re playing the reeling Giants, the Eagles face a scary opponent in London, and the Cowboys re-energize during their bye after trading for a receiver that can strengthen a weakness. Washington getting to five wins before the rest of the NFC East gets to four would help enormously.
Prediction: Washington, 24-13
Seattle Seahawks (3-3) at Detroit Lions (3-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m., Fox
Neither the Lions nor the Seahawks at this point are the teams that started 0-2. For Detroit, it’s almost totally because they’re playing like they’ve found the running game they’ve been missing. Kerryon Johnson has two 100-yard games this season, including last week, and LeGarrette Blount had his most effective game as a Lion. The Seahawks, meanwhile, have won three of four, the loss being a shootout against the Rams, and are coming off a bye. They’ve navigated the usual avalanche of injuries fairly well. It might be a matter of who can be trusted between Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford.
Prediction: Seahawks, 30-24
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3) at Cincinnati Bengals (4-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m., Fox
The Bengals were embarrassed on national TV by the Chiefs, and it sucked the life out of a season that had started 4-1. There have to be remnants of that team still in there, and it’s capable of coming out against a Bucs team that barely survived the Browns at home and that still can’t be counted on to stop anybody. For all the times Andy Dalton and the rest of the team shrink in the spotlight, they can handle a game like this.
Prediction: Bengals, 29-23
New York Jets (3-4) at Chicago Bears (3-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m., CBS
It’s exhausting trying to guess how either team will play from week to week, or from quarter to quarter in some cases. Last week that was the Jets, who let their home game against the Vikings get completely away from them in the fourth quarter, and who were reminded again that Sam Darnold is a rookie. Mitchell Trubisky looked at times against the Patriots like he was barely through a full season as a starter — except when he looked much better. It’s the Bears’ turn to look competent for a full four quarters.
Prediction: Bears, 26-23
Indianapolis Colts (2-5) at Oakland Raiders (1-5)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m., CBS
There was no consensus on whether Amari Cooper was a proven talent or an underachiever, but it seems clear now that the Raiders are not about contending this year. How the fans will react to that is worth paying attention to here. How the Colts take advantage, following a dominant win over the Bills, is also worth watching. They ran for 220 yards last week, which Andrew Luck would appreciate seeing repeated.
Prediction: Colts, 31-16
Green Bay Packers (3-2-1) at Los Angeles Rams (7-0)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m., Fox
It had been a few weeks since the still-perfect Rams had blown anyone out before they crushed the 49ers. Opening up a huge lead would help a lot this time, because no matter how inept the Packers play at times everywhere else, Aaron Rodgers has this knack of leading that game-deciding drive as long as he has that chance. The Rams are third in scoring and fourth in fewest points given up. They need to make the most of that.
Prediction: Rams, 37-31
San Francisco 49ers (1-6) at Arizona Cardinals (1-6)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m., Fox
Whoo, that’s quite a stench wafting out from the desert. Neither team has the QB it started the season with, or expected to start most if not all of the season. At least all the 49ers have is a wave of injuries. The Cardinals have certifiable turmoil — the offensive coordinator was fired, the new head coach is catching heat and the star cornerback wants out. The infusion of Byron Leftwich’s fresh voice at coordinator might be enough to give the Cardinals the edge.
Prediction: Cardinals, 23-13
New Orleans Saints (5-1) at Minnesota Vikings (4-2-1)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Nope, Case Keenum won't be throwing it to Stefon Diggs this time — unfortunately for the Saints, Kirk Cousins (second in the NFL in passing yardage) is throwing to Adam Thielen (first in receiving yards). Even with that combo, the Saints’ abundance of threats all over is something the Vikings’ offense would envy. New Orleans escaped last week in Baltimore; it's equipped to do more than escape here … and exact some payback.
Prediction: Saints, 34-30
New England Patriots (5-2) at Buffalo Bills (2-5)
Monday, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
The Patriots-Bills games had some spice during the brief Rex Ryan tenure in Buffalo, and the atmosphere should be fairly festive in Orchard Park for a night game against a hated rival. Sean McDermott, though, just doesn't have the horses to hang in there with these Patriots, even though his defense has hung in there in a weekly uphill battle. If Rob Gronkowski or Sony Michel (or both) have to miss this game, it could hamper the Patriots … a little. If Derek Anderson and the offense weren't so overmatched, it might.
Prediction: Patriots, 37-14
