NFL Week 8 Predictions: Projecting Every Game on NFL Schedule this Week
This article was originally published on Sportsnaut.
In NFL Week 7, we saw a historic fourth-quarter rally by the Denver Broncos, the Arizona Cardinals experience another last-minute collapse and blowout victories by the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Rams. Needless to say, surprises are coming on a weekly basis in this remarkable season and that trend will continue with the NFL schedule this week for Week 8.
Let’s dive into our NFL Week 8 predictions, from a great Thursday Night Football matchup to a Sunday Night Football revenge game and an outstanding battle on Monday night Football to close out the NFL schedule this week.
Related: NFL Week 8 Power Rankings
Minnesota Vikings 20, Los Angeles Chargers 17
It’s difficult to have confidence in either of these teams entering their Week 8 matchup, especially given how surprising many of the Thursday Night Football results have been this season. On one side of the field, we have a Los Angeles Chargers team that is 1-3 in its last four games with a bottom-five defense (0.136 EPA per Play) and an offensive line that is starting multiple backups.
On the surface, that would seem like an appealing matchup for the Minnesota Vikings (link to Vikings). However, in the last month, Minnesota has a bottom-10 offense (22nd in EPA per Play), and Carson Wentz will give the Chargers’ defense multiple chances at turnovers. Ultimately, we’re giving the edge to Minnesota because it has the healthier roster and should win the battle in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
Atlanta Falcons 28, Miami Dolphins 10
If Mike McDaniel isn’t fired before the Week 8 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, he’ll likely be shown the door after this game. The path to beating the Miami Dolphins is rather simple for Atlanta. Give Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson 30-plus touches combined against the league’s worst run defense and rattle Tua Tagovailoa with pressure. Of note, the Falcons have the highest blitz rate (33.9 percent) in the NFL this season. Atlanta should win this one convincingly as long as it plays t its strengths.
Related: Miami Dolphins Coaching Candidates to Replace Mike McDaniel
Baltimore Ravens 27, Chicago Bears 24
Neither the Chicago Bears nor the Baltimore Ravens are facing one another at the perfect time. For Chicago, it’s facing this team right as MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson and All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith are set to rejoin the team. As for Baltimore, it matches up with the Bears just as Ben Johnson’s rushing attack (183.5 rushing yards per game and 5.5 yards per carry in last two games) has come alive. Baltimore’s offense has had a very bad habit of turning over the football (16.1 percent turnover rate, 31st in the NFL), but Jackson isn’t responsible for much of that. Given the magnitude of this game for the Ravens’ playoff hopes, we think they pull out a win coming off the bye week.
Buffalo Bills 27, Carolina Panthers 21
Styles make fights, and that’s one reason why we’re very excited by this Week 8 clash between the Buffalo Bills and the Carolina Panthers early on Sunday. What the Panthers have going for them is an offense that can run the football very efficiently (177.3 rush yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry in the last four games) versus a Bills defense that surrenders the highest yards-per-carry average (5.8) and the second-most rushing yards per game (156.3) in the NFL. Carolina’s defense (74.7 rush yards per game and 3.5 yards per carry allowed) has also been outstanding versus the run.
What the Bills have going for them is that, outside of the Jets game, the Panthers’ pass rush has been completely invisible this season, and they now face a top-three offensive line. There’s a path to victory for Carolina; we just tend to believe the massive talent gap at quarterback between these two teams makes the final difference come Sunday.
Cincinnati Bengals 31, New York Jets 24
It seems like the New York Jets will have a new starting quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, in Week 8, which at least gives us a glimmer of hope for this passing game. The outlook is even better if Garrett Wilson returns from his injury, facing a Cincinnati Bengals defensive unit that has allowed a 114.3 QB rating, 71.3% completion rate, and 252.2 passing yards per game since Week 3. New York can also use Sauce Gardner, who is having an All-Pro season, to shut down one of Cincinnati’s receivers. Unfortunately for the Jets, that still leaves Tee Higgins or Ja’Marr Chase matched up against Brandon Stephens, and that’s a matchup Joe Flacco will exploit early and often. A win by New York wouldn’t surprise us, but it will require a multi-interception game from Flacco.
San Francisco 49ers 20, Houston Texans 17
We always love matchups between a defensive-minded head coach versus his former team, especially since this is DeMeco Ryans vs. Kyle Shanahan. The Houston Texans defense has been excellent this season versus the pass, and that trend will probably continue Sunday, regardless of who is starting at quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. What Shanahan will do is feed Christian McCaffrey against a defense that is below average versus the run. Between that and Houston’s issues providing C.J. Stroud with even a few seconds in a clean pocket, we think San Francisco pulls this one out in Texas.
New England Patriots 20, Cleveland Browns 10
In order to win games this season, the Cleveland Browns largely need to be facing a team that struggles to stop the run and cannot protect its quarterback. The New England Patriots offensive line remains an issue, but Drake Maye’s athleticism (29 scrambles, second-most in the NFL) is mitigating that to some degree. New England also has a top-five run defense, so there’s no viable path to a Browns victory.
Read More: NFL Defense Rankings 2025
Philadelphia Eagles 28, New York Giants 24
The New York Giants, with rookies Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo, have absolutely exceeded expectations this season, and their recent win over the Philadelphia Eagles is evidence of that. However, that result came in a game where the Eagles played without Jalen Carter and then lost Quinyon Mitchell to an injury. Both players are healthy for this Week 8 matchup at home, and with Jalen Hurts coming off a season-best performance, Philadelphia should keep the momentum rolling with some revenge over its rival.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27, New Orleans Saints 20
The New Orleans Saints have only been blown out once this season, proving fairly competitive despite having one of the worst NFL rosters in 2025. So, we’re not anticipating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers blowing the doors off their division foe. With that said, the Saints are still fielding a bottom-10 defense and can’t run the football. Those two issues alone are more than enough for Baker Mayfield and Co. to pick up another win.
Dallas Cowboys 34, Denver Broncos 31
We’re predicting the Dallas Cowboys to pull off the Week 8 upset over the Denver Broncos. Points will be plentiful, even if Patrick Surtain takes away one of CeeDee Lamb or George Pickens. Denver will likely turn to J.K. Dobbins early and often against this Cowboys run defense, but the game will eventually have to be put on Bo Nix’s shoulders. The fourth-quarter comebacks this season are remarkable, but it certainly seems like Bo Nix puts constraints on this passing game until the last moment. With how well the Cowboys’ offense is executing right now, we think Dak Prescott wins in a shootout.
Indianapolis Colts 38, Tennessee Titans 17
This should be another blowout win for the Indianapolis Colts. They are significantly better on both sides of the ball than the Tennessee Titans and the difference in the two coaching staffs and roster is by far the largest gap of any Week 8 matchup.
Related: Tennessee Titans Coaching Candidates to Replace Brian Callahan
Green Bay Packers 28, Pittsburgh Steelers 21
Can Aaron Rodgers get his revenge against the Green Bay Packers? Everyone knows the future Hall of Famer loves to play with a grudge, and it’s evident he has some resentment toward his former franchise. In his first revenge game of the season, the 41-year-old quarterback put up four touchdowns and a 136.7 QB rating. However, he’s facing a Packers defense led by Micah Parsons. While we expect Rodgers to get the football out quickly to mitigate Green Bay’s pass rush, the Steelers’ undoing will likely be their defense and an inefficient ground game.
Kansas City Chiefs 35, Washington Commanders 10
With Jayden Daniels (hamstring) in serious jeopardy of missing the Monday Night Football game in Week 8, this matchup could get ugly. That’s largely because the Washington Commanders have surrendered 251.8 passing yards per game, 8.5 yards per attempt, and 12 passing touchdowns with an 111.9 QB rating over the last six games. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs offense is averaging 31.5 points and 412 total yards per game in the last four games. There’s a strong likelihood this MNF game will allow a national audience to go to bed early if Daniels is out.
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