The Carolina Panthers got their first win of the season in week 8 and now all teams in the league have at least one win and one loss. This week there are a lot of close matchups and we’ll be breaking down each of the games. Through 8 weeks, we’re 80-42 on our predictions.
Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers
Will Levis stepped up big time with a 4 touchdown performance in his debut and got the win for Tennessee. That was at home against Atlanta and now Levis gets his first road game against Pittsburgh who will most likely be starting backup Mitch Trubisky. We’ve seen enough of what Trubisky can and cannot do, but the verdict is still out on Levis. We believe in Levis and were surprised how far he slid down in the draft and think he could get himself one step closer to earning the starting job with a victory in Pittsburgh.
Winner: Tennessee Titans
Miami Dolphins at Kansas City Chiefs (Germany)
The first game of the NFL season in Germany is between the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs which both teams enter this game tied atop the AFC with a 6-2 record. There’s a lot on the line playoff-wise in this game as the winner would hold tiebreaker in head to head if it came down to that for playoff seeding. The Chiefs are slight favorites despite coming off a loss and we know they’re not about to drop back to back games. They should be more than slight favorites as this is a Chiefs team that rarely does that despite going up against an offense as electric as Miami’s.
Winner: Kansas City Chiefs
Minnesota Vikings at Atlanta Falcons
The Vikings playoff hopes were shattered when Kirk Cousins tore his achilles and very likely might be his last game as a member of the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings made a trade at the deadline for Josh Dobbs but are going to start rookie Jaren Hall in the first game without Cousins. The Falcons didn’t lose Ridder, but he was benched in favor of Taylor Heinecke due to poor performance. Heinecke’s experience should be favorable for the Falcons to get past Minnesota.
Winner: Atlanta Falcons
Arizona Cardinals at Cleveland Browns
The Cardinals traded Josh Dobbs to the Vikings and Kyler Murray isn’t ready to play yet which means Clayton Tune will get the go-ahead as the starter for Arizona. The Cardinals offense has already been struggling and are eager for Murray to be back in action. With Tune starting, the Browns defense should take care of business despite offensive struggles of their own.
Winner: Cleveland Browns
Los Angeles Rams at Green Bay Packers
With Matthew Stafford doubtful to play, the Rams are going to need to turn to Brett Rypien. This offense takes a significant step back without Stafford, especially against a team that Stafford is so accustomed to facing from his many years in Detroit. Without him, the Rams are going to lose against a Packers team that is looking to fight their way back into the division race.
Winner: Green Bay Packers
Washington Commanders at New England Patriots
In what’s set to be one of the ugliest games of the week, the Commanders and Patriots face one another. Two dismal offenses with poor offensive lines, but the Patriots get the better luck of the draw since Washington traded away both of their defensive ends in Sweat and Young which will be less pressure that Mac Jones will face. It won’t be pretty, but the Patriots will get to 3-6.
Winner: New England Patriots
Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints
The Bears offense under undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent hasn’t been able to get the ball moving and Justin Fields is still out. The Saints are one of the top defenses in the NFL and is going to make for a long afternoon for the Chicago Bears. A win here will put New Orleans above .500 on the year.
Winner: New Orleans Saints
Seattle Seahawks at Baltimore Ravens
In another playoff contender matchup, the Seahawks and Ravens square off in what should be another close game of the Seahawks facing an AFC North team. The Seahawks pulled off the win against the Browns in the last minute, but this time around, we think the Ravens can hold them off in a tight battle.
Winner: Baltimore Ravens
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Houston Texans
The Buccaneers and Texans both enter this game with a 3-4 record. Both teams are coming off embarrassing losses where the Buccaneers lost on primetime and the Texans lost to the only winless team in the league. The Texans are favored to win this game with it being at home but they don’t have much of a home field advantage and we wouldn’t be surprised to see a good chunk of Buccaneers fans there. The Bucs are slumping but they are better than Houston is.
Winner: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Indianapolis Colts at Carolina Panthers
This is the Frank Reich revenge game as he faces his former team in Indianapolis. So far his post-Indianapolis life has not been treating him well as the Carolina Panthers lost their first six games of the season and just got their first win on a last second field goal against Houston. Despite their record, the Colts are a much better team than the Texans and should make Frank Reich’s attempts at a revenge game squashed.
Winner: Indianapolis Colts
New York Giants at Las Vegas Raiders
The Giants should have Daniel Jones back for the first time in a month as he’s been dealing with a neck issue. The Giants desperately need Jones as Tyrod Taylor went out last game and the already struggling offense was completely shut down as 3rd string quarterback Tommy DeVito managed to throw for negative yards. The Raiders are in a similar boat with rookie Aidan O’Connell getting the start over the injured and struggling Jimmy G. If Daniel Jones plays, then the Giants will win, but without him, it’s going to be rough.
Winner: New York Giants
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
The NFC East showdown is going to be a good one as the Cowboys are coming off another commanding win to be sitting at 5-2 and the Eagles are rolling at 7-1. The two teams always play each other tough and if the Cowboys can pull off the win, they’ll be one step closer to taking control of the division. The biggest difference between these two teams is in defense where the Cowboys excel. The Cowboys have been able to completely shut out teams and we think that Micah Parsons is going to have a monster game to pull off the huge road win against Philadelphia.
Winner: Dallas Cowboys
Buffalo Bills at Cincinnati Bengals
The last time these two teams faced in Cincinnati, all of America went silent as all prayers were sent towards Damar Hamlin. Damar Hamlin is remarkably healthy and on the active roster and should suit up for this game. A lot of eyes are going to be turned to this game not only to watch Hamlin play, but watch two AFC playoff contenders battle it out. The two teams have formed a mini rivalry in recent seasons and this should be another close game. The Bengals are coming off a massive win against the 49ers on the road and the Bills get a longer rest after winning last Thursday night. The long rest is enough for the Bills to come up with a gameplan to overcome Cincinnati and get a very big win to add to their resume.
Winner: Buffalo Bills
Los Angeles Chargers at New York Jets
The Chargers got their biggest win of the season last Sunday night and now are in primetime once again where they should pull off another victory against the Jets on Monday night to go to 4-4. The Chargers offense is legit, but their defense struggles and the Jets like the Bears can’t do a whole lot on offense without their starting quarterback.
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