Week eight is upon us which means we are halfway through the NFL season already. Many teams have fallen out of the picture while there are still more than a few teams still fighting for the playoffs. We are headed down the stretch and that means these games are very important for these teams. NFL Week eight starts with the struggling 1-6 Washington Redskins traveling to face the red-hot 5-2 Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football. This is a big game for the Vikings as they are fighting for the NFC North and a wild card spot. There are plenty of games that have implications like these for several teams. It’s going to be another fun week. Here are three week eight games to watch in the NFL.
Three NFL Week Eight Games To Watch
Chargers vs Bears
Both of these teams are struggling and it’s somewhat of a surprise. The Los Angeles Chargers sit at 2-5 and don’t look good at all. The Chicago Bears sit at 3-3 and aren’t playing at all like they did last season. Both teams are still very well in the playoff picture, though. The Chargers might be sitting at 2-5 but the AFC is still wide open and anyone still has a chance. If they lose, they probably all but eliminated themselves.
The Bears can still fight for both the division and the wild card but the wild card is more likely with the Green Bay Packers sitting at 6-1. The Bears haven’t been able to move the ball with Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback. If he continues to play, it’ll be interesting to see if the Bears can overcome it and flip the switch. The Chargers simply need to be better on both sides of the ball. They will be in Chicago against a good defense so it will be tough. Both teams have a lot to play for this week.
Panthers vs 49ers
The Carolina Panthers couldn’t dream of being in a better spot with Cam Newton out. Backup quarterback, now the starter, Kyle Allen has come in and has done a good job. Ever since coming in, he is 4-0 and has thrown for over 900 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. The 4-2 Panthers will face a tough challenge this week as they try to take down the undefeated San Francisco 49ers on the road. People say the 49ers haven’t been challenged to much this season but it will get tougher starting with these Panthers. The 49ers defense has been great and looks to ride that to a victory this Sunday. The Panthers run attack will be key with Christian McCaffrey. If they can get that going, they will present a real challenge.
Packers vs Chiefs
At the beginning of the season, this game was marked on everyone’s calendar. Everyone wanted to see Aaron Rodgers vs Patrick Mahomes in prime-time on Sunday Night Football. Well, that wish is questionable. In their games against the Denver Broncos, the Kansas City Chiefs lost their star quarterback to a knee injury on a quarterback sneak. The original statement was that he would be out for about three weeks or more. Mahomes was throwing in practice this week but he was limited. Head coach Andy Reid told reporters that he’ll leave the door open for Mahomes to play against the Packers. This is big news for the Chiefs. There’s a huge difference when the Chiefs have him out there and when they don’t.
On the flip side, the Packers sit at 6-1 on top of the NFC North feeling good. They get back receiver Davante Adams and safety Darnell Savage at practice and will certainly be questionable. The Packers have been winning without their star receiver. Rodgers is coming off one of the best games of his career when he threw for over 400 yards with six total touchdowns and had a perfect passer rating.
It will be interesting to see if the offense is getting where they need to be when they face a Chiefs defense who is coming off a great performance against the Broncos. If Mahomes plays, the Packers defense will be challenged not only with him at quarterback but their receiving core led by Tyreek Hill. If Mahomes doesn’t play, it’ll be interesting to see how the offense will fair. This game will be a good one no matter who plays.
The Final Whistle
The trade deadline is Tuesday and many teams will be looking to get better for the stretch run. This week will tell if teams need to buy at the deadline, sell, or do nothing at all. We saw the only two undefeated teams in the NFL make a trade already to get better. The New England Patriots traded for receiver Mohamed Sanu and the 49ers traded for receiver Emmanuel Sanders. Many other teams will try to match what the better teams did and try to improve. There is a lot on the line for many this week.
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