WEEK 8 NFL PREVIEW
Entering Week 8, six of the eight divisions have a team in first place or tied for first place that did not win its division last season: AFC East (New England), AFC North (Pittsburgh), AFC South (Indianapolis), AFC West (Denver), NFC North (Green Bay) and NFC West (San Francisco and Seattle).
Here’s a look at a few interesting storylines entering Week 8:
- Rodgers faces Green Bay for first time: When the Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2) host the Green Bay Packers (4-1-1) on Sunday Night Football (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), it will mark Aaron Rodgers’ first career start against the team that selected him No. 24 overall in the 2005 NFL Draft. In 230 regular-season games (223 starts) from 2005-22, Rodgers totaled 59,055 passing yards and 475 touchdown passes with Green Bay. Additionally, he made 21 postseason starts, recorded 5,894 passing yards and 45 touchdown passes while leading the Packers to the Super Bowl XLV title following the 2010 season.
- With a win in Week 8 against his former team, Rodgers can become the fifth starting quarterback ever record a win against each of the 32 teams, along with Pro Football Hall of Famers Brett Favre and Peyton Manning as well as Tom Brady and Drew Brees.
- Last week, Rodgers recorded his 36th career game with at least four touchdown passes, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning for the third-most such games in NFL history. He also surpassed Ben Roethlisberger for the fifth-most regular-season passing yards all-time.
- In four career Sunday night starts, Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love has 12 TDs (11 passing, one rushing) with no interceptions for a 121.1 rating. In Week 8, he can join Drew Brees (twice) and Aaron Rodgers as the only quarterbacks with at least two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 100-or-higher in five consecutive Sunday night starts.
- Green Bay defensive lineman Micah Parsons had a career-high three sacks last week, his 16th career game with at least two sacks since entering the NFL in 2021, tied with T.J. Watt for the fifth-most such games by a player in his first five seasons since 1982. Only Pro Football Hall of Famers Reggie White (24 games), Richard Dent (19) and Jared Allen (17) as well as J.J. Watt (21) have more.
- Tennessee Titans (1-6) at Indianapolis Colts (6-1) (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): The Colts lead the NFL in scoring offense (33.1 points per game) and rank second in total offense (380.3 total yards per game) this season. Indianapolis has 16 rushing touchdowns in 2025, trailing only the 2004 Kansas City Chiefs (17) and 1975 Miami Dolphins (17) for the most rushing touchdowns by a team in its first seven games of a season in the Super Bowl era.
- The Colts, with a league-low six sacks allowed and only four giveaways, are the sixth team since 1970 with 10-or-fewer combined sacks allowed and giveaways in their first seven games of a season, joining the 1997 Miami Dolphins (eight combined sacks allowed and giveaways), 1974 St. Louis Cardinals (nine), 2007 Indianapolis Colts (10), 2008 New York Giants (10) and 2008 Tennessee Titans (10).
- Indianapolis quarterback Daniel Jones has a passer rating of 100-or-higher in each of the Colts’ six wins this season and became the third quarterback since 1950 with a passer rating of 100-or-higher in six of his first seven starts with a team, joining Sam Darnold (2024 with Minnesota) and Ryan Tannehill (2019 with Tennessee). In Week 8, Jones can join Brock Purdy as the only quarterbacks ever with a passer rating of 100-or-higher in each of their first five home starts with a team.
- Colts running back Jonathan Taylor leads the NFL with 10 rushing touchdowns, including three rushing touchdowns in Weeks 3 (at Tennessee), 5 and 7. He is the third player in the past 20 seasons (2006-25) with three games of three-or-more rushing touchdowns in a season, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson (five games in 2006) and Derrick Henry (three games in 2021).
- Taylor, who has 61 career rushing touchdowns and is set to appear in his 75th career game on Sunday, is the fifth running back since 1990 with at least 60 rushing touchdowns in his first 75 career games, joining Pro Football Hall of Famers LaDainian Tomlinson (71 rushing touchdowns), Emmitt Smith (69) and Terrell Davis (60) as well as Adrian Peterson (66).
- On a streak: Five teams, four that missed the postseason in 2024, enter Week 8 on a win streak of three-or-more games. The Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots have each won four consecutive games while the Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts have won their past three.
- Chicago Bears (4-2) at Baltimore Ravens (1-5) (1 p.m. ET, CBS): The Bears look to record their first five-game winning streak with at least 25 points in each win since 1990 (Weeks 5-10). Chicago leads the NFL with 16 takeaways entering Week 8.
- Bears defensive back Kevin Byard leads the NFL with four interceptions this season and leads all players with 33 interceptions since he entered the league in 2016.
- Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson has a 24-3 record in 27 career starts against NFC teams and his .889 winning percentage is the highest by a quarterback against the opposing conference since 1970 (minimum 10 starts).
- Buffalo Bills (4-2) at Carolina Panthers (4-3) (1 p.m. ET, FOX): The Panthers, since Week 16 last season, have won four consecutive home games and can win five consecutive home games for the first time since 2017-18 (10 consecutive home wins).
- Carolina running back Rico Dowdle is one of three players, along with Bijan Robinson and Jonathan Taylor, with 500-or-more scrimmage yards (511) at home this season.
- With a win, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen can surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning (80 wins) and Ben Roethlisberger (80) for the fourth-most regular season wins by a quarterback in his first eight seasons in NFL history.
- Cleveland Browns (2-5) at New England Patriots (5-2) (1 p.m. ET, FOX): The Patriots have allowed 20 or fewer points in each game during their four-game winning streak and look for their first five-game winning streak since 2021 (seven consecutive wins from Weeks 7-13).
- New England quarterback Drake Maye leads the NFL with a 75.2 completion percentage (152 of 202) this season and is the second player all-time with a completion percentage of 75-or-higher in his team’s first seven games of a season (minimum 200 attempts), joining Drew Brees [77.4 percent (188 of 243) in 2018].
- Maye is the third player under the age of 24 to record at least 200 passing yards and a passer rating of 100-or-higher in six consecutive games in NFL history, joining Patrick Mahomes (seven consecutive games in 2018) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Marino (six games in 1984).
- Cleveland rookie quarterback Dylan Gabriel is the sixth quarterback in the Super Bowl era with at least 100 pass attempts and no interceptions in his first three career starts, joining Tom Brady, Case Keenum, Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Moon, C.J. Stroud and Carson Wentz.
- Dallas Cowboys (3-3-1) at Denver Broncos (5-2) (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS): The Broncos, since Week 8 of the 2024 season, have won eight consecutive home games, the longest active home winning streak in the NFL. Denver leads the league in sacks (34) and ranks third in total defense (273.1 yards per game allowed) and fourth in scoring defense (18.1 points per game allowed) in 2025.
- In Week 7, Denver defeated the New York Giants, 33-32, after trailing 19-0 entering the fourth quarter and 26-8 with six minutes remaining, becoming the first team since 1970 to overcome a deficit of 18-or-more points with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and win in regulation.
- Last week, Denver quarterback Bo Nix became the first player in NFL history with two touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns in a fourth quarter. Since 2024, Nix is one of three quarterbacks, along with Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, with at least 40 touchdown passes (40) and five rushing touchdowns (seven).
- Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott is the third player in NFL history with at least three touchdown passes and a passer rating of 120-or-higher in four consecutive games, joining Russell Wilson (five consecutive games in 2015 with Seattle) and Andrew Luck (four consecutive games in 2018 with Indianapolis).
- Chicago Bears (4-2) at Baltimore Ravens (1-5) (1 p.m. ET, CBS): The Bears look to record their first five-game winning streak with at least 25 points in each win since 1990 (Weeks 5-10). Chicago leads the NFL with 16 takeaways entering Week 8.
STEELERS S MILES KILLEBREW (KNEE) OUT FOR SEASON
Pittsburgh Steelers safety Miles Killebrew will miss the remainder of season after undergoing knee surgery, head coach Mike Tomlin announced Tuesday.
A first-team All-Pro in 2023 and a two-time Pro Bowl selection, Killebrew has played exclusively on special teams this season.
Killebrew sustained a knee injury during the Steelers’ 23-9 home victory over the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 12. He was placed on injured reserve four days later.
“Our heart aches for Miles,” Tomlin said on Tuesday.
Killebrew, 32, has five tackles in five games this season. He has totaled 166 tackles, two interceptions and one forced fumble in 151 career regular-season games with the Detroit Lions (2016-20) and Steelers.
JETS OWNER BLAMES QB JUSTIN FIELDS FOR AARON GLENN’S 0-7 START
Justin Fields might not be the starter of the New York Jets for long if you read into opinion of franchise owner Woody Johnson.
Johnson told reporters at the NFL owners meetings on Tuesday that he’s still in first-year head coach Aaron Glenn’s corner despite the 0-7 start to the 2025 season.
From Johnson’s perspective, quarterback play is again a hindrance for the Jets. Fields was benched at halftime of Sunday’s 13-6 home loss to the Carolina Panthers and reportedly will be replaced in the starting lineup by Tyrod Taylor.
“Well, it looks like (Glenn is) turning around parts of it,” Johnson said. “It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that he’s got. I mean, he has ability, but something is just not jiving. But if you look at any head coach of a quarterback like that, you’re going to see similar results if you were across the league. You have to play consistently at that position, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
Fields signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Jets as an unrestricted free agent. He has only 15 total completions for 91 yards with a long gain of 12 in the past two games.
“I just think defense, special teams are doing better,” Johnson said on Tuesday. “Defense is pretty good. If we can just complete a pass, it would look good.”
Fields signed two years after Johnson stepped in to mandate that the franchise fix the quarterback position under head coach Robert Saleh. Three months later, the Jets had a trade agreement with the Green Bay Packers for Aaron Rodgers.
But Glenn, previously defensive coordinator of the Detriot Lions and a former NFL cornerback who played eight years for the Jets, decided to move on from Rodgers, who spent two seasons in New York. A 2021 first-round pick with the Bears, Fields spent last season with the Steelers when Chicago decided to use the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft to select quarterback Caleb Williams.
TRADE RUMORS CIRCULATE, JERRY JONES ADMITS COWBOYS ARE IN CHASE MODE
Jerry Jones appreciates his current view at the table with two weeks before the NFL trade deadline and a perspective that the Dallas Cowboys hold a winning hand should they opt to make a move.
Dallas realized a level of financial flexibility under the salary cap when it subtracted All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons in August. The trade to the Green Bay Packers also brought a windfall of draft compensation that Jones could weaponize before the Nov. 4 deadline in order to boost the Cowboys’ defense.
“We are in as good a shape as we’ve been in years with picks … with our cap,” Jones told 105.3 FM in Dallas on Tuesday. “And if we see a way to improve our team with a player that makes sense (we’ll inquire).”
Jones made reference to using trade and cap assets to find a defensive difference-maker days after dealing away Parsons in a contract standoff that turned sour during training camp.
ESPN reported Tuesday that the Cowboys are already having those conversations and kicked the tires with the Las Vegas Raiders about acquiring defensive end Maxx Crosby. For the Cowboys and any other suitors, prying Crosby, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, from the Raiders might come at an extreme cost.
The Raiders signed Crosby to an extension in the offseason, carrying his contract through the 2029 season, which includes more than $30 million guaranteed in 2026.
Dallas is “no more likely” to make a trade at 3-3-1 than the Cowboys were prior to defeating the Washington Commanders last week, Jones said Tuesday. He also repeated plans to discuss contract extensions with players currently on the roster, including wide receiver George Pickens and kicker Brandon Aubrey. Both players are in the final year on their existing contracts.
Any asking price for Crosby would presumably start with one first-round pick but very likely follow the precedent Jones and the Cowboys set when they accepted first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 and defensive end Kenny Clark in exchange for Parsons, a four-time Pro Bowl pick and two-time first-team All-Pro. Parsons, 26, signed a four-year, $188 million contract with the Packers.
The final four years on Crosby’s contract are worth around $105 million including bonuses.
Crosby turned 28 in August and has four sacks this season, giving him 63.5 in his career.
