Week 8 of the 2024 NFL Season is almost upon us, so as we do, let's roll out our latest picks and score predictions for the upcoming games. The games are starting to heat up, folks. As we hit the halfway point of the season, the NFL Playoff Picture begins to take shape, and we'll even see some more trade deadline moves pop up before the deadline hits following Week 9.
We've actually got all 32 teams in action in Week 8 - not a single team is on their bye week, which is neat, so there's going to be a ton to watch and talk about. One huge negative about this season thus far, though, has been the injuries. It seems that every single team is dealing with multiple major injuries, which is brutal.
Unfortunately, that's just a part of the game. Teams being able to overcome injuries is a huge indicator of them playing into January and into February. Let's get into our latest picks and predictions for Week 8 games in the 2024 NFL Season.
2024 NFL picks, score predictions for upcoming Week 8 games
Thursday Night Football - Minnesota Vikings @ Los Angeles Rams
Kicking off Week 8 of the 2024 NFL Season could be a very tight game or a blowout, depending on what kind of Los Angeles Rams' team shows up. Coming out of their bye week, many thought the Rams would just take it to the Las Vegas Raiders, who are among the worst teams in the NFL.
The Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford-led Rams won by five points at home against the Raiders. That is just brutal if you ask me. The Minnesota Vikings are coming off of a major loss against the Detroit Lions, but it was as close of a game as you can get, and it was a "good loss" if that does exist in the NFL.
The Vikings are the better team and have the more trustworthy coaching staff. It feels like the Vikings get back on track in Week 8 and improve to 6-1 on the season. I see the Vikings winning this game and probably taking a lead in the fourth quarter and not letting it go. Give me the Vikes beating the Rams in SoFi.
Prediction: Vikings win 31-23
Sunday Games
Philadelphia Eagles @ Cincinnati Bengals - 1pm
Both the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals have some serious questions this year, but both teams won in Week 7. The Bengals seek to get to .500, which would make things very interesting in the AFC. Can Cincy continue to save their season? They have not played great football over the last two weeks, but a win is really all that matters.
I am more concerned about the Eagles. Jalen Hurts isn't nearly as good as Joe Burrow, and I feel that Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is just not someone a team is going to sustain wins with. This game is at home for the Bengals, so they've got that advantage, and if the Bengals' defense can play at a slightly below-average level instead of being flat-out awful, they may have enough to get into the postseason.
I like the Bengals in this game, as they have more advantages.
Prediction: Bengals win 28-20
Baltimore Ravens @ Cleveland Browns - 1pm
This almost feels unfair if you ask me. The Cleveland Browns are going to be without QB Deshaun Watson for the rest of the 2024 NFL Season. He tore his Achilles in the Browns' Week 7 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals.
It's unclear if it'll be Dorian Thompson-Robinson or Jameis Winston will be the starter. It should be Winston if the team wants to win, but DTR gives them the best chance for a higher pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Baltimore is the better team, and I am not sure that's up for debate.
The Ravens cannot get caught like they did a few weeks ago when they let the Las Vegas Raiders of all teams walk into their house and beat them. The Ravens played on Monday Night Football, so they'll be just a bit behind on rest coming into this game.
However, Baltimore is going to win this huge divisional game and continue their trek to again win the AFC North in the 2024 NFL Season.
Prediction: Ravens win 38-17
Tennessee Titans @ Detroit Lions - 1pm
Look away, Titans’ fans. This is just not the type of matchup you want to see if you are a fan of the clear-cut worse team in a given game. The Detroit Lions may just be the best team in the entire NFL, and they are coming off of a huge division win in Week 7 over the Minnesota Vikings. It’s become increasingly clear that the NFC is going to go through Detroit.
This is just going to be another game for the Lions, and I don’t at all believe that the Tennessee Titans have any sort of argument to pull off some sort of insane, trap-game upset. The Lions get this game at home and are going to take care of business.
Most notably, Lions’ QB Jared Goff may be the MVP favorite through seven weeks in the 2024 NFL Season. How about that?
Prediction: Lions win 42-17
Arizona Cardinals @ Miami Dolphins - 1pm
The Arizona Cardinals played on Monday Night Football, and as I type these words, MNF hasn’t started yet, so I have no idea how they played! Anyway, regardless of what happened on MNF, I have maintained that the Cardinals are and will be better than people think this year, and coming into this game the Miami Dolphins might have been without QB Tua Tagovailoa.
Well, Tagovailoa may be poised to return to the lineup after missing weeks because of a concussion. Over the last several weeks that Miami has not had Tagovailoa, his value to the Miami Dolphins is obvious, and while he may not be an elite QB by any means, he’s elite to the Dolphins.
However, Kyler Murray is the better QB in this matchup, and with Tagovailoa potentially being a bit rusty from being out of the lineup for so long, it's hard for me to pick the Dolphins, believe it or not.
Prediction: Cardinals win 24-20
New York Jets @ New England Patriots - 1pm
Folks, the New York Jets are just not a good football team, period. It doesn’t matter how many stud players they have on offense, QB Aaron Rodgers isn’t a viable passer anymore, and there just isn’t something to grab onto with the Jets. They were essentially forced to go even more all-in with Rodgers after he missed basically the entire 2023 NFL Season due to a torn Achilles.
The Jets have lost four games in a row and are 2-5. I kept hearing people saying that the Jets would find a way to turn it around and would start to stack wins simply because they were a talented team. It’s not going to happen.
The New England Patriots are somehow worse than the Jets, but rookie QB Drake Maye does seem to have some “schmutz” about him thus far, as I like to call it. I mean, is it crazy to think that Maye is a better QB than Aaron Rodgers at this point?
I just don’t like the Jets’ current state and don’t feel like they are going to be able to have any of those easier wins the rest of the day. Give me the Patriots at home in this game, believe it or not.
Prediction: Patriots win 21-16
Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 1pm
Even though the Atlanta Falcons beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Atlanta a few weeks ago, the Falcons did get embarrassed by the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7, and that game exposed just how limp the Falcons’ defense is if you ask me.
The Buccaneers seem to have a bit more substance to them, and now that this game is in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers could use this game to regain some crucial ground in the NFC South race, which could end up seeing both the Falcons and Buccaneers making the playoffs. The Bucs win this one.
Prediction: Buccaneers win 35-27
Green Bay Packers @ Jacksonville Jaguars - 1pm
The Green Bay Packers are a fun football team and are getting some Brett Favre-like QB play from Jordan Love. Love is throwing it all over the yard and has a whopping 15 touchdown passes in just four games. He’s thrown eight interceptions, though, so there’s that.
You would like to see Love cutdown on the interceptions. Perhaps he’s playing too loosely? Who knows, but Jordan Love is truly on the doorstep of superstardom, and the Packers have a ton of insane young talent, so they can indeed make a deep playoff run. They’re now 5-2 on the season after beating the formidable Houston Texans in Green Bay in Week 7.
Well, they travel to Jacksonville to face the 2-5 Jaguars, who are hanging by a thread this season. While it could be a fun story to see the Jags turn their season around, I am not sure it’s going to be possible in this one. I would envision a pretty convincing win by the Packers, as they improve to 6-2 on the season if they can get it done.
Prediction: Packers win 30-14
Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans - 1pm
The Indianapolis Colts being 4-3 just does not feel right to me, but here we are. The Colts don’t feel like a very good team, and I don’t know what to make of them. They’re 19th in points scored and 12th in points allowed with a +6 point differential.
Their normal starting QB, Anthony Richardson, has thrown three touchdowns against six interceptions. At some point, we’ll have to talk about Richardson if he cannot improve. The Colts face off against the Houston Texans in this one. The Texans are 5-2 on the season, are a solid team, but do have some obvious issues, and while they are a clear tier above the Colts, it would not surprise me to see a very close divisional game where Houston edges it out in the end.
Prediction: Texans win 27-24
New Orleans Saints @ Los Angeles Chargers - 4:05pm
The New Orleans Saints may not even have enough people to suit up for their games at this rate. They’re dealing with an insane amount of injuries, and it’s just tough to see. Most notably, they lost starting QB Derek Carr to an oblique injury, and he may still be a couple of weeks awa from playing.
The Saints may again start rookie QB Spencer Rattler, who has looked just OK in his two NFL starts thus far. The Chargers have this game at home, and while they do not have a ton of roster talent, they are as well-coached as any team in the NFL and are frisky if nothing else. LA won’t make some sort of insane deep playoff run this year, but they could be good enough to squeeze in as a Wild Card team.
New Orleans may be on the cusp of a major rebuild, so all of the momentum is very much with the Los Angeles Chargers in this one. They should get an easier win here in Week 8. Chargers win convincingly.
Prediction: Chargers win 28-10
Buffalo Bills @ Seattle Seahawks - 4:05pm
This could be a fun game. Both the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks are frisky team that have some edge to them. Bills’ QB Josh Allen has not thrown an interception this year, which is wild. He threw a whopping 18 picks during the 2023 NFL Season. If Allen can keep the ball out of harm’s way like this, Buffalo could be an interesting team.
Both Buffalo and Seattle blew out their opponents in Week 8, but when you look at Seattle’s insane defense and them being at home, I could see the Bills’ offense having a hard time to consistently move the ball. It would not shock me to see Seattle get back on track a bit after three losses in a row and win their second in a row in Week 8.
Prediction: Seahawks win 25-20
Carolina Panthers @ Denver Broncos - 4:25pm
The Denver Broncos have had some extended rest, as they played on Thursday Night Football to kick off Week 7 in the 2024 NFL Season. They took the New Orleans Saints to the cleaners; it was never close if we’re being honest. To be fair to the Saints, though; they were dealing with a ton of injuries and did not have several starters coming into that game.
The Broncos have not really been hugely impacted by the injury bug this season. Well, the Broncos will have 10 days off between their Week 7 and Week 8 games, so they’ll be a few days ahead of their opponent, the Carolina Panthers, coming into this game.
The Panthers surely hit rock-bottom in Week 7, getting blown out by the Washington Commanders, and it won’t get any easier, as the Broncos’ defense is among the best and most explosive in the NFL. You could argue that this may be a trap game for the Broncos, but the advantages are just too obviously in favor of the Broncos, so I believe Denver wins this one quite easily.
Prediction: Broncos win 31-13
Kansas City Chiefs @ Las Vegas Raiders - 4:25pm
The Kansas City Chiefs are winning games this season; they’re 6-0 somehow, but QB Patrick Mahomes has thrown six touchdown passes against eight interceptions. He’s been disgustingly inefficient this year, but the Chiefs are somehow still winning. KC is also dealing with a ton of injuries.
It’s kind of perplexing how this team is winning. I don’t get it, honestly. Well, the Las Vegas Raiders are among the worst teams in the NFL and will be back to starting QB Gardner Minshew, as Aidan O’Connell broke his thumb in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams.
There just isn’t a good reason for me to pick the Raiders in this one. This will be another easy Chiefs’ win.
Prediction: Chiefs win 31-9
Chicago Bears @ Washington Commanders - 4:25pm
How about this matchup? Jayden Daniels may not suit up, though. He suffered some ribs injury in Week 7, which paved the way for Marcus Mariota of all people to carve up the Panthers. Even if Daniels suits up for this game, the Chicago Bears’ defense is legit, and QB Caleb Williams and the offense has truly started to stack some good performances.
The momentum may actually be with the Bears in this game, especially if Daniels is ruled out, so I actually like Chicago to notch a three-point win against Washington in Week 8 of the 2024 NFL Season.
Prediction: Bears win 24-21
Dallas Cowboys @ San Francisco 49ers - 8:20pm
Two teams that have not been as good as we thought coming into the season, the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers get us the Sunday Night Football matchup. The Cowboys are soft on defense; the team simply cannot stop the run, and it does not seem like new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is going to last in Dallas at this rate.
Offensively, the Cowboys are top-heavy and too dependent on Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. They don’t have a viable no. 1 RB or a no. 2 WR, so it’s been tough-sledding at times on offense.
The San Francisco 49ers come into this game just having lost stud WR Brandon Aiyuk for the rest of the season with a knee injury. They also have not had RB Christian McCaffrey suit up, and have seen a plethora of other players miss time due to injury. It has been one of those injury-riddled years for the 49ers.
I do think that at this point, the Cowboys are the better team and should be able to win this one. For all of their faults, the Cowboys are the stronger team coming into this game and will get the win.
Prediction: Cowboys win 33-21
Monday Night Football
New York Giants @ Pittsburgh Steelers - 8:15pm
I actually feel bad for the New York Football Giants coming into this game. Their season is slipping away after some recent embarrassing losses. QB Daniel Jones is turning into a corncob before our eyes after having a modestly efficient start to the season. The Giants were never going to be any sort of viable team this year given their QB situation.
If we’re being honest, it’s odd that General Manager Joe Schoen extended Jones. I mean, I think 98% of the NFL world saw that Daniel Jones was not a franchise QB and probably should not have been paid, so why didn’t Schoen see it?
The Giants are coming into Pittsburgh to face the Steelers, who are all of a sudden 5-2 and got a stellar performance from QB Russell Wilson, who started for the first time this season. The Steelers’ QB situation is quite interesting to say the least, as it seems as if Mike Tomlin found a small avenue to see what he had in Wilson, and I would not be surprised if the Steelers went back to Justin Fields for a few starts later in the season.
The Steelers’ schedule does get a bit tougher as the season goes on, but the Steelers are again in a position at least finish with a winning record. While the Steelers aren’t a great team by any means and aren’t going to make some magical playoff run in 2024, they aren’t a bad team and will be able to hold their own against a putrid Giants’ team.
The New York Giants may again be held out of the endzone, as the G-Men’s head coach, Brian Daboll, may have to make a tough decision to give some reps and starts to Drew Lock, as the Giants are going to get blown out in this one to cap off Week 8.12