As we approach the bulk of Week 8 in the 2024 NFL Season, let's look at five teams that are guaranteed to win. There really is never such thing as a guaranteed win in the NFL, but I'm putting that to bed this week!
There will most definitely be some easier wins for a handful of teams as we approach the bulk of Week 8 in the 2024 NFL Season. Somehow, we are nearly at the halfway mark of the season. It's crazy how quickly the NFL season passes by!
Five teams are guaranteed to win this week. Let's cover them.
5 teams guaranteed to win in Week 8 of the 2024 NFL Season
Baltimore Ravens (@ Cleveland Browns)
A lot has changed for the Cleveland Browns over the last week. They lost Deshaun Watson for the rest of the season with a torn Achilles, and will now hand over play-calling duties to Ken Dorsey. Jameis Winston is likely taking over as the Browns' starting QB, so the offense may actually show signs of life.
Well, they host the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8, the hottest team in the NFL riding a five-game winning streak. Somehow, both Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry are having MVP-type of seasons thus far, and I'm not sure when the Ravens will lose next.
The Browns are still a bad football team, and while they could keep the game close, I just do not see a way that they lose this game and will guarantee a Ravens' victory, which would get them to 6-2.
Detroit Lions (vs. Tennessee Titans)
Oh boy. The Tennessee Titans traded WR DeAndre Hopkins to the Kansas City Chiefs and actually also traded ILB Ernest Jones IV to the Seattle Seahawks. The Titans aren't getting much of anything going on offense and will travel into Detroit to face the Lions, who are now 5-1 on the season and lead the NFC North.
As far as I am concerned, the Lions are absolutely the team to beat in the NFC. And I do believe we're getting to the point where "trap games" just won't really happen for the Lions. Not only will Detroit take care of business in Week 8, I could see the defense pitching a shutout.
Denver Broncos (vs. Carolina Panthers)
Don't look now, but the Denver Broncos are 4-3, sitting in a playoff spot, and have quite the feasible path to 5-3. Heck, many people didn't even think the Broncos would win four games all season, and here they are approaching five wins.
They lost their first two games before beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, and Las Vegas Raiders, and have won four of their last five games. The defense is arguably the best in the NFL, and the pass rush is clearly the most explosive in the league.
Denver has also been able to get their run game going during their win streak, so their identity is finally coming into view. This team plans on running the heck out of the ball and play excellent defense. The formula is what this team needs to do since they have a rookie QB in Bo Nix who is still firmly in his development.
Coming to town in Week 8 is the lowly Carolina Panthers. They are 1-6 on the season and are clearly the worst team in the NFL. Second-year QB Bryce Young got benched after just two starts in 2024, so Andy Dalton has been getting the starts since.
The Panthers are just a downright awful football team, and I am not sure changing head coaches and bringing Dave Canales is was the right move, either.
Kansas City Chiefs (@ Las Vegas Raiders)
The Kansas City Chiefs swung a trade for DeAndre Hopkins and are clearly again in a position to make a Super Bowl run. Patrick Mahomes has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns this year, so that's something.
However, the Kansas City Chiefs are 6-0 and probably have 7-0 staring at them in Week 8 when they travel to play the Las Vegas Raiders, who are the epitome of dysfunction. The Raiders already traded Davante Adams to the New York Jets and could make some more trade deadline moves in the very near future.
The Raiders have given the KC Chiefs some troubles over the years, but Vegas is just too weak at this point to hang with most opponents. It's going to be a commanding Chiefs' victory, as I am not sure Vegas will even score a touchdown.
Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. New York Giants)
The Pittsburgh Steelers' decision to start Russell Wilson in Week 7 against the New York Jets seemed to be a "chess not checkers" move from Mike Tomlin. The Steelers likely planned on starting Russell Wilson all along, but that nagging calf injury kept him out of the lineup for weeks. Justin Fields did play somewhat well, but he was not at all the driving force for the Steelers' 4-2 start.
The offense was kind of underwhelming under Fields, but he wasn't playing horribly. The one thing that Russell Wilson does do well over Fields is his ability to push the ball downfield, and we did see that a few times in Week 7. It would not shock me to see Wilson get a few more starts and perhaps the Steelers going back to Fields. However, while both QBs can operate the offense to a degree, neither are long-term options.
Nonetheless, they get to host the lowly New York Giants, a team that is beginning to spiral and a team that is somehow still starting Daniel Jones. The Giants are a bad team, but their coaching isn't really the main issue. They just have a bottom-5 QB and some holes remaining on defense. Look to the Giants' General Manager as the root of their issues.
And these types of games seem to always shape up to be bad losses for the G-Men. When you can't really find a path for a given team to win in a given week, that team is probably not any good at all. I envision this game being a blowout for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It could also be yet another strong game for Russell Wilson, which may perhaps allow him to cement the Steelers' starting QB job for the rest of the 2024 NFL Season. Steelers' fans, this should be an easier win for your team.
There you have it, five teams that are guaranteed to win in Week 8 of the 2024 NFL Season. Did we forget anyone?