Bills rebound from stunning defeat. Plus, Week 8 game picks and fantasy advice
Welcome to Week 8 in the NFL. After losing two of three games, the Buffalo Bills put together a solid victory on "Thursday Night Football."
Previously on NFL: Buffalo Bills 24, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 18 — The Bills moved on quickly from being on the wrong end of one of the season's biggest upsets, getting back into the win column against a Buccaneers team that managed to make the score look closer than the game actually was.
Game of the week: Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers — There isn't a true marquee matchup in Week 8, but this one pits a division leader against a team that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today (which, thankfully, it doesn't). The Jaguars have won four straight games, a streak that started with their two-week trip to London. Jacksonville is pacing the AFC South, but a win in Pittsburgh would further solidify the Jaguars' status as a legit AFC contender. The Jaguars have won five of their last six games in Pittsburgh, a run that includes a 2017 AFC divisional playoff game. The Steelers, meanwhile, are a surprising 4-2, but the road to that winning record hasn't been pretty.
Sneaky-good game of the week: Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks — This is another matchup of teams currently in the NFL playoff picture (if the season ended today). This will be a great watch for fans of defensive football. This also will be a great watch for fans of the Seahawks' old uniforms.
Survivor Pool Game of the Week: Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Chargers — This pick comes with a massive cringe 😨, because backing the Bolts can come with serious pain. But, buckle up, because here we go! The Chargers enter as heavy favorites, but could easily Charger this very winnable game away as they are wont to do. The disappointing Chargers (2-4) have a great opportunity to turn their fortunes around against the Tyson Bagent-led Chicago Bears on "Sunday Night Football." (Previous survivor pool picks - Week 1: Ravens ✅, Week 2: 49ers ✅, Week 3: Chiefs ✅, Week 4: Eagles ✅, Week 5: Dolphins ✅, Week 6: Bills ✅, Week 7: Seahawks ✅.)
➤ PHOTOS: Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games
NFL Week 8: Pigskin prognostications
- Week 8 picks: Paste BN Sports' panel of football experts has provided fans with the great public service of making prognostications for every game this weekend.
- Lorenzo's Locks: Find out why Paste BN Sports' Lorenzo Reyes continues to be high on road teams.
- NFL Week 8 betting odds: Which teams are favored this week? If you’re new to sports betting, don’t worry. We have tips for beginners on how to place bets online.
- Power rankings: See how all 32 teams stack up heading into Week 8.
NFL news, notes and analysis
- 23 players who could be on trading block: The NFL trade deadline is on Halloween, and some clubs could use this as an opportunity to get scary good.
- One trade idea for eight Super Bowl contenders: Paste BN Sports' Nate Davis proposes one trade that Lombardi Trophy-seeking contenders should strongly consider.
- Five teams that should be sellers at trade deadline: Not all of these teams will embrace shifting their attention to 2024 and beyond, but would benefit from deciding to be sellers at this year's trade deadline.
- Trade deadline fire sale? Are the Titans, who already shipped two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard to the Eagles, one of those teams primed to be a trade deadline seller?
- How women become NFL coaches: The number of women NFL coaches has grown, but Paste BN Sports' NFL Coaches database found the gains are mostly in strength and conditioning roles.
- Dolphins players unhappy about being on in-season 'Hard Knocks': How do Dolphins players feel about starring on the in-season edition of HBO's "Hard Knocks"? Tua Tagovailoa paused for 11½ seconds, Xavien Howard uttered an expletive.
- Falcons coach shrugs off NFL probe into reporting of star's health: The NFL is looking into whether the Falcons properly followed injury-reporting protocols when Bijan Robinson largely sat out Sunday's game.
- 49ers QB in concussion protocol: Brock Purdy could be out for the 49ers' home game against the Bengals. This development paves the way for Sam Darnold to start.
Fantasy football: No teams on a bye this week! 💪
Fantasy football owners rejoice! After six teams were on a bye last week, every team will be in action during Week 8. Your roster is finally at full strength … or is it?!? It might be wise to percolate your starting squad after digesting this valuable fantasy football advice.
- Fantasy rankings for Week 8: For your convenience, these position-by-position rankings were updated for this week's games and are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.
- Start 'em and sit 'em players for Week 8: There will be plenty of players to choose from to put in a starting lineup, but that can be a double-edged sword as it could create difficult personnel decisions for fantasy football managers.
- Studs, duds and sleepers: Here are some names to know going into Week 8. While it is time to buy into #MinshewMania in Indy, Bijan Robinson is no longer a fantasy lock in Atlanta.
- Buy low, sell high: Consider these players that may be on your roster to trade for a better chance of winning and look for bargains to buy low on others.
- Sizzlers and fizzlers: Which players had their fantasy football values increase or decrease most based on their performances during Week 7?
NFL Week 8 schedule 📅
Thursday
Sunday
- Houston Texans at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Los Angeles Rams at Dallas Cowboys, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
- New Orleans Saints at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. (FOX)
- New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
- New York Jets at New York Giants, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Atlanta Falcons at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Cleveland Browns at Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX)
- Baltimore Ravens at Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Cincinnati Bengals at San Francisco 49ers, 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)
- Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Chargers, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)
Monday
- Las Vegas Raiders at Detroit Lions, 8:15 p.m. ET (ABC/ESPN)
Talkin' football 🗣
- It's a Football Podcast: Paste BN Sports NFL insiders Safid Deen and Tyler Dragon dish on the latest hot topics surrounding the league. This week's podcast ponders which teams are for real after seven weeks of play.
- NFL Facebook group: Run a post route to The Ruling Off the Field 🏈 to engage in friendly debate and conversation with football fans 🏟.
If you enjoy reading 4th & Monday 📰, encourage your football fan friends to subscribe 📱. Follow the wonderfully winsome writer of this newsletter on X, formerly Twitter, @jimreineking ✖ or Threads @jimreineking.