By the time Sunday rolls around, we will have officially reached November!
The NFL regular season is rapidly nearing its halfway point, and if the playoffs started today, seven out of eight NFC and AFC North teams would be in.
The Baltimore Ravens will look to keep northern dominance as they travel to Buffalo. The return of Lamar Jackson will give them a huge boost against the high-flying Buffalo Bills.
In the NFC North, the Detroit Lions host the Minnesota Vikings, who are now the only undefeated team in the league.
Another big divisional game is the Kansas City Chiefs vs Denver Broncos. The winner takes the lead in the AFC West.
Then, on Monday Night, a resurgent Seattle Seahawks play hosts to the Chicago Bears in one of the most anticipated primetime games this season.
Here, Sports News Blitz’s Josiah Burdsall makes his predictions for four big games this week.
Week 8 games broadcast in UK, October 30 - November 3
Friday
Carolina Panthers vs Green Bay Packers - Thursday night football - 12:15 am on Sky Sports NFL
Sunday
Baltimore Ravens vs Buffalo Bills - 6:00 pm on Sky Sports +
Minnesota Vikings vs Detroit Lions - 6:00 pm on Channel 5 Action
Cleveland Browns vs Pittsburgh Steelers - 6:00 pm on Sky Sports NFL
Los Angeles Chargers vs Los Angeles Rams - 8:05 pm on Sky Sports + (red button)
New England Patriots vs Miami Dolphins - 8:25 pm on Sky Sports NFL
Kansas City Chiefs vs Denver Broncos - 8:25 pm on Sky Sports + and Channel 5
Monday
Philadelphia Eagles vs Washington Commanders - Sunday Night football - 12:20 am on Sky Sports NFL
Tuesday
Chicago Bears vs Seattle Seahawks - Monday Night Football - 12:15 am on Sky Sports NFL
All games can be viewed on NFL Season Pass on DAZN.
Baltimore Ravens (4-3) vs Buffalo Bills (5-1)
Fun fact, three of the Ravens wins this year have been on the road. Maybe playing the game in Buffalo won’t be so bad.
Following a 4-1 start, Baltimore have lost their last two games, including a 35-13 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals.
In those two games, they failed to score even 14 points. Needless to say, the return of Lamar Jackson is welcome.
When you need a confidence boost, though, there’s no better defense to face than the Buffalo Bills.
Allowing 386.8 yards per game, and 28.5 points per game, there’s nothing new to say about the Buffalo defense, it’s really bad.
Many pundits have labelled the Bills as pretenders, but they are 5-1 right now.
Josh Allen has a glittering array of wide receivers around him. James Cook III leads one of the league’s best rushing attacks with 5.4 yards per carry.
Buffalo just keeps outsourcing their opponents, no matter how many points they need.
The Ravens’ secondary allowed 292 passing yards against the Bengals - DJ Moore and Keon Coleman will not be any easier to defend.
Prediction: Buffalo Bills win
Minnesota Vikings (6-0) vs Detroit Lions (4-2)
Who would’ve thought that seven weeks into the season, it would be the Minnesota Vikings top of the NFC.
Brian Flores has masterminded a bruising defense that’s allowed just 12.3 points per game. For reference, the famous 85 Bears defense allowed 12.4 points per game.
One caveat to this is the Vikings’ last four opponents. The Buccaneers, Saints, Dolphins and Colts are hardly the toughest opposition.
The Lions will be the toughest offense the Vikings have faced since week two against the Bears (who they did hold to three points).
Detroit matches up with the Vikings a lot better than you might think.
Jared Goff leads the NFL in yards per game with 298. He’s gotten 14 touchdowns and thrown zero interceptions.
The Vikings have blitzed an astonishing 70.8% of all plays, securing 21 sacks in the process.
Goff has been exceptional against blitzes though. Six of his 14 touchdowns have been on blitzes, and his passer rating is 112.5 when defenses send five players.
No offense has figured out how to break Minnesota’s defense yet. An offense led by Goff, Sam LaPorta, and Amon-Ra St Brown might stand a chance though.
Prediction: Minnesota Vikings win
Kansas City Chiefs (5-1) vs Denver Broncos (5-2)
Kansas City needs a rebound game.
Following a perfect 5-0 start, the Chiefs put in a performance only Cris Collinsworth could defend.
Against the Seahawks, the Chiefs got just three points, 11 first downs, and did not reach the red zone once.
Unfortunately for them, the Denver Broncos are also known for their great defense.
Time and time again, the Broncos have proven they can win ugly. Four of their five wins have been by one score.
Bo Nix has stopped throwing interceptions, but has a completion percentage of 59.2%, ranked 30th in the league.
The Chiefs have allowed the second fewest points in the league, so this could be another tough game for Bo Nix.
Whilst they struggled against the Seahawks, the Chiefs offense has otherwise done well. Kenneth Walker III is averaging 5.8 yards per carry, the best in the league.
This is a massive game for both teams, as the winner takes control of the AFC West.
Prediction: Kansas City Chiefs win
Chicago Bears (5-2) vs Seattle Seahawks (4-3)
Who said the Seahawks weren’t playing well?
Last week, Seattle finally looked like the team that won the Super Bowl.
Their defense was impenetrable, Jaxon Smith-Njigba was as incredible as always.
Now Quenton Nelson has been added to their line, which should give Sam Darnold more protection, and improve the run game.
They’ll need that help on the offensive line. Kyler Gordon came back for the Bears two weeks ago and already has four sacks.
On top of that, the Bears just traded for Jeffery Simmons from the Titans.
The Seahawks might find more joy through the air. The Bears have allowed 13.4 yards per catch, the worst in the NFL.
Chicago has gotten 10 turnovers, though, and Darnold has thrown eight interceptions this year.
Like Kyler Gordon, Caleb Williams has been dominant since his return. He threw for 300+ yards against the Falcons and Patriots.
The Bears have scored 123 points in the four games he’s started.
Against the ‘dark side’ defense that’s allowed the fewest yards-per-game in the league, it will be interesting to see if Williams can continue to put up the exceptional numbers he’s had.
Prediction: Seattle Seahawks win
NFL Week 8 accumulator
Buffalo Bills to beat Baltimore Ravens
Minnesota Vikings to beat Detroit Lions
Kansas City Chiefs to beat Denver Broncos
Seattle Seahawks to beat Chicago Bears
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