The NFL Roundup 2018: Week 8

Written by John Edward Betancourt

In many ways, the halfway point of the NFL season represents a proverbial peak for just about every team out there. Because at this point in the year, many teams and their fans can see the horizon beyond the top of the proverbial mountain, and before them is either an easy path toward glory, or a road filled with gloom and doom as some teams prepare themselves for next season. But for some teams, their path is still unclear, and the games ahead matter plenty and well, that’s what we will be focusing on to a certain degree today, which teams are still in the fight as the playoff push prepares to begin. So, without further ado, let’s break down the top stories looming over Week 8 in the NFL, and the most fascinating games to watch come this weekend.
 
Can the Denver Broncos shock the world with a win over Kansas City?
While some have written off Denver’s win against Arizona as a gimmie due to the fact that the Cardinals are just that bad, let’s be honest, the Broncos came to play. They stepped it up on both sides of the ball and well, one has to wonder as to whether or not they can repeat that kind of performance this week and beat the Kansas City Chiefs on their own home turf and the answer to that question, is maybe. Because in order to beat one of the league’s best teams, they’re not only going to need to bring that inspired energy to the field once again, they need to in essence finish what they started on Monday Night a few weeks ago and play stout run defense for a change, and find a way to keep Mahomes from getting into a rhythm, and if Denver can accomplish that, they’ll snag their biggest victory of the season. But if they waver or falter, then expect KC to feast on their mistakes and keep on rolling.
 
Will the Jaguars be able to play as a team this weekend?
Any way you slice it, the Jacksonville Jaguars are a mess right now. QB Blake Bortles has regressed, the team is fighting in the locker room and the franchise is stuck in a losing streak right now which means, this team has to unify and play as a unit if they expect to stop this skid from getting any larger. But can they do that? I honestly don’t know. Because at this point, it seems as though when one thing goes wrong, this team instantly folds and crumbles and that’s on the players and their mental toughness. So, at this point, the team’s fate is in the players’ hands and it should be interesting to see if they rise to the occasion and play their hearts out, or if they continue to sulk and huff on the sidelines.
 
Is this the week the Cleveland Browns finally put it together on offense?
The Browns have been quite the conundrum this year. They’re loaded with talent, they can make plays, but their record is outright embarrassing, and they have lost games they should have won. Which all boils down to poor coaching, because the coaches need to put their players into position to close out games properly and well, I honestly don’t have a clue if this is the week when the Browns finally make some magic happen because they’re just so woefully inconsistent. So, if you see Cleveland making a hard push on defense and assembling some quality and sustained drives, then they are indeed putting it all together. But if the score stays level, and the game ends in heartbreak, then I suppose it will be business as usual in the Land. 

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The Most Fascinating Games to Watch This Weekend 

Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans
NRG Stadium – Houston, TX
Thursday Night Football – 8:20 p.m. EST
​NFL Network/Fox/Amazon

It’s strange to find myself fascinated by a game featuring these two teams because normally, they stink and stink hard. But, this year, has been vastly different and Miami has put together some powerhouse offensive games as have the Texans and well, this is shaping up to be quite the matchup when all is said and done. Because you simply cannot go wrong with two high powered offenses taking the field since that could lead to quite the shootout. But while this game has the potential for a high scoring affair, my guess is that it will come to down to whichever defense is able buckle down and slow the bleeding and I have a feeling that’s going to be the Texans since they’ve been able to shut down opposing offenses whenever necessary, and they outright stymied the Jaguars last week, and I wholly expect them to feast up the Dolphins O in this one. 

Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum – Los Angeles, CA
4:25 p.m. EST – FOX 

While the Los Angeles Rams have been incredibly fun to watch this year, and I fully expect them to wow us with another offensive showing, this game is fascinating because of the Green Bay Packers. Because Green Bay is a team that is better than their record reflects and well, this is a grand opportunity for them to show the entire football world that they are a true playoff contender by knocking off the Rams. Which means, that if the Packers can figure out how to shut down Todd Gurley, and remove any and all passing opportunities for Jared Goff, then there’s a solid chance that they can win this one since Aaron Rodgers will do this thing regardless of the score. But in all honesty, I expect the Rams to walk out of this one the winner since they are so ridiculously talented, but I also get the feeling that Green Bay is going to make them earn this win. 

New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings
U.S. Bank Stadium – Minnesota, MN
Sunday Night Football – 8:20 p.m. EST – NBC 

The Vikings started off this season under the radar and in anemic fashion, but eventually they found their stride and new QB Kirk Cousins started to jell with his teammates and they have been on quite the tear since everything came together and this quality team gets to host and face off against the red hot Saints who are firing on all eight cylinders and well, I expect this game to be quite the awesome matchup, simply because we get to watch a pair of dynamic quarterbacks do their thing and while I don’t expect this one to be a shootout, because both defenses are stout, I am expecting this game to come down to a big time touchdown from whichever quarterback finally figures out the weakness of the opposing defense and if I had to guess, I’d hedge my bets on the New Orleans Saints winning this one, simply because Drew Brees has seen it all…