PFT's Week 8 2024 NFL Game Preview: Cowboys and 49ers in a must-win game

The new weekly pregame feature got a second week because: (1) you seemed to like it; and (2) I feel like doing it.

Week 8 has no byes. All 32 teams play. Two played as usual on Thursday evening. Here's a snapshot of the remaining 15 games.

Only one team is still undefeated: the Chiefs at 6-0. It's the deepest defeat for a reigning Super Bowl champion since the 2019 Patriots went undefeated into the next season, going 7-0 before ultimately losing at home to the Titans in the wild-card round.

For our official Week 8 game tips: Click here. For more, here we go. . . .

Week 8 2024 NFL Game Preview

4-2 Eagles at 3-4 Bengals (-2) Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS (Ian Eagle and Charles Davis)

Receiver AJ Brown has scored a touchdown in each of the three games he has played this year, and the Eagles have won all of them. But the story for the Philly offense has been Saquon Barkley, who is averaging 109.7 rushing yards per game.

The Bengals, like the Eagles, beat the Giants and Browns in consecutive weeks. They have won three of four games since starting 0-3. They are also 0-3 at home this season, but 11-2 against the NFC since 2022.

5-2 Ravens (-8.5) at 1-6 Browns, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS (Tom McCarthy, Ross Tucker and Jay Feely)

Baltimore has averaged 35 points per game during its five-game winning streak. They lead the league with 1,476 rushing yards and average 461.4 yards per game on offense. With 150 rushing yards on Sunday, Baltimore is the first team since the 1960 Packers with 150 or more rushing yards in each of the first eight games of a season.

The Browns will start Jameis Winston at quarterback on Sunday, the first game of 2024 without Deshaun Watson. Oddly enough, Winston was dropped to No. 3 in the first of three straight home games in Cleveland last week.

The Ravens (formerly the Browns) are 25-7 against the newly formed Browns since John Harbaugh became head coach in 2008.

1-5 Titans at 5-1 Lions (-11), Sunday 1 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Kugler and Daryl Johnston)

Jared Goff could become the first quarterback in league history to post a passer rating of 140 or higher in four straight games. He will be without receiver Jameson Williams, who is serving a two-game PED suspension.

And the Titans will buck another trend as double-digit underdogs. Teams that play the Lions are 0-5 the following week.

The Titans traded receiver DeAndre Hopkins this week, indicating they may trade away other veterans before the Nov. 5 deadline.

4-3 Colts at 5-2 Texans (-5), Sunday 1 p.m. ET, CBS (Andrew Catalon and Tiki Barber)

It's a rematch of a division rivalry. Houston defeated the Colts 29-17 in Week 1. But if the Texans fail for the second week in a row, the Colts will be tied at the top of the AFC South.

CJ Stroud had a career-low 86 yards rushing in Green Bay.

Running back Jonathan Taylor will return for the Colts on Sunday after missing three games with an ankle injury. He averages 87.3 rushing yards per game.

5-2 Packers (-4) at 2-5 Jaguars, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox (Kenny Albert and Jonathan Vilma)

Jacksonville returns from a two-game trip to London to face one of the best teams in the league. Green Bay has won five of six games. Quarterback Jordan Love has 15 touchdown passes despite missing two games due to injury.

Kicker Brandon McManus, who scored the game-winning goal against Houston in Week 7, returns to Jacksonville; The Jaguars released him earlier this year.

The Packers lead the NFL with 17 takeaways, although they had none in Week 7. In all of 2023 they had 18.

3-4 Cardinals at 2-4 Dolphins (-3.5), Sunday 1 p.m. ET, Fox (Jason Benetti and Mark Schlereth)

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is back after missing four games due to his recent concussion. Without him, the offensive stagnated.

Miami has scored just six touchdowns this season, the fewest in the NFL.

The Cardinals, who beat the Chargers on a walk-off field goal in Week 7, have not won consecutive games since 2021. A short week plus a long flight plus a rejuvenated Dolphins offense will combine to create a real problem for Arizona, which is currently tied for second place in the NFC West with the 49ers and Rams.

2-5 Jets (-7) at 1-6 Patriots, Sunday 1 p.m. ET, CBS (Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta)

The Patriots are off to their worst start since Robert Kraft bought the team in 1994. After coach Jerod Mayo said the Patriots were “soft.” . . Will they prevail after the poor defeat against the Jaguars in London?

The Jets have lost four straight and are 0-2 since the surprise firing of coach Robert Saleh. They are seeking three straight wins against New England, which would be their longest streak since four wins in 1999-2001. That streak ended in the game where Mo Lewis hit Drew Bledsoe, which launched Tom Brady's career.

The Jets were accused by quarterback Aaron Rodgers and receiver Davante Adams of lacking energy in a Week 7 prime-time loss to the Steelers. New York is facing a Sunday-Thursday turnaround for the second time this year; Houston comes to town for a Halloween game.

4-5 Falcons (-2.5) at 4-3 Buccaneers, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Fox (Adam Amin and Greg Olsen)

Three weeks and changes after an overtime classic on Thursday night, the Falcons meet the Bucs at a time when they will be without their two best receivers. Despite coming off their worst game of the year (a 20-point loss to Seattle), the Falcons took control of the division with a win – a game ahead and a head-to-head tiebreaker.

Kirk Cousins ​​​​had three turnovers against the Seahawks.

The Bucs will be releasing their popular Creamsicle throwbacks. They need to play much better than they have for most of the time they served as the team's primary jersey.

2-5 Saints at 3-3 Chargers (-7), Sunday 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox (Chris Myers and Mark Sanchez)

The Saints have a four-day rest period for this game after playing on Thursday. The Chargers played on Monday.

And even though the Saints are getting healthier, they still don't have starting quarterback Derek Carr.

The Saints closed the door on a potential trade for running back Alvin Kamara by working out a new contract. Still, a loss could enable them to start selling other contracts before the deadline.

If the Chargers want to compete for a playoff spot in coach Jim Harbaugh's first season, they need to win games like this. They would have beaten the Cardinals if any of their five field goals had been touchdowns instead.

5-2 Bills (-3) at 4-3 Seahawks, Sunday 4:05 p.m. ET, Fox (Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady)

Josh Allen is putting together a potential MVP season. Receiver Amari Cooper could help that cause. As Allen told PFT after the Week 7 loss to the Titans, he will look elsewhere when the coverage shifts to Cooper. If not, he throws to Cooper.

The Seahawks, who snapped a three-game winning streak, hold a one-game lead in the NFC West. Entering Week 8, Seattle quarterback Geno Smith leads the league with 1,985 yards. Receiver DK Metcalf, third in the league with 568 yards, is week-to-week with a knee injury. He is questionable for Sunday's game.

Tom Brady works the regional game; The Bills wanted him to attend production meetings, but the NFL refused to let Buffalo waive the restrictions placed on the Raiders' new minority owner.

1-6 Panthers at 4-3 Broncos (-9.5), Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS (Chris Lewis and Jason McCourty)

Bryce Young is back, but only because Andy Dalton has an injured thumb. There's no reason to think it's going well.

The Broncos can move to 5-3, which would make Bo Nix the winningest rookie quarterback in franchise history and break a current four-game tie with John Elway and Drew Lock.

Denver coach Sean Payton is 25-7 against NFC South teams since 2017 and 2-0 this year.

6-0 Chiefs (-10) at 2-5 Raiders, Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS (Kevin Harlan and Trent Green)

The Chiefs haven't lost a game since their loss to the Raiders on Christmas Day. And while they continue to win, the offense has been far from spectacular. This week, the Chiefs traded receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Titans, who will play on Sunday.

The Raiders have turned back to Gardner Minshew at quarterback. His replacement, Aidan O'Connell, is injured with a broken thumb on his throwing hand.

Andy Reid is 18-4 against the Raiders during his tenure in Kansas City. The Chiefs have never lost in Las Vegas, with four wins over the Raiders and a Super Bowl win over the 49ers.

4-2 Bears (-2.5) at 5-2 Commanders, Sunday 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS (Jim Nantz and Tony Romo)

The Bears will definitely take the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. The question is whether he will be the second man in 2024 or 2015. Jayden Daniels is questionable with a rib injury. Marcus Mariota will get the starting job if Daniels can't go.

The Bears had a week off to prepare for this game, which was moved to the big late afternoon slot on CBS. The Bears have won three straight; During the streak, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has seven touchdown passes and one interception.

3-3 Cowboys at 3-4 49ers (-4), Sunday 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC (Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth)

It's probably a game that both teams absolutely have to win. Both have struggled with injuries and inconsistent play.

The Cowboys had an eventful sendoff. Owner/GM Jerry Jones threatened to fire radio hosts he did not employ, and Jones criticized game designs and concepts upon his return to the same show in an ESPN.com article discussing the Dallas habit of conducting Daily Fan tours. (In fact, Jones was happy about the story because it would get more people to take the tours.)

The 49ers lost receiver Brandon Aiyuk for the season due to a knee injury in a loss to the Chiefs. Receiver Deebo Samuel left early due to an illness that turned out to be pneumonia. It resulted in him being hospitalized; He is questionable due to illness and a wrist injury.

2-5 Giants at 5-2 Steelers (-6.5), Monday 8:15 p.m. ET, ABC (Joe Buck and Troy Aikman)

The Giants are 2-17 in prime time since 2019. Quarterback Daniel Jones was substituted for Drew Lock during a loss to the Eagles in Week 7. Jones said coach Brian Daboll told the team that Jones was the quarterback “forward.”

This week, co-owner John Mara said he doesn't expect to fire Daboll or GM Joe Schoen after the season.

At 6-2, the Steelers have a chance of a bye. Russell Wilson's first game as a Steeler went well against the Jets on Sunday night (after a slow start). They complete the evening's doubleheader of home games against teams from New York/New Jersey before beginning the final nine-game series, which includes all six division games, the Commanders, the Chiefs and the Eagles.