5 NFL Week 8 Games To Keep An Eye On

NFL Week 8, wow. We’re halfway through the sport that ruins my Sundays. Let’s look at which games are worth keeping an eye on this week:

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-3) @ Buffalo Bills (4-3)

The Buffalo Bills are quickly becoming my favorite team of the 2023 NFL season. Josh Allen has all the talent in the world perfectly paired with the decision-making skills of the guy you went to high school with who stands by the highway on-ramp with a sign asking for money.

Now he’s playing on Thursday night with even less time to prepare for the opposing defense. Josh Allen is about to break a single-game turnover record.

And what makes this game even better is knowing the Bills defense is second in the NFL in sacks. There is something special about seeing Baker Mayfield get obliterated by linebackers twice his size. Leonard Floyd is going to treat Baker like The Hulk did Loki.

2. New York Jets (3-3) @ New York Giants (2-5)

The battle of the New York teams of New Jersey.

This is the most important game of the year for the Long Island contractors who spend their Sundays at O’Malleys of Flaningans or [insert name of the most Irish bar ever opened] and yell at the TVs as if everyone is there to watch them watch the game.

As a Giants fan, I am excited to see Zach Wilson out there staring down one receiver every dropback and then just having no clue what to do if that receiver isn’t wide open. I’m going to need a typical Zach Wilson game on Sunday because Daniel Jones is coming back after we just saw Tyrod Taylor perform better than Jones had been so far this season.

Daniel Jones vs. Zach Wilson. My stummy hurts.

3. Houston Texans (3-3) @ Carolina Panthers (0-6)

Bryce Young vs. CJ Stroud.

The first overall pick for the second.

One team is square in the middle of the AFC playoff picture and the other team fucking sucks.

One of these quarterbacks is in the Top 10 of almost every major statistical category and the other quarterback looks like he’s playing Super Smash Bros at his older cousin’s house just getting his ass beat every round because he doesn’t understand how his controller works.

This is one of those games where you learn about a guy. You want your franchise QB to look across the field, see the player he’ll forever be compared to and become inspired to put on a Hall of Fame-level performance.

Let’s see if Bryce Young is even capable of that.

4. Kansas City Chiefs (6-1) @ Denver Broncos (2-5)

You can complain about Taylor Swift’s presence dominating NFL broadcasts but you also can’t deny that Chiefs games have a different heir of importance this season.

Travis Kelce becoming an international superstar matters. Seeing how he’ll perform in front of the biggest pop star in the world when he is clearly desperate to maintain his newfound level of celebrity is fascinating TV.

And speaking of Taylor Swift, I don’t watch many Broncos games and I imagine neither does Ciara but if she’s in Denver this Sunday, we are going to see more shots at celebrities than the other game.

For all the bad football sickos out there: get ready for all eyes on Russell Wilson. Something hilarious is coming from this game.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (3-3) @ San Francisco 49ers (5-2)

Perhaps this is just a result of my own football sickness but I was ecstatic when I saw Brock Purdy going through concussion protocols. Thoughts and prayers and may the lord carry him now but I instantly thought about his backup.

Sam Darnold with the fumble, the recovery and the rolling TD.

Unique.

🎥:@NFL pic.twitter.com/K6FEOroGUK

— The Riot Report (@RRiotReport) November 27, 2022

It’s Sam Darnold time, motherfucker.

At USC, he led the Pac-12 in yards. He also led the Pac-12 in interceptions. He almost went no. 1 overall and fell to the Jets. Then he got mono from kissing too many girls. Bill Belichick and the Patriots made Darnold see ghosts and broke his brain forever. The Carolina Panthers traded 3 draft picks to bring in Darnold. He would lose the starting job to Cam Newton—who looked like he forgot how to play football the season prior and to Baker Mayfield—who was drafted before Darnold and can’t see over the offensive line.

We’ve seen 49ers head coach, Kyle Shanahan, turn the most regular ass guys into 400-yard flamethrowers. Nick Mullins threw for 404 yards and 2 touchdowns under Shanahan and if you don’t know who Nick Mullens is then exactly.

Time to see Sam Darnold in the perfect situation. We haven’t had an interesting quarterback controversy in a while. Darnold vs. Purdy. Who is the best at following Shanahan’s very specific directions??