The NFL schedule in Week 8 of the 2018 season is highlighted by two massive NFC games that will cap Sunday's slate of action. First, in the late afternoon kickoff window, the Packers travel to Los Angeles to face the undefeated Rams. Green Bay has never been as big of an underdog during Aaron Rodgers' tenure than it is this week. The Sunday night game pits the Saints against the Vikings in a rematch of last year's divisional playoff game and its historic ending. MORE: Watch the NFL live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial) Also featured on the Week 8 schedule is Eagles vs. Jaguars in London — a big game for both reeling teams. Below is the full schedule for Week 8 of the 2018 NFL season. (All times ET)<doc-sep>Even though it seems like there’s going to be a flood of activity ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, it’s nearly impossible to figure out which teams are buying and which are selling. There’s far too much mediocrity in the league for too many teams to consider themselves definitively out of the playoff picture. The Oakland Raiders and the New York Giants are selling. The Buffalo Bills probably should as well, but they’ve yet to enter the market. Who else does that leave? If the Indianapolis Colts beat the Raiders on Sunday, they’ll improve to 3-5 in a pretty pedestrian AFC South. Are they out of it? There are 13 teams with three wins, so we have very little idea which are good or bad yet outside of a few outliers. Two games this weekend will help us better understand good teams—the New Orleans Saints vs. the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams vs. the Green Bay Packers. Others will help us decide which average teams will remain in contention—the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, for instance. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking, but here’s hoping the season will start to reveal itself Sunday and we’ll have a clearer sense of what the playoff picture looks like heading toward the midway point. (Spoiler alert: We won’t). The Saints and Vikings vs. the Salary Cap Reporter: Is Kirk Cousins the best businessman in the NFL? Saints DE Cam Jordan: “I’d say so. I mean, no. There’s other quarterbacks that are stealing almost as much.” — Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) October 25, 2018 Kirk Cousins is not stealing money. In fact, both quarterbacks in this game are examples of how a team can contend with an expensive quarterback in a league where it is becoming increasingly common to build a contender with a young quarterback on a cost-effective contract. Drew Brees has made $221.7 million in his career, and Cousins, who is not as good as Brees, will make $130.6 million after his fully guaranteed contract expires in 2020. The Vikings and the Saints have the lowest cap space in the league—the Vikings with $1.2 million and the Saints with an astounding $924,000 in space. For comparison’s sake, the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans, both featuring former first-round QBs still on rookie deals, each have around $25 million in space. Brees and Cousins are both showing it’s possible to have a deep roster and an expensive quarterback. You’ve just got to find bargains elsewhere. For the Vikings, that includes Adam Thielen’s $6.1 million deal; for the Saints, it’s Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara—both of whom will make less than $1.4 million this year. Both quarterbacks have exerted their considerable leverage, and it worked out for player and team—I detailed Cousins’s journey to that contract earlier this season. Brees’s quarterback rating is 132 when targeting Michael Thomas. I found this incredible, but as I dug deeper into the Saints’ matchup against the Vikings, I realized that figure is only 10 points higher than his regular passer rating. Brees is on track to complete at least 70 percent of his passes and 8 yards per attempt in a season for the fourth time in his career. That feat has been achieved just four other times in the history of the sport. The Saints have won five straight since getting run over by the FitzMagic train and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 1. They’re in the midst of a grueling portion of their schedule—the Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens the last two weeks, with the Vikings and Rams up next—but at the moment I would consider them alongside the Kansas City Chiefs, Rams, and New England Patriots as the league’s elite teams. Sunday’s game offers some nice matchups that will probably be relevant in January: Can the Saints’ secondary stop Thielen and Stefon Diggs? Can the Vikings’ struggling linebacker crew stop Kamara? Can a Minnesota secondary that just lost Mike Hughes slow down Brees? Are the Saints super pissed off about the Minneapolis Miracle? As with most teams this season, I have more questions than answers. Hopefully a few are answered Sunday night. Tom Brady vs. the Bills’ Quarterback Situation In a television interview a few months ago, the boxer Anthony Joshua said he thinks the sign of an elite athlete is to be so good that you make a professional look like an amateur. This is easier to do in a one-on-one matchup in a fighting sport than it is in a team sport. Bad cornerbacks can get safety help. A worthless basketball player can silently set screens and never call for the ball. It’s especially difficult when two people are not on the field at the same time. But if it is possible for a professional to make his counterpart look completely helpless in comparison, it will happen when Tom Brady takes the field against the Bills. Buffalo has three of the 10 worst quarterbacks in football according to Football Outsiders, including the worst (Josh Allen) and the third worst (Nathan Peterman). The ninth worst is nursing an injury: Derek Anderson was limited in practice for the Bills with back and calf injuries. Chris Ivory was also limited with a hamstring injury. — Matthew Fairburn (@MatthewFairburn) October 25, 2018 The Bills, who have thus far produced the worst offense through seven weeks in the history of the NFL, will share a field with probably the greatest passer ever, a player who bends the league to his will. The Bills cannot manage even barely adequate quarterback play, yet Tom Brady seems to have solved … behind-the-back quarterback passes? Could the behind-the-back pass, a staple in basketball, be making its way to the football field? Tom Brady experiments in Thursday’s practice. pic.twitter.com/RjWl0nikHL — Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 25, 2018 Also, I doubt Bills quarterbacks would be good at whatever this is: And the No. 1 overall pick in the 2030 NFL Draft is ... Jack Brady, Michigan. pic.twitter.com/UdusWsjTk0 — Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis) October 25, 2018 Blake Bortles Against the Eagles Defense Bortles is just part of a multitude of problems facing the Jaguars.<doc-sep>ONE of the most exciting teams in the league take on one of the most reliable in our game of the week - see a full wrap of what to expect in the NFL this week here. SEVEN straight wins, and the Rams are not getting the love ... Sean McVay’s football team has taken on all comers, and disposed of most of them quite easily. Not only does L.A. deserve as much coverage as Patrick Mahomes or the Le’Veon Bell saga, but they are darn interesting ... especially this week. They face the Packers and Aaron Rodgers in what will be the first meeting between Cal quarterbacks since Vince Ferragamo’s Rams beat Steve Bartkowski’s Falcons in 1983. The Rams are also trying to go 8-0 for the first time in franchise history. They started 7-0 in 1978 and 1985, but lost the next game in both seasons. They were also shut-out in the NFC Championship Game in both seasons. This week Green Bay will try to shut the door on their undefeated season. The Packers first played the Los Angeles Rams at the Coliseum in 1946, and the teams have played a few important contests over the years. For instance, the 1967 Divisional playoff, which Green Bay won, advancing to the 1967 NFL title Game -- the “Ice Bowl.” Or there was the 2001 Divisional affair in St. Louis, when Brett Favre chucked six interceptions. This week’s Game Picks are below. Your take on any one of them is welcome: www.Twitter.com/HarrisonNFL is the place. Elliot Harrison went 10-4 on his predictions for Week 7, bringing his record for the season to 70-35-2. How will he fare in Week 8? His picks are below. Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans. Picture: Getty Images FRIDAY, OCT. 26 Houston Texans 26, Miami Dolphins 17 11:20am (AEDT) (ESPN1) | NRG Stadium (Houston) Let’s hope this game is slightly more competitive than last week’s Broncos-Cardinals blowout. Picking the Texans to win at home after their gritty victory in Jacksonville. Deshaun Watson should have recovered from his injury at least a wee bit more, although the fact that he has to play on a short week is concerning. Enter the debate over the viability of Thursday night games when it comes to franchise health. Watson’s wubby: a defence that is currently eighth in average points allowed (20.6). Miami must thwart former porpoise Lamar Miller, who crawled (flippered) out from his underwater cave to run for 100 yards last week. Looks as though Brock Osweiler will have the opportunity to show the Texans what they’ve been missing. Uhh, I will let you run with that. Tight end Zach Ertz #86 of the Philadelphia Eagles catches a first-down pass as he tackled by strong safety Eric Reid #25 of the Carolina Panthers. Picture: Getty Images MONDAY OCT. 29 Philadelphia Eagles 23, Jacksonville Jaguars 13 12:30am AEDT (ESPN1) | Wembley Stadium (London, England) How disappointing would a 7-9 follow-up act to an exhilarating Super Bowl win be? That’s where the Eagles are headed if they don’t turn the offence around quick. You can’t play the lowly Giants every week. Philadelphia’s main struggles on that side of the ball start with turnovers, where they’re tied for the league lead with eight fumbles lost. They can’t stay on the field, either, going three-and-out 24.1 per cent of the time, fifth-worst in the league. Thus, the opposing offence gets the ball back quickly while the Eagles’ vaunted front four tires out. ... Witness what happened against the Panthers last week. Luckily, they face a Jaguars outfit playing musical chairs at quarterback (although they’re sticking with Blake Bortles as the starter) in an offence in far more disarray than Doug Pederson’s. Philadelphia evens its record this week. Eric Fisher #72 of the Kansas City Chiefs pretends to provide CPR to teammate Tyreek Hill #10 as a touchdown celebration. Picture: Getty Images Kansas City Chiefs 30, Denver Broncos 14 4:00am AEDT (NFL.com and NFL Redzone ESPN1) | Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City, Mo.) Are the Broncos back in contention? Perhaps, but they will lose this week. They’ve had since last Friday to prepare for Patrick Mahomes and the most dynamic offence in the league. Denver will also find out, oh, about seven seconds into Kansas City’s first possession that it’s a different deal playing Andy Reid’s team at Arrowhead. The Broncos’ defence managed to hold Mahomes in check for three quarters when these division rivals met in Denver earlier this month, yet struggled with Kareem Hunt. Hunt has looked downright explosive the last couple of weeks, especially on that deep catch-and-run against the Patriots. Vance Joseph’s group could do itself a massive favour by establishing Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman early, but I don’t see that being enough to win in Kansas City. Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (19) catches a pass against Cincinnati Bengals defensive back Darqueze Dennard (21). Picture: AP Photo Pittsburgh Steelers 34, Cleveland Browns 22 4:00am AEDT (NFL.com and NFL Redzone ESPN1)| Heinz Field (Pittsburgh) The Browns almost pulled off the home upset in their season-opening tie against the Steelers, until they were done in by their scary kicking game. Appropriate, given that Halloween is approaching, and appropriate to mention given how kickers have struggled at Heinz Field over the years. Cleveland must avoid settling for field goals in this contest as Pittsburgh has woken from its slumber. Even without Le’Veon Bell, their offensive attack is still top-shelf. The Steelers pace the league in scoring from inside the 30 and yards after the catch -- two significant categories -- while ranking fifth in points per game at a robust 28.5. Quietly, JuJu Smith-Schuster is tearing up the league while Bell dominates headlines and Antonio Brown commands constant attention. The New York Giants’ season is pretty much already over. Picture: Getty Images Washington Redskins 20, New York Giants 17 4:00am AEDT (NFL.com and NFL Redzone ESPN1) | MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.) Division road games are never easy affairs.<doc-sep>The Los Angeles Rams return home this weekend where they’ll host the Green Bay Packers, who are coming off of a bye week. The Rams, on the other hand, just rattled off three straight wins on the road and sit at 7-0. This is arguably the biggest game yet for the Rams, facing an up-and-down Packers team that’s always in contention with Aaron Rodgers healthy. While the game is certainly deserving of a primetime slot, it’ll be a 4:25 p.m. ET start on FOX. The game will be televised almost nationally, but you can check the map from 506 Sports below to see if it’ll be on in your area. Apologies to those forced to watch Cardinals-49ers instead. The Packers are 7-2 coming off of bye weeks with Rodgers starting, so that’s what the Rams are up against on Sunday. However, Green Bay hasn’t won back-to-back games since Weeks 13 and 14 of last year. This is sure to be one of the games of the week, even if the Rams are big favorites.<doc-sep>
Mitchell Leff/Getty Images The Week 8 NFL slate kicks off with a Thursday Night Football tilt between the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans and ends with a Monday Night Football matchup between the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills. With all due respect to those four teams, the best action arrives on Sunday with numerous matchups offering excellent entertainment value. Here's a look ahead at the entire Week 8 schedule alongside a coverage map and three games to watch. Week 8 TV and Live-Stream Schedule Miami Dolphins at Houston Texans: Thursday, 8:20 p.m. ET (Fox, NFL Network, Prime Video and Fox Sports Go) Philadelphia Eagles at Jacksonville Jaguars in Wembley Stadium, London: Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET (NFL Network and Prime Video) Baltimore Ravens at Carolina Panthers: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS and CBS All Access) Video Play Button Videos you might like Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS and CBS All Access) Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS and CBS All Access) New York Jets at Chicago Bears: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (CBS and CBS All Access) Seattle Seahawks at Detroit Lions: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox and Fox Sports Go) Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox and Fox Sports Go) Washington Redskins at New York Giants: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (Fox and Fox Sports Go) Indianapolis Colts at Oakland Raiders: Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS and CBS All Access) Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Rams: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox and Fox Sports Go) San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals: Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox and Fox Sports Go) New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings: Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC and NBC Sports app) New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills: Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN and WatchESPN) Week 8 TV Coverage Map (Via 506 Sports) Top 3 Games To Watch 3. Baltimore Ravens at Carolina Panthers First team to 20 points wins? That's a possibility as the Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers have excellent defensive talent. The Ravens are first in fewest points allowed, while the Panthers have one of the century's best linebackers in Luke Kuechly in addition to defensive tackle Kawann Short, excellent rookie cornerback Donte Jackson and future Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Julius Peppers. However, the two players to watch the most are both wide receivers. For Baltimore, it's John Brown, who is one of the more exciting players in the game. He has caught 28 passes this year for 558 yards and four touchdowns, or an average of 19.9 yards per reception. That mark is third-best in the NFL. Rick Osentoski/Associated Press On the Carolina side, it's second-year pro Curtis Samuel, a dual threat who can take a handoff around the end to the house or make plays in the open field following a catch. He's scored touchdowns in two of his last three games, and both proved to be huge as Carolina won those contests by a combined six points. Those two are the most likely game-breakers and ones both defenses have to watch closely. 2. New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings As you may have heard a thousand times over, this is a rematch of the "Minneapolis Miracle" NFC divisional round matchup. However, things will be a bit different this time around. The New Orleans Saints offense is still dominant, but the defense has regressed and allowed six yards per play, which is tied for seventh-worst in football. Still, New Orleans is 5-1 and has won five straight. Keep an eye out for rookie wideout Tre'Quan Smith, an excellent deep threat who could be the X-factor. He had three catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns in his second career start (a Week 5 matchup versus the Washington Redskins). Wesley Hitt/Getty Images The Minnesota Vikings have a new quarterback in Kirk Cousins, who has completed 70 percent of his passes and thrown 14 touchdowns to just three interceptions. He and wideout Adam Thielen have a tremendous rapport, so much so that the pass-catcher has seven straight 100-yard games to his name. Like the Saints, the Vikings defense has taken a step back (14th in points allowed this year compared to No. 1 in the league last year). However, the team has three straight wins, with the defense allowing just 16 points per game. 1.