New York Jets owner Woody Johnson publicly criticized the team’s quarterback play, putting pressure on the winless team.
The Denver Broncos will test their eight-game home winning streak against the Dallas Cowboys’ top-ranked offense.
Aaron Rodgers will face his former team, the Green Bay Packers, for the first time in his career.
The Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots are each on four-game winning streaks, the longest active streaks in the NFL entering Week 8.
Chicago travels to Baltimore to face a desperate Ravens club. The Broncos will put their winning streak on the line against a potent Dallas Cowboys offense. Meanwhile, the Patriots begin a two-game homestand this week as they host the Cleveland Browns.
The 6-1 Indianapolis Colts have the best record in the NFL entering Week 8. Colts RB Jonathan Taylor, who’s an early NFL Offensive Player of the Year candidate, leads the league with 697 rushing yards and 10 rushing TDs.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, the New York Jets are still searching for their first win.
USA TODAY Sports explores things to watch in NFL Week 8.
Jets response after owner Woody Johnson blasts QB play
The Jets seemed poised to make a quarterback change after Johnson’s criticism of Justin Fields.
‘It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that we’ve got,’ Johnson said, via Newsday’s Tom Rock. ‘He’s got the ability, but something is not jibing.
‘If you look at any head coach with a quarterback like that, you’re going to see similar results.’
However, Tyrod Taylor, the top candidate to replace Fields, is dealing with a knee injury.
Whoever does start for the Jets this Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals will be under a microscope following Johnson’s criticism. Johnson clearly believes the quarterback position is holding the team back.
‘It doesn’t bother me,’ Fields said to reporters in response to Johnson’s comments. “Of course, everybody knows I need to play better and we need to play better as a team. No matter how the offense does as a unit, I’m going to get the blame. And I understand that, that’s just what comes with the job. You can’t let anything affect your mind.
“No matter if it’s him, no matter if it’s family members, even teammates, sometimes there’s going to be times where you have to be the only one who believes in yourself.’
How will Giants rebound after Week 7 fourth-quarter collapse and can they sweep Philly?
The Giants surrendered 33 fourth-quarter points in last week’s collapse to the Broncos. Denver’s 33 fourth-quarter points are tied for the second-most points scored by one team in a fourth quarter in NFL history, per NFL Research.
New York doesn’t have time to dwell on its Week 7 meltdown because they face the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles who they defeated already just a couple weeks ago.
“I pride myself on trying not to let things in the past effect what I’m going to do in the future. As a team, we can’t let that happen. We’ve got to find ways to finish games, we’ve got to find ways to win games and get on a roll,’ Giants QB Jaxson Dart said. ‘We have to be very present in each moment that we have, we have to play each game individually as hard as we can to make sure that things like last week didn’t happen, don’t happen.”
Since the road loss to New York, the Eagles seem to have jumpstarted what was a lethargic passing attack despite A.J. Brown’s cryptic Instagram post. The Eagles compiled a season-high 361 total yards and Jalen Hurts had his first 300-yard passing game of the year.
“From a macro perspective, look at the games that we did come up short in and maybe the opportunities we missed over the season as we enter the halfway mark, there all things that we can control,” Hurts said. “Just controlling those things.”
Must-win game for Ravens?
At 1-5, Baltimore faces what’s likely a must-win game against Chicago.
“We’re looking forward to it. We just want to play our best football. We want to execute, we want to be physical, we want to be sharp, we want to be good,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “We are playing a very good team and we are looking forward to that.”
The good news for the Ravens is Lamar Jackson returned to practice after injuring his hamstring more than three weeks ago. However, Jackson’s status for Sunday is still uncertain.
Jackson’s recorded a 24-3 career record against NFC teams. His .889 winning percentage is the highest by a QB against the opposing conference since 1970 (with a minimum 10 starts), per NFL Research.
The upstart Bears have won four straight games. Chicago leads the NFL with 16 takeaways.
Broncos put home winning streak on line vs. hot Cowboys offense
Last week, the Broncos became first team since 1970 to overcome a deficit of 18 or more points with six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and win in regulation, via NFL Research.
Denver’s epic comeback was in the Mile High City, a place where they’ve thrived. Dating back to last season, the Broncos have won eight straight home games, the longest active home winning streak in the NFL.
The Broncos defense leads the NFL with 34 sacks, and they currently rank third in total defense.
But Denver’s stingy defense faces a tough test against Dak Prescott and the Cowboys.
Dallas enters Week 8 with the top total offense, in the NFL, with Prescott ranking second in passing yards this season.
“They’re pretty efficient. They nearly lead the league in all the passing numbers, all the passing charts. So they have a balanced game, too,” Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II said of the Cowboys this week. “They’re very good in the run as well. So it’s going to be a pretty good challenge. We know what they bring to the table. We just have to gameplan the right way.”
Aaron Rodgers faces former team for first time
Sunday night will feature Rodgers’ first career start versus the franchise that selected him in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft.
The 41-year-old quarterback can become the fifth starting quarterback ever to earn a win against each of the NFL’s 32 teams with a victory against his former team, per NFL Research.
“He looks like he can still do anything. What’s surprising for such an old man, he’s still moving around pretty good, too. You’ve seen it in multiple games,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said of Rodgers. “The arm strength is still plenty there…It’s still pretty impressive what he can do.”
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