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The time of the NFL trade deadline is fast approaching. We’ve already seen a number of teams swing blockbuster trades ahead of November 1 – the last day teams can swap players and picks this season.
We’re featuring one team which did that – the San Francisco 49ers, who picked up a superstar in the form of running back Christian McCaffrey. He got his first touches in a Niners uniform last week and he’ll look to play a more dynamic role this week when they take on the Rams.
Elsewhere, the Buccaneers look to rebound against a struggling Ravens defense, the Patriots try to solve their quarterback controversy against an old foe, Aaron Rodgers & Co. face a tough test in Buffalo and our game of the week sees if the Seahawks can use their home field advantage to give the Giants their second loss of the year.
Welcome to Week 8 of the NFL season. Here are the Dailymail.com picks for games to keep an eye on…
Switching quarterbacks didn’t prove to be enough as the Patriots lost to the Chicago Bears
Game 1: Baltimore Ravens (4-3) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-4)
- Thursday @ 8:15 ET (Amazon Prime) / Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
The Buccaneers aren’t where they should be. Tom Brady knows that, the team itself knows that, and yet they can’t execute when they need to the most.
Losing to Green Bay on a two-point conversion because of a delay-of-game penalty is a real shot in the foot. Having only four drives in the second half – with half of those being punts – against the Steelers is just a testament to the issues the defense has. The most humiliating had to be last weekend’s 21-3 loss to a Panthers team that traded its best player and resorted to using a backup QB who played in the XFL.
Brady’s been seen cursing at his players, telling them they’re better than the current record they have. While that may be true, Tampa’s signs of struggle are telling of greater problems within the team and coaching staff.
The Buccaneers need to pull out a win while the Ravens look to keep their good times rolling
Baltimore doesn’t seem to have these problems – at least not right now. Their last four games – as well as all three of their losses – have decided been by one possession.
A rivalry game win over Cleveland last week may have just been what the team needed to recover in time for this week’s clash. Lamar Jackson underperformed, completing only nine passes and grabbing 179 total yards. But, it was the return of RB Gus Edwards that led the way – with 66 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Baltimore’s biggest weakness is still its defense. They let Cleveland rack up 336 total yards last weekend – 82 more yards than their own offense in seven fewer plays. Despite being tied for third in best turnover margin, they’re still allowing an average of 366.4 yards per game while their offense averages 346 yards per game.
If Tampa wants to get back on track, this is the defense to do it against. In an underperforming division, it’s games like this that will allow the Bucs to control their own destiny come January.
Can Baltimore’s offense overcome the Buccaneers to win consecutive games for the first time?
Game 2: New England Patriots (3-4) @ New York Jets (5-2)
- Sunday at 1:00 ET (CBS) / MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
New England is in the midst of a full-blown quarterback controversy for the first time since 2001 – when they let go of the established Drew Bledsoe for an inexperienced second year QB out of the University of Michigan named Tom… something or other, I can’t remember.
This is nothing like that. Mac Jones may have completed the greatest statistical rookie season for a quarterback in the history of the league, but it never seemed like he had that position fully locked up for himself. Well, at least not locked up enough that the Patriots shouldn’t have felt the need to draft a QB in the fourth round of last year’s draft.
But that’s exactly what they did. After going 3/6 for 13 yards and an interception, Jones was benched for that fourth round pick, Bailey Zappe. The chants and cheers around Gillette Stadium when the Western Kentucky product walked out could have made you think they found their second Brady.
Zappe… did not perform that well. Sure, he led the team to two touchdowns in under two minutes in the first quarter, but after that, the Patriots offense failed to do anything of note. Zappe ended up completing 14 passes for 185 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
With the Patriots offense in purgatory, can the Jets take advantage and get their sixth win?
Bill Belichick doesn’t like this. He has never liked it when the attention on his team is away from the football field. On Wednesday, he told reporters that he didn’t have a decision on who would start. ‘We’ll see how it goes today,’ he said before practice. By the end of the day, Jones had taken about 90 percent of the practice reps and seemed to re-establish himself as the starter.
Either way, the Patriots are going to run into a buzz saw of a defensive secondary that the New York Jets currently have. As a whole, the Jets defense is much better than in years past – which should cause problems for New England. While both teams defenses are top-ten in takeaways, the Jets are tied for the third most interceptions in the league.
However, the Jets aren’t exactly the most offensively sound unit as of now. QB Zach Wilson has thrown for over 250 yards once in his four starts. The rushing game was mostly powered by rookie sensation Breece Hall, who is now out for the season with a torn ACL. The team traded for RB James Robinson from the Jaguars – who is questionable for Sunday. WRs Corey Davis and Elijah Moore are also questionable. Offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker is also out for the season with a triceps injury.
This is all to say that neither team is at its absolute best at the moment. It’s hard to even gauge which side will prevail considering they both match up relatively evenly – offenses that struggle at times with defenses that stand out. They both play each other again in three weeks, so it’ll be interesting to see how this game sets up the next one.
With Bailey Zappe (L) and Mac Jones (R) fighting for the starting spot, New England has it’s first true QB battle on its hands in well over two decades
Game 3: San Francisco 49ers (3-4) Los Angeles Rams (3-3)
- Sunday at 4:25 ET (FOX) / SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
The 49ers made a statement of intent when they traded for Christian McCaffrey last week. Even though they only ran with him eight times, his versatility as a rusher and a pass catcher will serve the team well in the future.
What better time to turn him loose than when you’re facing the team that beat you in the NFC Championship last season? The 49ers may have gotten a modicum of revenge against the Rams in their 24-9 win in Week 4 of this season, but why not beat them twice?
Even in a loss last week to the Chiefs, Jimmy Garoppolo’s stats looked better than what a QBR of 39.7. He completed 25 passes for 303 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. TE George Kittle almost eclipsed 100 yards catching, with six grabs for 98 yards and a touchdown on the night.
The trade for McCaffrey increases the Niners playoff chances, but beating LA is a priority
Despite our third straight week featuring a game at SoFi Stadium, the Rams aren’t favorites in this game. They’re coming off a bye, and funny enough, it’ll be their second straight game against McCaffrey, with the Rams having previously dispatched the Panthers 24-10.
The Rams are at something of a crossroads in their season. Their defense is still top-five in yards allowed, but they’re in the middle for points allowed. Offensively, they’re bottom-ten in yards gained and have the fourth worst scoring offense in the league. All-in-all, while most of the pieces from last year’s Super Bowl winners remain, they’re not as dominant.
They’ll need to win this week to get back on track. A win could take them ahead of the Seahawks in the NFC West with the rest of a long season in front of them. Matthew Stafford needs to impress and be accurate – as he hasn’t won a game if he hasn’t completed at least 72% of his passes. In an offense so reliant on passing, this seems to make sense, but it’s easier said than done.
Going back to .500 is important for a 49ers team that thinks they have a chance of winning the division. With a back half of their schedule that has promise for easy wins (Saints, Commanders, Raiders), grabbing wins against divisional rivals is key for making the playoffs.
Fans are expecting that the addition of Christian McCaffrey will bring them to greater heights
Game 4: Green Bay Packers (3-4) @ Buffalo Bills (5-1)
- Sunday @ 8:20 ET (NBC) / Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
‘I’m not worried about this squad. In fact, this might be the best thing for us. This week, nobody’s going to give us a chance, going to Buffalo on Sunday Night Football with a chance to get exposed. Shoot, this might be the best thing for us.’
Those are some bold words from Aaron Rodgers. The reigning MVP has a lot of confidence that his team can turn things around, in spite of three straight losses to the Giants, Jets, and Commanders.
The most recent loss is sure to sting. Washington was a team without starting QB Carson Wentz. With backup Taylor Heinicke in, the Packers defense allowed two passing touchdowns and gave up 364 yards of offense. That’s 132 yards more than their offense had – with the Commanders having possession for 15 more minutes than Green Bay.
With the Packers struggling and the Bills coming off a bye, we’ll be in for sparks Sunday night
Offensively, the team looks nothing like what they were last year. Rodgers is nowhere near the same statistical output that he had last year. While that’s very clearly due to the departure of DaVante Adams, the team had time to properly prepare and acquire help for Rodgers. Yet they failed to do so and despite bright spots in youngsters like Romeo Doubs, there’s clearly a need for a better option at wide receiver.
Things will not get easier for the Packers. They travel to western New York to take on a rested and dominant Buffalo Bills team looking to keep their momentum going from their last game – a win over the Chiefs in Kansas City.
The team is firing on all cylinders and will probably keep that up for a while with a back half of the schedule that looks great for them. With the offense generating yards and points at will and a defense that is prone to bending – but not breaking – this seems like a foregone conclusion that the Bills will win.
However, Aaron Rodgers is still on the field, so hey, you never know.
After three consecutive losses, Rodgers and the Packers have to pick themselves up soon
Game of the Week: New York Giants (6-1) @ Seattle Seahawks (4-3)
- Sunday @ 4:25 ET (FOX) / Lumen Field, Seattle WA
For those sports fans who are chronically online, one couldn’t help but notice that a few days ago the phrase ‘Worst 5-1’ was trending on Twitter.
They were referring to the Giants, who own the second best record in the league (now 6-1) despite never having played a team one could call one of the better squads in the NFL, ergo they’re the worst 5-1 team in league history.
Tennessee isn’t what they were last year, the Panthers are a laughingstock, the Bears are struggling, the Packers still haven’t figured it out, the Ravens are prone to collapse, and the Jaguars are… well, the Jaguars. Even their loss to the Cowboys came against a team that started Cooper Rush at quarterback.
They don’t play a team with ‘no flaws’ until Week 14 when they play the Eagles. Between now and then, they have the Texans, the Lions, the Cowboys, the Commanders and this weekend’s game in Seattle against the Seahawks.
Geno Smith (R) faces off against his former team when the Giants travel northwest to Seattle
While the Seahawks aren’t exactly flawless, they’re much better than the teams the Giants have played earlier this season. Geno Smith has transitioned beautifully into the starting quarterback role after Russell Wilson’s trade to Denver. Pass targets Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf both have over 400 yards receiving and two touchdowns each – putting them both in the top-25 in the league for receiving yards.
Defensively, they still need a lot of work. They’re one of the worst teams in the country for both yards and points allowed.
A major problem – specifically for this game – is their rushing defense, which is tied for the third worst in the league and averages 149.7 yards a game. This week, they’ll be tested against Giants RB Saquon Barkley – the NFL’s no. 2 rusher by yardage.
However, that should lead to New York’s offense being relatively one-dimensional. With receiver Sterling Shepard out for the season and Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney questionable, pass catching options are thin for Giants QB and NFC Offensive Player of the Week Daniel Jones. It’ll be tough for the Seahawks to stop the run, but if they can, they should come out with the win.
Saquon Barkley’s prowess in the ground game has led the Giants to an improbable start
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