Uncover the Surprising NFL Week 8 Outcomes That Could Shake Up the 2026 Season!

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With the help of the Opta supercomputer, we’re revealing the predictions for the Week 8 games of the 2026 NFL season.

We’re entering November, and with it, just one undefeated team remains. We also have two highly competitive divisions where every team has a winning record, as well as one division in which nobody seems to want to get anyone’s hopes up with no team over .500. That division leader kicks off the Week 8 schedule against a last-place team that owns a better record. Huh? Read on for that game’s prediction, as of Wednesday morning, as well as the previews for all Week 8 matchups.

Thursday, Oct. 29

Carolina Panthers vs. Green Bay Packers

• Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Packers 61.6%
• All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Packers 11-7 
• Last Meeting: Panthers 16, Packers 13 (Nov. 2, 2025)

The Carolina Panthers are coming off a 30-point beatdown to drop their record to 3-3, but that’s still good enough to be atop the pedestrian NFC South. The Green Bay Packers, meanwhile, lost on the final play last week to fall to 4-3, which bumped them into last place in the challenging NFC North. The Packers also lost not one, but two centers to injury and now must shore up their offensive line on a short week.

In Sunday’s 20-17 road loss to the Detroit Lions, starting center Sean Rhyan (ankle) and backup Jacob Monk (quad) both left with injuries which pressed second-year lineman John Williams into game action for the first time in his career. Williams was responsible for three pressures on Jordan Love and registered a subpar pressure-allowed rate of 10.3%. The NFL average for centers this season is 5.8%.

Love was pressured 25 times in all against the Lions, raising his season total to an NFL-high 148 – two more than his Carolina counterpart in Bryce Young.

Last season, Love’s 240 times pressured were 18th most. Love and Green Bay’s banged-up offensive line now faces a Carolina defense that didn’t register a single sack in Sunday’s 43-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On the season, the Panthers rank 10th in pressure rate at 50.2%.

Young was sacked a season-high five times against the Buccaneers while throwing two interceptions and 163 yards for a season-low 51.9 passer rating. In Carolina’s last meeting with the Packers in Week 9 of last season, Young had a 48.3 QB rating, but the Panthers managed to win 16-13 on Ryan Fitzgerald’s 49-yard field goal as time expired, ending a three-game losing streak to Green Bay.

Sunday, Nov. 1 

Tennessee Titans vs. Cincinnati Bengals

• Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Bengals 79.6%
• All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Titans 41-36-1  
• Last Meeting: Bengals 37, Titans 27 (Dec. 15, 2024)

In Week 7, the Tennessee Titans scored three offensive touchdowns in a single game for the first time and topped the 300-yard mark for the first time – and subsequently lost. Also in Week 7, the Cincinnati Bengals scored five touchdowns and finished two yards shy of 300 yards – and that was just after halftime. The high-powered Bengals look for another big offensive showing when they visit a Titans team that will have a hard time keeping up with Joe Burrow and company.

After throwing four touchdowns in a 31-24 win over the Miami Dolphins before their Week 6 bye, Burrow had another four-touchdown performance in Sunday’s 35-13 road victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Tee Higgins caught six passes for 148 yards with a touchdown while Ja’Marr Chase had five receptions for 62 yards with a score. With TDs on their first five second-half possessions, Cincinnati (4-2) is tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars for fifth in touchdown efficiency at 30.5% (18 touchdowns on 59 drives).

The Titans (1-6) have played one more game than the Bengals but have scored eight fewer touchdowns, producing a touchdown rate of 14.9% (10 TDs on 67 possessions). Tony Pollard accounted for all three Tennessee touchdowns Sunday and rushed for a season-high 129 yards, but it wasn’t enough as the Titans fell to the Cleveland Browns 27-24. Cam Ward had another subpar showing with 181 passing yards and given that he has as many touchdown passes the entire season as Burrow had in the second half last weekend, it will be a tall order for Tennessee to match scores with Cincinnati.

In the last meeting in Week 15 of 2024, Burrow threw for three touchdowns in Cincinnati’s 37-27 win at Tennessee. Burrow is 4-1 all-time against the Titans, including a win in the divisional round of the playoffs in the 2021 season.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Dallas Cowboys

• Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Cowboys 71.7%
• All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Cowboys 56-35-1  
• Last Meeting: Cardinals 27, Cowboys 17 (Nov. 3, 2025) 

It’s been an up-and-down start to the season for the Dallas Cowboys, but with a home date against the struggling Arizona Cardinals up next, a chance to get to .500 is within reach.

The Cowboys (3-4) are coming off Monday’s 38-21 road victory over an overmatched Philadelphia Eagles team, amassing 212 passing yards along with a season-high 204 rushing yards after only topping 100 rush yards once through their first six games. Dak Prescott threw three touchdown passes as Dallas averaged 6.4 yards per play.

Monday’s point total was a season high for the Cowboys and the fourth time they’ve reached the 30-point mark – tied with the Buffalo Bills and Lions for the most. Dallas is putting up points on more than half of its drives, ranking second in scoring efficiency at 53.1% (34 scoring drives on 64 possessions) and Arizona will likely have its hands full matching points with the Cowboys seeing as it’s scored just two offensive touchdowns in its last two games.

The Cardinals (2-5) had several opportunities in Sunday’s 30-16 loss to the Denver Broncos but were just 1 for 5 in the red zone. On the season, they’re dead last in red-zone touchdown efficiency at 42.9% (12 touchdowns on 28 red-zone drives).

Arizona, however, has had Dallas’ number recently, having won four straight in the series and eight of the last nine meetings. The franchise hasn’t won five consecutive games in the series since winning the first six matchups from 1960-63.

Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions

• Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Lions 60.7%
• All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Vikings 82-45-2 
• Last Meeting: Vikings 23, Lions 10 (Dec. 25, 2025)

The Minnesota Vikings continue to defy the odds in the modern NFL. Week after week they come away with a win despite having an offense that struggles to score. Is this sustainable? Led by the league’s stingiest defense, the Vikings put their undefeated record on the line at Ford Field, where the Detroit Lions are 3-0 this season and favored to hand the Vikings their first loss.

Minnesota (6-0) managed just two field goals through three quarters in last Sunday’s matchup with the scuffling Indianapolis Colts, before Kyler Murray connected with T.J. Hockenson for a five-yard touchdown in the opening minute of the fourth quarter. That was enough for a 16-10 victory. Incredibly, the Vikings’ nine offensive touchdowns on the season are the same number scored by the league’s only winless team, the Los Angeles Chargers, for the fewest in the NFL. To further drive home the point Minnesota is winning in spite of its offense, the Vikings’ four scrimmage touchdowns in their last five games are the fewest by any team over a five-game winning streak since 1926, back when the forward pass, as well as the auto industry, were in their infancy.

Evidently, you can still win despite having an offense that would fit right in during the Coolidge administration if your defense is as formidable as Minnesota’s. And yes, Philadelphia’s Frankford neighborhood had a team called the Yellow Jackets. The Vikings have allowed a league-low six offensive touchdowns, rank first in opponents’ successful play rate (32.6%), first in sack rate (10.6) and first in opponents’ passer rating (61.7).

This will be the best passing offense Minnesota has faced all season, however, and it also kicks off a daunting stretch for the Vikings after they faced the NFL’s third-easiest schedule through the first seven weeks of the season with their opponents combining for a .390 winning percentage (16-25). Beginning with the Lions (4-2), the Vikings face the toughest schedule from Weeks 8-11, with the Bills up next, followed by the Packers and San Francisco 49ers. Those teams are a combined 19-7 for a .731 winning percentage.

First up, Minnesota faces Jared Goff, the NFL leader in QB rating (112.5), who is averaging 9.26 yards per attempt over the last two weeks. In Sunday’s 20-17 win over the Packers, Goff completed 22 of 32 passes for 303 yards with a pair of touchdowns to Jameson Williams. Amon-Ra St. Brown hauled in nine balls for a season-high 153 yards and while opposing defenses focus on stopping him, Williams is finding holes in the secondary. Among 42 receivers targeted more than 35 times, Williams ranks first in burn percentage (80.6), first in burn yards per target (14.93) and third in first down rate at 78.3% (18 first downs on 23 receptions).

Not only do the Lions possess one of the league’s top passing attacks but Jahmyr Gibbs’ 620 rushing yards rank fourth and his 21 carries of 10+ yards are second most. The Vikings stymied Gibbs last season, however, holding him to a grand total of 66 yards on 26 carries – an average of 2.5 yards per rush – in winning both matchups.

Indianapolis Colts vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

• Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Jaguars 75.1%
• All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Colts 28-22 
• Last Meeting: Jaguars 23, Colts 17 (Dec. 28, 2025) 

The Jacksonville Jaguars‘ Week 7 bye couldn’t have gone much better. Not only did they get to enjoy a week off, but they also saw their lead atop the AFC South grow as every other division team lost. They’ll return looking to further bury one of their AFC South foes when they host the scuffling Indianapolis Colts.

With Jacksonville sporting a 4-2 record, the Colts and Houston Texans are both at 2-5 and the Titans are languishing at 1-6, our supercomputer gives Jacksonville a 75.1% chance of winning the AFC South – the highest probability for any team to win their division. They also have a 75.1% chance of winning this game. The Jags are one of the NFL’s most complete teams, ranking ninth in scoring offense (25.7 points per game) and third in scoring defense (17.3 points per game) and return from their London residency after splitting games there in weeks 5 and 6. In fact, this will be the Jaguars’ first game in Jacksonville since they demolished the New England Patriots 35-6 back on Sept. 27 in Week 3.

Week 3 was also the last time the Colts won in the United States. They beat the Texans that week and defeated the Washington Commanders in London the following Sunday but have lost all three games they’ve played since returning stateside. They’ve scored just four offensive touchdowns during their skid and managed a season-low 218 yards in Sunday’s 16-10 loss to the Vikings.

The Jaguars won both matchups with the Colts last season, prevailing 36-19 at home in Week 14 and winning 23-17 in Week 17.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Buffalo Bills

• Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Bills 62.5%
• All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Ravens 7-5  
• Last Meeting: Bills 41, Ravens 40 (Sept. 7, 2025) 

The last meeting between the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills was epic. Any chance of a repeat of that instant classic will come down to if Lamar Jackson is able to play. If not, it could be a long day for the Ravens as they travel to face Josh Allen and the prolific – and rested – Bills.

When the Ravens and Bills squared off in Week 1 of 2025 on Sunday Night Football, fans were treated to a spectacular show. The teams exchanged blows in the first half before Jackson threw a pair of touchdown passes in the third quarter to give the Ravens a seemingly comfortable 34-19 lead. Allen then rallied the Bills from a 15-point deficit in the final four minutes for a thrilling 41-40 victory, winning on Matt Prater’s 32-yard field goal as time expired. Allen passed for two touchdowns and rushed for a pair of scores and Baltimore’s Derrick Henry finished with 169 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just 18 carries. With the comeback, the Bills have now won the last three meetings in Buffalo, which includes victories in the divisional round of the playoffs in the 2020 and 2024 seasons.

This will be the Bills’ first home game since losing to the Patriots 29-26 in Week 4, and they’ve been off since a 33-30 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 6. Allen had a pair of passing touchdowns and leads the NFL with 17 touchdowns responsible for (nine passing, eight rushing). Led by Allen and James Cook, who has a league-leading 22 carries of 10+ yards and ranks second in rushing yards per game at 104.5, Buffalo’s offense is humming. The Bills (5-1) lead the NFL with an average of 6.48 yards per play and in scoring with an average of 32.8 points per game. Keeping pace with that kind of production won’t be easy for a Ravens team that is averaging 4.87 yards per play with two total TDs on 21 offensive possessions in losing its last two games with Tyler Huntley at quarterback.

Baltimore (4-3) averaged 29.0 points with Jackson producing a 119.6 passer rating in leading the team to a 3-1 start but if he’s still unable to return from a high-ankle sprain, the Ravens could be on their way to a third straight loss.

Las Vegas Raiders vs. New York Jets 

• Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Jets 54.2%
• All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Raiders 25-18-2 
• Last Meeting: Raiders 16, Jets 12 (Nov. 12, 2023)

After opening the season with such optimism behind an undefeated September, Las Vegas Raiders fans’ spirits have sullied following a winless October. Despite hearing calls for No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza to take over, Klint Kubiak is sticking with Kirk Cousins against the New York Jets.

After all, Cousins is playing well and is not the reason the Raiders are in the midst of a four-game losing streak. He threw for 295 yards and a pair of touchdowns without an interception Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, but it wasn’t enough as the defense allowed touchdowns on four straight possessions in a 35-21 defeat. Las Vegas (3-4) has yielded 30 or more points in each game of its current skid, and the franchise has never allowed 30+ points in five straight games in a single season. It would be quite the debacle if the Raiders allowed another 30-point game seeing as the Jets rank 27th in scoring at 19.6 points per game and have gone 16 straight games since last reaching the 30-point mark.

Things aren’t much better on the other side of the ball for New York (2-5), which just allowed Malik Willis to look like an All-Pro in Sunday’s 28-25 loss to the previously winless Miami Dolphins. Willis threw for a pair of touchdowns and compiled a 130.7 passer rating, and since Week 3, QBs are averaging 7.47 yards per attempt with a 101.2 QB rating against the New York defense.

The Jets and Raiders haven’t met since Las Vegas’ 16-12 home win in 2023, the Raiders’ fourth victory in the last five meetings.

Atlanta Falcons vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Falcons 57.4%
• All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Falcons 33-32
• Last Meeting: Falcons 29, Buccaneers 28 (Dec. 11, 2025)

Hard to believe, but with two wins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one victory behind the first-place team in the NFC South. And that would mean with three wins for the Atlanta Falcons, they have the same number as victories as the division leader (albeit with one more loss). A pair of sub-.500 teams that are both fully entrenched in the playoff race in the unpredictable NFC South meet Sunday when the Falcons visit the Buccaneers.

Atlanta (3-4) is coming off a huge win, forcing four turnovers in knocking off the previously unbeaten 49ers 29-20. Michael Penix Jr. had three touchdown passes for the second straight game after totaling three TD passes in his first three contests, and the Falcons once again got Bijan Robinson involved in the offense. After totaling a season-low 53 scrimmage yards in a Week 6 loss to the Chicago Bears, Robinson rushed for 63 yards and gained 59 yards through the air against San Francisco. His 907 scrimmage yards are the most in the NFL, and in two games against Tampa Bay last season, he racked up 299 scrimmage yards with two touchdowns.

The Buccaneers were left for dead behind a 1-5 start with undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels taking over at quarterback for the injured Baker Mayfield. But Mayfield returned from a right thumb injury Sunday, and Tampa Bay rolled to a 43-13 victory over the division-leading Carolina Panthers. Mayfield wasn’t asked to do much (attempting only 11 passes) as the ground game overpowered the Panthers with Bucky Irving rushing for 106 yards with two touchdowns and Kenny Gainwell rushing for 88. In the last three weeks, the Bucs are second in average yards per rush at 5.32 and their 17 runs of 10+ yards are the most in the NFL. Over that same stretch, Atlanta ranks 27th in opponents’ average yards per rush at 4.71.

The Falcons have won their last three trips to Tampa, pulling off a stunning 29-28 victory in Week 15 last season, winning on Zane Gonzalez’s 43-yard field goal as time expired to cap a 15-point comeback in the final 10 minutes.

Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

• Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Steelers 60.2%
• All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Steelers 81-65-1
• Last Meeting: Browns 27, Steelers 24 (Oct. 1, 2026)

A win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on the first day of October moved the Cleveland Browns atop the AFC North. These teams enter the first day of November leading the division with 5-2 records, and a Browns win would essentially give them a two-game advantage over the Steelers while a Pittsburgh victory would give it a leg up in the AFC North race.

In their Week 4 matchup, Cleveland pulled out a 27-24 victory, winning on Andre Szmyt’s career-long 56-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining. Deshaun Watson set up the game-winning kick, going 4 for 5 for 45 yards on the final drive, and has had a flare for the dramatics in routinely bringing his team back to win.

Watson led his fifth winning drive in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Titans, going 3 for 3 for 50 yards on the final drive to set up Szmyt’s 32-yarder as the clock hit :00 in Cleveland’s 27-24 victory. On the season, Watson has a 100.7 passer rating in the fourth quarter compared to an 85.4 passer rating in the first three quarters and has four fourth-quarter TD passes – one more than he’s thrown through three quarters in seven games.

In the first matchup, Jaylen Warren rushed for 93 yards and also caught three passes for 33 yards. Nine of his 17 carries were out of duo run concepts with Warren averaging 5.67 yards on those plays. He had eight duo runs in Sunday’s 16-10 win over the New Orleans Saints in Paris, averaging 6.63 yards – including 5.13 yards before contact.

Los Angeles Chargers vs. Los Angeles Rams

• Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Rams 68.5%
• All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Rams 7-6
• Last Meeting: Chargers 31, Rams 10 (Jan. 1, 2023)

While it’s been an underwhelming first two months of the season for the Los Angeles Rams, the team played like many expected they would from jump in an encouraging performance in Week 7. And hey, the Los Angeles Chargers didn’t lose in Week 7. Granted, they also didn’t play. In a matchup between the SoFi Stadium co-tenants, the Rams look to build on their latest performance and string together back-to-back victories for the first time this season when they face a Chargers team trying to avoid an 0-7 start.

After a disappointing 18-16 home loss to the Cardinals in Week 6, the Rams (3-4) bounced back with a sound 35-21 road victory over the Raiders on Sunday. The Rams exhibited a balanced offensive attack with 199 rushing yards and 187 passing yards and scored on four straight drives. Kyren Williams gained 29 yards on his five duo run plays to the right and no team runs more duo than the Rams, whose 79 duo runs are 31 more than the next-closest team (Steelers). The Chargers, meanwhile, are allowing an average of 4.9 yards on duo run concepts – the fifth-highest rate in the NFL. They are holding opponents to an average of 3.9 yards on all other running plays.

Stopping duo runs is just one of the many issues facing the Chargers, who are off to their worst start since the 2000 team lost its first 11 games. They’re last in scoring (15.0 points per game) and last in turnovers (15) with Justin Herbert’s 68.8 passer rating beating out only Tampa Bay Buccaneers undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels’ 63.4 for the worst among qualifying QBs.

In the only meeting between these teams at SoFi Stadium, Herbert threw for two touchdowns in the Chargers’ 31-10 win on New Year’s Day 2023.

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos

• Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Chiefs 52.1%
• All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Chiefs 74-58
• Last Meeting: Chiefs 31, Broncos (Sept. 14, 2026)

The calendar is just flipping to November but for the Denver Broncos to defend their AFC West title, a win here in Week 8 is paramount. With the Kansas City Chiefs‘ undefeated start ending last Sunday night, the Broncos have the opportunity to pull ahead in the standings with a victory. A loss, however, would not only keep the Chiefs atop the division, but would give them the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Broncos by sweeping the season series after their Week 1 win – nay, drubbing.

The Chiefs (5-1) rolled to a 31-10 victory over the visiting Broncos in the season opener as they showed off their shiny new toy with Kenneth Walker III carrying the ball seven times on their opening drive. That drive ended with a Patrick Mahomes touchdown run and Walker had a 60-yard TD run of his own, finishing with 173 yards on the ground. He would’ve had far fewer yards, but the Broncos struggled mightily to bring him down, with Walker being credited with 19 missed/broken tackles and averaging 4.30 yards after contact.

Kansas City’s prized new running back had been enjoying an MVP-caliber season until he made his Seattle homecoming on Sunday. He finished with 36 rushing yards – 97 yards fewer than his season average through Week 6 – with an average of 2.57 yards per carry after coming in with an average of 6.27 as the Seahawks handed the Chiefs a humbling 20-3 loss.

The Seahawks made it their mission to ruin Walker’s return, stacking seven men in the box on half of Kansas City’s offensive snaps (25 of 50). Walker carried the ball 11 times with seven Seattle defensive players in the box and averaged 2.45 yards on those runs. Back in Week 1, Denver had seven defensive players in the box on 34.4% of the Chiefs’ offensive plays (23 of 67), and on Walker’s nine runs against that look, he averaged 5.67 yards.

The Broncos (5-2) are coming off their best showing against the run all season, allowing opponent season lows of 94 rushing yards and 3.92 yards per rush in Sunday’s 30-16 win over the Cardinals. They entered Week 7 ranked 31st in rushing defense, permitting an average of 139.8 per game.

In Sunday’s rematch, Denver’s focus will obviously be making sure Walker doesn’t run all over them again, potentially stacking the box with an extra defender. Of course, not missing so many tackles would also help.

New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins

• Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Patriots 67.2%
• All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Dolphins 63-55
• Last Meeting: Patriots 38, Dolphins 10 (Jan. 4, 2026)

The New England Patriots‘ pursuit of first place in the AFC East experienced a slight hiccup last week, but they appear to have a favorable opportunity to get back on track in their return from a mini-bye when they visit a Miami Dolphins team coming off their first win of the season.

The Patriots’ three-game winning streak came to an end last Thursday with a 30-24 road loss to the Bears. Drake Maye completed 24 of 31 passes for 321 yards with two touchdowns and he also rushed for a score, but he threw an interception in the end zone in the second quarter costing New England (4-3) a chance to take the lead. He now faces a Dolphins defense that is allowing a league-worst 116.8 passer rating to opposing QBs. Miami (1-5) is also allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete an absurd 76.6% of their passes, which would blow away the single-season record for the highest completion percentage allowed by a defense of 72.7% set by the 2016 Lions.

Maye, whose completion percentage last week worked out to 77.4%, completed 80.5% of his passes while throwing for 421 yards and three touchdowns for a 133.8 passer rating in a pair of wins over the Dolphins in 2025.

Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Commanders

• Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Commanders 66.2%
• All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Commanders 90-87-5
• Last Meeting: Eagles 24, Commanders 22 (Sept. 13, 2026)

The Washington Commanders open November with a single win, but somehow they appear to be in better shape to make a playoff run than the Philadelphia Eagles, whose season is spiraling out of control after a 2-0 start.

Down to Tanner McKee at quarterback with Jalen Hurts’ season likely over, the Eagles saw their losing streak reach five games with Monday night’s 38-17 defeat to the Cowboys. Philadelphia allowed 200+ rushing and 200+ passing yards for the first time since 2023, and has surrendered at least 375 yards in each game of its losing streak. This is the first time Philly has allowed 375+ yards in five straight games since a seven-game run in 2015. This is also the Eagles’ longest losing streak since 2016, and they haven’t lost six straight games since an eight-game skid in 2012.

Philadelphia held Washington to 295 yards when these teams met in the season opener, with Hurts throwing for three touchdown passes as the Eagles held on for a 24-22 victory, stopping a Commanders’ 2-point try with 1:01 to play.

Much has changed since then, and with their latest defeat, the supercomputer has Philadelphia’s probability of making the playoffs down to 9.7%. Washington (1-4-1) sits at 15.7%.

The Commanders return from their Week 7 bye moving on after learning receiver Terry McLaurin’s season is over after he tore his left patellar tendon in a 23-17 loss to the 49ers in Week 6. Leading rusher Jacory Croskey-Merritt was placed on injured reserve just before that game, and backups Rachaad White and Jeremy McNichols combined for 40 rushing yards on 12 attempts.

Jayden Daniels threw for 300 yards – his first 300-yard game since Week 8 of his 2024 rookie season – but in another losing effort, as he fell to 0-7-1 in his last eight starts.

Monday, Nov. 2

Chicago Bears vs. Seattle Seahawks

• Opta Supercomputer’s Win Probability: Seahawks 60.7%
• All-Time Regular-Season Meetings: Seahawks 12-6
• Last Meeting: Seahawks 6, Bears 3 (Dec. 26, 2024)

The Chicago Bears opened some eyes across the NFL landscape with last week’s victory over the Super Bowl runner-up. The Seattle Seahawks, meanwhile, reminded everyone they are still the reigning Super Bowl champions with an emphatic victory this past weekend. A game that could have playoff implications come January, rounds out the Week 8 slate when the Bears visit the Seahawks.

The Bears (5-2) have been off since handling the New England Patriots last Thursday, winning 30-24 to improve to 3-0 in games Caleb Williams starts and finishes. They’ve scored at least 30 points in each of those games, averaging 6.34 yards per play.

Williams and the Bears now face a Seattle defense that is permitting an NFL-low 3.99 yards per play and just smothered the previously undefeated Chiefs on Sunday night. In that 20-3 beating, the Seahawks limited the Chiefs to a season-low 213 yards – 201 less than their league-leading average entering Week 7. Patrick Mahomes threw for only 165 passing yards, and the Seahawks (4-3) have held each of their first seven opponents to fewer than 180 net passing yards – the first time a team has done that since the 1984 Browns did so in their first eight games.

If Seattle’s defense wasn’t scary enough, Chicago’s suspect defense also has to contend with one of the most explosive offensive players in the NFL in Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The 2025 Offensive Player of the Year is on pace for a 2,000-yard receiving season with an NFL-leading 867 yards – 216 more than the next-closest player in Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb with 651.

By being on the receiving end of 150 of Sam Darnold’s 257 passing yards on Sunday, Smith-Njigba cracked the 50% mark of Seattle’s total receiving yards on the season. In the Super Bowl era, the only player to ever finish a season with more than half of his team’s receiving yards is Ken Burrough of the 1975 Houston Oilers.

It will be a significant challenge to contain Smith-Njigba for a Bears team that is shaky in the secondary. They’ve allowed three 300-yard passers this season (tied with the Bills, Lions and Texans for the most in the NFL) and are surrendering an average of 8.71 yards per pass attempt – the highest by any team in a single season since 2015, when the Saints permitted 8.74 yards per pass.

Seattle will also be operating with some offensive line help after Tuesday’s acquisition of All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson from the Colts for a 2027 third-round pick and 2028 fifth-rounder.

Nelson ranks fourth among qualifying left guards in our pass block rating (84.5) and eighth in run block (84.0).

The Bears did hold Smith-Njigba to three catches for 32 yards in the last meeting between these teams on Dec. 26, 2024, though that game was played in a steady rain at Soldier Field as the Seahawks slogged their way to a 6-3 win. There’s no rain in Monday’s forecast in Seattle, according to AccuWeather, so the Bears won’t have any help from Mother Nature in trying to hold Smith-Njigba in check.

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