Tucker’s Top 5 NFL Matchups: Week 8
By Tucker Harlin
I’m giving myself a 2/5 for my performance on my Top 5 last week, which is actually 10% better than my Top 10 college football matchups last week.
It was very difficult for me to try and find five NFL games of interest this week. There are bad matchups throughout Week 8, and many of the matchups that were good looking a few weeks are ruined by injuries.
I’ll do my best this week.
5. FALCONS (4-3) @ BUCCANEERS (4-3)- ATL -2.5, 1 PM FOX, SUNDAY
These two met in an incredible Thursday Night Football matchup a few weeks ago in Atlanta. The result was an overtime victory for Kirk Cousins and the Falcons and first place in the NFC South.
The Bucs can grab ahold of first in the NFC South should they get it done this week.
However, Tampa is in considerably worse shape than it was in Atlanta. The defense has done little to improve in the last few weeks, and Baker Mayfield will have to face the Falcons without his top two targets.
The Seahawks humbled the Falcons in Atlanta last week, so they aren’t coming into this game firing on all cylinders either. The Bucs’ offensive injuries make it difficult to envision anything else besides a Falcons win
4. CARDINALS (3-4) @ DOLPHINS (2-4)- MIA -3.5, 1 PM FOX, SUNDAY
The main reason I put this one in my Top 5 this week is the return of Tua.
In case you haven’t noticed, the AFC wild card race is wide open right now. The Chargers, Colts, and Broncos are the three teams in the mix for the final two Wild Card spots, and the Dolphins are capable of passing all of those teams with a healthy Tua Tagovailoa.
The Cardinals are also in the thick of a race for the NFC West title.
They blasted the Rams in Week 2 and came back and defeated the 49ers in San Francisco. Arizona has yet to face Seattle, but that matchup will likely determine the winner of the NFC West.
3. COLTS (4-3) @ TEXANS (5-2)- HOU -5, 1 PM CBS, SUNDAY
The Colts and Texans will battle for control of the AFC South Monday.
It’s honestly hard to believe the Colts are in a position to play for a division lead. The offense was better with Joe Flacco at the helm while Anthony Richardson was injured.
Richardson returned for the Colts in Week 7, a game that ended as a 16-10 win over the Tua-less Dolphins.
The Texans dropped their second loss of the season to a good Packers team in Lambeau Field last week. While it was an unpleasant experience, I don’t think it should carry over to a bad Colts team this week.
2. EAGLES (4-2) @ BENGALS (3-4)- CIN -2.5, 1 PM CBS, SUNDAY
Both of these teams are in the mix for Wild Card spots at the very least.
The Bengals haven’t been quite as strong on offense over the past two weeks, but the result is still a pair of wins over the Browns and Giants. Joe Burrow now has his two favorite targets back and healthy, something that should help Cincinnati in a playoff race.
Like the Bengals, each of the Eagles last two wins are over the Giants and Browns. Saquon Barkley had the revenge game of revenge games in the Eagles’ 28-3 blasting in the Meadowlands.
Both the Eagles and Bengals are under scrutiny from their fan bases at the moment, so a win goes a long way for the winning coach’s job security.
1. BILLS (5-2) @ SEAHAWKS (4-3)- BUF -3, 4:05 PM FOX, SUNDAY
This is one of the few matchups I can guarantee points in Sunday.
The Bills may have found something in their 34-10 win over the Titans in Week 7. Sure it’s the 1-5 Titans, but Josh Allen now has a reliable target in Amari Cooper that he wasn’t throwing to in the first six weeks of the season.
Seattle is coming off a monster 38-14 win over a Falcons team that’s sitting atop the NFC South currently. Losing D.K. Metcalf to injury is unfortunate, but Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett are good enough to pick up the slack.
If this isn’t the best matchup in a week full of chalkiness, I don’t know what is.
