Week Eight of the regular season starts tonight with the Minnesota Vikings traveling to California to take on the Los Angeles Chargers. Six teams are on a bye this week, which means we'll only get 13 games between Thursday and Monday. With that in mind, let's identify the five most interesting things to look out for this week.
5. Will the Bills return to their winning ways?
When this game was originally announced, people probably thought it was going to be a blowout and not worth watching. Now, though, through the first seven weeks of the season, the Carolina Panthers and the Buffalo Bills actually have the same number of wins at four apiece. The Bills are coming off a bye, but currently find themselves in the middle of a two-game losing streak. The same cannot be said for the Panthers, who have won their last three games! Will the Bills shake off their losing ways and return to the win column, or will Carolina earn its fourth straight victory?
4. Two playoff hopefuls meet on Thursday Night Football
The regular season has been a real rollercoaster for both the Vikings and the Chargers. The Vikes can't seem to figure out what their identity is, trading off wins and losses each week. Meanwhile, the Chargers are 1-3 after starting the campaign 3-0. It'll be fun to watch an elite quarterback like Justin Herbert go against a top-flight defense like Minnesota's. If Justin Herbert hopes to have any success, his wide receivers will need to put up big numbers, which shouldn't be a problem since LA is second in receiving yards per game as a team. Then again, the Vikings come into this matchup allowing the sixth-fewest receiving yards per game in the NFL. This will be a great way to kick off Week Eight action.
3. Dallas' offense vs. Denver's defense
Another game between a top-tier offense and a fantastic defense will be played at 4:25 p.m. EDT on Sunday when the Dallas Cowboys take on the Denver Broncos. The Cowboys rank first in total yards per game and second in scoring. On the other side of the ball, the Broncos are first in sacks, third in yards per game allowed, and fourth in scoring defense. On top of that, multiple players in this game have a case to be the league's MVP. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is fourth in passing yards per game and second in passing touchdowns. Meanwhile, Denver linebacker Nik Bonitto is second in the NFL in sacks with eight in seven games. There will be a lot to look out for in this contest.
2. Can Philly get revenge on the Giants?
The New York Giants will play the Philadelphia Eagles for the second time in three weeks. I can't remember the last time that two hated divisional rivals faced each other twice in an 18-day span, but that's one of the main reasons why this game is so interesting. Though it feels like the Eagles have dominated this rivalry in recent years, Philadelphia is 2-2 against Big Blue in their last four games. The last four matchups in this series have been decided by 16.5 points per game on average, but it doesn't feel like that will be the case this Sunday. The Giants are 2-2 in their last four games with a head-to-head win over Philly. At the same time, the Eagles are 1-2 after starting the season 4-0. It seems like this game will determine how the rest of the season plays out for both of these squads, which makes it one of the most interesting matchups to watch this weekend.
1. Aaron Rodgers faces the Packers for the first time since leaving Green Bay
Ever since Aaron Rodgers joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in the off-season, this has been circled as one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the entire 2025-26 season. Though Aaron Rodgers didn't necessarily leave Green Bay on bad terms, it wasn't the most amicable divorce between the future Hall of Famer and the team that drafted him. If the Packers win behind the arm of quarterback Jordan Love, it will go down in the annals of NFL history. However, if Aaron Rodgers wins, he'll become just the fifth quarterback ever to have beaten all 32 teams, joining the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and Brett Favre. As a Packers fan, I know how vengeful Aaron Rodgers can be, even though the divorce between him and Green Bay wasn't messy. I fully expect Rodgers to come out and throw for three or maybe even four touchdowns, like he did in Week One against the New York Jets. Considering the Packers and Steelers are both middle-of-the-road teams in terms of passer rating allowed, Love and Rodgers will probably light up the scoreboard on Sunday night.
