Approaching the regular season’s halfway mark in the NFL, the NFC’s crowded play-off picture should become clearer in Week 8, while in the AFC the league-best New England Patriots look for revenge. Start times are UAE time.
Seattle Seahawks (4-1-1) at New Orleans Saints (2-4), Sunday, 9pm
Seattle are good but boring. New Orleans are bad but exciting. The Saints need to win pretty much every game to get back into the race, but they can score on anyone and might be a tough matchup for the Seahawks in the Superdome.
New England Patriots (6-1) at Buffalo Bills (4-3), Sunday, 9pm
The lone team to beat New England this season are Buffalo, but that was not against Tom Brady. Look for Bill Belichick and Brady to assert their superiority against a Bills team that might be lacking several key players due to injury, including running back LeSean McCoy.
Kansas City Chiefs (4-2) at Indianapolis Colts (3-4), Sunday, 9pm
Two third-place AFC teams with completely different fortunes: the steady Chiefs must keep pace in the tough West while the middling Colts are only a game behind Houston Texans in the woeful South.
Green Bay Packers (4-2) at Atlanta Falcons (4-3), Monday, 12.25am
In what should be the most entertaining game of the week, the Falcons look to halt a two-game losing streak against Aaron Rodgers, who lifetime against Atlanta has a 116.0 Quarterback Rating. Green Bay is banged up at cornerback, though, so look for Atlanta to get the ball early and often to league-leading receiver Julio Jones.
Philadelphia Eagles (4-2) at Dallas Cowboys (5-1), Monday, 4.30am
Two teams that have vastly outperformed expectations, but cannot afford to slow down due to a very competitive NFC East race in which every team has a winning record. Carson Wentz meets Dak Prescott in a matchup of rookie quarterbacks who have lifted the fortunes of their respective franchises in short order.
