Here are 5 things to know about NFL Week 8

Mike Mulholland/Getty Images

The NFL season is approaching its midway point, and the stakes are getting higher.

From a marquee showdown between two of the AFC’s biggest stars to the league’s last unbeaten team facing its toughest test yet, here are five things to know heading into Week 8.

The marquee matchup Sunday features Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, fresh off their bye week, hosting Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.

Jackson is expected to return from an ankle injury, and the Ravens desperately need their two-time MVP back on the field after last week’s stunning collapse against the Cincinnati Bengals. Baltimore became just the third team in NFL history to lose by at least 20 points after leading by 13 or more at halftime.

Greg Fiume/Getty Images

Jackson is 3-2 all-time against Allen in the regular season but has lost both of their playoff meetings.

While both teams have Super Bowl aspirations, the stakes are considerably higher for Baltimore.

At 4-3, the Ravens suddenly find themselves in last place in what has become a surprisingly competitive AFC North. The 5-1 Bills, meanwhile, sit comfortably atop the AFC East.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Speaking of the AFC North, how about those first-place Cleveland Browns?

Not many people expected Cleveland to be sitting at 5-2 heading into Week 8, but the Browns have found a way to win close games, thanks in large part to Deshaun Watson’s late-game heroics.

Watson has engineered a game-winning drive in all five of Cleveland’s victories this season. He’s the only quarterback with five game-winning drives this year and just the third in NFL history to accomplish that feat in his team’s first five wins of a season, joining Troy Aikman in 1990 and Matthew Stafford in 2016.

Now comes another major test.

The Browns head to Pittsburgh to face the 5-2 Steelers, who are coming off a long but happy flight home from Paris after beating the New Orleans Saints 16-10 last Sunday.

This is the second meeting between these division rivals this season, with Cleveland winning a 27-24 thriller in Week 4.

Can Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers get their revenge? One thing is certain: Somebody is leaving Sunday at 6-2 and sitting alone atop the AFC North (unless, of course, there’s a tie).

David Berding/Getty Images

And then there was one.

The Minnesota Vikings are the NFL’s last remaining undefeated team, sitting at a perfect 6-0. But a closer look at their numbers reveals one of the more unusual unbeaten starts in recent memory.

If you looked strictly at Minnesota’s offensive statistics, you’d probably guess this was a .500 team at best. The Vikings rank 28th in total offense and 23rd in scoring.

So how are they undefeated? Two words: Brian Flores.

Minnesota’s blitz-happy defensive coordinator has put together the most dominant unit in football. The Vikings are allowing just 12 points per game, easily the best mark in the NFL. The next-closest defenses, Kansas City and Jacksonville, are surrendering 17 points per game.

That’s an incredible gap, but it also raises a legitimate question: How long can Minnesota keep winning without much help from its offense?

We’ll get a better idea over the next four weeks, which will be their toughest stretch of the season. On Sunday, the Vikings travel to Detroit to face a dangerous Lions offense before taking on the Bills, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers.

If Minnesota wants to keep its perfect season alive, Kyler Murray and the offense will likely have to do more than simply stay out of the defense’s way.

Harry How/Getty Images

Back in September, a Week 8 showdown between the Rams and Chargers looked like it could be one of the most entertaining games on the NFL schedule.

Fast-forward to October and this matchup has lost much of its luster.

The Rams finally snapped their two-game losing streak with a win over the Las Vegas Raiders, but at 3-4, they are still searching for the form that made them the preseason Super Bowl favorites.

Things are considerably worse for their Los Angeles neighbors.

The Chargers are the NFL’s only remaining winless team, stumbling to an 0-6 start for the first time since 2000. Despite that disastrous beginning, Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers made no sweeping changes during their bye week, although Harbaugh said nothing was off the table as the team searches for answers.

At this point, the Chargers are playing for pride. The Rams, however, still have plenty to play for.

With the 49ers and Seattle Seahawks setting the pace in the NFC West, Los Angeles can ill afford another setback. A loss to the winless Chargers would drop the Rams to 3-5 and leave their once-promising season in serious jeopardy.

For a team that entered the season with championship expectations, this has suddenly become a must-win game.

Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images

For the second straight week, the defending Super Bowl champions find themselves in a massive prime-time showdown.

And this one could very well be a preview of the NFC Championship Game.

The Seahawks host the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football, fresh off a dominant 20-3 victory over the Chiefs on Sunday night.

Seattle’s defense was nothing short of spectacular, holding Kansas City to its fewest points, total yards and first downs in any game started by Patrick Mahomes.

Now, Mike Macdonald’s defense faces a completely different challenge: trying to slow down arguably the most entertaining offense in football.

Ben Johnson has transformed the Bears into an offensive juggernaut, with Caleb Williams leading an attack capable of putting up points in bunches. In the three games Williams has started and finished, Chicago has scored 59, 31 and 30 points.

But lighting up the scoreboard against Seattle is an entirely different proposition.

Carolina Panthers @ Green Bay Packers, 8:15 p.m. ET

Arizona Cardinals @ Dallas Cowboys, 1 p.m. ET

Indianapolis Colts @ Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m. ET

Cleveland Browns @ Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m. ET

Atlanta Falcons @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m. ET

Baltimore Ravens @ Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET

Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. ET

Las Vegas Raiders @ New York Jets, 1 p.m. ET

Tennessee Titans @ Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. ET

Los Angeles Chargers @ Los Angeles Rams, 4:05 p.m. ET

New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins, 4:25 p.m. ET

Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos, 4:25 p.m. ET

Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Commanders, 8:20 p.m. ET

Chicago Bears @ Seattle Seahawks, 8:15 p.m. ET

迈克·穆尔霍兰/盖蒂图片社

NFL赛季即将过半，比赛也变得越来越重要。

从美联两大球星之间的焦点对决，到联盟最后一支不败球队面临的最严峻考验，以下是进入第八周需要了解的五件事。

周日的焦点对决是乔什·艾伦率领的布法罗比尔队在刚刚结束轮空周后，主场迎战拉马尔·杰克逊率领的巴尔的摩乌鸦队。

杰克逊有望从脚踝伤势中恢复，在上周对阵辛辛那提猛虎队的比赛中遭遇惨败后，乌鸦队迫切需要这位两届MVP重返赛场。巴尔的摩乌鸦队成为NFL历史上第三支在半场领先13分或以上的情况下，最终却输掉至少20分的球队。

格雷格·菲乌梅/盖蒂图片社

杰克逊在常规赛中对阵艾伦的战绩为 3 胜 2 负，但在季后赛中两次交锋均告负。

虽然两队都渴望赢得超级碗，但对巴尔的摩来说，这场比赛的意义要重大得多。

战绩4胜3负的乌鸦队突然发现自己跌至竞争异常激烈的美联北区垫底。与此同时，5胜1负的比尔队则稳居美联东区榜首。

安迪·莱昂斯/盖蒂图片社

说到美联北区，排名第一的克利夫兰布朗队怎么样？

很少有人预料到克利夫兰布朗队会在第八周开始时取得 5 胜 2 负的战绩，但布朗队找到了赢得势均力敌比赛的方法，这很大程度上要归功于德肖恩·沃特森在比赛最后时刻的英雄表现。

沃特森在本赛季克利夫兰布朗队取得的五场胜利中，都组织了制胜进攻。他是本赛季唯一一位完成五次制胜进攻的四分卫，也是NFL历史上第三位在赛季前五场胜利中都取得制胜进攻的四分卫，前两位分别是1990年的特洛伊·艾克曼和2016年的马修·斯塔福德。

现在又将迎来另一场重大考验。

布朗队将前往匹兹堡挑战 5 胜 2 负的钢人队，钢人队刚刚结束了从巴黎返回的漫长而愉快的飞行，他们在上周日以 16-10 击败了新奥尔良圣徒队。

这是本赛季这两支分区劲敌的第二次交锋，克利夫兰在第 4 周以 27-24 险胜。

阿隆·罗杰斯和钢人队能复仇吗？有一点可以肯定：周日将有一支球队以 6 胜 2 负的战绩独占美联北区榜首（当然，除非出现并列）。

David Berding/Getty Images

然后就只剩下一个了。

明尼苏达维京人队是NFL目前唯一一支保持不败的球队，战绩为完美的6胜0负。但仔细分析他们的数据就会发现，这是近年来最不寻常的不败开局之一。

如果只看明尼苏达维京队的进攻数据，你可能会觉得他们最多只能算胜率五成的球队。维京队的总进攻排名联盟第28位，得分排名第23位。

他们为何能保持不败？答案很简单：布莱恩·弗洛雷斯。

明尼苏达维京人队那位热衷于闪电战的防守协调员打造了联盟中最具统治力的防守阵容。维京人队场均仅失12分，轻松摘得NFL最佳纪录。排名第二和第三的堪萨斯城酋长队和杰克逊维尔美洲虎队场均失分均为17分。

这是一个巨大的差距，但也引出了一个合理的问题：明尼苏达在进攻端缺乏帮助的情况下，还能赢多久？

接下来的四周将是他们本赛季最艰难的赛程，我们会对他们的表现有更清晰的了解。周日，维京人队将前往底特律挑战实力强劲的雄狮队进攻组，之后还将分别对阵比尔队、绿湾包装工队和旧金山49人队。

如果明尼苏达想要保持本赛季的完美战绩，凯勒·穆雷和进攻组可能不仅仅是躲避对方防守那么简单。

Harry How/Getty Images

早在九月份，公羊队和闪电队之间的第八周对决看起来可能会成为 NFL 赛程中最精彩的比赛之一。

时间快进到十月，这场比赛已经失去了大部分光彩。

洛杉矶公羊队终于战胜拉斯维加斯突袭者队，结束了两连败，但目前战绩为 3 胜 4 负，他们仍在寻找赛季前成为超级碗夺冠热门时的状态。

他们的洛杉矶邻居们的情况要糟糕得多。

闪电队是 NFL 唯一一支至今未尝胜绩的球队，自 2000 年以来首次遭遇 0 胜 6 负的开局。尽管开局如此糟糕，吉姆·哈博和闪电队在轮空周期间并没有做出任何大的改变，不过哈博表示，在球队寻找解决方案的过程中，一切皆有可能。

此时此刻，闪电队只剩下荣誉可言。而公羊队则仍有很多目标需要争取。

由于旧金山49人队和西雅图海鹰队在国联西区遥遥领先，洛杉矶公羊队再也经不起任何挫折。如果输给至今未尝胜绩的洛杉矶闪电队，公羊队的战绩将跌至3胜5负，原本充满希望的赛季也将岌岌可危。

对于一支赛季初就怀揣着夺冠梦想的球队来说，这场比赛突然变成了必须赢的比赛。

Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images

连续第二周，卫冕超级碗冠军将在黄金时段展开一场巅峰对决。

这很可能就是NFC冠军赛的预演。

海鹰队将在周一晚的比赛中主场迎战芝加哥熊队，此前他们在周日晚的比赛中以 20-3 大胜酋长队。

西雅图的防守堪称精彩绝伦，让堪萨斯城在帕特里克·马霍姆斯首发的所有比赛中得分、总码数和首攻次数都创下了新低。

现在，迈克·麦克唐纳的防守面临着完全不同的挑战：试图减缓可以说是橄榄球界最具观赏性的进攻。

本·约翰逊将芝加哥熊队打造成了一支进攻火力强大的球队，卡莱布·威廉姆斯领衔的进攻组火力十足，能够连续得分。在威廉姆斯首发并打满全场的三场比赛中，芝加哥熊队分别拿下59分、31分和30分。

但要想在对阵西雅图的比赛中取得大胜，那就完全是另一回事了。

卡罗莱纳黑豹队客场挑战绿湾包装工队，美国东部时间晚上8:15

亚利桑那红雀队客场挑战达拉斯牛仔队，美国东部时间下午1点。

印第安纳波利斯小马队客场挑战杰克逊维尔美洲虎队，美国东部时间下午1点。

克利夫兰布朗队客场挑战匹兹堡钢人队，美国东部时间下午1点。

亚特兰大猎鹰队客场挑战坦帕湾海盗队，美国东部时间下午1点。

巴尔的摩乌鸦队客场挑战布法罗比尔队，美国东部时间下午1点

明尼苏达维京人队客场挑战底特律雄狮队，美国东部时间下午1点。

拉斯维加斯突袭者队客场挑战纽约喷气机队，美国东部时间下午1点。

田纳西泰坦队客场挑战辛辛那提猛虎队，美国东部时间下午1点

洛杉矶闪电队客场挑战洛杉矶公羊队，美国东部时间下午 4:05

新英格兰爱国者队客场挑战迈阿密海豚队，美国东部时间下午 4:25。

堪萨斯城酋长队客场挑战丹佛野马队，美国东部时间下午 4:25

费城老鹰队客场挑战华盛顿指挥官队，美国东部时间晚上8:20

芝加哥熊队客场挑战西雅图海鹰队，美国东部时间晚上8:15