3 must-watch games for the NFL's Week 8

A word of warning: the Thursday Night Football and Monday Night Football games may be entirely unwatchable in Week 8.

On Thursday, the Washington Redskins play the Vikings in Minnesota. While that game seems brutal, try tuning in for another Miami Dolphins beatdown on Monday night. Surely, the unimpressive Pittsburgh Steelers will find a way to put up 30 points on the Dolphins.

But on Sunday, there are some terrific games. In fact, it’s one of those weeks where you can watch consecutively awesome in each time slot. Here are three games you’ve got to watch in Week 8 of NFL action.

1. Arizona Cardinals @ New Orleans Saints (1 p.m. on CBS)

Kliff Kingsbury’s offense seems to have found its feet, with an emphasis on their rushing offense. They’re having success running the ball, whether it’s behind quarterback Kyler Murray or running backs Chase Edmonds and David Johnson. There’s room for optimism in Arizona, but the Saints may provide a reality check this week. They’ve been excellent in all three phases of the game (even without Drew Brees).

2. Oakland Raiders @ Houston Texans (4:25 p.m. on CBS)

With the Los Angeles Chargers looking like a disappointing in 2019, the Raiders have a change to capitalize in the AFC West. The Chiefs will be without quarterback Patrick Mahomes for a little while, and that could give the Raiders a chance to make up ground in the playoff race. More realistically, Oakland will be in the hunt for a wild card spot. But, of course, that shouldn’t be their goal. The Raiders want to begin establishing themselves as playoff contender. A win in Houston would do just that.

3. Green Bay Packers @ Kansas City Chiefs (SNF on NBC)

It seems entirely possible that Aaron Rodgers is on the verge of a renaissance under Matt LaFleur. Rodgers whooped the Raiders’ secondary in Week 7 while completed 81% of his passes for 426 yards and six total touchdowns (5 passing, 1 rushing). The Raiders’ secondary is not nearly as impressive as the Chiefs’. While this matchup loses luster with Mahomes’ injury, Rodgers’ battle against the Chiefs’ ninth-ranked defense (228.6 yards per game) will be worth watching.