Stampede Blue’s NFL Week 8 staff picks

By Blake Andrew Pace@BlakeAndrewPace Oct 29, 2020, 6:30pm EDT

NFL: San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks

Ignore the fact that the NFL regular season is almost at its midpoint. Ignore that most primetime matchups this week are some of the least enticing games of the week. None of that matters, because at the end of the day we’re blessed with 14 more NFL games to distract ourselves for hours on end between tonight and Monday evening.

Week 8 is here and it all kicks off on Thursday Night Football, as the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons square off in a heated NFC South divisional matchup. While neither team boasts a winning record, the wide receiving talent in this game alone makes it worthwhile, with Matt Ryan and Teddy Bridgewater slinging it to the likes of Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, DJ Moore and Robby Anderson.

Sunday’s slate is chock full of divisional matchups, none more important than the AFC North bloodbath between the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers and 5-1 Ravens. Pittsburgh has taken care of each new challenge as the difficulty increased, but nothing prepares you for the speed and shiftiness of Lamar Jackson, as he’ll look to put up 30+ points on the Steelers defense — something no team has done yet this season, and something Baltimore has done in all but one game this season. With the top seed in the division on the line and the fortitude of both rosters and coaching staffs, this game has all the makings off being the greatest game of the weekend.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the action around the league and check in on how the Stampede Blue staffers see Week 8 playing out.