The NFL is nearing the halfway point of the season and the games from here on out are going to have a deeper impact in terms of playoff seeding than ever before.
The NFC West and the AFC North are among the best divisions in football and during Week 8 of the 2020 season there are two matchups that will stick out. The Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Baltimore Ravens and the Seattle Seahawks play the San Francisco 49ers.
Both games will determine who wins the division and gets to host a playoff game. And while the NFC East is one of the worst divisions in football, the Dallas Cowboys’ game against the Philadelphia Eagles will also have playoff implications.
The Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Football Team are all on bye weeks.
Here’s a brief look at the games around the NFL.
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PANTHERS (3-4) VS. FALCONS (1-6)
The Falcons lost last week on a fluky touchdown from Todd Gurley and now have a big NFC South matchup against the Panthers. To stay in the division race, both teams need a win on this Thursday night matchup.
ALL-TIME SERIES: 32-19 Falcons
DATE: Oct. 29
TIME (ET): 8:20 p.m.
WHERE: Bank of America Stadium
WATCH: FOX/NFL Network/Amazon
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RAVENS (5-1) VS. STEELERS (6-0)
The Steelers and Ravens’ rivalry continues Sunday as the NFL season starts November. The undefeated Steelers team will be mostly healthy when it takes on the Ravens and Lamar Jackson. This will be one of the better matchups of the afternoon.
ALL-TIME SERIES: 25-23 Steelers
DATE: Nov. 1
TIME (ET): 1 p.m.
WHERE: M&T Bank Stadium
WATCH: CBS
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BILLS (5-2) VS. PATRIOTS (2-4)
The Bills have a real chance to bury the Patriots on Sunday. A Buffalo win would put New England at 2-6 and really out of contention in the AFC East. New England desperately needs a win after a bad loss to San Francisco last week.
ALL-TIME SERIES: 75-43-1 Patriots
DATE: Nov. 1
TIME (ET): 1 p.m.
WHERE: Bills Stadium
WATCH: CBS
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BENGALS (1-5-1) VS. TITANS (5-1)
The Titans will look to bounce back from their first loss of the season. They hit the road to face the Bengals. Joe Burrow has played well but the team has not been able to play a complete game and he will have a big test against Tennessee.
ALL-TIME SERIES: 40-33-1 Titans
DATE: Nov. 1
TIME (ET): 1 p.m.
WHERE: Paul Brown Stadium
WATCH: CBS
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BROWNS (5-2) VS. RAIDERS (3-3)
The Browns lost Odell Beckham Jr. for the remainder of the season, but hope to get past that and pick up a win against the Raiders. Las Vegas was blown out against Tampa Bay last week. Cleveland won by three points on a last-second touchdown.
ALL-TIME SERIES: 13-10 Raiders
DATE: Nov. 1
TIME (ET): 1 p.m.
WHERE: FirstEnergy Stadium
WATCH: CBS
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LIONS (3-3) VS. COLTS (4-2)
The Lions and Colts have a big matchup that could have wild card implications in both of the teams’ conferences. Detroit won last week against Atlanta and Indianapolis is coming off a bye week after a comeback victory over the Bengals in Week 6.
ALL-TIME SERIES: 21-19-2 Colts
DATE: Nov. 1
TIME (ET): 1 p.m.
WHERE: Ford Field
WATCH: CBS
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PACKERS (5-1) VS. VIKINGS (1-5)
The Packers have their second matchup of the season against the Vikings. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers hope to put the Vikings away for the rest of the season. Minnesota is in desperate need of a ‘W’ in this one.
ALL-TIME SERIES: 62-53-3 Packers
DATE: Nov. 1
TIME (ET): 1 p.m.
WHERE: Lambeau Field
WATCH: FOX
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CHIEFS (6-1) VS. JETS (0-7)
It’s the Le’Veon Bell revenge game. The Chiefs host the Jets in what could be the most lopsided game of the season. The Jets cut Bell earlier in the season and he was picked up by the Chiefs. He is expected to get significant playing time.
ALL-TIME SERIES: 18-18-1 tied
DATE: Nov. 1
TIME (ET): 1 p.m.
WHERE: Arrowhead Stadium
WATCH: CBS
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DOLPHINS (3-3) VS. RAMS (5-2)
Los Angeles is turning into title town and the Rams know that. Their march back to the Super Bowl begins Sunday when they head to Miami to face the Dolphins. Tua Tagovailoa will get his first start of his NFL career. He will be welcomed by Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey and Leonard Floyd.
ALL-TIME SERIES: 11-2 Dolphins
DATE: Nov. 1
TIME (ET): 1 p,m.
WHERE: Hard Rock Stadium
WATCH: FOX
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BRONCOS (2-4) VS. CHARGERS (2-4)
The AFC West will have a big matchup featuring the Chargers and Broncos. Justin Herbert will hope to get another win as Drew Lock and the team tries to bounce back. Both teams need a win to keep pace for the wild card.
ALL-TIME SERIES: 67-52-1 Broncos
DATE: Nov. 1
TIME (ET): 4:05 p.m.
WHERE: Empower Field at Mile High
WATCH: CBS
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BEARS (5-2) VS. SAINTS (4-2)
The Bears did not look great against the Rams on Monday night in Week 7. The Saints are hoping to be healthy for this matchup. A win would help either team’s playoff chances significantly.
ALL-TIME SERIES: 16-13 Saints
DATE: Nov. 1
TIME (ET): 4:25 p.m.
WHERE: Soldier Field
WATCH: FOX
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SEAHAWKS (5-1) VS. 49ERS (4-3)
It’s matchups like these that will wean out the division winners from the wild card teams and the playoff pretenders. The Seahawks are coming off a tough loss to the Cardinals while the 49ers are hoping to continue their streak of good luck. It’s a pivotal division matchup on Sunday afternoon and a must-watch game.
ALL-TIME SERIES: 25-17 Seahawks
DATE: Nov. 1
TIME (ET): 4:25 p.m.
WHERE: CenturyLink Field
WATCH: FOX
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EAGLES (2-4-1) VS. COWBOYS (2-5)
The NFC East is bad but someone has to win the division. The Cowboys and Eagles are the two top teams right now and will battle it out Sunday night. Philly is coming off a close win against the Giants and the Cowboys are coming off a bad loss to Washington. Something has to give.
ALL-TIME SERIES: 66-52 Cowboys
DATE: Nov. 1
TIME (ET): 8:20 p.m.
WHERE: Lincoln Financial Field
WATCH: NBC
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GIANTS (1-6) VS. BUCCANEERS (5-2)
The Buccaneers shouldn’t have any issues against the Giants on Monday night. Tampa Bay looked to be in form against Las Vegas last week while the Giants can’t seem to close out games. Daniel Jones made his debut against Tampa Bay last year and won the game for New York. But both teams are a bit different a year later.
ALL-TIME SERIES: 15-7 Giants
DATE: Nov. 2
TIME (ET): 8:15 p.m.
WHERE: MetLife Stadium
WATCH: ESPN