NFL Week 8: What's at Stake for Teams, Players This Weekend?

The NFL landscape is ever-evolving on a weekly basis. How your team is viewed is directly tied to the previous week. That puts a big emphasis on what’s at stake for teams and players every game.

Some games are decided directly by particular matchups. The better, more talented team doesn’t always win because of the importance of style and the ability to adjust. But that is often overlooked because winning is really what matters in the big picture.

For teams that have started slowly out of the gate, there’s not much time to turn things around. Unless, of course, if the entire division has struggled. The AFC South and NFC East come to mind immediately, but those teams need the wheels to start turning, or else they won’t peak at the right time of the season.

We’ve highlighted six key storylines on the following slides that will determine whether or not these teams are successful in Week 8. Several critical divisional matchups could put certain franchises at great risk of being eliminated from the playoffs earlier than imagined. That doesn’t mean Week 8’s results will end a season, but it could set up particular teams for a big hill to climb.

Peyton Manning: Can He Recapture the Magic in Prime Time?

David Richard/Associated Press

The Sunday Night Football game is going to be a can’t-miss matchup. The Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos each enter 6-0, but one will lose its undefeated record. More importantly, the pair of Hall of Fame quarterbacks will provide plenty of entertainment.

We know that Aaron Rodgers is playing well, and how he performs against a deep and talented Broncos defense will be fascinating to see unfold. But the bigger storyline is on the other side of the field: How will Peyton Manning look?

It seems as if Manning’s arm is long gone. If he’s going to show improvement, the time has arrived. If Manning doesn’t look better soon, the Broncos are unlikely to be legitimate Super Bowl threats. That might seem crazy, but the Broncos won’t be able to carry this version of Manning that far on their own.

Jameis Winston: Capitalize on the Momentum

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

The impact Jameis Winston has made on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers goes beyond the stat sheet. He’s bought time for his porous offensive line, his ability to extend plays has benefited his receivers and his presence has helped the running game.

Credit also needs to go to his playmakers and offensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter. But overall, Winston has played good football with the exception of two games this year. His latest game was his best yet, or at least Koetter believes so, according to Andrew Astleford of ESPN.com.

Winston has pieced two strong performances in a row prior to this upcoming week. The competition will ramp up a little, as the Buccaneers face the Atlanta Falcons. Tampa Bay must stay balanced on offense to help reduce pressure on Winston. If the Bucs can do that, expect Winston to respond with another efficient game.

Arizona Cardinals: Set the Table for the Second Half of the Season

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press/Associated Press

Larry Fitzgerald

The Arizona Cardinals have been a pleasant surprise through seven weeks. Despite losing depth and their defensive coordinator from 2014, the Cardinals are playing well without signs of stopping. A 5-2 record heading into the halfway point of the season is encouraging.

Arizona is facing a reeling Cleveland Browns team this week. With clear advantages on both sides of the ball, the Cardinals need to set the tone for the second half of the season. Winning on the road isn’t easy in the NFL, so we aren’t looking for a blowout. But a win will keep building a lead on Arizona's NFC West foes.

Other key games down the stretch for Arizona include Seattle in Week 10, Cincinnati in Week 11 and the Packers in Week 16. In case those games don’t go according to plan, the Cardinals will need to stack as many wins as possible. Beating the Browns helps accomplish that.

New Orleans Saints: A Win Puts This Team Back into Playoff Picture

R Brent Smith/Associated Press

A matchup with somewhat surprising implications at this point in the season is the New York Giants at the New Orleans Saints. While the Giants currently lead the NFC East, the Saints are climbing back toward a .500 record. A win this week would greatly benefit either team.

Considering the depth of viable teams in each division, the Saints need this game more. The NFC South has the Atlanta Falcons playing well and sitting at 6-1. The Saints must stay in the wild-card mix, since they’re unlikely to catch up to the Falcons, barring major injuries to the Falcons.

The key to this game for the Saints is for their defense to step up. Young players, such as Stephone Anthony, Delvin Breaux and Hau’oli Kikaha, have been nice surprises. They’ll need several others to make an impact to knock Eli Manning off his game.

Amari Cooper: Will He Make a Statement Against Darrelle Revis?

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

Oakland Raiders rookie receiver Amari Cooper has accomplished many impressive feats already in his first year. He is clearly an impact player already, but he hasn’t faced the best cornerback in the NFL yet.

Darrelle Revis is no longer the elite athlete he once was, but he compensates for it in a manner that rarely leaves him out of position. His craftiness and intelligence are unrivaled at the position. Cooper must show nuance and attention to detail while working against Revis.

When sifting through Cooper’s numbers, it is interesting to see how he’s producing. He leads the NFL in yards after catch (302), per Pro Football Focus. That means a whopping 58 percent of his yards gained are coming post-reception. The battle between Cooper and Revis will be a top matchup this weekend.

Mike Pettine: His Defense Has to Stop the Run

Billy Hurst/Associated Press

When Cleveland brought in Mike Pettine, his defensive pedigree was a major selling point to the fanbase. His work with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills was impressive, but he was also working under Rex Ryan in New York, which maybe inflated his value.

Cleveland’s leaky run defense ranks last in the NFL, per ESPN.com, and the Browns defense is one of the most expensive in the NFL, according to Spotrac. It’s not as if the Browns haven’t added blue-chip talent to their front seven, but this unit is always caught out of position. The coaching staff must bear some of the blame.

After a year-and-a-half of inept run defense, Pettine must change his approach. His identity as a defensive coach is working against him right now, especially as the offense has produced enough to win games for the second consecutive year. It’s unlikely this becomes a good unit, but it must be closer to average than last place for Pettine to continue surviving.

All stats are from Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

Ian Wharton is an NFL Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. 

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