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| Football fans were treated to an unexpectedly entertaining game Thursday night. |
| The Houston Texans earned a 42-23 win over the Miami Dolphins, the team's fifth consecutive victory after opening the season 0-3. Deshaun Watson threw 5 TDs, and appears to almost be back to his pre-injury form. |
| Week 8 features one of the best Sunday night matchups of the season, when the Minnesota Vikings host the New Orleans Saints in a rematch of last season's epic divisional playoff game. The Saints have downplayed the revenge factor after the "Minnesota Miracle." |
| The undefeated Los Angeles Rams host the Green Bay Packers, who are coming off a bye week. This NFC showdown opens a challenging stretch for both teams. For Jared Goff, it means going toe-to-toe against his boyhood idol. |
| Sunday also features the final game in London this season. The fans at Wembley Stadium will be treated to a showdown of two teams that entered the season with big expectations, but have struggled in the first half of this season: The Jacksonville Jaguars and Philadelphia Eagles. |
Week 8 picks, burning questions & more! |
| - Week 8 picks: USA TODAY Sports' panel of experts has provided fans with the great public service of making prognostications for every NFL game this weekend. |
| - Seven burning questions for Week 8: Lorenzo Reyes (@LorenzoGReyes) tackles the biggest questions heading into Week 8, including if Blake Bortles will finish his start Sunday (sports fans will know the answer to that one early, since the game is in London). |
| - NFL trade deadline: Tuesday is deadline day for teams to make moves to either improve their roster or improve their draft haul. Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz (@MikeMSchwartz) has eight teams that could be pushing hard to make trades. Which players might be on the move? Glad you asked. We present 15 players who will be among the most widely discussed targets. |
| - Will Cooper be cure-all for Cowboys? Dallas already made its big move, sending a first-round draft pick to the Raiders for receiver Amari Cooper. Nate Davis ( @ByNateDavis) explains why the Cowboys got fleeced in its deal for the two-time Pro Bowler. |
| - Cowboys make rare progressive move: The Cowboys visited the African-American Museum of History and Culture in Washington D.C. Jarrett Bell (@JarrettBell ) writes that the visit was quite ironic given that the Cowboys have taken the hardest line of any NFL team against protests during the national anthem. |
| - NFL players fight back against Trump: The president, vice president and plenty of other politicians have taken their shots at NFL players protesting racial inequality and the social and economic disparities it causes. Nancy Armour (@nrarmour ) writes that now it's the players' turn to have their say. |
| - Ex-ESPN analyst way off target discussing CTE: Merril Hoge co-authored a book in which he claims "there's no scientific evidence" that football causes CTE. Christine Brennan (@cbrennansports ) writes that the former NFL player and ESPN analyst is an interesting pitchman for the "let's not come down too hard on football" crowd. |
| - NFL QB Hot Sheet: Lorenzo Reyes assesses the league's most important position. Which QBs are trending up (Capt. Andrew Luck), which QBs are trending down (Bortles ... again. LOL!) and which QBs you need to keep an eye on in Week 8 (Cam Newton vs. the stingy Ravens)? |
 | | Cam Newton gets a big test against the Ravens in Week 8. | | Bill Streicher, USA TODAY Sports | |
| - Power rankings: See how every team stacks up entering Week 8. The defending champs are this week's biggest riser. Also, don't forget to check out the Fan Rankings and how they compare to our experts. |
| - Betting on NFL Week 8: We want you to become a better bettor of pro football games. So, listen up and find out the bets you need to make and which to avoid this weekend in the NFL. |
| TOP PICS: Week 8 highlights | Cheerleaders | Celebrations | Fans |
Q&A: Your questions answered! |
| USA TODAY Sports' Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz (@MikeMSchwartz) answered a question from an inquiring fan through our NFL Facebook group, The Ruling Off the Field (there's still time to join!): |
| Gerard Cox: If Derek Carr is traded, what team do you think makes the most sense? The Jaguars are the most obvious in terms of making a difference at a position of need for a team that still has a window open. Anybody else? Dolphins? |
| Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz: By all accounts, Carr doesn't look likely to face the same fate as Amari Cooper and Khalil Mack by becoming the latest Raiders star to be traded. Jon Gruden even said that he "certainly" doesn't see the team moving the quarterback, and it would be a tough deal to explain given his declarations that the team isn't holding a fire sale. |
| But maybe a trade becomes more viable in the offseason, when teams would have a clearer picture of whether they could absorb Carr's rather large contract into their salary cap outlook. And with a draft class that could end up short on top-tier passers, Carr might become a more attractive option for a front office looking for a Day 1 starter. |
| The Jaguars certainly could use a change behind center, but it's hard to envision how the team would land Carr given the financial bind they're in after giving Blake Bortles a three-year contract extension. Ditto for the Dolphins, who have little cap space in 2019 and could ill-afford the $13.4 million dead money hit that releasing Ryan Tannehill would create. |
| Let's look, then, to a couple teams that might be better fits. The Giants need to find someone to take over for Eli Manning, and it might be a tall order to pin that on fourth-round pick Kyle Lauletta after just one year in the system. Getting Carr would help the team capitalize on the electric ability of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and running back Saquon Barkley without as long of a waiting period as a highly drafted rookie would necessitate. And while the rival Broncos might seem like a far-fetched landing spot, Case Keenum hasn't proven to be the answer, and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave helped Carr to a career year in 2016 when he was guiding Oakland's attack. |
 | | Don't expect to see the Raiders trade Derek Carr. | | Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports | |
| Hello, football fans: Don't forget to submit questions either through our Facebook group or right here (be sure to leave your name!). |
Week 8 schedule |
| Click on team name to get updated news on your team from our NFL wire sites. |
| (All times Eastern) |
| Bye week: Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans |
| Thursday
Texans 42, Dolphins 23 |
| Sunday
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (in London), 9:30 a.m. (NFL Network)
Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Washington Redskins at New York Giants, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Seattle Seahawks at Detroit Lions, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. (FOX)
New York Jets at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Baltimore Ravens at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Indianapolis Colts at Oakland Raiders, 4:05 p.m. (CBS)
San Francisco 49ers at Arizona Cardinals, 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings, 8:20 p.m. (NBC) |
| Monday
New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN) |
Don't forget to join our NFL Facebook group! |
 | | The Ruling Off the Field - USA TODAY Sports NFL Facebook group logo | | USA TODAY | |
| If you love talking some football, we have the perfect spot for you. Join The Ruling Off the Field, to engage in friendly debate and conversation with fellow football fans and our NFL insiders. Sign up now! |
| As an added bonus, USA TODAY Sports' NFL experts will answer questions from fans posted in our NFL Facebook group. |
Valuable fantasy football advice |
| Optimize your fantasy lineup to wreak havoc on your opponent in Week 8. Our panel of fantasy football experts is here to help you make the most of your lineup this week. |
| - Fantasy rankings for Week 8: For your convenience, these position-by-position rankings were updated for this week's games. |
| - Start 'em or sit 'em: Listen to our fantasy expert Steve Gardner (@SteveAGardner) as he tells you which players to feel confident about in Week 8, and which players you should think twice about putting into your starting lineup. |
| - Studs, duds and sleepers: FTW's Charles Curtis ( @bycharlescurtis ) has some names to know going into Week 8. Trust us, there's a valid reason why you might want to consider starting Case Keenum. |
| - Waiver wire: Your lineup might have some holes due to bye weeks and injuries. Perhaps consider adding to your fantasy team one of a trio of running backs replacing injured starters. |
| Want to keep this conversation going? Head to Facebook, and/or give a Twitter follow to your friendly neighborhood football guy who put together this newsletter, @jimreineking. |
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