NFL Week 8 bold predictions: Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens both top 100 yards receiving

Week 8 of the 2025 NFL season began more or less as expected with the Minnesota Vikings getting smoked, 37-10, by the Los Angeles Chargers after wheeling out a banged up Carson Wentz as their starting quarterback.

The 27-point margin of victory ranked as the second-largest win for the Chargers under head coach Jim Harbaugh and the second-largest loss for the Vikings under head coach Kevin O'Connell. Despite being without both first-round rookie Omarion Hampton and veteran Najee Harris with both on injured reserve, 2024 sixth-round pick running back Kimani Vidal erupted for 117 yards rushing and a touchdown on 23 carries. 

Vidal having that big of a night was somewhat surprising, but it wasn't necessarily bold. Let's get your Week 8 weekend docket of NFL action kicked off right with five bold predictions courtesy of yours truly. 

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Giants rookie duo of QB Jaxson Dart, RB Cam Skattebo torch Eagles again to sweep Philadelphia

Just two weeks ago, the New York Giants (2-5) handed the defending Super Bowl LIX champion Philadelphia Eagles (5-2) their second loss of the season, 34-17. In Week 8, New York will snap a 12-game road losing streak, including the playoffs, against Philadelphia, and their rookie duo of quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Cam Skattebo will each produce over 50 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown on Sunday.

Dart (58 yards rushing and a touchdown on 13 carries) and Skattebo (98 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 19 carries) became the second rookie quarterback-running back duo since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger to both go for at least 50 yards rushing and a touchdown in a game, per CBS Sports Research. The other duo was Washington's 2012 combination of quarterback Robert Griffin III and running back Alfred Morris, who did so twice that year. Following his stat-stuffing performance (283 yards passing, three passing touchdowns, on interception and a rushing touchdown) in a narrow 33-32 loss at the Denver Broncos, Dart will do it again against the Eagles as will Skattebo to tie Griffin III and Morris with two such games as a QB-WR duo. 

Prisco's Week 8 NFL picks: Cowboys beat Broncos in shootout, Packers spoil Aaron Rodgers' revenge game

Pete Prisco

Both Cowboys WRs CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens go for over 100 receiving yards each vs. top five Broncos defense

The Denver Broncos (5-2) have one of the best defenses in football. They're top five in the NFL in scoring defense (18.1 points per game allowed, fourth in the NFL), total defense (273.1 total yards per game allowed, third in the NFL), third down defense (29.2% third down conversion rate allowed, first in the NFL), quarterback pressure (44.9%, first in the NFL), sacks (34, first in the NFL), completion percentage allowed (55.9%, first in the NFL) and passer rating allowed (82.8, fifth in the NFL). They also have the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year at cornerback in Pat Surtain II. On the other side, they have Riley Moss, whose 37.5% completion percentage allowed is the lowest among 76 defenders with at least 30 passes thrown their way this season. 

However, both of the Dallas Cowboys' top wide receivers, All-Pro CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, will each go off for 100 yards receiving. There are a few reasons for that. One is Dart was able to shred them in a 32-point effort last week. Another is the Dallas offense is on fire. The Cowboys lead the NFL in total offense (390.6 total yards per game) and rank second in scoring offense (31.7 points per game). 

Quarterback Dak Prescott ranks second in the league in both passing yards (1,881) and passing touchdowns (16). The Broncos do have the league's best pass rush, but Prescott has been great at avoiding pressure with a sack rate of 3%, the second-lowest in the NFL. Denver, playing man coverage at the fourth-highest rate in the NFL (36.3%), also plays right into Dallas' hands with two No. 1-caliber receivers in Lamb and Pickens. 

"Oh yeah, most definitely," Pickens said Wednesday when asked if his eyes get wide when seeing how much man coverage Denver plays. "Especially when we can catch Cover 1 man to be specific. They play a lot three-match, which is zone treated like man. Definitely man, I expect."

"Yeah, absolutely," Lamb said Thursday when asked if he licks his chops when he sees one-on-one, man coverage. "Absolutely."  

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Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa becomes first QB in nearly 30 years to have three consecutive games with one or fewer pass TD and three or more INT

The waves are swirling for the 1-6 Miami Dolphins. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's last two games have looked like his team's record: he's thrown just one touchdown to six interceptions in losses vs. the Los Angeles Chargers and at the Cleveland Browns with three interceptions in each outing. 

How often has a player thrown one or fewer touchdown passes and three or more interceptions in three games in a row? Not since Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly did so in the 1996 season, his last year in the NFL at the age of 36, per CBS Sports Research. Tagovailoa is going to do what hasn't been done since Kelly nearly 30 years ago and throw for one or fewer touchdowns and three or more interceptions for the third week in a row at the 3-3 Atlanta Falcons. 

Even though Tagovailoa doing so is historically unlikely, here's why it's going to happen. Atlanta is allowing 141.2 passing yards per game, the third-fewest through a team's first six games played in the last six seasons, per CBS Sports Research. The Falcons' six interceptions this season are tied for the eighth-most in the NFL. Also, Tagovailoa's rationale for targeting Jaylen Waddle, his top healthy wide receiver, just four times and completing one pass to him for 15 yards reeks of a quarterback who's simply lost his fastball. The Dolphins quarterback will perform a fight of mediocrity not seen in nearly 30 years in Week 8 -- it wouldn't matter who the opponent is. 

"Yeah, I think with that some of it has to do with being able to see guys with their guys also up front and our guys. I'm not the tallest back there either, so being able to see and sometimes when that happens, you don't want to just throw it blindly," Tagovailoa said on Wednesday, via Ari Meirov. "You have to progress. That had some merit to reasons as to why that happened for [Jaylen] Waddle."

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Cleveland Browns rookie RB Quinshon Judkins becomes first player to rush for over 100 yards and a TD vs. Patriots

The AFC East-leading New England Patriots (5-2) are rolling, and it's not just because of quarterback Drake Maye, and their eighth-ranked scoring offense (25.9 points per game). Head coach Mike Vrabel's defense is No. 5 in the NFL in scoring (19.0 points per game allowed) and third in the NFL in run defense (77.1 rushing yards per game allowed).

The most a single player has rushed for against the Patriots this season is when 2024 NFL MVP Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen totaled 53 yards rushing on 9 carries in 23-20 defeat in the Week 5 edition of "Sunday Night Football." The Cleveland Browns (2-5) enter Week 8 against the Patriots with the league's 30th-ranked scoring offense (16.1 points per game).

However, Browns rookie running back Quinshon Judkins is going to go off for over 100 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots. He's just the fourth player in the last 10 seasons with at least 450 yards rushing (467) and and 5 rushing touchdowns (5) in their first six career games. The other three are Ezekiel Elliott (2016), Leonard Fournette (2017) and De'Von Achane (2023). Judkins will overcome Vrabel's stingy defense to put up high end numbers against the first place Patriots. 

Jets allow under 25 points at Joe Flacco-led Bengals 

New Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco and No. 1 wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase lit up the Pittsburgh Steelers on "Thursday Night Football" in Week 7, combining for 16 completions , 161 yards and a touchdown in a 33-31 victory. The 0-7 New York Jets will hold the high-flying Bengals under 25 points on Sunday despite having just one takeaway this season, the fewest by any team through seven games in the last 85 seasons, per CBS Sports Research.

New York has held the last two teams that they have faced, the Denver Broncos (5-2) and the Carolina Panthers (4-3), to under 15 points -- 13 each to be exact. There's still plenty of talent on this Jets defense between All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner, All-Pro linebacker Quincy Williams and 2023 first-round edge rusher Will McDonald. New York pressures Flacco early and often to keep Cincy's high-flying attack relatively in check and under 25 points despite allowing 25 or more points in eight consecutive road games, which is the longest such streak in team history per CBS Sports Research.