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Scouting the competition: Players to watch in each Week 8 game

Two of the league's top rookie quarterbacks will square off when the Dallas Cowboys host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night.

Dak Prescott and the Cowboys are coming off a bye and looking to stay on track against Carson Wentz and the Eagles.

Here's a closer look at the rest of Week 8:

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans, 8:25 p.m. ET Thursday

Jacksonville Jaguars

The AFC South is again shaping up to be the worst division in the NFL, which means as poorly as the Jaguars have played, they're still nowhere close to being out of the race. That's what makes Thursday's game at Tennessee so important. Read more

Tennessee Titans

Two teams yet to find solid footing in the AFC South square off at Nissan Stadium with last place on the line. The 3-4 Titans host the 2-4 Jaguars in a Color Rush game where it'll look like the sky is playing against mustard. Read more


Washington Redskins at Cincinnati Bengals, 9:30 a.m. Sunday

Washington Redskins

Even though the Bengals are 3-4, they still have the core of the franchise that helped them win double-digit games in each of the previous four seasons. The Redskins last did that from 1983 to 1987 when they were playing in -- and winning -- Super Bowls. Read more

Cincinnati Bengals

The Washington Redskins' secondary is probably bracing for Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green this week. They just might have to figure out how to stop him without their best cornerback, Josh Norman. Read more


Kansas City Chiefs at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. ET Sunday

Kansas City Chiefs

The 4-2 Chiefs will face their third straight opponent ranked in the top 10 in scoring when they play the 3-4 Colts in Indianapolis. The Colts are averaging almost 28 points per game, fourth-best in the league. Read more

Indianapolis Colts

Sunday marks the first meeting between the Colts and Chiefs since Andrew Luck led Indianapolis from a 28-point third-quarter deficit in their 45-44 AFC wild-card playoff matchup in January 2014. Read more


Oakland Raiders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m. ET Sunday

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders are in a kind of training camp mode as they spend the week in Florida between games at the Jaguars, a 33-16 victory, and the Buccaneers. Read more

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers return home for the first time in nearly a month Sunday to take on the Oakland Raiders, who are 4-0 on the road this season, 5-2 overall and first in the AFC West. The Bucs are 3-3 and have won two in a row but have yet to win at home. Read more


Seattle Seahawks at New Orleans Saints, 1 p.m. ET Sunday

Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks' defense enters the game allowing 14 points per game, tied for best in the NFL. The Saints, meanwhile, are averaging 29.3 points per game on offense, second-best. Read more

New Orleans Saints

Jimmy Graham's return to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome will obviously be the marquee event. But the matchup between the New Orleans Saints' offense and the Seattle Seahawks' defense could be even more compelling. Read more


Detroit Lions at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. ET Sunday

Detroit Lions

Facing a beat-up Houston Texans team on a short week, it could be a chance for the Lions to pick up a critical road win and their fourth straight victory. Read more

Houston Texans

Matthew Stafford has been playing like a legitimate MVP candidate, so he will be a tough test for a banged-up Texans secondary, especially when he is throwing to receiver Marvin Jones. Read more


New York Jets at Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. ET Sunday

New York Jets

You think the Jets are dealing with quarterback instability? Not compared to the Browns, who have started 26 different quarterbacks since 1999. It'll be 27 if Kevin Hogan starts Sunday against the Jets. Read more

Cleveland Browns

The Jets provide the Browns with an opportunity for their first win. ESPN Analytics gives the Browns a 39.6 percent chance, which is higher than the team's chance to win any other game the rest of the season. Read more


New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills, 1 p.m. ET Sunday

New England Patriots

Who the Patriots decide to focus on starts with running back LeSean McCoy, who was a handful when the two teams met Oct. 2. Read more

Buffalo Bills

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady will be a new challenge for a defense that has shown promise at times but has also been porous on other occasions. Read more


Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. ET Sunday

Arizona Cardinals

The Panthers ended Arizona’s season in the wild-card round in 2014. Last year, they sent the Cardinals home with a beatdown in the NFC Championship Game. Revenge? Read more

Carolina Panthers

If Carolina can shore up issues in the secondary to get the defense back to the top-10 level it has been the past three years, it has the talent offensively to score a lot of points and get on a roll. Read more


San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos, 4:05 p.m. ET Sunday

San Diego Chargers

The Chargers still have not won on the road in the AFC West in over two years, last defeating the Oakland Raiders in the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, 31-28 on Oct. 12, 2014. The Chargers also have not swept the Broncos in a season series since 2010. Read more

Denver Broncos

A lot can happen in 17 days. And for the second time in a three-game span, the Broncos will face the Chargers. The Chargers will likely see a different Broncos team than the one that slogged around in Qualcomm Stadium earlier this month. Read more


Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons, 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday

Green Bay Packers

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said one stat says everything you need to know about the Falcons. "They're No. 1 in the league in scoring," the Green Bay Packers coach said. "I think that tells you the story." Read more

Atlanta Falcons

The game is sure to be built up as a matchup of top quarterbacks, as Matt Ryan of the Falcons and Aaron Rodgers of the Packers do battle at the Georgia Dome. The two have met five times before, with Rodgers holding a 3-2 advantage. Read more


Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys, 8:30 p.m. ET Sunday

Philadelphia Eagles

The Cowboys have one of the top offensive lines in football and an elite rookie back in Ezekiel Elliott. That has helped the cause of first-year quarterback Dak Prescott, who has completed 68.7 percent of his passes with seven touchdowns and one interception. Read more

Dallas Cowboys

Most of the headlines will center on rookie quarterbacks Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz. According to Elias, this is the first time since the 1970 merger that rookie quarterbacks will meet with a combined winning percentage of .750 or better with a minimum of three starts. Read more


Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears, 8:30 p.m. ET Monday

Minnesota Vikings

Jay Cutler, the Bears' sometimes-loved, often-loathed quarterback, has been cleared to return from a thumb injury, and he should start just his third game of the season against a team he has beaten eight times in 13 career starts. Read more

Chicago Bears

History is on Chicago's side. The Bears had a five-game winning streak at home against Minnesota snapped last year, when the Vikings swept the season series for the first time since 2007. Read more