NFL

NFL Week 8 2026: Storylines, Injuries and Trade Deadline Buzz

Four teams are on bye, Lamar Jackson is back at practice and the trade rumor mill is running before the deadline.

· 3 min read
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00205570.JPGPhoto: Keith Allison from Baltimore, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season kicked off Thursday, October 29, with Carolina and Green Bay, and runs through a Monday-night game between Chicago and Seattle. Houston, the New York Giants, New Orleans and San Francisco are on bye.

The Week 8 Slate

The full list of games:

Scientifically accurate atomic model of the external structure of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a strain
Scientifically accurate atomic model of the external structure of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome CoronaVirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a strainPhoto: Alexey Solodovnikov (Idea, Producer, CG, Editor), Valeria Arkhipova (Scientific , CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
  • Carolina and Green Bay (Thursday)
  • Indianapolis and Jacksonville
  • Tennessee and Cincinnati
  • Cleveland and Pittsburgh
  • Minnesota and Detroit
  • Atlanta and Tampa Bay
  • Arizona and Dallas
  • Las Vegas and the New York Jets
  • Baltimore and Buffalo
  • Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams
  • New England and Miami
  • Kansas City and Denver
  • Philadelphia and Washington
  • Chicago and Seattle (Monday night)

The AP's Rob Maaddi notes that six teams are favored by at least seven points on BetMGM, with three of them double-digit favorites, and five divisional matchups are on the board. Survivor-pool picks are in the spotlight after Houston's overtime loss to the Giants last week.

Injury and Roster Watch

Reports from the week as of midweek (check final status before kickoff):

Jonathan Vilma of the New Orleans Saints at the 2010 commencement ceremony at Tulane University.
Jonathan Vilma of the New Orleans Saints at the 2010 commencement ceremony at Tulane University.Photo: Tulane Public Relations, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
  • Baltimore: Quarterback Lamar Jackson has returned to practice ahead of the Buffalo game.
  • Denver: Jaylen Waddle aggravated a chest injury and is uncertain against Kansas City.
  • Los Angeles Rams: Garrett will not practice and will miss his seventh straight game.
  • Detroit: Joseph has been cleared to practice.
  • New York Jets: Bailey is dealing with a groin issue and Sweat is out with a knee injury. Quarterback Wilson says he will not request a trade and wants to remain with the team.
  • Kansas City: Harrison Butker remains the preferred kicker as Justin Tucker joins the practice squad.
  • Los Angeles Chargers: McDaniel will continue calling plays on offense.

For last week's report, see our Week 7 injury report.

Trade Deadline Buzz

The deadline is approaching and the rumor mill is busy. The biggest move so far is the Cardinals' trade of Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Texans, made official in Week 5 after reports that he would be benched. Names that keep coming up in speculation include Jaylen Waddle, Chris Olave, A.J. Brown, Jakobi Meyers, Maxx Crosby and Josh Sweat, though insider Ian Rapoport has said Sweat is not being traded. Tennessee, at 1-6, is the most obvious seller. Treat these as possibilities, not reported deals.

Malcom Brown, a player on the National Football League.
Malcom Brown, a player on the National Football League.Photo: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

New to the rulebook? Read our guides to NFL scoring and overtime rules, and see the Paris game preview for the league's international slate.

Follow the rest of the season in our NFL coverage.

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Background from Wikipedia

National Football League

The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is the premier American football league in the world. Each NFL season begins annually with a three-week preseason in August, followed by an 18-week regular season, which runs from early September to early January, with each team playing 17 games and having one bye week.

Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Frequently Asked Questions

Which NFL teams are on bye in Week 8 of 2026?

Houston, the New York Giants, New Orleans and San Francisco are off this week.

What games are on the Week 8 NFL schedule?

The slate has 14 games, including Carolina and Green Bay on Thursday, Baltimore and Buffalo, Kansas City and Denver, Philadelphia and Washington, and Chicago and Seattle on Monday night.

Has Lamar Jackson returned from injury?

Baltimore's Lamar Jackson has returned to practice this week.

What was the biggest NFL trade of 2026 so far?

The Cardinals' trade of Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Texans, made official in Week 5, is the biggest move reported so far.

Sources & Official Resources

Rules, schedules and statistics in this article are checked against these official sources. See our editorial policy for how we fact-check.

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