Scouting the OL/DL Matchups: Week 8

That wasn’t the best week of football we just watched. The London game and early window of Week 7 saw five of the seven games decided by two or more scores. Things were slightly better in the late window with Green Bay-Arizona and New York-Denver coming down to the wire. That was a brutal way for the Giants to lose, but bad teams find ways to lose games, and the Giants are still firmly a bad team (although I’m buying all the Jaxson Dart stock I can).

Not every week can be exciting in the NFL, but banking a bad week typically leads to a fun slate later in the season. Week 8 might not be the week that rights the ship, but there are a bunch of exciting trench matchups to break down, including a couple of revenge games.

Hopefully, your fantasy teams are prepared for byemageddon this week, as six teams will be sitting at home. Detroit, Seattle, and the Rams being off will hurt plenty of squads, so plan accordingly.

Enjoy Week 8!

WEEK 8 OL/DL MATCHUPS

BUF @ CAR — BILLS OL vs PANTHERS DL — MATCHUP TO EXPLOIT

Buffalo has been stewing on back-to-back losses for two weeks, and Carolina suddenly has an above .500 record. What looked like a run-of-the-mill early-window beatdown has taken on much more intrigue after the Panthers held on against the Jets.

The Bills’ run game has been great in 2025, with James Cook sitting fourth in the league with 537 rushing yards through six games. Buffalo has favored zone runs with Cook, and Carolina is slightly weaker against lateral plays. However, OC Joe Brady has gone away from Cook for extended stretches in Buffalo’s two losses. Carolina’s run defense has been better than expected this season, thanks to Derrick Brown, A’Shawn Robinson, and Tershawn Wharton, but the Bills should return with a vengeance in Week 8. Flat-out, if the Bills don’t feature Cook this week, Brady’s seat could start getting hot.

Buffalo’s pass protection badly needed the bye week after two poor performances protecting Josh Allen. The reigning MVP has faced a pressure rate of over 40% this year and has reverted to some old habits, trying to play hero ball. LT Dion Dawkins and RT Spencer Brown lead this proud offensive line, but they were unprepared for how often Atlanta blitzed in Week 6. The Panthers’ pass rush had a solid day against New York, as DJ Wonnum and Princely Umanmielen were disruptive. That said, I favor Buffalo’s front five against Carolina’s straight rush, but will the Bills be able to handle any exotic looks DC Ejiro Evero comes up with this week?

TLDR: The Bills should be on a revenge tour this week after back-to-back poor performances, but Carolina suddenly isn’t a pushover. James Cook has been highly effective in 2025, but OC Joe Brady can’t go away from him for extended stretches. Look for Cook to get back on track this week. I like the Bills’ OL against Carolina’s standard pass rush, but how much better will Buffalo be against exotic blitzes this week?

P.S. He only had 79 yards splitting carries with Chubba Hubbard last week, but Rico Dowdle is still hot. Keep riding him against a bad Buffalo run defense.

ATL @ MIA — FALCONS OL vs DOLPHINS DL — MATCHUP TO EXPLOIT

It’s astonishing that Mike McDaniel is still the head coach of the Miami Dolphins after his team looked inept against Cleveland. Things don’t get easier, as Atlanta comes to town off a tough loss where Bijan Robinson had just 40 yards on the ground.

Robinson added six catches, 52 yards, and a receiving touchdown on SNF, so he wasn’t a total fantasy loss against San Francisco. However, what better way to get back on track than facing the league’s worst run defense? Robinson thrives in Atlanta’s wide zone scheme, and the Falcons have been excellent at finding creative ways to get him to the edge. Robinson’s performance against Buffalo showed that he can be productive running either direction, but Jake Matthews’ ankle injury could make Atlanta favor runs to the right. Even if Atlanta only goes one way, I’m still expecting a heavy dose of lateral runs since Miami’s edge defenders haven’t been able to stop a nose bleed, allowing 5.32 yards per carry this season.

Michael Penix hasn’t been consistently lighting up the stat sheet this season, but his offensive line has given him plenty of time in the pocket. Penix has only been sacked nine times and faced a 35.5% pressure rate. A hobbled Jake Matthews on Penix’s front side is better than the alternative, but RT Elijah Wilkinson will have to step up his game. I’ve been down on Miami’s pass rush all season, and don’t expect a significant improvement this week. The Dolphins’ edge rushers likely won’t get many opportunities, as Atlanta will control the game on the ground, but Penix should have another solid performance.

TLDR: Atlanta went away from the run game last week, playing from behind, but Bijan Robinson was still productive. The Falcons’ rushing attack should return, facing the league’s worst rushing defense this week. I’ve been low on Miami’s pass rush all year, and don’t expect a huge improvement this week. Penix won’t light it up, but he’ll have a solid performance.

CHI @ BAL — BEARS OL vs RAVENS DL — SPLIT MATCHUP

Never in a million years would I have thought Chicago’s offensive line had the edge over Baltimore’s defensive front. However, seven weeks into the season, Baltimore still has major problems on that side of the ball. Like the Bills, the Ravens return from their bye week to face a team over .500, but I don’t have the same faith in them bouncing back as Buffalo.

Chicago’s rushing attack has been middle-of-the-road overall this season, but effective when it needs to be. Ben Johnson is sticking to the plan from his Detroit days by favoring zone runs, and D’Andre Swift has reaped the benefits by getting off to a strong start rushing behind Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, and Jonah Jackson. Baltimore’s weak run defense has been considerably better against zone runs, so we’ll see if that alters Chicago’s strategy. I think Johnson will lean on what’s gotten his team to 4-2. Will Swift have a breakout day? Probably not, but he’s become an effective closer for the Bears.

Pass protection is where this matchup gets interesting. The Ravens are last in the league with eight sacks through six games, and don’t have many answers with so many injuries on that side of the ball. Baltimore gets thrown a bone this week with Chicago’s second-year LT Theo Benedet, who took over for Braxton Jones after the bye. Benedet was solid against Washington, but looked shaky in protection last week. The Saints’ rushers won with speed and power, and Caleb Williams’ play plummeted when pressured. Williams routinely tried to do too much with his feet when he was forced off his spot, and was highly inaccurate throwing on the move. I can’t confidently say that Baltimore will get right against Chicago’s protection scheme, but Benedet will give the Ravens opportunities to disrupt Williams.

TLDR: Chicago has won four straight, and Baltimore is coming out of its bye week at 1-5. Huh? The Bears’ rushing attack hasn’t been better than average in 2025, but D’Andre Swift has been effective when it matters. Expect the Bears to be productive on the ground against Baltimore’s struggling run defense. Thanks to Chicago's LT issues, I give the slight pass-rush edge to the Ravens. Baltimore catches a break against a new look Bears’ offensive line that is coming along, but still has a way to go.

DAL @ DEN — COWBOYS OL vs BRONCOS DL — MATCHUP TO AVOID

This is the week we find out how real the Cowboys' offense is. Dallas travels to Denver with its resurgent rushing attack and Dak Prescott’s passing wizardry to take on arguably the toughest defense in the NFL. This is also a revenge game for Javonte Williams, who has raced out to the second-most rushing yards in the league through seven games.

As stiff as Denver’s run defense is, Dallas and Williams get a favorable matchup, as the Broncos are considerably softer against downhill runs. Williams has eaten up on man-scheme plays, but will his former teammates, D.J Jones, Zach Allen, and John Franklin-Myers let him run all over them? I see Denver putting a full team effort into shutting down Williams, and the Broncos should keep him under his average of 84.6 yards per game.

The potential All-Pro tandem of Nik Bonitto and Jonathan Cooper leads Denver’s pass rush. This duo was exceptional last season and is off to another hot start, with Bonitto having eight sacks and Cooper having six. Dallas has kept Prescott relatively clean so far, but has allowed a decent amount of pressure. Terence Steele and Tyler Guyton will need help on the edges this week, but the interior has its work cut out also, as Allen, Franklin-Myers, and LB Justin Strnad each have at least three sacks. Expect a quicker passing game from the Cowboys with timely deep shots. I have a hard time believing Prescott will have another explosive performance.

TLDR: Dallas’ offense has been on fire in both phases, but travels to one of the toughest defenses in the league. Denver’s run defense has been weaker against man-scheme runs, where Javonte Williams thrives, but expect an all-hands-on-deck approach from Denver’s front. The Broncos’ overall pass defense is excellent, and their pass rush is elite. Dak Prescott has been hot all season, but this is the week where he cools off.

GB @ PIT — STEELERS OL vs PACKERS DL — MATCHUP TO AVOID

Aaron Rodgers gets his first crack at his old team this weekend, as Green Bay makes a trip to Pittsburgh for Sunday Night Football. The Packers’ hot start has been thanks to their elite defense and timely plays from Jordan Love. Pittsburgh’s offense should be fired up for Rodgers, but the Packers are the better team.

Jaylen Warren finally appeared to get going last week against Cincinnati, but Pittsburgh’s rushing attack has been trash in 2025. The Steelers favor zone runs for Warren’s slashing style, but this young offensive line hasn’t gelled in this phase. Green Bay’s run defense has been stellar against both man and zone plays, but the silver lining for Pittsburgh is that Devonte Wyatt and Lukas Van Ness missed last week with lower-body injuries. Despite the missing guys, I favor Green Bay’s run defense this week.

Rodgers has yet to pop off in 2025, but his offensive line has done surprisingly well in protection. I haven’t been a fan of LT Broderick Jones since he entered the league, and RT Troy Fautanu is still figuring things out, but this unit has kept Rodgers (mostly) upright through six games. That said, I also favor Green Bay here. Micah Parsons made his presence known last week against Arizona, and Rashan Gary has been a steady producer all season. Green Bay’s waves of pass rushers will get the better of Pittsburgh’s young tackles this week.

TLDR: Aaron Rodgers gets his ultimate revenge game this week against the Packers. Pittsburgh’s offense will likely come out hot for its quarterback, but Green Bay’s defensive front is the better unit. The Steelers’ young OL is on the come-up, but the unit’s overall struggles in the run game give the ground advantage to the Packers. Green Bay also has the edge rushing the passer, thanks to its pair of elite edge defenders. Rodgers has all the motivation this week, but his team doesn’t have the horses.