NFL Week 8 Picks From the MMQB Staff: Tua Tagovailoa Returns Against Cardinals

Our writers and editors pick winners in all 16 games, including a big NFC South rematch and prime-time game between the 49ers and Cowboys.

Tagovailoa is expected to return to the field for the first time since Week 2. / Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

It’s Week 8! There is a lot of intrigue off the field right now, with trade action heating up before the Nov. 5 deadline, which means this week’s games could be critical for a bunch of teams deciding which way their franchise may need to pivot over the next two weeks. Plus, the playoff picture is starting to come together and it’s never too early to start talking about the MVP race.

Coming into the season, we thought this week’s schedule would be highlighted by a matchup between the top two picks in the draft. But Jayden Daniels’s rib injury looks like it may delay his first game against Caleb Williams. Instead, perhaps the most intriguing games on the schedule this week will be Tua Tagovailoa’s return for the Miami Dolphins against an Arizona Cardinals team only a game out of first place in the NFC West. Elsewhere, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will host the Atlanta Falcons in a rematch of a 36–30 overtime affair on Thursday night in Week 5, when Kirk Cousins threw for more than 500 yards in a walk-off win. And on Sunday night, the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers are both looking to bounce back from losses.

Here’s who we have making picks this season:

Albert Breer, senior NFL reporter
Conor Orr, senior writer
Gilberto Manzano, staff writer
Matt Verderame, staff writer
John Pluym, managing editor
Mitch Goldich, senior editor 

All picks are straight up. Visit SI Betting for picks against the spread and much more gambling content. 

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Green squares denote upsets.