Fansided

5 NFL teams on upset alert in Week 8

By Cody Williams

Oct 18, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) and Denver Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman (23) at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) and Denver Broncos running back Ronnie Hillman (23) at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 6
Next
Oct 25, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) hands the ball off to running back Chris Ivory (33) during the third quarter at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots won 30-23. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 25, 2015; Foxborough, MA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) hands the ball off to running back Chris Ivory (33) during the third quarter at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots won 30-23. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /

2. New York Jets

The New York Jets fell to the Patriots last week, but it’s hard to walk away from that game and what they’ve done to this point in the season and not be impressed with what the Jets have accomplished to this point. However, they’re up against another team that has been far more impressive this year than their record might indicate in the 3-3 Oakland Raiders.

Through their first six games of the season, the Raiders have been the third best rushing defense in the league in terms of yards per game, allowing a mere 84.3yards per games to opponents. What stands out just as much is the fact that the Raiders have allowed only three rushing touchdowns thus far, as well. Considering that the Jets have relied incredibly heavily on the run this season to move the ball, that could be problematic.

This game has the makings of one that could turn into a defensive struggle and one that could possibly come down to some big plays and how the quarterbacks perform. While Ryan Fitzpatrick has been solid this season and Derek Carr is still young in this league, I like Carr’s chances to prevail in that matchup and think that the Raiders have more viable big-play players at their disposal. Both teams are better than you might think, but I think the Raiders pull off the upset against Jets team that’s favored and that has a better record.

Next: No. 1 Atlanta Falcons

Home/Atlanta Falcons