NFL Week 8 2023: 3 teams on upset alert this Sunday

A full 16-game slate is on tap this week. What makes Week 8 of the 2023 NFL season so interesting is that 10 of the matchups are of the interconference variety.

After two weeks, the NFC owned a 6-0 lead in the head-to-head standings. After seven weeks of action, the AFC now owns the upper hand, 20-13.

All three of this week’s favored teams will face a club from the other conference.

3. Atlanta Falcons (at Titans)

A season ago, Arthur Smith’s Falcons finished last in the woeful NFC South. Then again, none of the four teams in the division finished above .500 in 2022. If you include the champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ home playoff disaster vs. the Cowboys, each of these clubs lost 10 games this past season.

So far, it’s been a season of ups and downs for the Falcons. The team opened 2-0, dropped consecutive games to the Lions and Jaguars (the latter in London) and now has won two of its last three contests. The things that stand out the most so far with this club is that it’s 2-0 vs. division foes and 3-2 within the conference.

Something else that’s very noteworthy is that only the Browns and Ravens are allowing fewer total yards per game this season. That’s quite the contrast from a year ago, when Smith’s squad ranked 27th in total defense. Atlanta is also in the NFL’s Top 10 vs. the run (8th) and the pass (7th). The Falcons have allowed just 12 offensive touchdowns in seven games, 11 of those through the air. That means just one via the ground.

The Titans return to action after a week off. Five of the team’s eight offensive TDs have come via the ground. Three of those are courtesy of Derrick Henry. That Falcons defense faces a severe test this week at Nashville, regardless of Tennessee’s disappointing 2-4 record.