Kansas City’s secret and another big WR trade: NFL Week 7 preview

Will another blockbuster WR trade help the Chiefs win back-to-back NFL Super Bowls and the actual secret behind KC’s success

All the chatter this week around the NFL has been around injuries and trades, with some contenders using one to plug gaps the other has caused.

In Cleveland, troubled quarterback Deshaun Watson tore his achilles, and the initial injury prompted some Browns fans to cheer, voicing their frustration at the level of play from the one-time owner of the biggest guaranteed contract in NFL history. The 1-6 Browns will now turn to Jameis Winston – who came out in defence of his QB1 – to right their season.

#Browns HC Kevin Stefanski announced Jameis Winston will start Sunday vs the Ravens pic.twitter.com/F7CbUjLPL8

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 23, 2024

Washington fans are likely still holding their breath waiting on news on star rookie QB Jayden Daniels who is dealing with a rib injury, while the Raiders were forced to turn back to the benched Gardner Minshew after an injury to Aidan O’Connell.

Meanwhile in Kansas City, a week after Davante Adams and Amari Cooper were traded in the quest to win the AFC, the 6-0 Chiefs pulled off a trade featuring a big-name wide receiver to help fix an offence that has looked janky at best this season, with DeAndre Hopkins moving from Tennessee to Missouri to bolster Patrick Mahomes’ receiving corps.

The secret sauce to the Chiefs success this year has been their defence, giving up the fifth fewest points per game (17.2) along with the 10th fewest yards per game (306.2) and 4th best yards on the ground (90.5). With Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the KC offence seemingly taking all the eyeballs for KC, it’s the Chiefs defence that has them at 6-0 and having not given up more than 18 points in a game for a month.

If their offence (24.3 points an outing - 13th best in the league) gets a boost from Hopkins, the rest of the league ought to be quaking in their cleats as the Chiefs look to go back-to-back as Super Bowl champs.

In Charlotte, quarterback Andy Dalton was involved in a car crash and injured his thumb, meaning former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young gets his job back, at least for a little while, and further south, Miami are looking to the return of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to spark their season.

The #Panthers announced Bryce Young will start Sunday vs. the #Broncospic.twitter.com/za144VDAg2

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 23, 2024

Anyway, after a chaotic Week 7 that saw offences once again get off the leash – eight games featured a team scoring over 30 points – favourites are still sitting at around 55% winners for the season to date, while total point overs dipped slightly from 52% for the year to 51%.

Week 8 delivers a varied slate that sees no byes, meaning fans get a look once more at all 32 teams.

There are some cracking matchups as well, with the No. 1 and No.2 picks doing battle (if Jayden Daniels is healthy) as Chicago visits Washington, while Cincinnati host Philly in a tasty showdown, and old rivals Dallas take on San Francisco for Sunday Night Football.

So Jaymz Clements from NFL Straya previews Week 8 of the 2024 NFL season above, breaking down all the games for the weekend ahead, pointing out that this week has plenty for NFL fans to sink their teeth into.

As for the Aussie NFL players, Philly’s Jordan Mailiata is now on IR and will miss at least the next four weeks with his hamstring, Baltimore’s Daniel Faalele had a better showing while the punters – Mitch Wishnowsky, Michael Dickson, Matthew Hayball and Tory Taylor – are all solid, after Hayball got a workout with six punts on TNF last week.

Either way, Aussie NFL fans have a terrific Week 8 slate to dig into, so watch the NFL Straya breakdown above to see who should win and why.

With a fire-sale in Tennessee, can they compete?

Will Cincinnati hosting Philly finally figure out which one of those teams is real or fraudulent?

Can the Jets get back on the winning ledger for a second win this season over division rival New England?

Is the season of the loser of Sunday Night Football matchup of Dallas @ San Francisco over?

Find out with NFL Straya’s NFL Week 8 preview and in the breakdown above.

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NFL WEEK 8 SCHEDULE

FRIDAY 11.15am AEST

Minnesota @ LA Rams

MONDAY 4am AEST

Arizona @ Miami

NY Jets @ New England

Philly @ Cincinnati

Baltimore @ Cleveland

Tennessee @ Detroit

Green Bay @ Jacksonville

Indy @ Houston

Atlanta @ Tampa Bay

MONDAY 7.05am AEST

New Orleans @ LA Chargers

Buffalo @ Seattle

MONDAY 7.25am AEST

Chicago @ Washington

Carolina @ Denver

KC @ LV Raiders

MONDAY 11.20am AEST

Dallas @ San Francisco

TUESDAY 11.20am

NY Giants @ Pittsburgh

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Follow along the entire NFL season with NFL Straya:

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Originally published as Kansas City’s secret and another big WR trade: NFL Week 7 preview