Here comes Week 8, which isn’t quite the midpoint of the 2025 NFL season, but we’re nearing it. And as we also get closer to the season’s halfway point, that means more teams are going on a bye, with six teams off this weekend.
But there’s still plenty of exciting action set to take place on FOX this weekend. FOX’s five-game slate features a key NFC East clash and a pair of interesting matchups between AFC and NFC foes.
Let’s take a closer look at the stats and storylines to follow in FOX’s five-game slate.
Tom Brady, Kevin Burkhardt, Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi will be on the call for the big NFC East tilt in Philly this weekend. This matchup takes place only two weeks after the Giants surprised the Eagles with a 34-17 win, powered by three touchdown runs by rookie running back Cam Skattebo.
On the other end, how far has Eagles running back Saquon Barkley fallen this year? In 2024, out of 50 NFL players with at least 100 carries, he had the second-best yards per carry at 5.8, behind only Baltimore Ravens star Derrick Henry. This year? Out of 38 players with at least 50 carries, he has the second-lowest yards per carry at 3.3, ahead of only Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet.
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Could the Giants’ defense be the magic elixir for Barkley against his old team? New York ranks 30th in opponents’ yards per carry at 5.23 and 29th in total defense. That didn’t help the Eagles much two weeks ago, but perhaps last week’s newfound downfield passing game against the Minnesota Vikings can continue for Jalen Hurts and receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith.
How bad is Cleveland’s offense? The Browns have scored 17 points or fewer in six of seven games this season. The Titans are the only other team with more than three such games (four). Cleveland led the NFL with 13 such games last year. As you might expect, NFL teams scoring 17 or fewer have won just 13% of their games since the start of last season. The Browns now face a Patriots’ defense that’s given up the fifth-fewest points in the league — 19 per game — and is third against the run.
Second-year Patriots quarterback Drake Maye deserves the praise going his way, but so does offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. A year ago, New England ranked 29th in yards per pass attempt at 5.66 yards, but this year, it ranks second at 8.23, a single-season increase of 45%.
Watch out for third-year receiver Kayshon Boutte, who is averaging 17.8 yards per catch and has more touchdowns in seven games (four) than he totaled in his first two NFL seasons.
A year ago, Carolina had the worst defense in the NFL, but it kept Ejiro Evero and has made a huge leap in 2025, from 31.4 points allowed per game to 21.7, up from 32nd to seventh in yards allowed.
The Panthers won three in a row and are 4-3, second in the NFC South, but they have a huge challenge with Buffalo in town. The Bills’ rushing attack leads the NFL at 151 yards per game, with James Cook and Josh Allen both averaging better than 5 yards per carry.
One potential hurdle for Carolina is at quarterback, where Bryce Young has a high ankle sprain. If he can’t go, it’s Andy Dalton, who turns 38 next week. The good news is he’s 4-2 all-time against the Bills; the bad news is none of those games have been in the last six years.
These are two teams with winning records and negative turnover margins. So, if one team can actually get a few without giving them up, that will go a long way to victory.
DeMeco Ryans was a 49ers assistant under Kyle Shanahan from 2017-22, so this is his first shot going up against the old boss. Houston has the NFL’s No. 1 scoring defense, giving up just 14.7 points per game, and yet it’s 2-4 and running out of time to dig out of an early-season hole.
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San Francisco has pushed through a slew of injuries to be 5-2, with backup Mac Jones going 4-1 as a starter after a 4-14 record in the previous two years. The 49ers leaned heavily on Christian McCaffrey, who leads the NFL in carries with 132 but also has a team-high 53 catches for 516 yards. Containing him is containing the 49ers, and the Texans need a win here to avoid falling five games back of the Colts halfway through the season. Their next three games are all at home.
Tampa Bay listed 17 players on its initial injury report, not including star receiver Mike Evans, who went on injured reserve with a fractured collarbone. So, this is a Bucs team that will benefit from a bye week in Week 9.
But the Buccaneers have to take care of business against a one-win Saints team first. New Orleans ranks 29th in scoring offense and 27th in scoring defense, and Tampa Bay has won five of the last six in this divisional rivalry.
Fun name to watch here is Bucs backup running back Sean Tucker, who was NFC Offensive Player of the Week in this game last year, rushing for 136 yards. He added 56 receiving yards and scored two touchdowns in a lopsided Bucs win in New Orleans. He’s barely totaled that much in 18 games since — 236 total yards, including 32 this year on 15 touches.
A win would put Tampa Bay at 6-2 going into its bye week, which is kind of remarkable given how many injuries they’ve endured and the schedule they’ve faced.
Greg Auman is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He previously spent a decade covering the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.
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