Looking ahead to Week 8 in the NFL:
1. The Los Angeles Rams, the NFL’s only unbeaten team, can reach the halfway mark with a perfect 8-0 mark Sunday when they host the Green Bay Packers, who are struggling at 3-2-1 but are always dangerous when Aaron Rodgers is pulling the trigger. This is the start of a four game stretch that will show how good the Rams are. They play at New Orleans next week followed by a home game against Seattle and a game in Mexico City against the Chiefs before their bye.
2. Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald needs 135 receiving yards against San Francisco to surpass Terrell Owens and move into second place on the all time receiving yards list. Fitzgerald has 15,800 and Owens finished at 15,934. Jerry Rice, of course, has the record of 22,895 and Fitzgerald won’t be catching him.
3. Minnesota’s Adam Thielsen is having a remarkable season. He has had at least 100 receiving yards in each of the Vikings’ first seven games. With 100 yards against New Orleans Sunday night, he can join Detroit’s Calvin Johnson as the only player even to do it in eight consecutive games. He can also surpass Charley Hennigan and become the first player to do it in the team’s first eight games. He can also join Patrick Jeffers as the only players to have 100 receiving yards and a touchdown catch in five consecutive games. It’s also a critical game between two division leaders. The Vikings top the NFC North at 4-2 and New Orleans leads the NFC South at 5-1.
4. Patrick Mahomes, who has 22 touchdown throws in his first seven games, needs three more against Denver to tie Peyton Manning and Tom Brady as the only players to throw at least 25 touchdown passes in their team’s first eight games. Brady threw 30 in 2007 and Manning threw 29 in Denver in 2013 and 26 against Indianapolis in 2004. A victory would also give the Chiefs a season sweep over the Broncos after beating them, 27-23 on Oct. 1 and remind the Broncos that John Elway hasn’t found the Broncos quarterback of the future. Mahomes, by contrast, is the Chiefs present and future at quarterback.
5. The Patriots figure to have an easy game against struggling Buffalo on Monday night. And Monday night games can’t be flexed so this game isn’t likely to get great TV ratings. touchdown passes. That would enable him to tie Brett Favre for second place all time with 508. Manning leads the list with 539 in his career.