10 matchups to watch during NFL Week 8

This week of the NFL schedule starts with a pretty big AFC East matchup between the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins. It ends with a struggling Indianapolis Colts squad taking on the undefeated Carolina Panthers on Monday night.

As we have done all season, here are the best individual matchups for Week 8 of the NFL season. You will find a dominating rookie in Amari Cooper taking on one of the best cover corners in the league. Meanwhile, a potential rebirth at running back could help the Dallas Cowboys avoid a fifth consecutive loss in a big game against the Seattle Seahawks.

1. Aaron Rodgers vs Denver Broncos secondary

Rodgers has actually struggled to an extent over the past several games. Since putting up 10 touchdowns and zero picks in the first three games of the season, the reigning NFL MVP has tallied just five touchdowns and three interceptions in his past three outings. It's not a coincidence that the Green Bay Packers scoring (22.7 per game) has been impacted during that span.

Green Bay won't necessarily have to beat Denver in a shootout in this one. That's not the Broncos MO with a struggling Peyton Manning under center. Instead, it's going to be all about avoiding turnovers in a hostile environment. Denver ranks first in the NFL in pass defense at 192.2 yards per game. It has also allowed just five interceptions compared to nine touchdowns for an opposing quarterback rating of 69.6.

Being able to find Randall Cobb, James Jones and a now healthy Davante Adams is going to be difficult against a ball-hawking Broncos secondary led by Aqib Talib and Chris Harris. Rodgers won't need to put up 300-plus yards and three touchdowns, but he's going to have to avoid the mistakes quarterbacks have made against Denver thus far this season.

2. Cameron Wake vs New England Patriots right tackle

Wake has recorded six sacks over the past two games, which is one of the primary reasons that Miami is back in the AFC Playoff race after winning two consecutive games. Usually lined up at the left side of the line, Wake will be tasked with going up against the Patriots starting right tackle — whoever that might be.

Marcus Cannon was inserted into the lineup after left tackle Nate Solder was lost for the season with a bicep injury during the team's Week 5 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. However, Cannon himself suffered a toe injury the following game and missed last week's action. If Cannon can go Thursday, he will hold down the left tackle position with veteran Sebastian Vollmer playing right tackle. If not, Vollmer — like he did this past weekend — will play left tackle with second-year player Cameron Fleming playing against Wake on the right side.

Sound confusing enough, right?

The one thing to take out of this whole situation is that Miami has a huge advantage against the Patriots, no matter who is going up against Wake. Fortunately for New England, Tom Brady is the quickest quarterback in the NFL when it comes to getting rid of the ball — something that could limit Wake's impact after two huge games.

3. Amari Cooper vs Darrelle Revis

Cooper is coming off a five-catch, 133-yard performance against the San Diego Chargers. Considering he beat Jason Verrett multiple times throughout the game, that's an impressive accomplishment. Now six games into his rookie season, the Alabama product is on pace to put up 88 receptions for 1,384 yards.

Facing the most-difficult competition of his young career, Cooper will be tasked with taking on one of the top corners in the NFL this upcoming Sunday. Revis has given up just 14 receptions in six games and is allowing an absurdly low 36.0 quarterback rating when targeted.

In a game that could potentially have wild card implications (imagine that), this one-on-one matchup could help decide who is riding high entering Week 9. If Cooper is able to put up a decent game, it will take a lot of pressure of Derek Carr against the league's top overall defense. If not, Carr could struggle big time.

4. Matt Forte vs Adrian Peterson

This isn't necessarily an individual matchup, but it is a game between two inter-division rivals that may see their time against one another come to an end after this season.

Since Forte entered the league with the Chicago Bears in 2008, he's put up over 1,300 yards in 13 games against the Minnesota Vikings. His counterpart on the Vikings has put up over 1,500 yards and a whopping 14 touchdowns since his first season in the NFL back in 2007.

For Minnesota, Sunday's game is an opportunity to continue climbing the ladder in the NFC. At 4-2 on the season, Peterson and Co. should start to be taken a bit more seriously. A big performance from the future Hall of Famer would come in handy here.

Forte is pretty much playing out the string in Chicago. Slated to become a free agent following the season, there is no real reason to expect him to return next year. Though, one of the final inter-divisional matchups against his long-time rival may give Forte more reason to continue his stellar season.

5. Darren McFadden vs Seattle Seahawks run defense

With Joseph Randle sidelined this week against Seattle, McFadden will get another opportunity to prove his worth for the Cowboys. The former top-five pick put up 152 yards and a touchdown on 29 attempts against an increasingly poor New York Giants defensive front.

Now taking on a Seattle defense that ranks sixth in the NFL against the run at 94.1 yards per game, it's going to be important for McFadden to keep some resemblance of balance for an offense that continues to struggle at quarterback. That's the only way Dallas can pull off the upset and avoid a fifth consecutive loss.

6. T.Y. Hilton vs Josh Norman

As a national audience found out Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles, Norman has quickly become one of the top cover corners in the league. Per Pro Football Focus, Norman is the top-ranked corner in the NFL heading into Week 8. He allowed just one catch on two targets against the Eagles, and is allowing a 23.4 opposing quarterback rating when targeted on the season.

On the other hand, Hilton broke out big time in an Indianapolis Colts loss to the New Orleans Saints last week. The recently extended receiver hauled in four catches for 150 yards and two scores, including an 87-yard touchdown from Andrew Luck.

Despite Hilton's performance against the Saints, he simply hasn't been the same productive receiver we have seen in the past. Heck, he caught just four of the 15 passes thrown in his direction last week. Overall this season, Hilton's reception rate stands at an absurdly low 52.9 percent. Unless that changes, the Colts are likely going to continue struggling outside of the horrendous AFC South. 

7. Rob Gronkowski vs Reshad Jones

The expectation last week was that the New York Jets were going to find a way to limit Gronkowski's production. After all, he was going up against the top defense in the NFL — a defense that had shut down tight ends through the first six weeks of the season. The Pro Bowler responded by putting up 11 catches for 108 yards and a touchdown.

Jones, who has been among the biggest surprises from a coverage standpoint at the safety position this year, will get the next opportunity to stop Gronk. Unfortunately for the Dolphins, they don't have anywhere near the underneath help that many perceived the Jets to have. That's going to put a ton of the onus on Jones. After tallying a pick-six in each of his past two games, Jones might very well be up for the task.

8. Calvin Johnson vs Marcus Peters

It's like a never-ending story here. I think Peters has been a part of this article each and every week of his rookie season. He started out by being thrown to the wolves in Week 1 against DeAndre Hopkins and found himself covering Antonio Brown last week. In between, the first-round pick has gone up against the likes of Randall Cobb and A.J. Green.

Needless to say, it hasn't necessarily been the most seamless of transitions for Peters. He's played darn good football thus far, but has also yielded 537 receiving yards to receivers in seven games.

It obviously won't get much easier against Johnson. The five-time Pro Bowler struggled earlier in the season, but has come up big time for an otherwise hapless Detroit Lions team in the past two weeks. During that span, Johnson has put up 252 yards and two scores.

In a game that pits two last-place clubs against one another, fans in London might as well look at this individual matchup for a representation of good football. Here in the states, it might be the only thing that keeps us awake for a 9:30 a.m. ET start.

9. Russell Okung vs Greg Hardy

Regardless of how you may feel about Greg Hardy off the field, as a football player, Hardy is a tremendous difference maker. Take everything else out of the equation (not an easy ask, I know), and this one matchup could help define the NFC Playoff race moving forward this season.

At 2-4 on the season and losers of four consecutive, the Dallas Cowboys simply need to get back on track. It's not going to be easy against a Seattle Seahawks squad that is also currently under .500, but Hardy can make all the difference in the world.

In Hardy's first two games with the Cowboys, he's put up three sacks. Now going up against a Seahawks offensive line that's been the worst in the NFL this season, Hardy has a chance to make a huge impact. Though, it must be noted that Okung is the only Pro Bowl caliber player on that unit. 

10. Derek Carr vs New York Jets pass defense

We covered Amari Cooper going up against Darrelle Revis above. And while that's an impressive one-on-one matchup between two elite-level players, Carr is really going to face a test against the NFL's fourth-best pass defense.

Through six games, the second-year quarterback is on pace for 3,900 yards, 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Those are some pretty sexy numbers right there.

It's going to be interesting to see what Carr does in this game. Will he challenge Revis a great deal by targeting his favorite receiver? If not, is Michael Crabtree set to see a ton of balls thrown his way against Antonio Cromartie? Carr's philosophy could go a long way in determining the outcome of this important mid-season game.

Check out Vincent's other work on eDraft.com and follow him on Twitter @VincentFrankNFL.