Week eight of the NFL schedule brought us another entertaining round of games and plenty of questions that need to be answered. Six of the 12 games on the schedule Sunday afternoon were decided by seven points or less. Two games went to overtime to determine a victor when all was said and done while another was decided on the final play of regulation. There are plenty of surprises in the standings to this point of the year and it will be interesting to see how things unfold going forward. Expect plenty of movement ahead of the trade deadline November 10.
The 1972 Miami Dolphins are safe for another year as the final unbeaten team fell from the ranks. On the flip side, we still have a winless team on the board here as the calendar flipped to November. Let’s take a look at everything that went down in a Sunday chock full of action.
Baltimore at Buffalo: Everyone was hyping this game up as the return of Lamer Jackson and the latest chapter of Jackson vs. Josh Allen. Well, that lasted all of three plays before Jackson injured his thumb and was quickly ruled out for the game. Jesse Minter said after the game that Jackson would be placed on IR and needs surgery. His season could be over. To make matters worse, Tyler Huntley went down as well, pushing rookie Joe Fagnano into action for the Ravens. He wasn’t terrible but it was obvious that there were jitters. Zay Flowers, who has had a big year, didn’t record a catch on five targets. It’s unclear who starts for Baltimore on a short week as they host Jacksonville Thursday. Wasn’t the cleanest game from Buffalo’s offense but they still had 426 yards and 36 points. Josh Allen threw for 289 yards, ran for 30 and accounted for three scores. He set a franchise record with his 259th passing TD, surpassing Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly. It was nice to see Dalton Kincaid (four catches, 86 yards, TD) get reinvolved in the offense. The same could be said for DJ Moore (four catches, 82 yards), in his first game back after missing two with a shoulder injury.
Tennessee at Cincinnati: Remember the good old days of a few weeks ago when everyone was talking about how improved this Cincinnati defense was? That was so last month. Put your hand up if you had the Titans a) scoring as many points as the Bills or b) pushing Cincinnati to overtime despite missing Carnell Tate. Now put your hand down because your signature is probably as legible as that guy who signed his name as X in the video for Autograph’s “Turn Up The Radio.” Joe Burrow threw for 462 yards with five touchdowns. Sure, he had three picks but you’ll take those numbers. He became the second QB to throw for 450 yards plus five scores and run for one. The other was Norm Van Brocklin in 1951. Big games for Chase and Higgins as expected. Gesicki had four for 76 and a score. Still, if you let Cam Ward throw for 304 and two scores while Tony Pollard runs for 117 plus two scores, I’m not sold on the Cincinnati defensive improvements.
Arizona at Dallas: This was the other game that went to overtime, though you’d be forgiven if you wondered how it got there. Dallas led 17-3 midway through the third quarter and 24-10 in the opening minute of the fourth. The Cowboys still held a 30-24 edge with 1:09 remaining, only to see their defense fold again. Gardner Minshew II did his best Shane Falco impression, driving the Cardinals to the tying score with six seconds left. Game over, right? WRONG! Chad Ryland missed the extra point. In overtime, Ryland atoned for his earlier miss, hitting the game-winning 44-yard field goal. Rough day for running backs as Bam Knight (concussion) and Jeremiyah Love (ankle) were both knocked out of the game. That made for a huge showing for Tyler Allgeier (147 rushing yards, five catches, 44 yards, two total TD) for Arizona. Michael Wilson (eight catches, 111 yards, TD) and Trey McBride (seven receptions, 72 yards, TD) were solid as usual. Will Minshewmania run wild on Mike Lafleur after he was 17 of 28 for 183 yards and three scores? Disappointing showing all around by the Dallas offense, especially against a subpar Cardinals defense. The Cowboys are 3-0 with 34+ points this season: that’s the good news. The bad news: they’re 0-5 when they don’t.
Minnesota at Detroit: A hard-hitting affair between a high-powered offense facing a stingy defense squaring off with a sputtering offense facing a defense that has been sliced to ribbons. As the saying goes, offense wins games but defense wins championships. Unfortunately for the Vikings, this was a game and the final unbeaten team in the league fell by the wayside. Aaron Jones (five carries, 22 yards) outsnapped Jordan Mason (eight carries, 20 yards) 21-15 though neither man was impressive. Given how everyone has diced up Detroit’s secondary, you have to be disappointed in Justin Jefferson’s (five catches, 33 yards, TD on nine targets) in the game. Mediocre day for Jared Goff, who threw his first pick of the year, but the Lions punched Minnesota in the mouth repeatedly with the run game. Jahmyr Gibbs (23 carries, 153 yards, TD) led the way. Even Sione Vaki got in the act, running 11 times for 65 yards as the Lions outrushed the Vikings 230-81. You three guys out there claiming you had Vaki over 50 rushing yards on a prop probably believe that New Coke was good. Our thoughts are with the Lions and All-Pro linebacker Jack Campbell, who was hospitalized overnight after suffering a neck injury early in the fourth quarter.
Las Vegas at New York Jets: Anyone remember the Heidi game? Sure, that might before a lot of people’s time. This was like the old AFL days with plenty of points and little defense to speak of. Dylan Laube ran a kickoff back for a score for the Raiders. Kirk Cousins threw for three scores and ran for one. Did Klint Kubiak decide he’s seen enough of Ashton Jeanty? Mike Washington Jr. (25 carries, 83 yards) dominated touches over Jeanty (two carries, nine yards, three catches, 64 yards) while owning a 38-25 advantage in snaps. Brock Bowers (seven catches, 92 yards, two scores) and Michael Mayer (five catches, 53 yards) continue to prove to be more reliable than any receiver on the Raiders’ roster. For the Jets, Geno Smith had two touchdowns while Braelon Allen (21 carries, 147 yards, TD) had another big showing filling in for Breece Hall. Adonai Mitchell (seven catches, 148 yards, TD) had a big game while Garrett Wilson (six catches, 83 yards, 12 targets) actually saw the ball. On the flip side, what happened to Kenyon Sadiq? He had 12 catches for 153 yards and a score in the first three weeks. Since that point, he has five catches for 43 yards…in five games.
Cleveland at Pittsburgh: Of course, everyone knew that this matchup was going to decide which team would take over the top spot in the AFC North after eight weeks. You know how you kill a good narrative? Send the Browns to Pittsburgh. The Steelers beat the Browns in Pittsburgh for the 23rd STRAIGHT TIME. Cleveland went zero for three in the red zone and never got the run game going. Big game full of empty numbers for Deshaun Watson, who threw for 324 yards. Harold Fannin Jr. had a nice day at tight end with 10 grabs for 154 yards on 12 targets. Pittsburgh was methodical, hammering the Browns with the run game. Jaylen Warren had a slight edge in snaps (34-28) and carries (17-15) over Rico Dowdle but was far more effective. Warran ran for 143 yards to Dowdle’s 56. Both guys found the end zone and had a fumble. Dowdle’s eight second half carries netted -1 yard.
Atlanta at Tampa Bay:When you see the grounds crew walking around the field with squeegees trying to get water off the field, it tells you that it’s not going to be the greatest of afternoons for the offenses. Torrential downpours rolled through Tampa most of the morning and into the afternoon, leaving a field better suited for hydroplaning than playing football. For Atlanta, there wasn’t much good to talk about. Michael Penix Jr. hit just eight of 24 passes for 125 yards with four picks. He had one big play, a 76-yard catch and run to Jahan Dotson, but that drive died at the Tampa Bay 14 on downs with just over three minutes to play. Bijan Robinson ran for 76 yards while Drake London (catch, eight yards) and Kyle Pitts Sr. (two catches, nine yards) were non-factors. Tampa Bay didn’t complete a pass in winning their second straight since Baker Mayfield returned. He was 0 for 3 passing in the game and has thrown for a total of 64 yards in those games. Despite that, the Buccaneers outscored the Panthers and Falcons by a combined 59-13. Bucky Irving (27 carries, 170 yards, TD) and Kenneth Gainwell (25 carries, 140 yards) did the heavy lifting as the Buccaneers ran for 324 yards. By the way, the last time a team won a game while completing zero passes? That was September 29, 1974 when the Buffalo Bills beat the New York Jets 16-12 at Rich Stadium. It was rainy with winds at 30 to 35 miles an hour that day. O.J. Simpson ran for 117 yards while Jim Braxton had 17 carries for 84 yards and a score. Joe Ferguson was zero for two passing while Joe Namath went two of 18 for 33 yards and three picks.
Indianapolis at Jacksonville: It was a tumultuous week for the Colts franchise. On Tuesday, they dealt away All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. Later in the week, wide receiver Josh Downs requested a trade. The franchise said Saturday they were listening to offers on Jonathan Taylor. Then they went down to Jacksonville and got their clocks cleaned. Taylor finished with eight carries for 23 yards on 38 snaps. Meanwhile, Seth McGowan (five carries, 29 yards, 15 snaps) and D.J. Giddens (six carries, 43 yards, eight snaps) saw work as well. Anthony Richardson Sr. came on as well. Is the Daniel Jones era over with the Colts 2-6 and out of the playoff hunt? Jacksonville saw Trevor Lawrence slice through the Colts’ defense for 210 yards and three scores on 10 completions. Another nice showing by Bhayshul Tuten (16 carries, 104 yards, two catches, 55 yards, two total TD) as he continues his upswing.
Los Angeles Chargers at Los Angeles Rams: In the battle of disappointing teams that call SoFi Stadium home, the Rams rallied from a slow start and dropped the hammer on the Chargers. With their second straight victory, the Rams improved to 4-4 on the year. Kyren Williams outsnapped Blake Corum 37-17 in the game but it was Corum doing the damage. He ran 11 times for 73 yards and a score while Williams finished with 16 carries for 56 yards and a score. However, 11 of Williams’ carries came on the final drive of the game. Another good game for Puka Nacua (11 grabs, 80 yards, which was important. The rest of the Rams caught a total of six passes. Justin Herbert threw for 257 yards but was picked twice. The Chargers’ run game was pretty much useless once again. Kimani Vidal (eight carries, 23 yards, two catches, seven yards) outsnapped Omarion Hampton (nine carries, 20 yards, two catches, seven yards) and Keaton Mitchell (four carries, six yards, three grabs, 17 yards) in the game. Vidal had 28 snaps, Mitchell 19 and Hampton 18. Something has to give with the Bolts, who are 0-7 on the year. Can Mike McDaniel keep his job as offensive coordinator with another dud showing? This is a Chargers team that is averaging 14.1 points a game and has scored more than 17 points just once.
Kansas City at Denver: This was a battle of the top two teams in the AFC West and it went right down to the wire. Of course, after seven straight unders on the total between the teams in the series, we saw this one end up blowing past the mark. We saw the teams trade punches like a heavyweight title fight. Kansas City led 24-13 after three quarters but couldn’t close. Leading by three, Harrison Butker missed a 54-yard field goal with 2:31 remaining. The Broncos covered 56 yards in two plays, taking the lead on a Jonah Coleman five-yard score. Kanssa City struck back and had second and goal at the Denver 1 with 15 seconds remaining. Patrick Mahomes threw incomplete on second down. Kenneth Walker III was stoned on third down and the Chiefs used their last timeout with four seconds to go. A false start penalty pushed the Chiefs back to the six-yard line and Malcolm Roach sacked Mahomes on the final play to win it for the Broncos. Mahomes was 30 of 41 for 321 yards and three scores in the loss. On the flip side, Walker III was held to 21 carries for 69 yards after a 23 carry, 173-yard performance in the season opener. Emmett Johnson, the fifth-round pick from Nebraska, showed out with five catches for 128 yards and a score. He should be more involved. Rashee Rice had seven grabs for 53 yards and a score after returning following a two-game absence. Coleman (11 carries, 41 yards, four catches, 63 yards) and dominated the snaps over J.K. Dobbins (seven carries, 13 yards) by a 40-14 margin.
New England at Miami: New England shrugged off a slow start in the game before finally waking up in the later stages of the contest. The Patriots trailed 13-3 at the half before the offense got in gear. Miami’s offense went stagnant in the second half, recording two three-and-outs and throwing an interception. Meanwhile, the Patriots had three touchdown drives, with a pair of long scoring strikes to Kyle Williams and DeMario Douglas. That gave the Patriots a 24-13 lead and they hung on for the win from there. A missed field goal in the fourth quarter by Zane Gonzalez helped New England because the late touchdown for the Dolphins would have given them a chance to tie. Drake Maye was 16 of 20 for 199 yards and two scores. Rhamondre Stevenson had 19 carries for 82 yards on the ground. He dominated the snaps 46-11 over Corey Kiner (seven carries, 39 yards) in the contest. Malik Willis was 21 of 32 for 211 yards and two scores while throwing a pick. His legs were neutralized as he finished with one carry for two yards.
Philadelphia at Washington: The Eagles jumped in front early but the wheels came off as the game wore on, sending them to their sixth straight loss. Philadelphia led 10-0 and gave up 27 unanswered points the rest of the way. It was another rough showing for Saquon Barkley, who ran 13 times for 30 yards and a score while catching one pass for 24 yards. He gutted it out but he was ineffective. Elijah Mitchell (11 carries, 34 yards, four catches, three yards) outsnapped Barkley 39-22 in the game. Makai Lemon (six catches, 57 yards) was useful as the #1 receiver but this is an Eagles team going nowhere. Jayden Daniels went 16 of 29 passing for 217 yards and a score. Rookie Antonio Williams (five grabs, 54 yards) was the most reliable receiving threat. Treylon Burks (three grabs, 81 yards) and Stefon Diggs (three catches, 38 yards, TD) will be looked at going forward with Terry McLaurin done for the year.
As far as the Monday night contest between the Bears and the Seahawks go, this seems to be a clash similar to what we saw with Minnesota and Detroit. The Bears can do a ton of damage with their offense, especially through the air. Chicago’s concern without Kyle Monangai is if D’Andre Swift can do enough damage in the run game. Seattle is missing Rashid Shaheed for this one along with starting tackle Charles Cross. Sam Darnold has regressed some but playing in Seattle is a challenge for any team. Give the edge to the Seahawks due to home field advantage as they grab a 24-20 victory.
--Chris Kubala
