What a crazy weekend of NFL football we just witnessed. A few major upsets, a Hail Mary and a couple of divisions seeming already locked up. Obviously we have over half of the season left for things to go awry, but this is where we're at as of the conclusion of week eight:
Ravens 27- Buccaneers 22
It seems that Father Time may finally have caught ol' Tom Brady. A glance at his final stat line would suggest a fairly productive day by the 45 year old QB, but anyone watching the game knew otherwise. Outside of a big snag by Mike Evans and a nice Chris Godwin catch and run, this offense was riddled with miscues and miscommunications.
Brady and his receivers seemed to be consistently on different pages, resulting in him badly missing multiple passes. He and Mike Evans had an animated argument after one such throw late in the game. Leonard Fournette started sharp on the first two drives and then completely fell off. It seems like there's too much age and animosity on this team for them to be able to turn things around. Luckily they're in a terrible division and could limp into the playoffs.
Huge win for the Ravens, battling back from a 10-3 deficit without star tight end Mark Andrews, who left early with a shoulder injury. It was encouraging seeing Lamar be able to involve James Proche and Isaiah Likely as he moved the ball downfield with relative ease in the second half.
Likely had the biggest game of his young career, leading the team with 77 yards and a score on six catches. Rashod Bateman also was clearly on a pitch count as well, but hopefully will be back to full strength for the New Orleans. With Andrews seemingly up in the air for that game, Baltimore would certainly benefit from his uninhibited play
Broncos 21- Jaguars 17
There's few ways to start a game worse then Russell Wilson's start to this one: Taking a sack for a three and out followed by an interception on the first play of the ensuing drive. Nathaniel Hackett's wife may have began to pack the house at that point.
But Wilson bounced back, at least enough to get the win. He connected well with Jerry Jeudy, Greg Dulcich and KJ Hamler for majority of his passing yards, rarely looking toward Courtland Sutton (one catch for 13 yards on four targets). Tough break for his fantasy owners. They were very inefficient rushing the ball too, although both Latavius Murray and Melvin Gordon found the end zone.
Bad loss for the Jaguars who simply couldn't stop shooting themselves in the foot. Trevor Lawrence threw a terrible interception from their own one yard line on first and goal in the first half. Punching it in would've given Jacksonville a commanding 14-0 lead and all of the momentum that came with it. Instead, the former #1 pick was picked by Justin Simmons. The loss wasted a brilliant performance on the ground by Travis Etienne, who broke off several big runs on his way to a 24/156/1 line. He looks like he's really gaining some momentum in the backfield, justifying the hype around the first rounder.
Falcons 37- Panthers 34
Had really low expectations for this one and wow I was wrong. The consistency isn't always there, but I think it's clear to all parties that PJ Walker gives this team a better chance to win then Baker Mayfield. Even without Christian McCaffery, this team comes off as energized and scrappy. That feels like a reflection of their leadership.
And lead he did Sunday, passing for 317 yards and a 62-yard touchdown to DJ Moore that came on the unlikeliest of Hail Mary's. Unfortunately for the Carolina faithful, Moore went from hero to goat in seconds after earning an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for removing his helmet post-score. Tacking 15 yards onto the extra point proved to be too much for Eddy Piniero, who missed what would've been the game winning kick, sending things to overtime.
Marcus Mariota threw his second pick of the game in OT to CJ Henderson, who returned the ball to the Falcons 20. The Panthers gained six yards, setting up a 32-yard game winning field goal attempt...that Eddie Piniero also missed. Devastation.
Atlanta marched down the field and converted their own game winning kick with just 1:55 remaining. Caleb Huntley and Kyle Pitts shined for the Falcons in this one, totaling 91 and 80 yards respectively. Marcus Mariota redeemed himself on that final drive, but there have to be some rumblings about Desmond Ridder starting. This team is now shockingly in first place of their division and a little spark from their signal caller could go a long way in preserving that standing.
Cowboys 49- Bears 29
Dak and the Cowboys are officially here. They came out guns blazing in the first half, jumping out to a 28-7 lead halfway through the second quarter. The offense was doing whatever it wanted against the Chicago D.
But then the Bears battled back, cutting the lead to 11 at the break. They came out of the break and put the ball in the end zone again, cutting the lead to five after a failed two-point conversion. Then the wheels came off. Tony Pollard scored the second of his three touchdowns and Micah Parsons was never touched down on a fumble recovery that he ultimately ran back to boost their lead to 19. Tony Pollard added another 54 yard scamper for six to ice things in the fourth.
Prescott wasn't a world beater, but he did plenty through the air with the way Pollard was rushing. It was a nice showing in Jerry World, leaving the Cowboys at 6-2 overall.
His counterpart Justin Fields was fun, but just isn't where he needs to be as a passer right now for this Bears team to really be dangerous. He can do enough with his legs, but the arm talent just isn't cutting it. Cole Kmet was able to notch his first score of the year, rewarding incredibly patient/desperate fantasy owners. Khalil Herbert is better then David Montgomery too, only a matter of time until he starts earning the bulk of the snaps.
Dolphins 31- Lions 27
This might be Dan Campbell's worst loss. The Lions were ahead by double digits at three separate times in this game, including a 27-17 lead heading into the final quarter. It all went to shit.
Tua Tagavailoa was masterful, finding Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle at will for huge chunk gains. He threw for 382 yards on the day and probably left another 120 out there by underthrowing his speedy wideouts. It would be a compliment to call the Detroit defense a sieve. Hill had twelve catches for 188 and Waddle added eight of his own for 108 and two touchdowns. What a comeback.
Poor Jared Goff. The man posted season highs for completions and yardage but didn't get it done in the second half when it mattered. Detroit ran twenty plays for 52 yards en route to getting shut out in the second, a far cry from their first half explosion. Amon-Ra St. Brown and D'Andre Swift stayed healthy, which are two huge positives, and TJ Hockenson was involved as well. But the Lions are 1-6. Just another sad NFL season in the Motor City.
Vikings 34- Cardinals 26
New Call of Duty comes out and Kyler Murray is destined to lose. He's been better overall with Deandre Hopkins back, but too regularly goes stagnant or makes a boneheaded play. He had two picks Sunday that gave seven points to Minnesota. Greg Dortch also had a crucial turnover that led to a Vikings touchdown, muffing a punt with just under eleven minutes left, down by two. The mistakes were too much for this inconsistent offense to overcome.
Kirk Cousins wasn't flashy but he distributed the ball well to his talented weapons. He also hit 18 MPH on his way to a pylon leap for a touchdown, one of the more athletic plays we'll ever see from the man. Dalvin Cook was awesome, rushing for a 5.6 YPC clip and adding five catches. This Vikings team isn't going to wow you every week, but they are 6-1. Getting the job done.
Saints 24- Raiders 0
Fire Josh McDaniels. Yesterday. What an atrocious excuse for a performance this was. The Raiders had five punts, one interception and a turnover on downs before benching Derek Carr for Jarrett Stidham, who orchestrated their longest drive of the day before time expired-- accounting for 64 of the team's 183 total yards. An unacceptable showing against a Saints' defense that had given up 30+ points in three straight weeks.
Their best play was a missed field goal by Wil Lutz before halftime which kept their deficit at 17-0. It gave Las Vegas just enough hope coming out of the break--before they promptly allowed a touchdown drive to kick off the third quarter. That was all for this one. Davante Adams was held to three yards on one catch, his worst game since September 28th, 2015 where he was held without a reception vs. the Chiefs. It's seeming like a lost season for the Raiders.
Props to Alvin Kamara for going in on a bad Vegas defense. The man looked like a threat to score every time he touched the ball, punching in all three New Orleans' touchdowns. Taysom Hill was solid on the ground and Chris Olave was efficient again, but this was the Kamara show Sunday. If their defense can hold serve like this, they're a threat to take the NFC South.
Patriots 22- Jets 17
This had all the potential of a statement game for the Jets and they fell flat on their faces, Zach Wilson in particular. The young quarterback had more on his shoulders due to the Breece Hall injury and really failed to deliver, with three interceptions and eight empty drives (excluding a missed field goal). Garrett Wilson had his best game with Zach under center, tallying 115 yards on six catches. He's been a bright spot.
Mac Jones wasn't anything special but he did enough to get the win. He found Rhamondre Stevenson and Jakobi Meyers early and often on five scoring drives. Jones also threw a bad pick six that was negated by a roughing the passer penalty, sparing his stat line and a massive momentum swing. Big victory by the Patriots to keep themselves in the playoff hunt.
Eagles 35- Steelers 13
Well this game went exactly as expected. The Eagles are a top two team in the league and appropriately buried an inferior opponent with a rookie QB. Jalen Hurts played a clean game; throwing for 285 yards and four scores. Three of those went to AJ Brown, who went fucking bananas on his way to posting a 6/156/3 line. When he's shined this season, he's shined. Nice day for Miles Sanders on the ground too, and even Gardner Minshew got a series!
Credit to Mike Tomlin and Pittsburgh for not quitting in this one. They found themselves down multiple scores and continued to linger rather then clocking out. Philadelphia is just substantially better at this point. Two more turnovers for Kenny Pickett as he navigated a top defense, so no shame in that.
Mistakes aside, he looks more confident and daring in the pocket then many of the other struggling, young quarterbacks in the league right now. Unfortunately, brighter days are probably not too close as long as this offensive line is as bad as they are. Najee Harris has also paid the price for this. Nothing new in Pittsburgh-- still surprising they elected to not address that problem more last offseason.
Titans 17- Texans 10
Welcome to the NFL Malik Willis. Mike Vrabel set up his raw, rookie talent to not have to bear any unnecessary pressure, only dialing up thirteen pass plays. They probably could've gotten away with no passes against this bottom ranked run defense. Derrick Henry toted the rock 32 times for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Houston had no answer for him. Even backup Dontrell Hilliard had 83 yards on ten carries, good for an 8.3 YPC.
No excuse for Houston to drop a game in this fashion. They didn't even score a touchdown until 17 seconds were left, when Dameon Pierce salvaged his fantasy day with a three-yard TD catch. The game plan was explicitly clear by Tennessee and the Texans had no answer for it all afternoon. Apologies if you paid money to attend this game, but the result was no surprise. Davis Mills' door as a starting QB in the NFL will be shut no later then the end of this season.
Commanders 17- Colts 16
Another starting debut, this time for Sam Ehlinger. Unfortunately for him, it did not end as positively as Willis's. Taylor Heinicke capped a frantic 9 play, 89-yard drive in the game's final 2:17 with a QB sneak touchdown to complete the comeback for the Commanders. It was the cherry on top of an efficient, albeit unexciting, day for Washington.
They completely failed to get the ground game going against a Colts front that team's had had success running against. Receiver Curtis Samuel was their leading rusher with Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson combining for just 39 yards on 15 carries. Gibson did help in the passing game though, which was otherwise dominated by Terry McLaurin (6/113). He's been very involved since Heinicke has returned under center.
This loss coupled with the aforementioned Titans victory may be the final nail in the coffin for Indianapolis' disappointing season. The defense has sucked, Matt Ryan's been worse, Sam Ehlinger ain't the future, Jonathan Taylor has been a nonfactor since week one, their offensive line is bad, Frank Reich's not a good coach, and Chris Ballard is an average GM at best...sorry for the run on sentence but you get the point. A ton of changes ahead in the coming months for Indy.
49ers 31- Rams 14
Speaking of bad teams...I think it's time to start looking past the names on the Rams and start looking at the on-field product. They were ahead 14-10 at the break before just forgetting to come out for the second half, getting throttled by San Francisco while mustering four punts in their "effort" to keep pace.
Matthew Stafford has his flashes still, but they're getting fewer and farther between. And unless some concerted effort is put forth in the next few hours to fix the offensive line, it's going to stay that way. They're averaging under 70 YPG rushing and are third worst in turnover differential. Time's running out for the defending champs.
The 49ers were coming off of two terrible losses to Atlanta and Kansas City and desperately needed this win. Christian McCaffery was worth the price of admission as he threw, caught and ran for touchdowns-- the first player to do so since Ladanian Tomlinson in 2005. He's a special talent who could be a real piece in this offense. It'll be interesting to see how he and Deebo are able to gel when they're on the field simultaneously. Their similar skill sets could cause congestion near the LOS or confusion for the defense. It's up to Kyle Shanahan to foster more of the latter.
Seahawks 27- Giants 13
Seattle has to be loving every bit of this Russell Wilson trade. A few high selections coming their way, some initial return on investment from Noah Fant and Shelby Harris and the opportunity for Geno Smith to shine. At this moment, there's no way he's not comeback player of the year.
Coming into the season, Smith had a career 34:37 TD:INT ratio. He's thrown for 13 scores and just 3 picks through eight games this season. His QBR is far and away the best it's been for such a large sample size and he's been passing the eye test, finding his big play receivers regularly. A true testament to never giving up on oneself, sometimes it takes a while for the right opportunity to present itself.
The Giants trailed 20-13 with 6:18 left when Richie James fumbled a punt, his second lost fumble of the game. Seattle tight end Will Dissly recovered the ball at the 32, setting up a Kenneth Walker touchdown just two plays later. Daniel Jones and the offense turned the ball over on downs the next possession, which ended the game for all intents and purposes.
This game simply affirmed that given the talent on their roster, New York is only able to get away with shooting themselves in the foot so many times. It's never easy to travel cross country and win regardless, especially in Seattle. They'll head into their bye here before the ultimate get-right game down in H-Town.
Bills 27- Packers 17
This game was not as close as it appears. Buffalo did whatever they wanted in the first half while on their way to a 24-7 lead. Josh Allen was locked in as he lead the team on four straight scoring drives before the intermission. Stefon Diggs had another great game, adding six receptions, 108 yards and a score to his totals on the year.
Two late, uncharacteristic interceptions by Allen allowed Green Bay to cover late however, much to the chagrin of many gamblers. Aaron Jones had a strong showing on the ground, as did Romeo Doubs through the air, but that was about it as far as positives go for this offense. Rodgers looks flustered with his teammates and Matt LaFleur is consistently getting outcoached. It feels like things are going to get worse before they get better here.
Browns 32- Bengals 13
No chatter about Joe Burrow looking crappy without his top wideout? He seems to be immune to majority of the shit Lamar Jackson gets for any mildly subpar performance. The Bengals were pitiful on Monday night, falling into a 25-0 hole before two meaningless scores in the fourth quarter. They were completely unable to establish the running game (again), putting more pressure on their young quarterback. This team is as hot and cold as any in the league, which likely won't be changing until their offensive line woes are resolved.
Cleveland was lights out in essentially a must-win game. They pressured Joe Shiesty on almost every drop back, sacking him five times and forcing two turnovers. Nick Chubb was excellent again, and Amari Cooper ate against Eli Apple and the questionable Bengals secondary. Take away a Cooper INT on a terrible trick play and this was a damn near perfect performance by the Browns as they head into their bye week.
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@Choppinglines
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