NFL Week 8 Performance Recap
Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers (Thursday Night)
Green Bay covered as a 3.5-point home favorite and the game stayed under the 47.5 total in a 27-19 win that moved the Packers to 5-3. Jordan Love went 30 of 41 for 288 yards and three touchdowns, to Tucker Kraft, Matthew Golden and Josh Jacobs, with one interception, while Jacobs added two rushing touchdowns on a quiet 21 carries for 39 yards. Christian Watson caught eight passes for 113 yards, including a 53-yard catch that set up Jacobs' go-ahead score, and he broke a rib on the play before being cleared to return after a CT scan. The Packers fumbled the opening kickoff and later saw Love intercepted in the end zone by Zakee Wheatley, which started a Carolina rally from 27-10 down. Bryce Young went 23 of 41 for 209 yards and a 26-yard touchdown to Jalen Coker that made it 27-19 with 5:37 left, but he was sacked six times, his two-point try failed, and Dani Dennis-Sutton's late sack ended the threat. Chuba Hubbard scored for the Panthers but was stopped a yard short on fourth-and-2 to open the second half. Carolina falls to 3-4 and lost cornerback Will Lee to a hamstring injury.
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions
Detroit covered as a 3-point home favorite (3.5 at some books) and the game stayed well under the 46.5 total in a 19-15 win that handed Minnesota its first loss of the season. Jahmyr Gibbs ran 23 times for 153 yards, and Jameson Williams caught the game-winning touchdown after Jared Goff, blitzed on 83 percent of his dropbacks, went 5 of 6 for 50 yards and a score after halftime. Goff threw his first interception of the season in the first half, and Amon-Ra St. Brown had a touchdown taken away and briefly went to the locker room, but a clutch Detroit interception before the break kept the Lions in it. Kyler Murray struggled to find open receivers and threw a second-quarter interception, though T.J. Hockenson had three catches including a touchdown and Jordan Addison hauled in a 51-yard completion. Detroit improves to 5-2, and Minnesota falls to 6-1.
Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills
Buffalo covered as a 3.5-point home favorite (3 at some books) and the game stayed under the 53.5 total in a 36-10 rout, with Baltimore's day effectively ending on its first throw. Lamar Jackson hurt his right thumb on the opening play and is expected to need surgery and go on injured reserve, and Tyler Huntley left with a toe injury after four passes, leaving undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano to complete fewer than half his attempts with an interception and a 40.0 passer rating. Josh Allen threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns and passed the franchise record for career touchdown passes, James Cook ran for 80 yards and a score, and Dalton Kincaid had 86 receiving yards and a touchdown. Buffalo improves to 6-1, while Baltimore falls to 4-4 with Jackson's availability now the biggest question.
Tennessee Titans at Cincinnati Bengals
Tennessee covered as a double-digit underdog (the line ranged from 10.5 to 13.5) and the game soared over the 46.5 total in a 43-36 Bengals overtime win. Joe Burrow threw for 462 yards and five touchdowns, then ran in the winner from 9 yards out in overtime, despite throwing three interceptions, all of them to Amani Hooker. Tee Higgins had 10 catches for 155 yards and two scores, while Cam Ward threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions and added 41 rushing yards, and Tony Pollard ran for 117 yards and two touchdowns. Jacob Martin sacked Burrow three times for a Titans team that traded Jeffery Simmons earlier this season. Cincinnati moves to 5-2, and Tennessee falls to 1-7 in a game it very nearly stole.
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh covered as a 3.5-point home favorite and the game stayed well under the 38.5 total in a 27-6 win that gave the Steelers sole possession of the AFC North lead. Jaylen Warren ran for 143 yards and a touchdown, Pittsburgh had 108 rushing yards in the first half and 200 for the game, and the defense sacked Deshaun Watson a season-high eight times. Watson threw for 324 yards and Harold Fannin Jr. had 10 catches for a career-high 154 yards, but Cleveland could not turn drives into touchdowns. The Browns entered the day atop the division, and the Steelers extended their winning streak to four games at 6-2, while Cleveland falls to 5-3.
Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys
Arizona won outright as a 6.5-point road underdog (7 at some books) and the game soared over the 53.5 total in a 33-30 overtime win. Dallas led 17-3 late in the third quarter, but the Cardinals benched Jacoby Brissett for Gardner Minshew, who threw for 188 yards and three touchdowns, and Arizona scored 20 points in the fourth quarter. Tyler Allgeier filled in for the injured Jeremiyah Love and ran for 147 yards and a touchdown with 44 receiving yards and another score, and Michael Wilson had eight catches for 111 yards and a touchdown. Both teams are now 3-5 after Dallas let a 14-point lead slip away.
Indianapolis Colts at Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville covered as a 7.5-point home favorite (some had it at 10.5) and the game cleared the 46.5 total in a 42-7 rout, the biggest margin of the day. The Jaguars led 28-0 at halftime as Trevor Lawrence went 10 of 14 for 210 yards and three touchdowns, Bhayshul Tuten ran for 104 yards and a score and caught a touchdown for 159 scrimmage yards, and Rayuan Lane III returned an interception 92 yards for a touchdown. Daniel Jones went 19 of 28 for 144 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions before Anthony Richardson replaced him with 11:53 left, and Jonathan Taylor managed 23 yards on eight carries and lost a fumble on a trick play. Jacksonville did lose nose tackle DaVon Hamilton to a knee injury, with Ezra Cleveland, Eric Murray and Travon Walker also leaving. The Jaguars improve to 5-2, and Indianapolis falls to 2-6 with its fourth straight loss.
Las Vegas Raiders at New York Jets
Las Vegas won outright as a 1.5-point road underdog and the game soared over the 44.5 total in a 38-33 shootout that ended a four-game losing streak. Kirk Cousins threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns, Brock Bowers had seven catches for 92 yards and two scores, and the Raiders scored 24 second-half points. Ashton Jeanty ran just twice for 9 yards but made a 45-yard catch that set up the go-ahead touchdown, and Mike Washington added 83 yards on 25 carries. New York got 147 rushing yards and a touchdown from Braelon Allen and 142 receiving yards and a score from Adonai Mitchell, but could not hold on. The Raiders move to 4-4, while the Jets fall to 2-6.
Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay covered as a 1.5-point home favorite (2.5 at some books) and the game stayed far under the 45.5 total in a 16-0 shutout that was one of the strangest wins of the season. Baker Mayfield did not complete a pass, making the Buccaneers the first team since 1974 to win without a completion, because the ground game did everything: Bucky Irving ran 27 times for 170 yards and a touchdown, Kenneth Gainwell added 140 yards on 25 carries, and Tampa Bay finished with 324 rushing yards and minus-2 passing yards in tough weather. Michael Penix Jr. went 8 of 24 for 125 yards with four interceptions, two of them by Alex Anzalone in the first quarter, and Caleb McLaughlin hit three field goals. Atlanta had been averaging 31 points per game since Penix returned in Week 3. Both teams are 3-5.
Los Angeles Chargers at Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles covered as a 7-point home favorite (6.5 at some books) and the game stayed under the 43.5 total in a 24-9 win that left the Chargers winless. Justin Herbert threw for 257 yards, his best output of the season, but the Chargers settled for three field goals and Herbert threw two interceptions that the Rams turned into 10 points. Blake Corum ran for 73 yards and a touchdown and Puka Nacua had 11 catches for 80 yards and a score, while Ladd McConkey caught a 54-yard pass at the end of the first half that stopped a yard short of the goal line. Herbert has five touchdowns and 10 interceptions this season, and Derwin James Jr. is on injured reserve. The Rams improve to 4-4, while the Chargers fall to 0-7 and have now lost 10 straight.
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos
Denver won outright (books were split, with some making Kansas City a 1.5-point favorite and others Denver) and the game soared over the 41.5 total in a 28-24 comeback that moved the Broncos into first place in the AFC West. Kansas City led 24-13 after three quarters, but Denver scored 15 unanswered points in the fourth, with Jonah Coleman taking a short pass from Bo Nix 51 yards and then scoring the go-ahead 5-yard touchdown with under two minutes left. The Broncos then stopped the Chiefs on fourth down at the goal line with four seconds left, and Andy Reid disputed a penalty that wiped out what would have been a game-winning touchdown. Patrick Mahomes threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns in the loss, while Nix threw for 222 yards and two scores. Denver is 6-2, Kansas City falls to 5-2, and running back RJ Harvey landed on injured reserve this week.
New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins
New England won by five as a 7-point road favorite (7.5 at some books), so Miami covered, and the 43 points landed between the 41.5 and 44.5 totals that books were using. Miami led 13-3 at halftime, when Drake Maye had just 50 passing yards, but he woke up after the break with a 43-yard touchdown to Kyle Williams in the third quarter and a 48-yard touchdown to DeMario Douglas early in the fourth. Maye now leads the NFL with nine touchdown passes of at least 20 yards downfield. The Patriots bounce back from last week's loss in Chicago to improve to 5-3, while the Dolphins fall to 1-6.
Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Commanders
Washington covered as a 3.5-point home favorite (some had it at 5.5) and the game stayed under the 40.5 total in a 27-10 win that deepened Philadelphia's crisis. The Eagles led 10-0 after one quarter on Saquon Barkley's 3-yard touchdown run, then the Commanders scored the final 27 points. Jayden Daniels threw for 217 yards and a touchdown to Stefon Diggs and took a hard hit but stayed in the game, and Drew Stevens kicked four field goals, including a 56-yarder. Tanner McKee, starting for the injured Jalen Hurts, threw for 212 yards with no touchdowns and an interception, was sacked five times, and Philadelphia finished with 268 total yards. Barkley managed 30 yards on 13 carries with a long of 5. Safety Michael Carter left with an abdominal injury and Washington lost running back Jeremy McNichols to a foot injury. The Commanders improve to 2-4-1, and the Eagles fall to 2-6 with their sixth straight loss and last place in the NFC East.
Monday Night Preview: Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks
Seattle is a 3-point home favorite at most books (some have it at 3.5) with the total at 46.5 and the moneyline around Seahawks -166 and Bears +140 in a game with real wild-card implications. Chicago is 5-2 and the NFL's best team against the spread at 5-2, covering all three games Caleb Williams has started and finished, and he has completed 71 percent of his passes for 1,020 yards, five touchdowns and one interception while adding 128 rushing yards and two scores. The Bears come off a Thursday night win over New England and have extra rest, and their defense ranks fourth in pressure rate with 19 sacks and 10 takeaways, a problem for a Sam Darnold who has thrown eight interceptions, four of them under pressure. Seattle is 4-3 and 2-3-2 against the spread, has lost Charles Cross to an ankle injury (doubtful) with nine players questionable including Zach Charbonnet and Rashid Shaheed, and has added guard Quenton Nelson from Indianapolis to help a run game averaging 3.9 yards per carry. Chicago has its own concerns, with Anthony Johnson Jr. doubtful, Kyle Monangai and T.J. Edwards questionable, and a run defense that ranks 26th and allows 4.4 yards per carry. The Under has hit in four of seven games for both teams, and Seattle's defense allows the fewest explosive passes in the league, so this shapes up as a spot where the Bears getting the points and the under both have a case.
