Analysis
10/29/23
7 min read
Biggest Winners, Losers From NFL Week 8
Several young quarterbacks stepped up in a big way in Week 8, but several other veterans let their teams down. After another wild week of football, here are the biggest winners and losers from Sunday.
Biggest Winners, Losers of Week 8
Winner: Will Levis, Tennessee Titans
Heading into the week, there were a lot of rumblings about who would start at quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. Ryan Tannehill has an ankle injury, so the Titans had a decision to make. Would they start second-year Malik Willis or let rookie Will Levis make the first NFL start? Coach Mike Vrabel decided to go with the rookie, which was undoubtedly the right decision.
Not only did Levis keep the team afloat, he dominated. Levis threw four touchdowns while averaging 8.2 yards per attempt. Tennessee’s offense looked fantastic, with Levis hitting DeAndre Hopkins for three touchdowns. Levis' ability to move around in the pocket and uncork the ball down the field is exactly what this offense has lacked for several seasons.
Take a look at where he threw the ball against the Atlanta Falcons, and you can see just how much he attacked downfield in his first NFL action via TruMedia:
The Titans play on Thursday Night Football in Week 9, and it’s fair to expect Levis to get the start again on a short week. In a season that felt pretty hopeless a week ago, Levis suddenly gave the Titans something to be excited about moving forward.
Losers: Minnesota Vikings
This one is really tough for all parties involved. The Minnesota Vikings have played excellent football over the last few weeks, winning three consecutive games. The Vikings (4-4) are in the thick of things in the NFC. Unfortunately, none of that may matter moving forward after QB Kirk Cousins suffered an ankle or Achilles injury in Week 8.
While we don't want to speculate on the injury, it looked severe as the medical staff carted Cousins off the field. Cousins has been fantastic over the past three games, completing more than 70 percent of his passes despite WR Justin Jefferson being out due to a hamstring injury. This was the best Cousins has ever played, and it's too bad that his season might have ended this way.
Cousins is a free agent after the 2023 season, and his future already was up in the air before this injury. He'll be 36 next offseason, which makes his future murkier. This was a brutal blow for the Vikings, who were starting to find themselves. Look for the Vikings to be in the market for a veteran quarterback because they are still in playoff contention in the NFC.
Winner: Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
All season long, the hot rookie quarterback name has been C.J. Stroud, and for good reason. He’s been fantastic, throwing nine touchdowns to just one interception. His play has allowed the Houston Texans to be relevant in the AFC South and upset some good teams.
Stroud’s performance has made Bryce Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, an afterthought. There has been a ton of talk on social media and around the league that the Carolina Panthers might have made a mistake passing on Stroud in favor of Young at No. 1. One game won't change the narrative, but Young needed a solid performance to silence some of the doubters.
Young had the best game of his career in Week 8, upsetting the Texans to help the Panthers get their first win. For the first time in his career, he posted a passer rating higher than 100 (103.6), as he averaged 7.6 yards per attempt and completed 71 percent of his passes. The Panthers only scored 15 points, but Young made several impressive throws, and you can see that his confidence growing every game.
Young still has a long way to go, but things are slowing down for him. He’s not the most physically gifted quarterback, but he is incredibly accurate and can throw receivers open. Stay patient here because Young is coming along pretty quickly.
Loser: Desmond Ridder, Atlanta Falcons
There have been some pleasant moments from Desmond Ridder this season. He’s given the Atlanta Falcons a chance to win nearly every game. When he uses his legs, he can be a dangerous weapon. Unfortunately, his inconsistencies have held back the offense. And Sunday was another example of that.
Ridder took five sacks on 17 dropbacks and averaged 5.9 yards per attempt. His eyes were dropping in the pocket, and he did not create any chunk plays down the field. Ridder eventually left the game due to a concussion, and Taylor Heinicke replaced him for the remainder of the contest. It wasn’t a surprise that the offense suddenly started to click with Henicke as he could throw the ball down the field and help the Falcons stay in the game.
Arthur Smith and the Falcons have given Ridder a long leash to date. But considering how lackluster the offense has felt over the last few weeks, it might be time for the franchise to make a quarterback change. Things just aren’t working with Ridder, and it’s hindering the rest of the talent on offense.
Winner: Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
During the offseason, Tyreek Hill proclaimed that he would exceed 2,000 receiving yards for the Miami Dolphins this year. Calvin Johnson had the most receiving years in an NFL season (1,964) during the 2012 season. Through eight games, Hill is on pace to shatter that record.
Hill already has 1,014 yards and eight touchdowns. He had another tremendous performance on Sunday, torching the New England Patriots for 112 yards and a touchdown. Hill has six seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards since the 2017 season and has surpassed 10,000 career yards from scrimmage.
1️⃣ + 🔟 = 6️⃣
That's Fins math. pic.twitter.com/Fa7HbRv4b9
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) October 29, 2023
While nothing Hill did on Sunday was out of the ordinary for him, it was just another reminder of how dominant of a player he's been over the last six years. Hill is an exceptional talent with a legitimate shot of surpassing 2,000 receiving yards. He needs to average 109.5 yards per game for the rest of the year, which seems doable, considering the pace he is on.
Loser: Green Bay Packers
In full disclosure, Jordan Love was initially the final name on this list. He had another poor performance in Week 8, averaging just 5.6 yards per attempt and leading the Green Bay Packers to 10 points. He's not played well this season, and Sunday was another disappointing performance.
But it’s not all his fault. The Packers have been highly dysfunctional all year, and everyone is to blame. Matt LaFleur has done a poor job of keeping Green Bay out of third-and-longs and has been far too conservative. The Packers' running backs averaged just 3.07 yards per carry on Sunday. To make matters worse, they had 11 accepted penalties for 99 yards. This team isn't built to overcome turnovers and penalties like they were in the past.
The Packers sit at 2-5 after eight weeks and are among the worst teams in football. There is a lot of doubt if Love is the next franchise quarterback for Green Bay, and the defense continues to get shredded through the air. Things look bleak in Lambeau after a 24-10 loss to the Vikings in Week 8.
Marcus Mosher is an NFL writer with a decade of experience in podcasting and writing for various NFL websites, including Bleacher Report, Pro Football Focus and The Athletic. He’s currently a managing editor at USA Today Sports Media Group and host of the Locked On Cowboys Podcast. Marcus has been working full-time covering the NFL since 2015 and works as a betting expert for Gambling.com. You can follow him at @Marcus_Mosher.
