Analysis
10/30/23
18 min read
Everything You Need to Know from NFL Week 8
After an exciting slate of Sunday action in Week 8, The 33rd Team breaks down key plays, stats and insights from around the NFL.
>>READ: Biggest Winners, Losers From Week 8
Dolphins 31, Patriots 17
Key Inactives
Dolphins: S Jevon Holland, WR Robbie Chosen, CB Xavien Howard
Patriots: WR Kayshon Boutte, T Vederian Lowe, T Calvin Anderson
Dolphins Star Receivers Dominate
The speed of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle of the Miami Dolphins was too much for the New England Patriots’ defense. The two receivers combined for 233 yards on 15 receptions and each scored a touchdown. Hill (eight catches, 112 yards) became the fastest player to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season during the Super Bowl era. After just eight games, Hill has 1,014 receiving yards and is on pace for 2,155 yards, which would shatter Calvin Johnson’s record of 1,964 in 2012. Waddle, meanwhile, had his best game of the season, hauling in seven catches for 121 yards and a touchdown. It was his first 100-yard receiving game of the season while it was Hill’s fifth.
Jalen Ramsey Makes His Return
After being traded to the Dolphins (6-2) during the offseason, CB Jalen Ramsey suffered a torn meniscus in training camp. His prognosis was he wouldn’t be able to play until December, but Ramsey made his season debut 94 days later. Safety Jevon Holland and CB Xavien Howard were out, so Ramsey came back at the perfect time. Ramsey had an interception, and allowed just one catch, demonstrating he’s still one of the top corners in the league.
Patriots Offense Can’t Get Anything Going
After upsetting the divisional rival Buffalo Bills in Week 7, the Patriots aimed to continue this trend against the Dolphins. However, the Patriots offense had trouble sustaining drives, as evidenced by their 11.1 percent third-down conversion percentage. Despite two passing touchdowns, Mac Jones only managed 161 passing yards along with a costly interception. If the Patriots want to keep their season alive, they must make some adjustments on offense before the Week 9 matchup against the Commanders.
Jets 13, Giants 10
Key Inactives
Jets: DL Carl Lawson, OL Joe Tippmann, WR Randall Cobb, RB Israel Abanikanda
Giants: QB Daniel Jones, T Evan Neal, T Andrew Thomas
Injuries Pile Up for Both Teams
By the second quarter, the New York Jets were down to their third-string center, Xavier Newman, after starter Connor McGovern and Wes Schweitzer exited the game due to injuries. DL Al Woods left the game after suffering a season-ending ruptured Achilles tendon. The New York Giants lost backup QB Tyrod Taylor, who sustained a rib injury and was replaced by Tommy DeVito. TE Darren Waller also left the game due to a hamstring injury.
Both Offenses Struggle
DeVito went two of seven for -1 passing yards. However, DeVito rushed for a 6-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Taylor’s departure meant the Giants greatly dialed back their passing attack. Saquon Barkley took snaps in the Wildcat formation. The Jets also struggled to score. Their only touchdown came from RB Breece Hall, who broke off a 50-yard touchdown reception at the end of the first quarter.
Greg Zurlein Delivers Jets, Twice
The Giants could have gone up by six points in the final minute, but Graham Gano missed his second field goal attempt of the game. QB Zach Wilson led the Jets on a four-play, 58-yard drive in 24 seconds. Greg Zuerlein nailed a 35-yard field goal on the final play to tie the score. After the Giants went three-and-out on their first possession of overtime, Wilson led a six-play, 46-yard drive that included a pass interference call on Adoree’ Jackson and covered just two minutes and two seconds to set up Zurlein for the winner from 33 yards.
Saints 38, Colts 27
Key Inactives
Saints: QB Jake Heaner, WR Keith Kirkwood, OL James Hurst, TE Jimmy Graham, DE Kyle Phillips
Colts: G Ike Boettger, CB Julius Brents, TE Kylen Granson, DT Eric Johnson, DE Isaiah Land, T Braden Smith, CB Ameer Speed
Saints' Offensive Weapons
Alvin Kamara scored two touchdowns, contributing to the success of the offense. Kamara has been a massive part of the New Orleans Saints' offense since his return from suspension in Week 3, and Derek Carr has highly favored him. Kamara ended the game with 59 rushing yards, 51 receiving yards with four receptions and two TDs.
Taysom Hill contributes to the Saints' offense in the rushing, receiving and passing games. Hill is the definition of a versatile player, and he contributes to the creativity and usefulness of this offense because defenses never really know what he will be doing. Hill ended the game one of two for 44 yards, compiled 63 rushing yards and two TDs, and had one reception for 14 yards. Rashid Shaheed, Michael Thomas and Chris Olave also performed well. Thomas ended the game with four receptions and 68 yards, Olave had five receptions with 46 yards, and Shaheed had three catches for 153 yards, including a 58-yard TD catch. Overall, the Saints' creativity and ability to perform on offense won them this game.
Carr Moves Past the Criticism
After losing to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 7, Carr had the chance for redemption after yelling at offensive coordinator Pete Carmicheal and scolding his teammates. Carr went 19 of 27 for 130 yards with two TDs and no interceptions. Carr only had one turnover as he fumbled the ball in the second. Regardless, he played great, making play after play.
Colts' Offensive Weapons
Jonathan Taylor and Zack Moss performed well for the Indianapolis Colts. Taylor rushed 87 of his 95 yards in the first quarter as Moss finished with 66 yards and scored on a 1-yard stretch across the goal line. Moss started this week second in the NFL in rushing yards. They combine to create a strong ground game for the Colts.
Colts' Struggles
The game started back and forth, with both teams staying consistent. The first half seemed to have been in the Colts' hands as they were up 14-7 after the first quarter. Kicker Matt Gay contributed seven of 27 points for the Colts, kicking two field goals and one extra point. However, the Colts challenged the Saints' defense and kept this game close. Gardner Minshew was 23 of 41 for 213 yards with two TDs and one interception.
The Colts had significant momentum up until a critical second-and-6 in the third quarter when Minshew threw a deep pass to the end zone intended for Michael Pittman, but instead, it ended up in the hands of Saints DB Paulson Adebo, who returned it to the 20-yard line. Turnovers were the Colts' worst enemy, and New Orleans capitalized on them.
Eagles 38, Commanders 31
Key Inactives
Eagles: CB Bradley Roby
Commanders: TE Cole Turner
Hurts, Eagles' Offense Fly to Victory
The Washington Commanders (3-5) took an early lead over the Philadelphia Eagles (7-1) at FedEx Field, finding the end zone on two of their first three drives. The Eagles scored on a Jalen Hurts' 16-yard TD pass to A.J. Brown with 34 seconds left in the first half. Philadelphia’s offense scored touchdowns on four of their six second-half drives, with one ending on a costly fumble in the red zone. The Eagles and Hurts overcame two lost fumbles in the red zone. Hurts passed for a season-high 315 yards. Hurts found Brown for two touchdowns, while DeVonta Smith and Julio Jones each hauled in a touchdown as well.
Brown finished with 130 yards on eight receptions and two touchdowns. He set an NFL record by becoming the first player to have six straight games of 125-plus receiving yards, breaking Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson's record of five.
At one point in the second half, Hurts was 15 of 15 for 228 yards and three TDs when targeting Brown and Smith (seven receptions, 99 yards, one TD).
Howell Shines in Loss
Sam Howell threw for a career-high 397 yards and four TDs behind an impressive performance from the Commanders' revamped offensive line. Heading into the game, Howell was the NFL's most-sacked quarterback (40 sacks). Washington allowed only one sack versus the Eagles, which came at the end of the game. The Commanders allowed four sacks in Week 2, which was their next lowest on the season.
Howell completed 24 passes in the first half, the most in the first half of a game in franchise history. He also became the fastest quarterback in franchise history to reach 200 completions. Despite an outstanding performance by the young signal-caller, key plays like Reed Blankenship's interception in the fourth quarter and Haason Reddick recording the Eagles' only sack with just more than two minutes left in the game tipped the scales in favor of Philadelphia.
Panthers 15, Texans 13
Key Inactives
Texans: DT Sheldon Rankins, WR Robert Woods, TE Brevin Jordan
Panthers: S Vonn Bell, WR Laviska Shenault Jr.
Panthers Notch First Win of Season
In the first game featuring the top three NFL draft picks together, first overall pick Bryce Young and his Carolina Panthers out-dueled No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud, No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson and their Houston Texans. In a low-scoring, defensive battle, the Panthers outlasted the Texans, winning on a last-second field goal to get their first win of the season. Both offenses were held to fewer than 230 total yards each. Time of possession and offensive production were just about even as well, although the Texans committed 10 penalties compared to the Panthers’ three. The Texans outgained the Panthers by 70 yards on the ground, as Miles Sanders had just two carries, while the Panthers outgained the Texans by net 60 yards through the air. The Panthers snapped a 56-game losing streak in games they trailed at any point in the fourth quarter, the longest in the NFL since at least 1991.
NFL Figuring Out C.J. Stroud?
Stroud and the Texans offense has played well and been explosive for most of the season. However, they were anything but that on Sunday. Stroud threw for just 140 yards on his 24 pass attempts, and Houston failed to score in the fourth quarter, which allowed Carolina to win it.
Bryce Young Inspires Hope
Despite all the criticism Young and the Panthers have taken, Young has remained poised. While Stroud has undoubtedly been the better rookie, Young won their first duel. Young threw for 235 yards and a score, taking care of the football and arguably playing his best game to date. Young took six sacks, as the Texans' pass rush had an impressive day. Young’s best highlight was leading the Panthers on a 15-play, 86-yard drive to put them in field goal range, where Eddie Pineiro booted the winner from 23 yards out.
Titans 28, Falcons 23
Key Inactives
Titans: QB Ryan Tannehill, CB Roger McCreary, OT Jaelyn Duncan
Falcons: CB Clark Phillips III
Levis Explodes in Debut
Will Levis had to wait to get on the field this season while watching many other rookie quarterbacks make their debuts. Levis became the seventh rookie quarterback to start this season, the most in the first eight weeks of a season since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. Levis did not disappoint. Just like Marcus Mariota did in his 2015 debut, Levis threw for four touchdowns, leading to a Tennessee Titans win — the only two rookie quarterbacks to do so since 1970. Wearing the throwback Houston Oilers uniform, Levis also racked up 238 yards.
Hopkins' Resurgence
The Titans have been a team in limbo so far this season with a roster going the wrong way — aging but not winning games. With trade rumors surrounding the team, the Titans' older contributors had big games to help the rookie quarterback. RB Derrick Henry rushed for 101 yards on 22 carries. However, WR DeAndre Hopkins was the story of the day. Hopkins finished with 128 yards and three touchdowns —to match his career high — on four catches. Levis became the fourth quarterback for whom Hopkins has caught the first touchdown pass of their NFL career.
Ascending QB Ridder Leaves Early
QB Desmond Ridder has not been perfect in 2023, but he has been good enough for the most part to lead the Atlanta Falcons to atop the NFC South. However, early in their Week 8 matchup against the Titans, Ridder left the game and went into concussion protocol. Ridder completed eight of 12 passes for 71 yards but took five sacks, including two from Jeffery Simmons and two from Harold Landry. Ridder took care of the football for the most part, although he fumbled on one of his sacks. He has lost more fumbles than any quarterback in the league this year. Taylor Heinicke replaced Ridder and played well, leading Atlanta to drives that finished in points on four of his first five possessions. He ended the day 12 of 21 for 175 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions, although he failed to complete a two-minute drill to win the game. The Falcons also rushed the ball well, finishing with 140 yards on 5.4 YPC.
Cowboys 43, Rams 20
Key Inactives
Cowboys: T Tyron Smith, CB Noah Igbinoghene, DL Viliami Fehoko
Rams: T Rob Havenstein, RB Zach Evans
Cowboys Keep Rolling
Coming into the game, the Dallas Cowboys had 10 straight home wins. They kept it going with a fast start — 17 points in the first quarter and 16 in the second. The dominant performances from Dak Prescott — 25 of 31, for 304 yards and four touchdowns with one interception — and CeeDee Lamb — 12 receptions for 158 yards and two touchdowns — helped extend that winning streak to 11 games.
Brandon Aubrey extended his streak of consecutive career field goals to 18, going two for two with a 58-yarder and a 27-yarder. Sam Williams blocked a punt that went out of the back of the end zone for a safety.
Defensive Star Emerging
DaRon Bland is slowly becoming a star in the Dallas secondary with his third pick-six of the season. The Dallas defense held the seventh-best passing offense in the league to 204 yards and one touchdown. The Dallas defense also held up-and-coming wide receiver Puka Nacua to three catches for 43 yards and held former Offensive Player of the Year Cooper Kupp to four catches for 21 yards.
Stafford's Ailing Thumb
Matthew Stafford jammed his right thumb on a Dallas defender's helmet in the final seconds of the second quarter. He came out to play for the second half but appeared to injure it further on a trick-play reception. Brett Rypien replaced him in the third quarter.
The Cowboys are 5-2 and second in the NFC East with the win, behind the league-leading, 7-1 Eagles. The Los Angeles Rams are 3-5 (2-2 on the road) and third in the NFC West.
Jaguars 20, Steelers 10
Key Inactives
Jaguars: S Andre Cisco, WR Zay Jones, CB Tyson Campbell, OLB Yasir Abdullah, OL Cole Van Lanen
Steelers: QB Mason Rudolph, CB Levi Wallace, T Dylan Cook, NT Breiden Fehoko
Both Offenses Stall Repeatedly
Neither team reached the end zone until Jacksonville Jaguars RB Travis Etienne scored on a 56-yard catch and run. Trevor Lawrence was 24 of 32 for 292 yards and a touchdown and an interception. TE Evan Engram was Lawrence’s top target with 10 receptions for 88 yards. Backup QB Mitch Trubisky hit WR George Pickens on a 22-yard touchdown for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Trubisky, who was 15 of 27 for 138 yards but also threw two interceptions, replaced Kenny Pickett, who sustained a rib injury in the first half. Diontae Johnson led the Steelers (4-3) with eight catches for 85 yards.
Turnovers Kept Jaguars from Dominating
The outcome could have been lopsided had the Jaguars (6-2) not turned the ball over three times. Still, they had 34:16 time of possession and averaged 5.8 yards per play. The Steelers struggled to sustain drives, going 3-for-12 on third down and failing to convert their two fourth-down tries. The Jaguars improved to 4-0 on the road and built a 2.5-game lead in the AFC South.
Steelers Also Lose Fitzpatrick
Pickett wasn’t the only key Steeler to leave the game because of an injury. All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick suffered a hamstring injury in the first quarter and also did not return. Compounding matters for the Steelers is they play host to the Titans on Thursday night, cutting the potential recovery time for Pickett and Fitzpatrick in half.
Vikings 24, Packers 10
Key Inactives
Vikings: LB Brian Asamoah II, G, Ezra Cleveland
Packers: None
Loss of Cousins Dampens Vikings’ Win
QB Kirk Cousins picked right up where he left off Monday night and had the Minnesota Vikings (4-4) rolling to a third consecutive victory when he went down with a non-contact injury with a little more than 10 minutes left in the game. Cousins was 23-for-31 passing, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell stated that the team fears it is a torn Achilles. The injury undoubtedly will hamper the Vikings’ surging expectations since their 0-3 start.
Packers Offense Again Ineffective
The Green Bay Packers hadn’t scored a first-half touchdown since Week 2, and nothing changed against the Vikings. QB Jordan Love (24 of 41 for 229 yards, one touchdown, one interception and four sacks) and the Green Bay offense did not pick up a first down until 4:15 remained in the first half. The Packers moved the ball better in the second half but were unable to finish drives. They only scored one touchdown in three second-half red zone trips. The Packers (2-5) also converted just one of four fourth-down conversion attempts.
Vikings Offense Continues Rolling
Minnesota’s trio of receiving threats stepped up again with WR Justin Jefferson on injured reserve. WR K.J. Osborn caught eight passes for 99 yards, TE T.J. Hockensen had six catches for 88 yards and one touchdown, and WR Jordan Addison continued his string of impressive performances with seven catches for 82 yards and 1 touchdown. RB Cam Akers also added the Vikings’ first rushing touchdown of the season.
Broncos 24, Chiefs 9
Key Inactives
Broncos: S JL Skinner, OLB Thomas Incoom, C Alex Forsyth, DT Keondre Coburn, DL Elijah Garcia
Chiefs: DE BJ Thompson, OL Mike Caliendo, DT Neil Farrell, DE Malik Herring
Broncos Break Chiefs’ Hex
The Denver Broncos defeated the Kansas City Chiefs for the first time since Sept. 17, 2015 – a span of 16 regular-season games. The Broncos also handed Patrick Mahomes his first road loss in an AFC West game (he had been 16-0). And it was Mahomes’ first loss in 26 games against teams at least two games under .500.
Danger-Russ Returns for Broncos
The revitalized play of QB Russell Wilson is one of the biggest stories for the Broncos (3-5). Wilson, who had a disastrous 2022, has thrown 16 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. By comparison, two-time MVP Mahomes has 15 TDs and eight interceptions.
Chiefs' Offense Sputters Against a Bottom-5 Defense
The Chiefs’ nine points were their fewest since a Week 7 loss at Tennessee in 2021. TE Travis Kelce was held to 58 yards, which led the Kansas City offense. One bright spot has been the development of rookie WR Rashee Rice. He’s second on the team with 361 yards receiving and three touchdowns.
Ravens 31, Cardinals 24
Key Inactives
Ravens: C Sam Mustipher, S Marcus Williams
Cardinals: CB Kei’trel Clark, LB Krys Barnes, DL Kevin Strong,
Too Little Too Late
The Arizona Cardinals’ offense struggled most of the game, but it scored nine points in the game’s final 1:18. With just more than a minute left, Joshua Dobbs found Marquise Brown for a 1-yard touchdown. The Cardinals’ 2-point conversion attempt failed, keeping it a 10-point game. After a successful onside kick by Matt Prater, the Cardinals drove down the field and kicked a field goal. A second onside kick attempt was unsuccessful, putting the Baltimore Ravens in a victory formation. The Cardinals (1-7) can take some consolation in that they scored the first first-quarter touchdown — a Dobbs run — against the Ravens this season. That snapped what had been the longest streak of not allowing a touchdown in the first quarter at seven games.
Gus the Bus
Ravens RB Gus Edwards continues to impress this season. Edwards had 19 carries for 80 yards and three rushing touchdowns. With Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ passing attack held to a season-low 138 net passing yards, Edwards stepped up and led the rushing attack. Edwards is the first Ravens player with three rushing touchdowns in a game since Mark Ingram in Week 3 in 2019.
Ravens are Rolling
The Ravens are tied for first in the AFC at 6-2 and also have a 1.5-game lead on all three teams in the AFC North. The Ravens’ defense is second in the NFL in yards allowed and first in sacks. The offense is seventh in points per game (25.3) and 11th in yards.
