Analysis
10/31/22
16 min read
What We Learned: 33 Expert Takeaways From Week 8
There were a number of surprising performances and interesting developments on Sunday in the NFL. The 33rd Team’s experts weighed in with 33 takeaways from the day’s games:
Broncos 21, Jaguars 17
1. "Both quarterbacks needed that win today, but Russell needed that win, especially in the way that they were able to manufacture the comeback. Several different times in this game you thought they would be out of it... He had some really good plays today to where you have to tip your hat to him and be like, "OK, maybe the time has come to maybe turn the page and move forward and get the old Russell Wilson." — Samari Rolle
2. "If the Broncos ever needed a win, it was today. The offense showed signs of life and Russell Wilson drove for the game-winning TD. With all that they gave up for Wilson, they desperately needed him to win this game. Going into a bye next week, anything and everything was on the table if they would have lost this game in London." — T.J. McCreight
3. "Trevor Lawrence having a Super Bowl-winning coach in Doug Pederson should help him tremendously. But Trevor's up and down a lot. I'm a big fan of Trevor, I think he's going to be a tremendous player. But at this point, he's a little behind where he should be. He's got a good coach, they've got Christian Kirk and a couple more weapons. But they've got to just let Trevor play, be the Clemson Trevor Lawrence where he'll run it, throw the ball downfield." — Samari Rolle
Falcons 37, Panthers 34
4. "Atlanta is not as good as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are probably playing down to their competition right now. The NFC South is the one division where the best team is almost the worst team, and that tells you exactly what you're talking about." — Ronde Barber
5. "I am sure that the official did not want to throw the flag on D.J. Moore for removing his helmet in that situation at the end of regulation, but he had to do so. A player has to understand the situation and the timing of the game. There was still time on the clock and they still needed to hit the extra point to take the lead. This was a devastating loss for the Panthers and ruined what would have been a very special win. Players are reminded, starting early in camp, that you can’t remove your helmet." — T.J. McCreight
6. "If you're the Carolina Panthers, you get an interception that takes you down to the 15-yard line, and yet you play the game in the last however many seconds or minutes you had that ball to kick the field goal, how about you go score a damn touchdown? Game over." — Ronde Barber
Cowboys 49, Bears 29
7. "I think Tony Pollard's been the best back there for some time, looking of the two of them, all their opportunities and what they make out of them. He's one of the most explosive players in the league, and he proved it today. You look back over a year or two and you can see some of the plays he's made with his speed and his ability to jump out of a defender's way... He's so explosive it puts so much pressure on a defense when you have a back like that... Regardless of how much money Ezekiel Elliott makes or the contract and all that, the guy that is absolutely tearing it up right now is Tony Pollard, so I don't know how you keep him out of the starting lineup." — Mike Martz
8. "Jerry Jones, the owner, GM, and Grand Poobah and master of time, space and dimension for the Dallas Cowboys, likes to say the offense runs through Zeke. My question is, why? Why does the offense run through Zeke? I'm not saying he can't be a part of the offense. But if you saw that today against the Bears, and you're still saying to yourself the offense runs through Zeke, that's the problem. Tony Pollard creates more mismatches as the starting running back for the Dallas Cowboys than Ezekiel Elliott does." — Trey Wingo
Dolphins 31, Lions 27
9. "Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle are just unstoppable. Mike McDaniel does an awesome job of getting them free releases and putting pressure on the defense and putting them in positions where they can just go up and make plays, and make Tua a better quarterback. They've done it all year long, every time he's been there, 5-0 when he's at quarterback, it's been special to watch." — Greg Jennings
10. "They brought Tyreek Hill in because of his big play ability and for him to actually be kind of be a comfort zone, and he's been exactly that, he's actually exceeded expectation if you ask me, when you all about what we saw out of Tua Tagovailoa. It doesn't matter who they play. I don't care if it's the Detroit Lions, I don't care if it's the New England Patriots, I don't care if it's the Buffalo Bills. He is impacting the game in so many different ways, when you can get the ball in a player's hands and he can actually turn it into a touchdown from anywhere on the field, and he's the fastest alongside probably the second-fastest guy in the league, this has been more than what I believe they even could ask for." — Greg Jennings
Vikings 34, Cardinals 26
11. 'I think over the last couple weeks, the Vikings' defense is starting to gel a little bit and is creating more turnovers. They're kind of a bend-don't-break defense, but what you've seen is the creation of turnovers, and they're getting pressure on the quarterback. Hopefully they'll continue to improve through the season. But right now, you'd have to say they're in the driver's seat in the NFC North." — Rick Spielman
12. "There is still this bit of uneasiness with this team of who are they really, it's almost like they've escaped or they've just gotten by and gotten these six wins. But you've to give them credit, because at the end of the day, you have to be able to win the close games, and you have to win the ugly games, and the season is going to be a roller coaster. So as long as you can keep winning along this ride of the roller coaster, you're in great position, and that's where the Minnesota Vikings find themselves... How far they go, this offense has to be more consistent, and defensively, you have to put your foot down a little bit more." — Greg Jennings
13. "The one thing that I love about the Vikings is they can be explosive. They can score with the best of them. The one thing that I hate about the Vikings is we don't know if they're going to do that, we don't know when that comes. And if the spotlight is bright, we know what Kirk has been in the past, can he be better in those moments?" — Greg Jennings
14. "There were very few NFL players more situationally aware than former Arizona receiver Larry Fitzgerald. He understood the clock and how to operate in a two-minute situation. He forced — by sheer will and example — the other players to do the same. I don’t quite see that same leadership or savvy in Arizona now." — T.J. McCreight
Saints 24, Raiders 0
15. "Nothing is working for the Raiders. They were supposed to be the big bad threat to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West... This is a really, really brutal loss for the Raiders. You get shut out by a team that is allowing anybody to score almost at anytime, anywhere, and you have a lot of questions you're facing when you're on that plane back to Vegas. The season doesn't end until January, but it sure felt like it might have ended this Sunday for the Raiders." — Trey Wingo
16. "The Raiders, I'm lost, I don't know what to say. I just really felt with a new head coach and his background, Adams and Carr, that dynamic duo, they would absolutely catch fire... So far we haven't seen anything. You can't put this on Derek Carr's shoulders. I'm sorry, that just doesn't fly. There's a lot of other things going on... There's just something wrong here. Going to take a long, hard look at that whole situation, because it's just dysfunctional right now." — Mike Martz
17. "This is fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me with Josh McDaniels. He's just not a good head coach. It's a basic as I can say it. The Raiders are not great, but they are average at the very least. You can't get shut out by a team that has been inconsistent at best. And if it wasn't for Alvin Kamara going off the way he has, who knows where the Saints would be this year. So to me, this comes back to culture and head coaching, and Josh McDaniels is just stealing money again." — Tiki Barber
Patriots 22, Jets 17
18. "If they want to put themselves in the conversation within this division, which is already difficult when you're talking about the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins, you're going to have to stack them up and win ballgames, and you can't let one get away from you where you're in the mix and you're competitive throughout the course of the game, because of bad decisions from your quarterback." — Matt Cassel
19. "They knew that they were going to be going through these growing pains with Zach Wilson, but at the end of the day, you're in your second year. You had a tough last year, you know not to make those certain throws. Throw the ball away, live to fight another day, and it's going to be interesting to see what they do moving forward, because they can't have this type of play, especially with the absence of Breece Hall because he was such a big part of the offense, that they're not going to want to rely on Wilson to go out there and win them games on a consistent basis." — Matt Cassel
20. "The Jets fell flat in the most important test of the season. It is still the Patriots that hang over this team. It was going to be the end of the streak. Instead the Patriots now join the Kansas City Chiefs as the most dominant teams currently over one other team. The Chiefs have beaten the Broncos 13 straight times, and on Sunday, it was the 13th straight time the Jets fell to the Patriots. And making it even worse for Jets fans, it was this game in which Bill Belichick passes George Halas for the second-most wins all time." — Trey Wingo
Eagles 35, Steelers 13
21. "Just watching Jalen Hurts throw the football, he's a lot more comfortable, he's very accurate, he's settled in, he's got complete command of the passing game and knows exactly what's going on. When a guy's like that and he's accurate anyway, his accuracy really shows up... He's playing at such a high level; the whole team is. Really they've kind of rallied around him. They're a good football team anyway, but he has truly, the way he's played has been an example for them, and it's kind of been a spark for them, too." — Mike Martz
22. "Some of the things that A.J. Brown does on the football field can’t be taught. When you really study him — taking away his size, athleticism and speed — he has outstanding ball skills and really understands HOW to use his body, especially down the field. He always stays balanced and knows when to attack the ball and when to leave his feet. He is deceptive with his eyes — meaning he will confuse the defender when the ball is in the air and they are not sure of where the ball is being placed. This is a sign of a great receiver." — T.J. McCreight
Titans 17, Texans 10
23. "You go into a Houston environment where they're so accustomed to playing close games, and this was another close game, but you're playing without your starting quarterback, Malik Willis only threw the ball a handful of times. Basically, they told the Houston Texans "We're going to run the ball down your damn throat, and you're going to take this," and there was nothing Houston could do about it. And that's one of the most demoralizing things in football ever, when you know what the team is going to do to you, and at the same time, there's nothing you can do about it, there's no way you can stop it. So for Derrick Henry to go into Houston and have 32 carries for 219 yards, two TDs, that's unbelievable." — Tank Williams
Commanders 17, Colts 16
24. "That was really the difference in the ballgame, that goal line stand, because it forced Indianapolis to kick the field goal instead of getting six on that play. Kamren Curl made the big play, and remember with Cole Holcomb out this week, they went with Curl at safety for the green dot today. He was flying around, making plays all day, but none bigger than that one." — Robert Smith
25. "At the end of the Washington-Indy game Michael Pittman had a huge drop. He was on the dead run across the field and, if he caught the perfectly thrown ball, could have put the Colts close to field goal range — with at least a chance to try to win it. It was a great pass by Sam Ehlinger." — T.J. McCreight
49ers 31, Rams 14
26. "One of the best things Kyle Shanahan does is he's the best game-time adjustment guy offensively as anybody in the league. They changed in the second half, they came back and did some other things with it. And then what they did defensively was they went after them. They didn't just sit in man or zone, they just went after them and challenged the offensive line. And that's the Achilles heel to the Rams, clearly the offensive line is sub-par." — Mike Martz
27. "One thing that may have gone unnoticed in the 49ers' win against the Rams was the block made by Ray-Ray McCloud. McCloud kept the edge clean for Jimmy G to make the throw to George Kittle for the touchdown. It showed a lot of effort and toughness for a wide receiver to make that block." — T.J. McCreight
28. "The Rams can not run the ball nor are they willing to attempt down after down after down to run the ball. So you can take their running game out of it and just go after them and lock them down, and of course the 49ers did. I don't know if the Rams had 50 yards in the second half. The adjustments on both sides of the ball were spot-on for the 49ers." — Mike Martz
Seahawks 27, Giants 13
29. "Geno Smith completely flipped the narrative for the Seahawks this season. Seattle started 2022 in a hot race for C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young, and now they’re in a hot race for a playoff berth. Confidence and momentum are a helluva drug, and Seattle is riding high off both." — Tank Williams
30. "The Seattle Seahawks are for real. This team can overcome adversity and can run and pass the football. Tyler Lockett dropped a sure touchdown but Geno Smith calmed the waters, came right back to him, and they won another football game. Hats off to Pete Carroll and this team — everyone else thought that this was a rebuild season." — T.J. McCreight
31. "When you play against really good defenses like both of these teams are, you can't just have these silly turnovers in crucial situations in the game that allow your team to lose. And that's what happened with Richie James. Its unfortunate because he's been pretty solid for them ons special teams this year. When we were in the league, we always talked about how there will be five plays that will determine the game. Unfortunately for James, it was his two fumbles that set Seattle up in key situations where they were able to go ahead, and then lean on the defense and the running game to seal the deal." — Tank Williams
Bills 27, Packers 17
32. "It didn't totally play out this way tonight — but when you watch the Bills' offense you feel like to keep up with them you have to score each time you have the ball — they are that explosive and their quarterback is that good. But the issue for other teams is the Bills' defense — they are really fast and they can create turnovers — you can't just go up and down the field on them. Their only loss was when half the team cramped up in the Miami heat. That isn't happening again." — T.J. McCreight
33. "The Bills made it look easy. They are so explosive and it's so much fun to watch those guys do whatever they want to do on the field... They play a wholesome, complete team game, and it's fun; you mix in some elite athletes, and that takes them from fun to just spectacular. I look forward to watching the Buffalo Bills week in and week out, because you never know what type of elite play you're going to see." — Golden Tate
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