4th & Monday: Was that the best game of the 2017 season?
Was that the best game of the 2017 season?
The Seattle Seahawks' win over the Houston Texans was as entertaining as any clash this season. Despite the setback, the Texans got an eye-opening performance by rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson, who tore through the vaunted Legion of Boom (though the game did end on a Richard Sherman interception). Watson had four touchdown passes Sunday, giving him an NFL record 19 through his first seven career games. In addition, he has 16 touchdown passes in his past four games, the most by a rookie in any four-game span.
After a convincing win over the Raiders, the Buffalo Bills seem to be trending toward ending the longest active playoff drought among any major professional sports team in North America — 17 years. The Bills, who are a half game behind the New England Patriots in the AFC East, have a short week before visiting the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football.
The Philadelphia Eagles routed the winless San Francisco 49ers and improved to an NFL-best 7-1, but there's a potential issue that could derail the team's long-term goals.
The Dallas Cowboys won a second consecutive game thanks in large part to Ezekiel Elliott. The fate of Elliott's and the Cowboys' immediate future rests on a decision to be made in a federal courtroom in New York on Monday.
MORE: 40 things we learned in Week 8 around the league
TRADES!: Seven NFL trades that would make sense before deadline
THE MUST-SEE MOMENTS YOU MISSED
— In the season's final game in London, Vikings receiver Adam Thielen pulled out his best soccer celebration after scoring a touchdown.
— Patriots coach Bill Belichick shut down a reporter's question about "grind it out" wins after his team's 21-13 victory over the Chargers as only Bill Belichick can.
— Steelers WR Antonio Brown scored a touchdown and started his celebratory dance. Only there was a flag on the field negating his score -- and the Lions defenders let him hear about it.
— Meanwhile, fellow Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster actually *did* score a touchdown on a 97-yard catch and run and then pulled out an amazing sideline celebration.
— After Jets kicker Chandler Catanzaro missed two field goals in the team's five-point loss to Atlanta, former N.Y. kicker Ross Martin took to Twitter to show the team that, even in the rain, he's got what it takes.
— Colts coach Chuck Pagano celebrated a successful challenge until an unfortunate twist dampened his mood.
— The Steelers and Bengals played each other last week, but the trash talk picked up between the division rivals. During the Bengals' early-afternoon game, Pittsburgh running back Le'Veon Bell called out Cincinnati counterpart Joe Mixon on Twitter for trying to "mimic" him.
Told after the game, Mixon tried to be diplomatic, but teammate Vontaze Burfict fired back, saying, "Le'Veon is not as good as Le'Veon thinks he is." We can't wait for the rematch between these two on Dec. 4.
— Pete Carroll profanely shoots down a trade rumor involving his star tight end, Jimmy Graham.
— More than 30 members of the Texans took a knee or sat during the national anthem in Seattle days after team owner Bob McNair's "inmates" remark in league meetings and his subsequent clumsy apology.
The demonstration came after it was reported McNair commented, "We can't have the inmates running the prison," during an owners-only meeting last week to discuss anthem protests. McNair was widely condemned for the remark, and players seemed unmoved by his awkward attempts to apologize.
— After Texans rookie QB Deshaun Watson's threw for 402 yards and four touchdowns against Seattle's No. 1 scoring defense, fans took to mocking the Texans for starting Tom Savage at quarterback to begin the season.
— This is adding insult to gruesome injury. Bears tight end Zach Miller suffered what was later revealed to be a dislocated knee on a third-quarter touchdown grab. But the NFL's unclear definition of a catch robbed Miller of a score and overturned the call.
— Chargers returner Travis Benjamin showed everyone what not to do when he turned a dropped punt into a total nightmare. Benjamin's ill-fated return was but one of many costly self-inflicted blunders the Chargers just could not overcome in a loss to the Patriots.
— Matt Forte had four carries for seven yards in the Jets' loss to the Falcons. That was not enough according to Forte, who criticized offensive coordinator Joe Morton after the game and said the team "strayed" from the game plan.
TOP GALLERIES: Best of Week 8 | Cheerleaders | Anthem demonstrations
THE RUNDOWN
Vikings 33, Browns 16: Case Keenum and the Vikings had little trouble keeping the Browns winless in the league's final London game of the season.
Eagles 33, 49ers 10: The Eagles had trouble replacing injured left tackle Jason Peters, but they still punished the 49ers for their sixth consecutive win.
Bills 34, Raiders 14: LeSean McCoy rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown and the Buffalo defense had another big performance in a romp over Oakland.
Patriots 21, Chargers 13: Tom Brady and the Patriots always take advantage of teams' mistakes, and the Chargers were just the latest to pay for their costly blunders.
Saints 20, Bears 12: The hottest team in the league outside of Philadelphia, Drew Brees and the Saints held off the Bears for their fifth win in a row.
Falcons 25, Jets 20: In a game drenched in rain, the Falcons overcame some sloppy play and mistakes to fend off New York's late comeback attempt.
Panthers 17, Buccaneers 3: Carolina's defense didn't allow a touchdown for the second week in a row to send the reeling Bucs to a fourth consecutive loss.
Bengals 24, Colts 23: Carlos Dunlap's pick-six in the fourth quarter allowed the Bengals to escape with a one-point win over the hapless Colts.
Seahawks 41, Texans 38: In an unexpected shootout, Russell Wilson hit Jimmy Graham for the winning touchdown with 21 seconds left to hold off rookie sensation Deshaun Watson.
Cowboys 33, Redskins 19: Ezekiel Elliott had another big day on the ground as the Cowboys wore down the Redskins.
Steelers 20, Lions 15: The Lions had 482 yards of offense and five trips to the red zone, but they couldn't punch it in for a touchdown. That is less than ideal.
Ravens 40, Dolphins 0 (Thursday): Joe Flacco left with a concussion, but the Ravens defense returned two interceptions for touchdowns in a parity-driven rout.
EYES ON THE (FANTASY) PRIZE
— One of the unsung fantasy heroes in Sunday's offensive explosion in Seattle was fourth-year Seahawks wide receiver Paul Richardson. Even though he caught a touchdown pass in Week 7, he was only targeted twice. Russell Wilson looked Richardson's way more often this week, connecting six times for 105 yards and a pair of scores.
— New York Jets wideout Robby Anderson had his best game of the season, catching all six of his targets for 104 yards and a score. The Jets offense has looked respectable, especially the past few weeks, and Anderson has averaged 15.8 yards per catch.
— Indianapolis Colts running back Marlon Mack seemingly does something every week to deserve more touches. On Sunday, the rookie did get 11 carries — more than in any game this season. More importantly, he caught three passes for 36 yards, including a 24-yard touchdown.
— And don't forget about Baltimore Ravens running back Alex Collins just because he played on Thursday night. He set career highs with 18 carries and 113 yards against the Miami Dolphins and was even more effective than backfield mate Javorius Allen in the passing game.
More: Fantasy football coverage
INJURY UPDATE
— Bears tight end Zach Miller was carted off the field with a serious leg injury on what appeared to be a touchdown catch against the Saints. It was reported Miller suffered a dislocated knee. And his touchdown was overturned.
— Patriots receiver Chris Hogan suffered an unknown right shoulder injury late in the fourth quarter against the Chargers. Hogan reportedly left the stadium with his arm in a sling and will undergo an MRI on Monday.
— Cowboys receiver Cole Beasley left in the fourth quarter against the Redskins with a concussion and did not return. Beasley will enter the league's concussion protocol.
Keep up with all the injury news throughout the week right here.
COMING THIS WEEK
MONDAY: Week 8 concludes on Monday when the Denver Broncos visit the rival Kansas City Chiefs in an AFC West showdown (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
TUESDAY: Paste BN Sports' NFL experts offer their power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 8. Don't agree with our rankings? Speak up! Submit your own rankings to tell us where our experts got it wrong with our NFL FAN Power Rankings. Meanwhile, stay glued to our page as we launch our trade tracker and follow all the action through the 4 p.m. ET deadline.
THURSDAY: Week 9 begins Thursday in the Meadowlands when the New York Jets host the Buffalo Bills in a critical AFC East matchup (8:25 ET, NFL Network). Before the game make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 9 game.