Winners/losers and what we learned from NFL Week 8
Week 8 of the 2023 NFL season is (almost) in the books, and the Denver Broncos finally defeated the Kansas City Chiefs. The San Francisco 49ers, meanwhile, are on a real struggle bus.
Here are some of the most important developments from Sunday:
- The Broncos finally ended what had been the league's longest losing streak to an opponent. It has been 16 games, and more than eight years since the Broncos defeated the Chiefs. That horrendous streak dated back to Sept. 17, 2015. Peyton Manning was in his final NFL season, and about to lead the Broncos to a Super Bowl title.
- The 49ers enter their bye week on a three-game losing streak. Remember a month ago when they throttled the Dallas Cowboys on national TV and looked like the team to beat in the NFL?
- Christian McCaffrey did score a touchdown for the 49ers on Sunday. It was the 17th consecutive regular-season and postseason in which he'd scored, matching Pro Football Hall of Famer Lenny Moore's record streak.
- Kirk Cousins' injury has many wondering what the Minnesota Vikings might do at the trade deadline.
- Maybe the Tennessee Titans have something in rookie quarterback Will Levis, who threw for four touchdowns Sunday. Levis, who fell out of the first round of the draft, can really sling it. Levis threw touchdowns of 33, 47 and 61 yards. Per NFL Next Gen Stats, those were three of the eight longest touchdown passes by air distance traveled in any game this season.
- Dallas Cowboys CB DaRon Bland already has three pick-sixes this season. That is one short of tying the NFL single-season record, which is held by three players: Eric Allen (1993), Jim Kearney (1972) and Ken Houston (1971).
NFL Week 8 key storylines
- Winners and losers from Week 8: It was a wild week in the NFL, as two Super Bowl favorites went down in upsets.
- 32 things we learned: With so many quarterbacks banged up, it’s worth wondering if a market might actually materialize for veterans like Ryan Tannehill (Titans), Jacoby Brissett (Commanders), ex-Viking Case Keenum (Texans) or Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh’s third-stringer.
- Kirk Cousins may miss rest of season: Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said after Sunday's game that the "incredibly unfortunate" preliminary diagnosis is that the veteran quarterback suffered an Achilles injury.
- 9 trade, free agency options for Vikings after Kirk Cousins' injury: While maybe the Vikings caught a break insomuch as Cousins went down before the trade deadline, they don’t even have two days to execute a deal if that’s the route GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell select.
- Winning ugly is a necessity in the NFL. For the Jaguars, it's a big breakthrough: One year after going 0-5 in October, the Jaguars are pushing to join the AFC's elite. An ugly win over the Steelers marked an important step, Jarrett Bell writes.
- Jalen Ramsey's rapid recovery leads to interception, victory: Just three months after tearing his meniscus, Ramsey had an interception in the Dolphins' win over the Patriots.
- Falcons make quarterback change in loss: Veteran Taylor Heinicke replaced starter Desmond Ridder in Sunday's loss to the Titans.
- Simone Biles dons different gold: Biles traded a gold medal for a splash of gold on her sweatshirt as she cheered on her husband, Jonathan Owens, during the Packers' loss to the Vikings.
- Taylor Swift sits out Travis Kelce's Chiefs game in Denver: Taylor Swift is celebrating the success of (her version) of "1989," but she was not present for the Chiefs' loss to the Broncos. Should the Chiefs consider flying Swift to Germany for their game next week?
- Getting dressed up for Halloween: NFL players got into the Halloween spirit, dressing up as Naruto characters, a Minion, Joker and more.
➤ PHOTOS: Fans, mascots, cheerleaders and celebrities at NFL games
NFL's scariest-ever players 💀
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NFL Week 8 results
- Los Angeles Chargers 30, Chicago Bears 13: Justin Herbert had a huge game, despite playing with a broken finger on his non-throwing hand, as the Chargers thoroughly defeated the Bears.
- Baltimore Ravens 31, Arizona Cardinals 24: The Ravens were a lot less impressive a week after a blowout win over the Detroit Lions.
- Denver Broncos 24, Kansas City Chiefs 9: Where were you on Sept. 17, 2015? Perhaps you remember watching the Broncos defeat the Chiefs on "Thursday Night Football." That was the last time the Broncos had defeated the Chiefs until Sunday's shocking victory.
- Cincinnati Bengals 31, San Francisco 49ers 17: The 49ers have lost three straight and the Bengals are back among the AFC contenders.
- Seattle Seahawks 24, Cleveland Browns 20: The 49ers' loss, coupled with this victory, vaulted the Seahawks to the top of the NFC West.
- Carolina Panthers 15, Houston Texans 13: In a showdown of the top two players selected in the 2023 NFL draft, it was Bryce Young who came out on top as the Panthers finally collected their first win of the season.
- New Orleans Saints 38, Indianapolis Colts 27: Derek Carr overcame a tumultuous week to help the Saints end a two-game skid.
- Miami Dolphins 31, New England Patriots 17: Tua Tagovailoa improved to 6-0 in games against the Patriots.
- Tennessee Titans 28, Atlanta Falcons 23: Rookie QB Will Levis matched a league record for most touchdown passes in an NFL debut, tying Marcus Mariota and Fran Tarkenton.
- Minnesota Vikings 24, Green Bay Packers 10: The Vikings won their third straight to get to .500, but the victory came at a heavy cost as Kirk Cousins is feared to have suffered a season-ending injury.
- Dallas Cowboys 43, Los Angeles Rams 20: The Cowboys stormed out to a huge early lead en route to an 11th consecutive win at AT&T Stadium, marking the team's longest home winning streak since an 11-game run at Texas Stadium in 1991-92.
- Philadelphia Eagles 38, Washington Commanders 31: A hobbled Jalen Hurts rallied the Eagles back from a double-digit deficit to keep the defending NFC champions in the driver's seat in the NFC East.
- Jacksonville Jaguars 20, Pittsburgh Steelers 10: No matter the continent or the weather conditions, the Jaguars continue to win and are riding a five-game victory run.
- New York Jets 13, New York Giants 10 (OT): Not even sure if the patrons at Buffalo Wild Wings were even rooting for overtime in this one, which featured 24 punts.
- Buffalo Bills 24, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 18 (Thursday): Bills QB Josh Allen scored his 43rd rushing touchdown, tying Hall of Famer Steve Young for the second-most all-time among quarterbacks. Allen now has 199 combined passing and rushing touchdowns, tying Hall of Famer Dan Marino for second among quarterbacks in their first six seasons.
Coming soon in the NFL
Monday: Week 8 wraps up with the Detroit Lions hosting the Las Vegas Raiders on "Monday Night Football" (ABC/ESPN). While Jimmy Garoppolo has been cleared to play, Jared Goff will look to rebound from a rough performance in Week 7.
Tuesday: Paste BN Sports offers its power rankings for all 32 NFL teams after Week 8.
Thursday: Week 9 kicks off with the Pittsburgh Steelers hosting the Tennessee Titans on "Thursday Night Football" (8:20 p.m. ET, Prime Video). Before the game, make sure to check out our expert picks for every Week 9 game.
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