With all 32 teams in action in NFL Week 8, there was a smattering of good, a lot of bad and a not insignificant amount of ugly. The Philadelphia Eagles now own the best record in the NFL at 7-1. The four AFC division leaders and the Detroit Lions are 6-2. Two of those AFC clubs — the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs — share the biggest division leads in the NFL at two-and-a-half games.
On the other side of the spectrum, the Carolina Panthers picked up their first victory in the Bryce Young era. Carolina beat the Houston Texans and No. 2 overall pick C.J. Stroud 15-13. After a promising start, the struggle is now real for Stroud and the Texans offense.
With the season reaching the midpoint in Week 9 of the 18-week, 17-game schedule, let’s overreact to the carnage of NFL Week 8.
5. The Minnesota Vikings are a dead team walking
The Minnesota Vikings have won three straight games to get to 4-4 and own the third wild-card spot in the NFC standings. They’re not scheduled to face a team that currently has a winning record until Week 15. The Vikings are in prime position to make a playoff push, except …
Quarterback Kirk Cousins tore his right Achilles’ tendon in Sunday’s 24-10 win over the Green Bay Packers. The backup situation is treacherous enough that coach Kevin O’Connell called passing plays in a kill-the-clock situation so he could see what fifth-round pick Jaren Hall could do.
Hall completed 3-of-4 passes for 23 yards. The four throws traveled a combined 14 yards, so nothing conclusive of his ability to push the ball downfield. Minnesota has a veteran backup in Nick Mullens. But he’s on injured reserve with a back injury and can’t return until Week 10.
The Vikings also have Sean Mannion, who started one game for them in both 2019 and 2021, on the practice squad.
The people who make up trades that will never happen have Minnesota on every quarterback, available or not. With the trade deadline at 4 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, that option disappears very quickly.
Reality: The Vikings were in what their marketing team was trying to sell as a “competitive rebuild.” If that is the case, the only reason to sell off future assets to get a quarterback is if the organization sees it as a long-term replacement for Cousins, whose contract expires at the end of the season.
4. Jahmyr Gibbs’ breakout makes the Detroit Lions a dangerous team
Jahmyr Gibbs, the 12th overall pick in April’s draft, broke out in primetime on Monday night, stacking up 189 yards from scrimmage in the Detroit Lions’ 26-14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Gibbs ran for 152 yards and caught passes for another 37. That comes after Detroit had just 124 total rushing yards in its last two games. A balanced attack for the 6-2 Lions makes them a tough out.
Detroit ran for a season-high 222 yards in the victory, topping the 211 it laid on the Green Bay Packers in Week 4. Gibbs, meanwhile, nearly doubled his previous career-high of 80 yards he had against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3. He’s averaging 5.9 yards per carry over his last two games.
Reality: A better running game puts Jared Goff in a better position to not have to force things in the passing game. If also allows the Lions to control the clock with the lead, an essential element of closing out games. The win was also a nice bounceback after the Lions were blown out by the Baltimore Ravens last week.
3. Someone will win the NFC South by default
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the NFC South title last season with an 8-9 record. In 2023, the division winner may be in similar straits. The Falcons and New Orleans Saints are 4-4 and each has serious flaws. The Bucs, without Tom Brady this time around, are 3-4. Carolina, at 1-6, could still contend but needs to get its collective act together soon.
Atlanta has a minus-7 turnover differential with 14 giveaways in eight games. The Saints gained 511 yards at Indianapolis to end a two-game losing streak and the defense has 13 takeaways. Quarterback Derek Carr has looked much more comfortable the last three weeks, with three straight 300-yard games.
Tampa Bay has three straight losses and is somehow sixth in the NFL in scoring defense while ranking 25th in total offense allowed.
Reality: This is not a good division, folks. Someone will get eight or nine wins, grab the No. 4 seed and likely go home in the wild-card round.
2. The New York Jets are in the playoff race?
The New York Jets are 26th in the NFL in scoring offense and 29th in total offense. They have the fewest first downs in the league and are ranked 31st in passing offense.
And yet, the Jets are 4-3 and on a three-game winning streak. The last two weeks, the offense has 495 total yards. Against the Giants as the visiting team at their home stadium, Greg Zuerlein kicked a 35-yard field goal as time expired to force overtime and won it with a 33-yarder 8:51 into the OT.
Nothing about this team screams “playoff contender” but if the NBA is a “make-or-miss” league, the NFL is a “wins and losses” league. It doesn’t matter how you win just as long as you do.
New York is passing that test as it awaits a potential miracle return by Aaron Rodgers from his ruptured Achilles’ tendon sustained in Week 1. Zach Wilson has five touchdowns and five interceptions in seven games, six of them starts, but he has led an NFL-best three fourth-quarter comebacks and has two game-winning drives.
The Jets are also the only team to beat the Eagles thus far. But it’s hard to take them seriously when their offense is mostly offensive.
Reality: New York hosts the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday before road games at Las Vegas and Buffalo. They host the Miami Dolphins in Week 12 and that might be the time to assess the Jets’ worthiness as a potential playoff contender.
1. What happened to the San Francisco 49ers?
The San Francisco 49ers go into their bye week with many more questions than answers. Three weeks ago, they were one of only two unbeaten teams in football after a 42-10 obliteration of the Dallas Cowboys. Three straight losses later, San Francisco is a half-game behind the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West.
The 49ers have seven turnovers during their skid, six the last two weeks. The defense has surrendered more than 400 yards of total offense each of the last two weeks.
Brock Purdy has thrown all five of his interceptions this season in the last three games, completing 62.5% of his throws for 762 yards and three TDs. During the Niners’ 5-0 starts, he completed 72.1% for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns. Though not a great measurement overall, his quarterback rating tells a story: 123.1 in the first five games, 77.9 since.
Has the league finally caught up to the last overall pick in the 2022 draft?
San Francisco’s schedule after the bye is daunting. The 49ers go to Jacksonville, host Tampa Bay, visit Seattle and Philadelphia and then host the Seahawks in the return game. Is one bye week enough time to find their missing swagger?
Reality: Christian McCaffrey is averaging more than 20 touches per game and has 13 combined rushing and receiving touchdowns. They are missing Deebo Samuel something fierce. Dealing with a hairline fracture in his shoulder, Samuel completed a side workout last week and may be able to go in Jacksonville.
If he is close to 100%, that could provide the spark San Francisco needs to reclaim its missing mojo.
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