NFL 2026 RECAP: WEEK EIGHT

With all the chaos of midterms, it’s a time to bring the country together. And I think we can all agree on one thing: the Chargers are toast. I hate to start the article like that, but it’s true. The other thing to point out: the Dolphins are popping the champaign as the last unbeaten team has gone down this week. At the same time, the Saints, Giants, 49ers, and Texans had the week off to relax (and trick or treat). Let’s look at the action of this last week because this was a very weird week for several reasons.

PANTHERS 19 – PACKERS 27

This game feels like it shouldn’t have been as close as it was. This game had a little bit of everything — a player went to the hospital in the first half only to return to action in the second half, play was stopped momentarily because of a drone flying over the stadium, but in the end, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Carolina Panthers. Despite all the smiles and confidence and fuss and feathers: the Packers officially have a kicking problem. Four days after missing two short field goals (26 and 35 yards) in Sunday’s loss at Detroit, Trey Smack missed his first kick of the night, hitting the left upright on an extra point attempt following the Packers’ first touchdown. It was the rookie’s eighth miss of the season (five field goals and three extra points), the most in the NFL this season. It’s something to be watched for going forward. The Packers go on the road to face the Patriots next week. As for the Panthers, they missed a big opportunity to make a statement win. The Panthers tried to blitz Jordan Love, but he torched them. He was a 9-for-9 against the blitz to start the game. On Carolina’s 16 blitzes overall, Love had 14 completions — third most in his career — for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Bryce Young was pressured 10 times on 21 dropbacks (48%). With pressure in his face most of the game, Young was sacked six times and threw an interception off a tipped pass that was hauled in by Ty’Ron Hopper. It doesn’t get better for the Panthers as they host the Broncos next week.

RAMS 24 – CHARGERS 9

So, the Battle of LA…not that impressive, was it? In what should have been an amazing game going into this season, the Rams rolled over the Chargers in this battle of the Los Angeles teams. The Rams are back at .500, but by no means out of danger. Meanwhile, the Chargers have yet to win a game this season. Looking at the Rams, they need something on offense to keep them consistent, because Puka Nacua can’t do it all by himself and Matthew Stafford does not look like the MVP from last year. I am encouraged by the new Rams kicker Brandon McManus. He scored a 30-yard field goal and was 3-for-3 on extra points. We’ll see how the Rams handle a road matchup with the Commanders. As for the Chargers, look…let’s look at the positive. The Chargers did show some signs of life on Sunday. Their defense held the Rams to 4.5 yards per play and forced a Matthew Stafford interception. Justin Herbert threw for 257 yards (granted, 54 came on a desperate throw to end the first half) against a Rams defense that entered Sunday as the fourth best by defensive FPI. Now, the failure of this season is not on Herbert or the coaches. It’s on the front office that put together this roster thinking it was any good. The Chargers face the Texans next week.

FALCONS 0 – BUCCANEERS 16

So, a few days after Halloween, I have to pull out the Beetlejuice quote: “What the -beep-?” As unbelievable as it may sound: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Atlanta Falcons…WITHOUT completing ONE PASS! This is an absurd accomplishment that ranks in the history of sports alongside other jaw-dropping games such as when the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the (Anaheim) Angels of LA 1-0 without getting a hit. So, the question becomes…HOW?! How did this happen?! Well, Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell had the games of their lives. Add that to the 14 rushing yards from Baker Mayfield, and all 324 yards of offense from the Buccaneers came on the ground. Add the amazing game from the defense into the mix, and you have the most improbable victory of the year. The Buccaneers need another miracle next week as they go on the road to face the Bears on Sunday Night Football. Going to the other side, the Falcons are in a lot of trouble because that offensive “performance” was heinous. Coming in, the Falcons had scored the most points per game (31) in the NFL since Penix returned in Week 3. On Sunday, it looked like he could not complete a pass — to his own teammates, that is. He had no issue finding Buccaneers players, finishing with four interceptions. An ugly anomaly. At least, the Falcons hope it was. Maybe it was the rain. Either way, the Falcons need to shake it off because they have an important game next week. A matchup with the Bengals in Madrid, Spain.

COLTS 7 – JAGUARS 42

When last we left the Jacksonville Jaguars, they had to split their two games in their second home in London. They both won and lost by a field goal. So, the Jaguars had a bye week to recover from the disappointment, and then they got back to it against the Indianapolis Colts. Either the Jaguars figured things out, or the fire sale took its toll on the Colts because this wasn’t close. The Jaguars offense poured it on with 366 yards of total offense. But the Jaguars did suffer a few injuries. The good news is that they go on the road to face a Ravens team without Lamar Jackson next week on Thursday Night Football. Let’s look at the other side though. The Colts made coach Shane Steichen’s job infinitely more difficult when the organization traded guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner last week. The moves not only impacted the Colts from a talent perspective, but they also eliminated the Colts’ two most veteran leaders who helped hold the locker room together during difficult moments. It feels like the Colts have given up on this season. The Colts host the Cowboys next week.

BROWNS 6 – STEELERS 27

Wow, what happened to the Cleveland Browns? They missed a chance for a statement win, and instead got pounded by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers are in first place in the AFC North thanks to a dominant win. With a four-game win streak entering their Week 9 bye, Pittsburgh faces a gauntlet of upcoming games at Cincinnati, versus Denver and at Jacksonville. The Aaron Rodgers-Mike McCarthy pairing, along with Patrick Graham’s defensive creativity, has this team humming. The Steelers get a break next week, but they’ll be back to go on the road against the Bengals after their bye. As for the Browns, are the good vibes finally over? The Browns entered Week 8 atop the AFC North after a string of last-second victories but couldn’t overcome another slow start in the franchise’s 23rd straight regular-season road loss to the Steelers. Cleveland’s run defense, the weak spot of the unit, was gashed for 200 yards. Meanwhile, quarterback Deshaun Watson was sacked a season-high eight times. The Browns surprised many across the league in the first half of the season, but their setback in Pittsburgh was a reminder that they still have a ways to go before joining the AFC’s elite. The Browns will look to bounce back next week on the road against the Saints.

VIKINGS 15 – LIONS 19

That thud you heard is the last undefeated team to fall. The Minnesota Vikings’ short bid for NFL immortality met its end at the hands of one of their bitter division rivals, the Detroit Lions. Don’t get me wrong, the Lions were far from impressive. Against this stunningly good Vikings defense, Jahmyr Gibbs nearly single-handedly kept the Lions afloat with 153 rushing yards and a touchdown. Some have said he has entered the Offensive Player of the Year conversation. I’d argue he should be in the MVP conversation. The Lions have a much easier matchup next week on the road against the Dolphins. As for the Vikings, their offense failed them, but how? The Vikings tried all afternoon to get their passing game going against a defense that has been vulnerable to it. But quarterback Kyler Murray often struggled to find open receivers, and his second-quarter interception on a pass that fell between receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison exemplified his hesitation. Murray had three decisive connections with tight end T.J. Hockenson, including one for a touchdown, as well as a 51-yard strike to Addison. But ultimately, it was not enough. The Vikings’ 15 points are the fewest a team has scored against the Lions this season. When you have Justin Jefferson on your team: 15 points is an embarrassment. The Vikings will return home next week to host the Bills on Monday Night Football.

RAIDERS 38 – JETS 33

Guess who just snapped a four-game losing streak? DA RAIDERS! It’s been a long stretch, but the Las Vegas Raiders are back in the black (pun intended) with a victory over the New York Jets. Now it’s worth noting that Mike Washington Jr. got most of the rushing attempts. He didn’t do too much with it: 25 carries for 83 yards and no touchdowns. It’s pretty clear to me that the problem with the running game was never Ashton Jeanty: it’s the offensive line for not giving Jeanty the chance to break loose. Jeanty did come second in receiving yards, right behind another dazzling performance from Brock Bowers, who caught seven catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns. The Raiders have their work cut out for them as they’ll go on the road against the 49ers next week. Meanwhile, the Jets wasted their best offensive game in years because the defense allowed 24 points in the second half. It was coach Aaron Glenn who famously declared that defensive playcalling is his “superpower.” The Raiders had the Kryptonite, and his name was Brock Bowers (although Bowers has been Kryptonite for a LOT of defenses in this league). This was supposed to be a get-right homestand. The Jets were favored against the Dolphins and Raiders, but Glenn fell to rookie coaches who were mired in five- and four-game losing streaks, respectively. He needs a Hail Mary to save his job, figuratively and literally. The Jets are on the road next week to face the Chiefs.

RAVENS 10 – BILLS 36

Remember a time when the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills were the powerhouses of the AFC? Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen got into yearly contests to see who the league MVP would be. This game was supposed to be a callback to that. Instead, Jackson went down again, and he may be done for the year. The Ravens didn’t just lose the game to the Bills; they may be looking at a lost season. Over the past month, the Bills have not made much of an impact through their pass rush. Sunday, that flipped. Constant pressure from edge rusher Greg Rousseau & Co. led to multiple turnovers and kept Baltimore off schedule all afternoon. We shall see if the Bills’ defense can keep this up next week against the Vikings on the road for Sunday Night Football. On the other side, If Anyone Falls…it’s the Ravens because of no Lamar Jackson (your Stevie Nicks reference for the week, just in time for after Halloween). Since 2019, the Ravens are 7-14 (.333) when Jackson wasn’t the starting quarterback. The Ravens are Free Fallin and in red alert mode (huh, didn’t expect to throw a Tom Petty reference in this article). What’s worse is that they have an early matchup on Thursday Night Football at home against a Jaguars team that DOES look like a contender.

CARDINALS 33 – COWBOYS 30 (OT)

HOLY MOLE HOLES! I didn’t think the Arizona Cardinals would be able to win another game outside of Los Angeles, so I apologize. The Cardinals won in overtime, handing the Dallas Cowboys a very damaging loss. Coach Mike LaFleur made a change at quarterback, benching Jacoby Brissett in favor of Gardner Minshew II, and it seemed to spark the Cardinals offense. On Monday, the Cardinals announced that Minshew will start in the next game. Now he has to prove that he has earned the job. We will see which version of the Cardinals show up next week on the road in hostile territory: the defending champion Seahawks’ home turf. Now, I have a serious question to ask. How can the Cowboys be taken seriously at this point? The Cowboys had a perfect opportunity to snap a four-game losing streak against the Cardinals and beat them for the first time at AT&T Stadium. Instead, they let a chance to get back-to-back wins go by the wayside, and while they will remain in contention in the NFC East, what have they done to prove they can put together any kind of winning streak? Honestly, it has not raised much confidence in the Cowboys. They have a favorable matchup next week on the road against Colts, but this is a must-win for the Cowboys.

TITANS 36 – BENGALS 43 (OT)

This was a lot closer than a lot of people predicted, myself included (I’m not too proud to admit it). We had to go to overtime, but the Cincinnati Bengals managed to outlast the Tennessee Titans. Now, let’s get serious and look at the Bengals, because I have some concerns. The Bengals were an overwhelming favorite entering this game and gave up 36 points to a team that hadn’t scored 30 points yet this season. Bengals QB Joe Burrow threw three interceptions, took three sacks and needed six touchdown passes to win in OT. The game ultimately proved to be a trap contest for the Bengals. What do I mean by that? Well, basically an opponent they can overlook to the real matchup the next week…which is always a big mistake. The Bengals can’t afford a performance like that next week in Madrid, Spain, where they’ll take on the Falcons. Hey, the Titans didn’t look too bad. The Titans’ attack was extremely balanced Sunday. Running back Tony Pollard went over 100 rushing yards for the second consecutive game, finishing with 117 yards and two touchdowns. The success on the ground opened up the passing game, especially with play-action across the middle. The Titans have a bye next week, but I’ll be watching with interest when they return to play the Jaguars.

PATRIOTS 24 – DOLPHINS 19

I realize that the New England Patriots have struggled to win in their franchise history down in Miami, but…good grief. But the Patriots managed to escape with a win over the Miami Dolphins. You can’t help but ask if the Patriots can sustain playing this way? The first half was their worst of the season (just 98 yards on offense), and though they exploded in the second half, they might not be as fortunate over the next two weeks against better competition: home against the Packers and then against the Lions in Munich. If the Patriots have to rely on those big plays to win against the Packers next week…they may not get so lucky. So, for a team still learning how to win, what lesson can the Dolphins take away from today’s game? Mainly that games are not over until they’re over, which is a lesson this young Dolphins team got an introduction to in last week’s win over the Jets. Unlike last week, their opponent retook the lead. Ultimately, this loss would hurt worse if the Dolphins were in playoff contention, but it’s a game they can look back on as an example of what happens when teams aren’t put away. (But the good news is, like I said before, the members of the undefeated 1972 Dolphins, of which 27 are still alive, got to celebrate the fall of the last unbeaten team this week.) The Dolphins host the Lions next week.

CHIEFS 24 – BRONCOS 28

HOLY MOLE HOLES! In an instant, the Denver Broncos just flipped the balance of power in the AFC West with a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. The win avenges the Broncos’ previous and embarrassing defeat in Week One at the hands of the Chiefs (remember how the “experts” said the Chiefs were back after that game? How about now?). We must go over that last play of the game. Malcolm Roach sacked Patrick Mahomes on fourth-and-goal on the final play, but it looked like Mahomes got off the pass in time as he usually does. Trey Smith grabbed it and looked to have the end zone in his grasp only to be stopped at the one-yard line. However, the referee ruled Mahomes was down and the game was over. Evidently, the Broncos can compete for a playoff spot like this (who knew?). However, the Broncos would be wise to avoid a potential trap contest next week on the road against the Panthers (unless they want to stress out like the Bengals did). As for the Chiefs, I kept saying to pump the breaks on any talk of the Chiefs regaining their former glory. The “experts” once more didn’t listen, and now the Chiefs have surrendered control of the division to the Broncos. With 13 minutes left, the Chiefs had the ball and an 11-point lead. After a series of unfortunate events that even Lemony Snicket couldn’t have thought up, here we are. The Chiefs are in second place, but by no means out of the playoff race. It’s just that people have figured them out again, and we saw what happened last time they were figured out. The Chiefs have a very favorable game next week against a flailing Jets team.

EAGLES 10 – COMMANDERS 27

Okay, we knew the Philadelphia Eagles would be different without Jalen Hurts for the rest of the season, but getting their butts kicked by the Washington Commanders? If I may quote Daveed Diggs when he played Thomas Jefferson in the musical Hamilton: “…My God…” We thought the Eagles could win after the first quarter…but those ten points were all they could muster. The Commanders needed this win if just to settle a nervous building, knowing they couldn’t afford to lose to a wounded Eagles team at home. Washington committed nine penalties, one of which wiped out an interception deep in Philadelphia territory and continued a season-long theme. Quarterback Jayden Daniels wasn’t that sharp, but he made big plays and averaged 13.5 yards per completion against a defense that was healthier than it has been. They still need their receivers to step up with Terry McLaurin done for the year. But if the Commanders beat the Rams at home next week, then they can talk about turnarounds (easier said than done with talk of Myles Garrett returning to the Rams sooner rather than later). As for the Eagles, there are two types of teams at the trade deadline of any sport: buyers and sellers. The Eagles will be sellers, despite the words of general manager Howie Roseman saying his team is not in fire-sale mode. The Eagles will hold on to its cornerstone players, but those who are not in the long-term plans could be targeted by teams around the league. The Eagles play the Giants next week.

BEARS 34 – SEAHAWKS 17

The Chicago Bears came into this game looking to make a statement. The idea that the Bears made a statement in this game…is a huge UNDERSTATEMENT. The Bears went into the hostile crowd of Seattle to defeat the defending champion Seahawks. From the moment Jeffery Simmons stepped onto the field Monday night, his impact provided the Bears an immediate return on their investment after trading two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder for the All-Pro defensive tackle last week. The move signaled that the Bears are all-in on contending for a Super Bowl, and they played like it. The offense was relentless, the defense was merciless, and the Bears looked like the Super Bowl champions under the late Mike Ditka. There are a few flaws in the defensive scheme, like the ability to give up explosive plays, that does need to be addressed. The Bears will be the favorite on Sunday Night Football next week when they host the Buccaneers. As for the champs, time to panic. The Seahawks made a massive addition to their offensive line last week by acquiring All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson in a trade. They got running backs Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price back from injury. But then they laid an egg offensively in their worst loss since December of 2024. Yes, their quarterback Sam Darnold was under constant pressure, but when the defense can’t cover the mistakes of the offense…the Seahawks don’t look like defending champions anymore. If these flaws aren’t fixed, the Seahawks may not even get a chance to defend their title. They have a favorable matchup next week against the Cardinals, but the Seahawks would be wise not to overlook them.