By Lucas Camacho
It’s been a while since I used this phrase, but I need to since this last weekend was filled with amazing football moments, so here it goes: HOLY MOLE HOLES! After all the excitement, the Chiefs remained the only perfect team (sorry Dolphins fans). We also had every team going this week without a bye (something that will change next week). Finally, Happy Belated National Tight End Day to you all! Here is a quick recap and analysis of the games of Week 8.
VIKINGS 20 – RAMS 30
I remember when the Rams went into their bye with many “experts” saying they were done. Two things: one, they forgot last season’s Rams, and two…if the “experts” were always right, the Padres or the Phillies would be tied one game apiece with the Yankees right now in the World Series. Repeating their performance from last season when they came out of the bye, the Rams got a much-needed upset victory over the Vikings. The Rams were buoyed by the return of both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. Their presence is probably why Matthew Stafford completed 25 of his 34 passes for 279 yards and four touchdowns (but he was picked off once). It is nice to see the Rams clicking at the right time. Let’s see if it’s enough time to push them into the playoffs once again like last year. As for the Vikings, is this really the same team that we saw dominate the first part of the season? It didn’t help that the referees missed a face mask foul late in the fourth quarter that ended up putting the game on ice. However, their defense is the reason they lost. They couldn’t get to Stafford, and they could not shut Nacua and Kupp down. You can have the best receiver in the league in Justin Jefferson, who caught 8 of his 9 targets for 115 yards, but he can’t carry the load all by himself.
EAGLES 37 – BENGALS 17
The Eagles looked to keep up its momentum and managed to ride it all over the Bengals. Jalen Hurts had a good day passing, completing 16 of 20 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown. But most of Hurts’ damage came on the ground when he rushed 10 times for 37 yards and 3 touchdowns. Also, it seems the Eagles defense is finally running like a well-oiled machine. They managed to halt the Bengals in their tracks at keep moments late in the game and had two takeaways total. This looks like the Eagles that dominated the early part of last season…let’s just hope they don’t crash like last season. As for the Bengals, it looks like the last two weeks were just a passing phase. Granted, the last two weeks saw the Bengals beat a hapless Giants team and a Browns team that is coming apart at the seams, but this was their chance to prove they had turned a corner. Instead, they got beaten by a superior team. Time is running out for the Bengals to make something happen.
RAVENS 24 – BROWNS 29
Now you know why I said “HOLY MOLE HOLES!” at the beginning of this article. By some miracle, the Browns scored a huge upset win over the Super Bowl favorite Ravens. Jameis Winston, who has had an up and down career, seems to have given the Browns the spark they needed with a brilliant performance throwing for 334 yards and 3 touchdowns. Whether they can keep this up is something that remains to be seen. However, I’m not going to take away a great moment for Browns fans in beating a divisional rival. I will say this about the Ravens, though: what happened? Going into this game, the Browns had only ONE win. They didn’t play like the Ravens we expect them to be: the team that’s supposed to compete for a spot in the Super Bowl. Granted, divisional matchups are always going to be tough (no rival wants to hand the other an easy win), but these “hiccups” where the Ravens play down to their competitor’s level must stop. I don’t blame Lamar Jackson for getting frustrated at all.
TITANS 14 – LIONS 52
This is how a lot of people expected the Ravens game to go. The Lions steamrolled the Titans for an easy win. Now it’s easy to buy into the hype that the Lions are the best team in the NFL, and they did play well on offense, defense, and special teams. However, next week is a big test: a divisional showdown with the Packers. As for the Titans, can we consider them the worst team in the NFL? Well, as long as the Panthers and Giants are around, my answer is no, but they sure didn’t play very well. Granted they were playing a tough Lions team, but Mason Rudolph got roughed up. He completed 22 of 38 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown, but he did throw 2 interceptions. What I think is not up for debate is how terrible the Titans are at defense. I do think it is safe to say that the Titans’ season may be over.
CARDINALS 28 – DOLPHINS 27
In a weekend full of walk-offs, the Cardinals got a game winning Field Goal from kicker Chad Ryland once again and spoiled the return of Tua Tagovailoa. Kyler Murray put up great numbers completing 26 of 36 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns. Now is this the start of something for the Cardinals? Well, let’s wait and see; a lot can change in the NFL. For now, let’s just call this a step in the right direction. Looking at the Dolphins, should they be encouraged by the increase in offense? The answer is both yes and no. Yes, they put up a season high 27 points and their total yards reached 377. No, because it was against a Cardinals defense allowing the sixth most yards per game in the league. We will see how they do next week against a stiffer Bills defense (I may point out also the Bills have beaten the Dolphins 12 of the last 15 times).
JETS 22 – PATRIOTS 25
Last week after yet another loss, Coach Jerod Mayo called out his team for “playing soft”. The Patriots responded with a much-needed win over the rival Jets. Drake Maye went down with a concussion, putting Jacoby Brissett back in the driver’s seat. Look, completing 15 of 24 passes for only 132 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions may not seem like much, but it was good enough. As for the Jets, they are running out of excuses. This team may go down in history as the biggest bust of the decade. As I suspected, firing Coach Robert Saleh did nothing; in fact, it made things worse. Before Saleh was fired, they had a chance to move up into first place. Now they’re 0-3 under interim Coach Jeff Ulbrich. The gambit in firing Saleh has completely backfired. Now it looks like the Jets are in a hole, and no amount of magic that Aaron Rodgers has left in the tank can possibly save this team now.
FALCONS 31 – BUCCANEERS 26
The Falcons continued to be perfect on the road as they scored another win over the Buccaneers. Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield put on a real show in this battle of quarterbacks. Cousins threw for 276 yards and 4 touchdowns, while Mayfield threw for 330 yards and 3 touchdowns (but Mayfield threw 2 interceptions while Cousins threw none). Now, some say that the Falcons haven’t quite sealed the NFC South just yet, and that’s only because there’s plenty of football to play. But if the Falcons are going to collapse, it won’t be against one of their division rivals. The Saints are floundering, and the Panthers are just plain awful. It’s not over for the Buccaneers yet, but the Falcons now own the tiebreaker against them. Before they can even think of getting back in the race: they need Mike Evans back. Because the Buccaneers’ chances of winning the division is quickly going down the drain.
PACKERS 30 – JAGUARS 27
Another walk off? This is just plain madness now, and it’s the second week in a row for Brandon McManus kicking a winning Field Goal. Malik Willis had to come in for Jordan Love again, but hopefully he won’t be gone as long as last time. Love left with a groin injury that happened in the opening possession and got bad enough for him to finally leave in the third quarter. Fortunately, Willis came to the rescue once again and even threw for a touchdown. But now the Packers have a bigger test ahead of them than they had the first time Love went down: a brutal divisional matchup against the mighty Lions. As for the Jaguars, the season might be over. They lost six starters, including Rookie of the Year contender Brian Thomas Jr., and now sit at a lowly 2-6. So, is the Jaguars’ season over? Normally I’d say no; there’s a lot of football to play. However, look at their next four opponents: the Eagles, Vikings, Lions, and Texans. Looking at that…okay, the season might be over, and Coach Doug Pederson and GM Trent Baalke may want to update their resumes…
COLTS 20 – TEXANS 23
Looking at the box score you think the Texans won a heated contest against a tough divisional opponent. What it doesn’t tell you is there was a big battle between the running backs. Jonathan Taylor put up 105 yards and a touchdown in his return to the Colts from injury, while Joe Mixon had 102 yards and a touchdown for the Texans. The problem going forward is the idea of the Texans not having either Stefon Diggs or Nico Collins for next week’s game against the Jets. With that stingy pass defense, CJ Stroud is going to have to get creative. As for the Colts, it’s good that Taylor is back, because Anthony Richardson looks like he needs a confidence boost. It’s not all his fault: his receivers keep dropping passes and the playcalling is very questionable. But he still needs a little more consistency and to show some improvement, or else the Colts may have no choice but to put Joe Flacco back in the helm of the ship for the rest of the season. They may have no choice if they have to get into a dog fight with the Texans for the division down the final stretch of the season.
SAINTS 8 – CHARGERS 26
It looks like both of LA’s football teams are showing signs of life now. The Chargers, possibly inspired by the Dodgers’ run in the World Series, brushed aside the floundering Saints with brute force. Justin Herbert looked like his old self completing 20 of his 32 passes for 279 yards and 2 touchdowns. Rookie Ladd McConkey looked amazing hauling in 6 catches for 111 yards (while catching both of Herbert’s passing touchdowns). Does this make him the top receiver for the Chargers? Well, there isn’t anyone else that has emerged as Herbert’s go-to target. So for now, yeah, he is the top man for LA…now he needs to keep earning that title. As for the Saints, they keep looking for something to save this season. Yes, they got back two valuable players in Taysom Hill and Chris Olave, but they need Derek Carr back as both Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler have failed in Carr’s absence. Hope seems to be running out for the Saints.
BILLS 31 – SEAHAWKS 10
After all the walk off wins in the morning, there sure seemed to be quite a few blowouts in the afternoon. The Bills showed no quarter against the Seahawks and effectively handed them their butt. It wasn’t just one player who had a good game for the Bills…it was quite a few of them: Josh Allen, James Cook, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid, and I’m gonna stop there because this is a LONG list. So, the question is: are the Bills the best in the AFC? It is too early still in the season to give that title away, but they sure are playing like they are the best. Now for the Seahawks, this roller coaster type season needs to stop. It seems inconceivable (shout out to actor Wallace Shawn) that a team would efficiently shut down a potent offense like the Falcons and then get destroyed at home by so many mistakes and unforced errors a week later. The NFC West is truly up for grabs because no one seems to be able to hold to the top spot for very long.
PANTHERS 14 – BRONCOS 28
After their rough start to the season, no one thought the Broncos would be 5-3 at this point of the year (here I must apologize to the Broncos because I was one of the people who didn’t give you much of a chance). Bo Nix had another great performance completing 28 of 37 passes for 284 yards and 3 touchdowns. Now comes the hard part of the schedule for the Broncos, which includes a trip next week to face off against a ticked off Ravens team, and a date with the two time defending Champion Chiefs. As for the Panthers, I’ve written them off and I am not apologizing. Bryce Young was back at quarterback after Andy Dalton got hurt, and of course it was bad. Surprisingly, it wasn’t all his fault: the Panthers were without Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen. However, the Panthers were never going to win because they are just that bad. The question is how much time does Young have to be a Panther?
CHIEFS 27 – RAIDERS 20
Dear Chiefs: you came really close to repeating your Christmas Day debacle from last year. The defending Champs managed to stay perfect, but it hasn’t been easy this season. Fortunately, they were playing a Raiders’ team still finding themselves. I am encouraged to see Travis Kelce finally coming around, hauling in 10 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. I’d argue the Chiefs should spend more time developing and nurturing the speed demon that is Xavier Worthy. Nevertheless, maybe adding one more member to the wide receiver corps would help this motley crew. As for the Raiders, Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson would have been appalled. The Raiders need help running the ball. Only rushing for 33 yards is unacceptable to a team that has historically produced some of the best running backs in the game. There is also the question of what to do at quarterback as Gardner Minshew doesn’t inspire confidence despite throwing for 209 yards and two touchdowns. The bright side is that Brock Bowers continues to dazzle. Bowers makes the Rookie of the Year race this year very interesting.
BEARS 15 – COMMANDERS 18
HOLY MOLE HOLES! I thought the magic ended when Freddie Freeman hit his Walk Off Grand Slam for the Dodgers in the World Series. But no one ever saw this ending happening. In a hyped battle between the number one and two picks from last year’s draft, the Commanders won on an improbable Hail Mary pass on the final play of the game. I was even tempted to say the line: “I don’t believe what I just saw!” The Commanders defense definitely stepped up big time as Jayden Daniels didn’t find the endzone until said Hail Mary play. While the Commanders’ defense stepped up, we have to wonder what happened to the Bears? Their offense was firing on all cylinders against the Jaguars before they went into the bye. It felt like their offense stayed in hibernation as Caleb Williams failed to put up the numbers that Daniels had (Williams only threw for 131 yards while Daniels threw for 313 yards). The Bears need to get off to faster starts or face more disappointments like this.
COWBOYS 24 – 49ERS 30
It wasn’t pretty, but the 49ers got a much-needed win before they headed into an even more needed bye week. If not for an explosive third quarter, this recap would have gone a lot differently. 469 total yards of offense if very encouraging for a team decimated by injuries. The 49ers hope they can get healthy during the bye and get some reinforcements from the trade market. Definitely getting Christian McCaffrey back would be a huge boost for the 49ers (not to mention the morale of the average 49er fan…of whom I know one or two…) But after another disappointing week, what do the Cowboys do now? They went into their bye after being utterly destroyed on Jerry Jones’ birthday, and things have not gotten better. The Cowboys now trail behind both the Eagles and the Commanders in the NFC East. There are a lot of holes to fill and not enough time to fill them. It may turn into a very long offseason for the Cowboys if things don’t start turning around soon.
GIANTS 18 – STEELERS 26
At the end of the week, we were treated to a game against the rising Steelers hosting the dwindling Giants. For a while, we weren’t sure if anyone was going to score a touchdown (I even joked with my cousin Chuck that first team that cracks the 20-point mark will win this game…and technically I was right!). The Steelers definitely won, but it should concern that they allowed the Giants to hang around as long as they did. Looking on the bright side Steelers Nation, Russell Wilson completed 20 of 28 passes for 278 yards and a touchdown. So the Steelers are 6-2, although the time of possession should be concerning for them. As for the Giants, this was a lot better than I thought they were going to do. Don’t get me wrong: the Giants have more holes all over their offense, defense, and special teams than a sinking ship. Daniel Jones isn’t doing enough to convince the Giants that he is their quarterback going forward…and that’s not good with the Giants’ chances of getting the number one pick increasing and a surprising number of quarterbacks that look pretty good entering next year’s draft.
