NFL Week 8: Biggest winners and losers include the Detroit Lions, New York Jets, and Washington Commanders

Jameis Winston had to wait 763 days in between starts, but the anticipation was well worth it. The former No. 1 overall pick looked like he deserves to be an NFL starting quarterback, thanks to having an incredible 334-yard day to go with three touchdowns while snatching a big win away from the Ravens. This one had to feel good.

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The game was there for the taking for the Bengals, especially when it was all tied up at 17 points apiece in the third quarter. But Cincinnati’s offense fell apart down the stretch, and the defense allowed 20 more points that went unanswered. Yet, the Bengals are here by falling to 3-5. Is that too far away to compete for a playoff spot?

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No team played with more joy in Week 8 than the Detroit Lions. After all, they scored a week-high 52 points, they even had time to work up a trick play leading to running back David Montgomery getting a passing touchdown to Sam LaPorta. It’s a bit early, but the Lions look every bit like Super Bowl contenders.

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Ding dong, the Super Bowl dream is dead for the New York Jets. There’s just no excuse to lose to a Patriots team that entered the day as one of the worst in the NFL, at a 1-6 record. Yet, that’s exactly what the Jets did, and now these two bottom-dwellers have the same record. Aaron Rodgers appears to be all out of magic.

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The matchup pitting the No. 1 overall pick versus the No. 2 overall pick didn’t lead to an offensive explosion. But it was clear which franchise quarterback did more to help lead their team to victory. Undoubtedly still feeling the after-effects of a rib injury, Jayden Daniels struggled with accuracy, but he still managed to go off for a combined 378-yard day, leading the Commanders to a first-place standing in the NFC East.

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At his best, Anthony Richardson is one of the most dangerous weapons in the NFL. But we rarely see the former No. 4 overall pick at his best, especially as a passer. Today was a new low, with the 22-year-old completing a career-worst 31.2% of his passes. That’s not going to win many games.

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If only Kirk Cousins could play the Buccaneers every week. Nevertheless, the Falcons now have beaten Tampa Bay both times, giving them a strong lead in the NFC South. Cousins once again played a large factor, igniting the Falcons’ passing offense by racking up 276 yards and four touchdowns while finishing with just six incompletions. He even had a clutch 13-yard rushing gain on third down to help clinch the victory.

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Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to cut bait with Mike Vrabel. Losing Derrick Henry doesn’t help either, but right now, this Titans team looks like one that should be headed back to college. Surely set to earn a top-five pick, the Titans suffered the worst loss in NFL Week 8, falling behind by 38 points before the game clock provided mercy. There’s no doubt the Titans are among the very worst losers of the week.

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On paper, the Bills versus Seahawks had the potential to be a trap game for Buffalo. Yet, Josh Allen made sure those silly projections didn’t translate to the field. We didn’t see Amari Cooper do much, being held to one catch for three yards, but Allen spread the ball around to his other playmakers, including Khalil Shakir, who finished with 107 yards. Rookie Keon Coleman had some fun too, racking up 70 yards and a touchdown. And we can’t forget about James Cook going off for 111 yards and two touchdowns on just 17 carries. Buffalo looks like one of the AFC’s best teams, and now it may be time to strengthen the roster in anticipation of a Super Bowl run.

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Before Deshaun Watson’s injury, the Ravens likely wouldn’t have had any issues disposing of the Browns in Week 8. But as noted earlier, Jameis Winston was in beast mode. The Ravens actually played relatively well, avoiding turnovers and having a strong rushing attack that averaged 5.9 yards per carry. But the real tragedy is losing to a Browns team that hadn’t topped 20 points or had a 200-yard passer all season.

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