Bills are legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and what else we learned in Week 8

FOX Sports’ NFL experts provide the biggest takeaways from every Sunday game in Week 8 and what they mean for each team going forward.

Eagles: This feels like the win the Eagles’ season will pivot around. Philly is now healthier on offense, with A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith dominating the Bengals’ secondary on Sunday. Jalen Hurts is back to playing at a higher level after a really rough start to the season. Rather than spiraling into total disaster — and it got dark with Nick Sirianni inexplicably clapping back at fans on the field a few weeks ago — the Eagles have solidified amid adversity. The Bengals showed up to the game with plenty of momentum, but Philly showed up in the second half and scored 20 unanswered points. Maybe they dragged their feet to start the season, but unlike the Bengals, the Eagles have sorted out their issues. Philly remains in contention to finish atop its division, even with the Commanders surging.

Bengals: This team misses Joe Mixon. Even if the Bengals felt they couldn’t afford to keep him given their need to pay their receivers — which they haven’t done — they didn’t do a great job replacing him. Chase Brown isn’t anywhere as dynamic a runner. And he’s not even in the same league as a pass-catcher. Joe Burrow is playing like an MVP candidate, but he’s not getting a whole lot of help from his running game (or his defense). But it’s remarkable how Mixon has boosted the Houston offense, which is dealing with injuries to its top receivers. And I can’t help but wonder: What if Cincinnati had kept him? Or actually paid real money to replace him? — Henry McKenna

Jets: Clearly, Robert Saleh wasn’t the problem with the Jets. It was always about Aaron Rodgers and their inept offense. It doesn’t matter that Todd Downing is now calling the plays for demoted offensive coordinator Nathanial Hackett. The issues are still the same. They have so much talent at the skill positions, but no plan. They make too many mistakes and there’s just too much confusion. They used three timeouts in the first quarter because they couldn’t get lined up in time. And later, they got a delay of game penalty on a 2-point conversion. That’s insane. And Rodgers (17 of 28, 233, 2 TDs) just looks old now. He can still make some big throws, but he doesn’t make many of them.

Patriots: QB Drake Maye left this game with a concussion, and if he misses any time it’s not good for the Patriots, because this whole season is about developing their quarterback of the future. The problem with that is they have such a terrible team around him, it’s almost hard to see what he can get out of playing. Outside of tight end Hunter Henry, Maye has no reliable receivers. The offensive line is weak and the running game is struggling. It’s not an uncommon problem for quarterbacks picked near the top of the draft. They often land on bad teams. But the Patriots are so bad that they’ve got a heck of a shot at the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft, whether Maye keeps playing or not. — Ralph Vacchiano

Ravens: No, the Ravens aren’t going to roll over every opponent, and the aggressive Browns secondary did a nice job for most of this game. But the Ravens surely could’ve made it easier on themselves if they remembered they had Derrick Henry in the backfield. They ran 62 plays, but only handed the ball to Henry 11 times (17.7%). This is a game that was within a three-point margin until the final five minutes. And oh, by the way, Henry averaged 7.1 yards on his first 10 rushes. It was an unwelcome reminder of when the Ravens abandoned their rushing attack in the second half of the AFC Championship Game last year for no reason. They didn’t get away with it then, and they didn’t get away with it against the Browns. Consider this game a warning.

Browns: It was shocking to no one at all how much better the Browns offense looked with Jameis Winston taking over at quarterback for the injured Deshaun Watson. It helped that offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey is now the playcaller, but it helps even more that Winston is just a better quarterback right now. He’s got a better arm, he was accurate (27 of 41, 334 yards, 3 touchdowns, no interceptions), stronger in the pocket, and he pushed the ball down the field — like on the game-winning, 38-yard touchdown pass to Cedric Tillman with 59 seconds to go. It would’ve been even better if his receivers were better at holding on to the ball. The Browns still have no real way out of Watson’s ridiculous contract in the next two years, but Winston sure gave them a glimpse of what they could be if they could only find any kind of escape hatch. — Ralph Vacchiano

Falcons: Kirk Cousins has been uneven in his first eight games with the Falcons, but his two games against Tampa Bay show his value and how he’s changed the offense. In two games against the defending division champs, Cousins has thrown for eight touchdown passes. The first game was an overtime comeback win, and Sunday was an impressive statement win, putting the Falcons in the driver’s seat for the NFC South title. Take away the two Bucs games, and Cousins has been unremarkable: He has eight touchdown passes in two games against the Bucs, and six total in six games against everyone else. But the Falcons are now a game up with the head-to-head tiebreaker, which means they’ll have to stumble for the Bucs to get back in the hunt for the division title.

Buccaneers: You can point to the Bucs sorely missing Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but Tampa Bay’s defense has taken a serious step back. In their 3-1 start, the Bucs held all four opponents to 26 points or fewer, and now in losing three of four, they’ve given up at least 27 in all four games. Two of those losses were to Atlanta, allowing Cousins to throw for four touchdowns in each game. Injuries to SirVocea Dennis and Jamel Dean have hurt, but the scheme has let too many quarterbacks pick the Bucs apart. That has made Baker Mayfield try to do too much, and it’s resulted in turnovers — after two interceptions in those first four games, he has seven in the past four. And Tampa’s next two games are against the Chiefs and 49ers. — Greg Auman

Cardinals: Kicker Chad Ryland made his third game-winning field goal for the Cardinals, this one from 34 yards out to help Arizona improve to 4-4 on the year. While Ryland’s heroics won the game, the improved chemistry between Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. was even better news. The rookie out of Ohio State got off to a slow start while he learns the offense and adjusts to NFL defenses. On Sunday, however, Harrison finished with six receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown on seven targets, making a handful of critical catches in got-to-have-it moments that led to the win. The Cardinals have back-to-back home games against the Bears and the Jets before the team’s bye week. The better rapport between Murray and Harrison should help the offense continue to evolve over the next two weeks.

Kyler Murray on Cardinals’ big win, connection with Marvin Harrison Jr.

Bills are legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and what else we learned in Week 8

Dolphins: After missing four games due to a concussion sustained in Week 2, Tua Tagovailoa showed little rust and Miami’s offense looked dangerous again. However, Tagovailoa did fumble three times, including a mishandled snap batted out of the back of the end zone for a safety that gave Arizona enough points for the win. Miami scored 27 points after averaging just 10 points a game with the team’s starting quarterback out. While Miami dropped to 2-5, the Dolphins look like a team that could make some noise in the second half of the season. But Tagovailoa must take better care of the football, along with showing he can stay on the field. — Eric D. Williams

Packers: Matt LaFleur deserves more discussion for the Coach of the Year award. The Green Bay coach has been terrific this year, no matter who plays at quarterback. Jordan Love hadn’t looked totally healthy since his return from his knee injury — and absolutely looked banged up in this contest. He was limping around the field and, at a certain point in the third quarter, the Packers had to give him the hook for his own sake. In came Malik Willis, who is actually among the most efficient QBs in the NFL at .31 expected points added per dropback prior to this game. You could see the offensive playcalling shift around the quarterback to cater to each player’s needs. It’s what LaFleur has done all year. That’s why, despite an injury to the quarterback in which the Packers invested heavily, the Packers have rolled to 6-2.

Jaguars: Doug Pederson got out-coached again. He didn’t manage the clock well. He didn’t want to go for two points on his final touchdown (not that it mattered, admittedly). He didn’t have his defense ready to defend the Packers on the final drive. The Jaguars had a golden opportunity to upset Green Bay, which had to overcome an injured starting QB and a backup. But Pederson didn’t have command of the game. And to that point, neither did his QB. Trevor Lawrence still makes too many boneheaded mistakes. That’s on him, of course, but it also trickles back to the head coach who was supposed to elevate Lawrence into elite status. Pederson hasn’t been the guy we thought he’d be. Neither has Lawrence. And I can’t help but wonder whether this loss might lead to some changes in Jacksonville. — Henry McKenna

Colts: Jonathan Taylor needs to be a dominant force for the Colts to have any chance at making legitimate noise in the AFC this season. Sunday served as the latest testament of the fact that Anthony Richardson has a long way to go. His inexperience showed in Indianapolis’ last drive. Also, his lack of touch, timing and anticipation on intermediate throws makes the Colts offense over reliant on his deep ball, which is hit or miss. Any talk of benching Richardson for Joe Flacco is premature — the former No. 4 overall pick has started just 10 NFL games — but he is what he is right now. So the Colts must lean on Taylor, who ran the ball well against Houston (20 carries for 105 yards and a touchdown). A healthy Taylor plus a defense that just got DeForest Buckner back is Indy’s best hope of being a threat in January.

Texans: Despite being 6-2, the Texans have legitimate early-exit potential come playoff time, and it’s because of pass protection. C.J. Stroud was under heavy pressure on Sunday (particularly in the first half), continuing a season-long trend. The Colts had only two sacks, but they had nine quarterback hits and several pressures. According to Next Gen Stats, Stroud was pressured on 71.4% (!) of his dropbacks through two quarters. The pocket was not only closing quickly on Stroud, but also the struggles up front seemed to speed up his internal clock — even when there wasn’t a defender in his face — leading to rushed throws. And this was against the Colts, who rank in the bottom half of the league in both sacks and pressure rate. What happens when Houston faces AFC juggernauts like Kansas City (fourth in pressure rate) and Buffalo (tied for ninth in sacks) in the postseason? Running back Joe Mixon, as great as he’s been, can’t carry Houston by himself. — Ben Arthur

Titans: It’s hard to imagine how it gets worse for the Titans. It was fool’s gold in the first quarter, as Mason Rudolph and the offense hung in there with the rolling Lions. Rudolph got into the end zone on an 11-yard scamper and Tennessee found itself tied with Detroit at the beginning of the second after a five-yard pass from Rudolph. The final score ended up being 52-14 — and that was without Lions quarterback Jared Goff breaking 100 yards passing. He had just 12 completions for 85 yards and a whopping three touchdowns. Running back David Montgomery even threw a touchdown pass. It was as if Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson saw that Tennessee has had quarterback troubles all season and decided that the Lions were going to win without really using their quarterback. As if the loss wasn’t enough, in Jacksonville, former Titans draft pick Malik Willis came in relief of the injured Jordan Love and led a game-winning field-goal drive for the Packers. At 1-6, it’s another lost season for Tennessee.

Lions: Are the Lions the best team in football? Detroit has won its past four games by an average of 23 points — and that’s with just barely beating Minnesota last week by two points. The Lions have absolutely embarrassed opponents, including the Cowboys and the Seahawks. They beat their latest victims, the Titans, by voluntarily tying one hand behind their backs. Literally. Goff, who is playing MVP-level football right now, attempted just 15 passes. Tennessee had fared decently well against the run up until this point in the season, but the Lions decided to attack the Titans there anyway. Detroit registered 164 yards on the ground and had just 225 yards of total offense. Still, the Lions got the TD pass from Montgomery and a punt-return touchdown by Kalif Raymond. Detroit is firing on every single cylinder, and it’s looking beyond easy for them. — Carmen Vitali

Jared Goff breaks down Lions’ strong performance against Titans

Panthers: Even with incredibly low expectations, it’s hard not to think of the Panthers as disappointing in a 1-7 start. Bryce Young returned to the starting role Sunday and had a touchdown pass — his first since Christmas Eve last season — but Carolina was done before halftime against a rookie quarterback. Young threw a second touchdown in the final minute to rookie receiver Jalen Coker. It’s just the third multi-touchdown game of his NFL career, so much of what he’s done in two seasons is throw meaningless touchdowns at the end of bad losses. There isn’t much to hang your hat on with this team. We knew this would be a long year, but it’s just every bit as hopeless as last season.

Broncos: On a day when Jayden Daniels vs. Caleb Williams had the rookie spotlight, Denver’s Bo Nix had his best game yet, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for a fourth in an easy win over Carolina. He’s quietly taken impressive steps forward. Take away his first two starts (with four INTs) and he has eight touchdown passes against a single interception in the past six games, with three rushing touchdowns as well. Denver is 5-3 more because of a strong defense, but Nix’s play has been promising. The Broncos aren’t winning the West this year, but just to be in the hunt for a wild card with a rookie quarterback is more than most expected. — Greg Auman

Saints: New Orleans is missing Derek Carr, but he’s going to return to a team that’s played its way out of any real contention in 2024. The Saints have lost six straight, and even when the league’s worst defense keeps an opponent in check, like Sunday vs. the Chargers, the offense couldn’t muster more than field goals. Sunday was the fourth time the Saints have scored 14 points or fewer this season — only Carolina has done it more often. New Orleans now goes to Carolina this week. If the Saints can’t win there, if they lose to what’s been the worst team in the league, you wonder if that’s the fatal blow for Dennis Allen.

Chargers: Los Angeles took a chance moving on from mainstays Keenan Allen and Mike Williams in the offseason, taking away Justin Herbert’s best targets. But rookie Ladd McConkey, taken with the 34th overall pick out of Georgia, has shown promise as a worthy successor, never more so than in Sunday’s win over the Saints, getting two touchdowns as part of a six-catch, 111-yard day. Los Angeles hasn’t been overwhelming in its 4-3 start, but McConkey has four touchdowns now in his first seven NFL games. There were eight receivers taken ahead of him in April, but he has scored as many as any of them. — Greg Auman

Bills: Led by one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Josh Allen, who has figured out how to take care of the football, the Bills look like legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Donating the Seahawks in all phases of the game on Sunday, Buffalo played one of the team’s most complete football games this season. The only blemish for the Bills was Allen throwing his first interception. Otherwise, facing the top team in the NFC West, the Bills showed they are tough to beat, with a defense that can keep opposing offenses out of the end zone in critical moments of the game and a balanced offense that can score from anywhere on the field.

Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game: Bills QB Josh Allen | Week 8 DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE

Seahawks: In his toughest test so far this season, new head coach Mike Macdonald’s squad was outclassed by a more physical team in the Bills. In their third straight home loss, the Seahawks finished with 11 accepted penalties for 82 yards and had just 233 total yards. At 4-4 and tied with the Arizona Cardinals for the top spot in the NFC West, the Seahawks face another tough game at home with Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams coming to town in Week 9. Maybe new OC Ryan Grubb will try to run the football against one of the worst run defenses in the league? Seattle has the most passing attempts in the NFL through eight weeks and rushed for only 32 yards in a lopsided loss to the Bills. Grubb must figure out how to get RB Kenneth Walker going. — Eric D. Williams

Chiefs: Grinding out wins is just who these Chiefs are — again. Like in 2023, Kansas City’s offense isn’t particularly explosive (in large part due to injuries at the skill positions this year), but it has a defense capable of carrying the load. That was the story on Sunday, even if 27 points would indicate something different. The Chiefs didn’t have a reception longer than 25 yards. They didn’t have a run longer than 14 yards. And the defense bailed the Chiefs out of a Patrick Mahomes pick that gave the Raiders a short field at the Kansas City 3 late in the third quarter, forcing a turnover on downs. DeAndre Hopkins will help once he gets settled into the offense, but finishing should remain the Chiefs’ best quality. And to achieve the historic three-peat, that’s maybe all they need. In KC’s 7-0 start, five wins have come by a score.

Raiders: Finding their quarterback of the future should be the No. 1 priority for the Raiders this offseason, but fixing the running game in free agency and/or the draft shouldn’t be too far behind. Las Vegas entered Sunday with the league’s third-worst rushing offense and the struggles on the ground continued against the Chiefs, blowing what turned out to be a close game against the two-time defending Super Bowl champs. The Raiders had 33 net rushing yards in the game. At the end the third quarter, they ran 13 straight plays deep into Chiefs territory and only had a field goal to show for it. They haven’t had a 100-yard rusher all season. Las Vegas is actually competitive when it protects the ball — Gardner Minshew went three-and-a-half quarters Sunday without turning the ball over — but it’s hard to win without a reliable run game. That’s something the new quarterback the Raiders are expected to have in 2025 is going to need, too. — Ben Arthur

Bears: Progress is very rarely linear and the Bears are just the latest example of that. Prior to the bye week, the Bears had started to roll, winning three straight to sit at 4-2 on the season. Everything was clicking. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams looked confident and in control of his new offense. The defense was the steady presence the team needed them to be. There was a caveat, though. They hadn’t played a team with more than one win under their belt at the time the Bears played them. It was lesser competition. Sunday in Washington was a different story because the Commanders are sitting atop the NFC East now and they’re rolling themselves. For as bad as Williams played for most of the game and as little time as he had in the pocket with the offensive line shuffling, he pulled the Bears out to a three-point lead with just 25 seconds left. After all that, it should have been enough. But Washington pulled out a miracle Hail Mary at the very last second and Bears fans should still be encouraged by the fight their team showed and the growth that should come from it.

Commanders: The Maryland Miracle, as it’s now being dubbed. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels hadn’t practiced all week. He was a game-time decision with a rib injury and yet he ripped a 65-yard bomb to the end zone to win the game for Washington on a Hail Mary. That’s just absolutely incredible stuff from the rookie. Daniels has looked more and more complete as a quarterback with each passing week. The training wheels were very much on in the beginning of the season as Daniels gained his confidence and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury did everything he could to help out his young signal caller. But those training wheels are off and Daniels is free to rip the ball down the field at will. He scrambled for first downs himself, he found Terry McLaurin when he needed him and he stayed cool under pressure by not turning the ball over. In fact, neither of these quarterbacks threw a pick. Daniels has his team rolling to the top of the division and these two rookie quarterbacks should be full of fireworks for years to come. — Carmen Vitali

Cowboys: Dak Prescott has now thrown two interceptions in each of the last three games, which is a problem. The real problem, though, is that it’s going to get worse because Prescott doesn’t have a lot of options on his offense. His only reliable receiver is CeeDee Lamb, and as good as he is, it’s just not enough. There’s also no running game to help and the offensive line is collapsing in front of him. Prescott knows that he’s going to have force throws to get this offense moving at all, which is what he did too often against the 49ers. If it works, he’ll have a big game. If not? Well, he’s got nine interceptions through seven games. His career-worst total of 15 is well within reach.

49ers: On National Tight Ends Day, George Kittle solidified his place as the best tight end in the NFL. And he needed to do it because the 49ers are hemorrhaging offensive weapons. Without RB Christian McCaffrey and WR Brandon Aiyuk, they’d struggle to move the ball if Kittle wasn’t such a dangerous weapon. He’s got wide receiver speed and moves, and he was a terrible mismatch for the Dallas safeties, catching six passes for 128 yards and a touchdown. He won’t have success against every team, and the 49ers still need a lot of help from Deebo Samuel and whoever plays running back each week. But Kittle is good enough to carry their offense a long way. — Ralph Vacchiano

The following writers contributed to this story: Ben Arthur (@benyarthur); Greg Auman (@gregauman); Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis); Eric D. Williams (@eric_d_williams); Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano); Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV)

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