Week 8 featured blowouts, close games and everything in between. From divisional matchups to season-defining wins, Week 8 of the NFL season had it all.
Here’s what you need to know.
Eagles run for 4 TDs in big victory over winless Lions
DETROIT – Boston Scott and Jordan Howard each had two touchdowns on the ground, helping the Philadelphia Eagles run over the Detroit Lions in a 44-6 win Sunday.
The Eagles (3-5) ended a two-game losing streak against a team that was very accommodating.
The Lions (0-8) go into their bye week as the NFL’s only winless team. The break gives first-year coach Dan Campbell extra time to figure out how to avoid leading the league’s first 0-17 team after being a tight end on the first 0-16 team in Detroit 13 years ago.
Scott and Howard made the most of his opportunity to fill in for running back Miles Sanders, who went on injured reserve with an ankle injury after he was hurt last week.
Scott broke a scoreless tie late in the first period with a 1-yard run and and Howard’s 4-yard run late in the second quarter put Philadelphia up 17-0. They each had a short touchdown run in the third quarter and finished with 117 yards rushing combined.
Just to make the setback sting a little more for the Lions and their fans, former Detroit cornerback Darius Slay scooped up D’Andre Swift’s fumble and returned it 33 yards make it 38-0 late in the third.
The offensively challenged Lions avoided a shutout midway through the fourth quarter when rookie Jermar Jefferson scored on an 8-yard run for his first NFL touchdown.
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Matthew Stafford has 3 TD passes as Rams roll past Texans
HOUSTON — Matthew Stafford threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns in three quarters, and the Los Angeles Rams dominated the inept Houston Texans in every way in a 38-22 win Sunday.
It’s the fourth straight victory for the Rams (7-1) and the seventh loss in a row for the Texans (1-7), their longest skid since dropping the final 14 games of the 2013 season.
Stafford threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp with about 9 1/2 minutes left in the third, lifting Los Angeles to a 31-0 lead. That score was set up when Van Jefferson got free for a 68-yard reception two plays earlier.
Rookie Davis Mills was sacked by Aaron Donald on first down on Houston’s next possession and Mills fumbled on third down. He recovered the ball and got a pass off to David Johnson, but it was for a loss.
The Rams added another touchdown when Stafford pitched the ball to Robert Woods in the backfield and he dashed 16 yards to make it 38-0 late in the third.
Stafford watched the rest of the game from the sideline, with John Wolford stepping in at quarterback.
Kupp caught seven balls for 115 yards and Darrell Henderson had 90 yards rushing and two TDs, one on the ground and one on a 3-yard reception in the first quarter. Woods also had two touchdowns, scoring on a 2-yard reception in the second quarter.
The Rams have won 43 straight games, including the playoffs, when leading at halftime, which is the second-longest streak in NFL history behind a 49-game streak by the Packers beginning in 1926.
Defence shines, Panthers snap skid by beating Falcons
ATLANTA – Zane Gonzalez kicked four field goals and Chuba Hubbard scored on a 6-yard run with 6 1/2 minutes remaining to seal Carolina’s 19-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, snapping a four-game skid for the Panthers.
Carolina’s defence totally stuffed Matt Ryan and the Falcons, who managed just 213 yards total offense.
Ryan had one of the worst games of his career, throwing for just 146 yards with two interceptions. He was sacked three times and sustained a bloody cut on his non-throwing hand when a Panthers defender stepped on it, though Ryan didn’t miss any plays.
Atlanta (3-4) had won two straight games, but the Falcons squandered a chance to climb above .500 for the first time since 2017.
With his job on the line, Sam Darnold bounced back from a benching in last week’s miserable 25-3 loss to the New York Giants with a performance that was just good enough to win for Carolina (4-4).
He threw for a mere 129 yards yards but made none of the glaring miscues that prompted speculation about how long he would remain the starter.
Darnold also rushed for 66 yards – the second-highest total of his career – but the last of those runs knocked him out of the game with a concussion in the fourth quarter.
On an 8-yard bootleg deep in Atlanta territory, Darnold took a brutal shot from Falcons linebacker Foye Okuokun that nearly knocked his helmet off. The quarterback was immediately sent off by the officials, leaving P.J. Walker to finish the game.
Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers survive Halloween scare to beat Browns
CLEVELAND — Ben Roethlisberger handed Cleveland yet another loss, this time on Halloween, as the Pittsburgh Steelers survived losing kicker Chris Boswell for the entire second half in a 15-10 win over the Browns on Sunday.
Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass and rookie Najee Harris had an 8-yard TD run after halftime for the Steelers (4-3), who were handicapped by Boswell suffering a concussion on a blown trick play.
The Browns (4-4) had plenty of chances, but wide receiver Jarvis Landry had a costly fumble and then couldn’t handle two passes from Baker Mayfield in the final 6:04.
Roethlisberger improved to 24-3-1 in starts against the rival Browns, including 12-2-1 in Cleveland. The 38-year-old finished 22 of 34 for 266 yards — 193 in the second half when the Steelers had no margin for error.
With no Boswell, who got hurt when he was drilled by Browns tackle Jordan Elliott after throwing an incomplete pass, influenced Steelers coach Mike Tomlin’s play-calling throughout the second half.
Punter Pressley Harvin III is Pittsburgh’s backup kicker, but he was having enough trouble with kickoffs and never even attempted to kick the ball into the sideline net.
Roethlisberger’s 2-yard TD pass — on fourth down — to tight end Pat Freiermuth put the Steelers up 15-10 with 11:04 left. Freiermuth initially bobbled the throw, but secured it and got both feet down in the back of the end zone.
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Bills wake up in second half to beat Dolphins on Halloween
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Josh Allen shook off the rust from a bye week off and a shaky first half to throw touchdown passes on consecutive second-half drives in leading the Buffalo Bills to a 26-11 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
After managing just 100 yards net offence through Buffalo’s first possession of the third quarter, Allen found his rhythm in overseeing a pair of scoring drives which combined for 22 plays and covered 151 yards.
The Bills went ahead 10-3 in the third quarter when Allen shrugged off Jaelan Phillips’ bid to sack him and found a wide-open Gabriel Davis for an 8-yard touchdown reception. He followed that by capping a nine-play, 69-yard drive by hitting Stefon Diggs on a post route for a 19-yard TD.
The Dolphins cut the lead to 17-11 on Tua Tagovailoa’s 1-yard plunge and 2-point conversion pass to Mike Gesicki early in the fourth quarter.
Allen responded by marching the Bills on a 14-play drive which ended with Tyler Bass hitting a 39-yard field goal. Jordan Poyer sealed the victory by intercepting a pass Tagovailoa sailed over the middle while facing third-and-26 from his 19 with 2:21 remaining.
Allen, who waved good-bye to the Dolphins after scoring on a 7-yard touchdown run with 1:07 left, finished 29 of 42 for 249 yards passing, and had a team-best 55 yards rushing.
The Bills (5-2) rebounded from a heart-breaking 34-31 loss to Tennessee on Oct. 18 by continuing their dominance over their AFC East rival. Buffalo beat Miami for a series-record seventh consecutive time.
Garoppolo leads way as 49ers beat Bears to stop slide
CHICAGO – Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 322 yards and ran for two touchdowns, and the San Francisco 49ers beat the short-handed Chicago Bears 33-22 Sunday to snap a four-game losing streak.
Garoppolo led three touchdown drives in the second half and another possession that ended with a field goal. He scored from the 2 in the third quarter and ran it in from the 5 in the fourth to make it 30-22.
Deebo Samuel had six catches for 171 yards. That gave him 819 through seven games, breaking Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s club record of 781 set in 1986.
Elijah Mitchell carried 18 times for 137 yards and a touchdown, helping San Francisco (3-4) win for the first time since beating both Detroit and Philadelphia on the road to start the season.
Chicago (3-5) was looking for a reprieve coming off back-to-back losses to Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay and Tom Brady and Tampa Bay. But the Bears faltered in the second half against Garoppolo, who is from nearby Arlington Heights and played college ball at Eastern Illinois.
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In first NFL start, Mike White leads Jets to wild win over Bengals
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J — Mike White threw for 405 yards and three touchdowns in his first NFL start, caught a 2-point conversion pass on the go-ahead score and had the fans chanting his name while leading the New York Jets to a wild 34-31 comeback victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
White, starting in place of injured rookie Zach Wilson, pulled off an improbable victory for the Jets (2-5) while going 37 of 45 — setting an NFL record for the most completions in a player’s first start. He joined Cam Newton (2011) as the only players since at least 1950 to throw for 400 or more yards in their first career start.
White overcame two early interceptions and also became the Jets’ first 400-yard passer since Vinny Testaverde on Christmas 2000, a span of 327 games. And he even left for a few plays with a neck injury.
With the Bengals (5-3) leading 31-20 in the fourth quarter, the Jets got an acrobatic touchdown by Ty Johnson, who took a short pass from White and tip-toed down the left sideline and reached over the goal line for a 19-yard score. It was initially ruled Johnson stepped out at the 2, but video review overturned the call and confirmed the touchdown.
Titans use late turnovers to pull off OT win at Indy
INDIANAPOLIS – Randy Bullock made a 44-yard field goal with 4:03 left in overtime Sunday to cap a wild game, giving the Tennessee Titans a wild 34-31 victory and control of the AFC South.
The teams combined for two touchdowns in the final 86 seconds of regulation to set up overtime and Colts quarterback Carson Wentz threw two interceptions in the final 7 1/2 minutes after throwing only one all season.
Tennessee (6-2) has won four straight overall to take a three-game lead in the division and also has the third season sweep of the Colts in franchise history.
Indianapolis (3-5) has lost three straight in the series – this one coming in improbable fashion.
Broncos’ defence holds firm, blocking two field goals to beat Washington
DENVER — Justin Simmons and Denver’s defence held firm after a fumble gave Washington the ball back, and the Broncos blocked two field goals on their way to a 17-10 win Sunday that stopped a four-game slide.
Melvin Gordon III caught a touchdown pass and ran for the go-ahead score from 7 yards out with 4:31 remaining. He also fumbled with 21 seconds to go, giving Washington the ball at the Denver 24-yard line.
The defence forced Taylor Heinicke to throw the ball out of the back of the end zone on the last play of the game.
It looked as if the game was over when Simmons picked off a desperation Heinicke pass in the end zone with 37 seconds left. It was Simmons’ second interception of the game.
But Gordon’s fumble gave Washington one more chance.
The last defensive stand prevented the first winless October for the Broncos (4-4) since 1967.
Jones, Folk, Phillips propel Patriots past Chargers
Adrian Phillips intercepted two passes, returning one for the go-ahead touchdown against his former team, Nick Folk kicked four field goals, and the New England Patriots rallied for a 27-24 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday.
It was the first multi-interception game for Phillips, who played six seasons for the Chargers (2014-19) before signing with the Patriots last year. With 10:20 remaining in the fourth quarter, he picked off a pass intended for Jared Cook, who was not on the same page as Justin Herbert, and returned it 26 yards to put the Patriots back in front. Rookie Mac Jones then connected with Jakobi Meyers on the 2-point conversion to give New England a seven-point advantage.
Folk, who has three games this season with four field goals, split the uprights from 30 yards with 2:21 remaining to put the Patriots up by double digits.
Joshua Palmer brought the Chargers within a field goal with 40 seconds remaining when he hauled in a 24-yard strike from Herbert for his first NFL touchdown. Former Chargers tight end Hunter Henry recovered the ensuing onside kick for the Patriots.
New England (4-4) started the season 1-3 but has won two straight and three of its last four. Los Angeles (4-3) has dropped two straight.
Seahawks snap losing skid with thumping of Jaguars
SEATTLE — Geno Smith ran for one score and threw a pair of touchdown passes to DK Metcalf, and the Seattle Seahawks snapped their three-game losing skid by thumping the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-7 on Sunday.
In what may be his final start while Russell Wilson recovers from finger surgery, Smith was terrific picking apart the Jaguars defence for one of the best performances of his career. Smith completed his first 14 passes the longest streak to start a game in the NFL this season. He finished 20 of 24 for 195 yards, and his 83.3 per cent completion percentage was a career best with at least 20 pass attempts.
While Tyler Lockett was Smith’s favorite target, Metcalf found the end zone. Metcalf made a terrific leaping grab over former teammate Shaquill Griffin in the second quarter to give Seattle (3-5) a 14-0 lead. Metcalf added a 5-yard TD reception early in the third quarter.
Lockett finished with 12 catches for 142 yards, the fourth time in his career with at least 12 receptions.
Jacksonville (1-6) avoided being shut out for only the fourth time in franchise history in the regular season on a short touchdown pass from Trevor Lawrence to Jamal Agnew with 1:49 remaining. Lawrence finished 32 of 53 for 238 yards, and his ninth interception this season came when he clearly expected Tavon Austin to run a different route.
Saints overcome Winston injury to top Brady, Buccaneers
P.J. Williams intercepted Tom Brady and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown with 1:24 left, helping New Orleans seal a dramatic but potentially costly 36-27 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday during which Saints quarterback Jameis Winston injured his left knee.
Winston was injured during a scramble early in the second quarter when he was pulled down from behind by former LSU star Devin White, who was flagged for a horse collar tackle.
“I think it’s significant,” coach Sean Payton said. “He felt something and is on crutches right now. … When he got up and then had to go back down, you were a little concerned.”
Backup Trevor Siemian took over for Winston and completed 16 of 29 throws for 159 yards and a touchdown without a turnover, leading the Saints on five scoring drives that produced two touchdowns and three field goals.
Brady passed for four TDs, but also turned the ball over three times on a pair of interceptions and a fumble, which the Saints converted into 16 points.
The Bucs nearly overcame their mistakes, wiping out a 16-point second-half deficit, taking a lead with 5:44 to go when receiver and former LSU track athlete Cyril Grayson was left uncovered behind the defence and scored a 50-yard touchdown.
New Orleans responded by driving for a field goal for a 29-27 lead with 1:41 left, leaving Brady, who is no stranger to late comebacks, that much time plus a timeout to win the game. Instead, the Saints’ defence came up big.
With Dak Prescott down, Cooper Rush passes Cowboys past Vikings
MINNEAPOLIS — Cooper Rush subbed for the injured Dak Prescott and passed for 325 yards and two second-half touchdowns, the last a five-yarder to Amari Cooper with 51 seconds left in the Dallas Cowboys’ 20-16 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night.
Rush overcame two turnovers, both delivered by former Dallas safety Xavier Woods, to slice up the Minnesota secondary in his first NFL start. The fifth-year backup, handed the offence when Prescott was shelved in a game-time decision due to a strained right calf muscle, directed an eight-play, 75-yard drive he finished with a perfect toss to Cooper on a fade in the corner of the end zone.
Cooper had eight catches for 122 yards, and CeeDee Lamb had six receptions for 112 yards for the Cowboys (6-1), whose only lead came in that final minute.
Kirk Cousins and the Vikings (3-4) were frequently in disarray on offence after opening with 75-yard march for a touchdown pass to Adam Thielen.
