Receivers went off in a historic way during the early games of Week 8. Four of them — A.J. Brown, Alvin Kamara, Tony Pollard and D’Onta Foreman — each scored three touchdowns in their games, marking the first time that many non-quarterbacks had achieved the feat in one week since five did it in Week 3 in 2015.
The early games also saw the Broncos get back on the winning track in London and Bill Belichick move to No. 2 on the all-time coaching wins list.
Here is a complete recap of all the action from Sunday.
EAGLES 35, STEELERS 13
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts threw three touchdown passes to A.J Brown in the first half and finished with 285 yards and four TDs overall as the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles raced past the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-13 on Sunday.
Brown had six receptions for 156 yards. The Eagles are 7-0 for the second time in franchise history and first since 2004, when Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens led them to the Super Bowl. In that season, the Eagles were denied an 8-0 start with a loss to the Steelers.
Pittsburgh (2-6) offered no resistance this time once Hurts and Brown turned the Linc into their own pitch-and-catch playground.
Rookie Kenny Pickett showed more short-term growing pains for the Steelers and was 25 of 38 for 191 yards and an interception. Wide receiver Chase Claypool threw a 1-yard pass to fullback Derek Watt on a trick play in the first quarter for Pittsburgh’s only touchdown.
SAINTS 24, RAIDERS 0
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Alvin Kamara scored his first three touchdowns of the season, and the New Orleans Saints shut out the Las Vegas Raiders 24-0 on Sunday.
Kamara converted short receptions into touchdowns of 36 and 16 yards. He also rushed for a 3-yard score.
Andy Dalton justified the Saints’ decision to start him for a fifth straight game despite season-opening starter Jameis Winston having recovered enough from back and ankle injuries to be a full participant in practice this week.
Dalton was 22 of 30 for 229 yards and two TDs. His top receiver was Kamara, who had nine receptions for 96 yards to go with his 62 yards rushing.
Kamara has been having a productive season and had surpassed 100 yards from scrimmage in New Orleans’ previous three games.
Oddly, that hadn’t translated into a single touchdown until he faced Las Vegas — just days after saying he wanted to “whoop” the Raiders this week for Saints coach Dennis Allen, whose first head coaching job came with that club from 2012 to 2014.
BRONCOS 21, JAGUARS 17
LONDON (AP) — Latavius Murray scored on a 2-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to help the Denver Broncos snap a four-game losing streak by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 21-17 on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.
Russell Wilson led two go-ahead scoring drives in the second half on his return from a hamstring injury. Wilson finished 18 for 30 for 252 yards with a touchdown and interception.
The embattled quarterback looked rusty early, but connected on a 47-yard completion to KJ Hamler after the Broncos fell behind 17-14 on Travis Etienne’s 1-yard touchdown run with 3:54 to play. Wilson then scrambled for 10 yards on a third-and-5 to get to the Jacksonville 28.
The late score gave Murray a touchdown for two different teams this month in London. He ran for a score for New Orleans earlier this month at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Broncos (3-5) erased a 10-point deficit on Jerry Jeudy’s 6-yard touchdown reception in the first half and Melvin Gordon’s 1-yard run to complete a 98-yard scoring drive early in the second half.
The announced attendance of 86,215 is the largest crowd in the history of NFL international games.
The Jaguars (2-6) lost their fifth consecutive game despite a career day from Etienne, who carried 24 times for 156 yards and a touchdown.
PATRIOTS 22, JETS 17
Bill Belichick passed George Halas for second place on the NFL’s career coaching victories list and the New England Patriots continued their mastery of the New York Jets by beating them for the 13th straight time, 22-17 on Sunday.
Devin McCourty had two of the Patriots’ three interceptions of Zach Wilson, Nick Folk kicked five field goals against his former team and Belichick’s bunch slowed the surprising Jets, who had won four in a row.
Belichick missed a chance to break a tie with Halas on Monday night, when New England (4-4) lost to Chicago 33-14. But he got No. 325, including playoffs, against the Jets and now trails only Don Shula (347). The victory was also Belichick’s 100th in the regular season against AFC East opponents as coach of the Patriots.
Mac Jones, who was benched against the Bears for rookie Bailey Zappe, finished 24 of 35 for 194 yards with a touchdown to Jakobi Meyers and an interception.
The Jets (5-3), who snapped a 12-game skid against AFC East opponents by beating Miami three weeks ago, couldn’t change their fortunes against the Patriots — even while debuting their stealth black alternate helmets.
DOLPHINS 31, LIONS 27
DETROIT (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa threw a go-ahead, 11-yard touchdown pass to Mike Gesicki late in the third quarter, capping the Miami Dolphins’ rally from a double-digit, second-half deficit for a 31-27 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
The Dolphins (5-3) have won two straight since Tagovailoa returned from a concussion. The Lions (1-6) have lost five in a row.
Detroit scored on all five of its posssessons in the first half to lead 27-17 after scoring a total of six points in its previous two games.
The Dolphins opened the second half with a touchdown drive, scoring when fullback Alec Ingold took a snap that fooled the defence and scored on a 1-yard sneak.
They took their first lead late in the third on Tagovailoa’s pass to Gesicki, who was wide open in the end zone, to score on a fifth straight possession.
