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We’re approaching the midway point of the regular season in Week 8, where some teams are trying to overcome slow starts to the season, such as the Cincinnati Bengals, who suffered another tough loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. However, we also witnessed a remarkable performance from Jameis Winston, who stepped up at home for the Cleveland Browns against one of the hottest teams in the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens—making his first start in two seasons in place of the injured Deshaun Watson (Achilles), Winston's performance was awe-inspiring. Let’s get into my three NFL Week 8 Takeaways.
Eagles Soar Over Bengals
The Bengals, determined to extend their winning streak to three, came into this game with solid momentum, having beaten the Browns and New York Giants the previous two weeks. Despite the two wins, the Bengals had yet to beat a contender to see if they had turned things around. Conversely, the Eagles are coming off Barkley’s return to Metlife against his former team, the New York Giants, in a 28-3 rout in which Barkley accumulated 176 yards on 17 carries, including a touchdown.
Both teams were dealing with injuries. The Bengals were without their second-best receiver, Tee Higgins (quad), and cornerback Dax Hill (knee). Meanwhile, the Eagles were without their starting tight end, Dallas Goedert (hamstring), who was missing his second consecutive game. They also had a banged-up offensive line with Mekhi Becton (concussion) out.
They started the game off well and were firing on all cylinders offensively. Joe Burrow connected with his star wide receiver, Ja’Marr Chase, for a touchdown early on in the game to get the Bengals on the board first. Burrow was very efficient in the first half, going 16-of-24 for 169 yards and a touchdown, as the Bengals looked to get back to .500 and into the conversation as threats in the AFC. While the Bengals were an oiled machine offensively in the first half, the Eagles were stagnant offensively, finishing with just 55 first-quarter yards.
The Eagles' offensive game took a turn for the better once Hurts scored on his famous tush push play just before the half, tying the game at 10-10. This marked a significant turnaround for the Eagles, who used this momentum to dominate the second half with a 27-7 run against the Bengals. Their resilience was evident in the touchdowns from Hurts and a 45-yard bomb to DeVonta Smith. They sealed the game with another Hurts touchdown, led by Saquon Barkley’s incredible 19-yard run and another into the Bengal's one-yard line.
The Eagles improve to 5-2 as they look to claim the top NFC East spot, while the Bengals suffer another heartbreaking loss to fall to 3-5 due to their lackluster defense once again.
UnbeataChiefs?
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Chiefs came into Week 8 as the only remaining undefeated team in the league because Patrick Mahomes did not throw a passing touchdown the entire month of October. That changed against their rivals, the Las Vegas Raiders, who gave the Chiefs some trouble in the first half, keeping it a close score 17-13. However, the game's turning point came late in the third quarter when Tre’von Moehrig picked off Mahomes to return it at the Chief's two-yard line with a chance to take the lead.
However, the Chiefs showed precisely why they are the reigning back-to-back Super Bowl defending champs and one of the best defenses against the run, stopping the Raiders on four straight plays in the red zone, simply shutting them out, and forcing the turnover on downs. His has been a story for the Raiders, who rank near the bottom of the league (30th) when scoring in the red zone, and it came back to bite them.
The Chiefs scored a field goal to put them up 20-13. That was followed by another bad offensive drive by the Raiders, when quarterback Garden Minshew fumbled at the Raiders 37, forced by Chiefs defensive tackle Mike Pennel and recovered by Drue Tranquill, giving the Chiefs good field position.
That forced fumble led to a Chiefs touchdown from Mahomes to rookie Xavier Worthy to give them a 27-13 lead in what was a quick 12-point swing for the Raiders on two bad offensive drives by the Raiders that cost them a chance to upset the Chiefs. The Chiefs now improve to 7-0 this season as the only remaining undefeated team left in the league, and that’s dealing with injuries to key players such as Rashee Rice and Isiah Pacheco while also just acquiring DeAndre Hopkins this week from the Tennessee Titans, who are still getting acclimated to the offense.
Mahomes finished with two passing touchdowns and became the fastest player in NFL history to 30,000+ passing yards. The Chiefs will only get scarier as they get healthier and Hopkins learns the offense.
Winston Upsets Baltimore
Kirk Irwin/AP
It had been two years since former No.1 pick Jameis Winston started an NFL game, returning to the 2022 season when he was with the New Orleans Saints. Deshaun Watson's torn Achilles last week against the Bengals in their 21-14 loss helped open up Winston's starting position. Would Winston be ready for the pressure?
Winston had a challenging task ahead of him going against one of the hottest teams in the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens, led by their dynamic duo of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, who are both making MVP cases this season. The team was looking for some glimmer of positivity in what’s been a dark season. Winston delivered just that with a terrific performance of 334 yards for three touchdowns, completing 27 of 41 passes.
Winston’s most pivotal throw, however, came in crunchtime with under two minutes left to play and the Browns down 24-23 to the Ravens when he launched a 38-yard touchdown to Cedric Tillman to give the Browns a 29-24 lead with just under a minute left.
The crowd was serenading, but it wasn’t over yet, as Jackson and the Ravens have been one of the best offenses all season. Jackson and the Ravens were able to get downfield to give themselves a shot to win the game with an ultimate heave by Jackson at the end that was unsuccessful. The Browns had won their first game since Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which brought jubilation to the city.
The Browns' defense did an incredible job containing the Ravens' running game, limiting Henry to 73 rushing yards. Henry has been leading the NFL with over 124 yards per contest heading into the game. Ultimately, Winston stepped up and got the best of Jackson and the Ravens to give the city something to cheer about as they hope to continue building off their offensive performance against the Ravens.
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