Week 8 of the NFL season is complete, so we’re casting an eye over every game, identifying the big takeaways and digging into the markets.
Around The NFL
The LA Rams needed to win to start wrestling back their NFL season and got the job done 30-20 over the Minnesota Vikings. That’s now back-to-back losses for the Vikings after opening 5-0.
While Jared Goff didn’t play out his best performance – he was efficient for his 85 yards but sacked four times – the Detroit Lions still thumped the Tennessee Titans 52-14 on the back of a brutal running game.
Jameis Winston’s return to the NFL as a starter provided the Cleveland Browns with enough of a spark to beat the Baltimore Ravens 29-24. With Winston playing well, the Browns defence stood up to keep Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry under control. In another close one, the Green Bay Packers snuck past the Jacksonville Jaguars 30-27. The Packers are one of the hottest teams in the NFL but did see Jordan Love limp off with a groin injury in this one.
The Houston Texans are 3-0 in the AFC South following their 23-20 win over the Indianapolis Colts. CJ Stroud came up with the goods when it mattered while Anthony Richardson checked out when things got hard…
#Colts QB Anthony Richardson on taking himself out of the game in the 3rd quarter: “Tired, I ain’t gonna lie. That was a lot of running right there that I did … So, I just told Shane (Steichen) I needed a break right there.”
(🎥 @WISHNews8)pic.twitter.com/5DiUalDXDU
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 27, 2024
Kyler Murray’s 307 yards and two touchdowns led the Arizona Cardinals to a 28-27 win over the Miami Dolphins in Tua Tagovailoa’s return to play. The Dolphins quarterback finished with 234 passing yards connecting on 28 of his 38 attempts with a touchdown.
It looked as though the Chicago Bears had beaten the Washington Commanders when Caleb Williams put his team up by three points with 25 seconds to play. Enter: Jayden Daniels. This rookie quarterback can do no wrong at the moment and threw a 52-yard Hail Mary – with time expired – which fell into the hands of Noah Brown for the 18-15 win.
A;FK;JD;KJF;LAKEJFLKJVAL;KEJL;JF;EFJ;LFAKJ
JAYDEN DANIELS HAIL MARY! @COMMANDERS WIN! pic.twitter.com/BsQ0Z84Rko
— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024
Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets have well and truly run out of excuses following their embarrassing 25-22 loss to the New England Patriots. Meanwhile, the Seattle Seahawks continue to struggle against top teams in the NFL, this time falling to the Buffalo Bills 31-10.
The Los Angeles Chargers got their season back on track with a 26-8 win over the lowly New Orleans Saints. The Cincinnati Bengals season, on the other hand, is hanging by a thread after falling to the Philadelphia Eagles 37-17.
“I think 10 wins usually gets you in, so we’ve got to win seven out of nine. That’s doable, so we’ll go from there.” – Joe Burrow following the Bengals latest loss.
It’s been a slow burn for the Eagles. They’ve relied too heavily on Saquon Barkley to start. However, Jalen Hurts has his feet under him as the defence continues to cause problems for the opposition.
The Kansas City Chiefs never make things too easy for themselves. Nonetheless, they’re 7-0 and $4.60 favourites to win Super Bowl LIX after beating the Las Vegas Raiders 27-20. Bryce Young took back the starting quarterback position for the Carolina Panthers but fell to the Denver Broncos 28-14. A thumb injury ruled Andy Dalton out. It remains to be seen whether or not Young did enough to retain the spot.
Fighting to keep up with the contenders, the San Francisco 49ers will go into the bye following their 30-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys. As expected, Brock Purdy bounced back from a poor showing in Week 7 to finish with 260 yards and a touchdown. George Kittle collected six of his seven targets for 128 yards and a touchdown.
It wasn’t pretty, but the Pittsburgh Steelers moved to 6-2 with a 26-18 win over the New York Giants. Russell Wilson looks to have kept his place as the starting quarterback with 278 passing yards and a touchdown in this one.
3 Takeaways From Week 8
Rams Catching On
Thanks, Tutu Atwell. You did a fine job but we won’t be seeing a lot of you anymore.
The LA Rams looked like a different team with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp out on the field. Matt Stafford fired 17 passes at the pair for 12 catches, 157 yards and a touchdown. That dominance in the air only added to the danger of Kyren Williams who finished up with 97 rushing yards.
With a strong offence came an improved defence. One of the worst rush defence teams in the NFL heading into this one, the Rams kept Aaron Jones to only 58 yards at 3.1 yards per carry. Having only 11 sacks all year before Week 8, the Rams defence sacked Sam Darnold three times for six quarterback hits.
There is stacks of talent on the Rams roster. Now that they’re getting healthy, we might see them start to do something with it.
NFC West standings heading into week 9 😳
Right in the thick of it. pic.twitter.com/8KL81zUP0r— RamsMuse (@LARamsMuse) October 28, 2024
Jets, Somehow, Get Worse
Every New York Jets fan went into Week 8 against the New England Patriots nervous. It profiled as a timely test of whether or not the possibly-new-look Jets were any different to the old look.
They are not.
In fact, the Jets created history to be the only team to score 20+ points, record no turnovers and allow fewer than 250 yards in a loss. Teams are 750-1 in NFL history with that box score. New York’s 25-22 loss to New England is the lone defeat.
A few quotes from around the NFL sum up the feeling towards this team right now.
Mike Greenberg: “In a season filled with embarrassing performances, that was the worst. In a history filled with horrible seasons, this may be the worst. The Jets of 2024 are one of the truly colossal failures in recent sports memory. And it only gets worse from here.”
Booger McFarland: “Jets need to trade for… Jets need to do this and that… Maybe, just maybe, the Jets are a bad team with an old quarterback who isn’t who he was and giving him all the power in the organization was a terrible idea.”
Ironically, the Jets entered the NFL season with the highest expectations set for them in years. Meanwhile, little was expected of the Patriots. Not even they expected to win games this year. Both will head into Week 9 with 2-6 records…
Winston To The Rescue?
We asked the question last week: Can Winston harness the same approach Sam Darnold has to revive his NFL career?
Jameis Winston responded with 334 passing yards and three touchdowns as the Cleveland Browns upset the Baltimore Ravens 29-24. The veteran quarterback threw a 38-yard touchdown pass with 59 seconds on the clock and put himself in line to finish the NFL season as a starter.
JAMEIS GOING FOR IT ALL!
📺: #BALvsCLE on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/hAZ6Y2r9px— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024
Most importantly, Winston finished the game without any interceptions.
NFL Odds & Futures
The Green Bay Packers have forced themselves into the Top 6 in the Super Bowl LIX market. They’ve pushed the Houston Texans out to $14 alongside the Philadelphia Eagles, who look like the next team that could sneak in.
Little has changed at the top of the market, but the Lions and 49ers have made noticeable moves, shortening from $8.50 and $9 to $7.50 and $8, respectively. Meanwhile, despite recording a convincing win, the Bills have drifted out from $10 to $11.
TOP 6 SUPER BOWL LIX ODDS
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| TEAM | CURRENT PRICE | LAST WEEK’S PRICE | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | $4.60 | $4.60 | |
| Baltimore Ravens | $6.50 | $6.50 | |
| Detroit Lions | $7.50 | $8.50 | |
| San Francisco 49ers | $8 | $9 | |
| Buffalo Bills | $11 | $10 | |
| Green Bay Packers | $12 | $- | |