{"id":3979,"date":"2023-10-31T00:17:42","date_gmt":"2023-10-31T04:17:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/what-we-learned-in-nfl-week-8-feed-tyreek-hill-and-a-j-brown-jets-in-playoff-hunt\/31\/10\/2023\/"},"modified":"2023-10-31T00:17:42","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T04:17:42","slug":"what-we-learned-in-nfl-week-8-feed-tyreek-hill-and-a-j-brown-jets-in-playoff-hunt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/what-we-learned-in-nfl-week-8-feed-tyreek-hill-and-a-j-brown-jets-in-playoff-hunt\/31\/10\/2023\/","title":{"rendered":"What we learned in NFL Week 8: Feed Tyreek Hill and A.J. Brown; Jets in playoff hunt?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n<\/p>\n

\n

Once 5-0 and looking utterly unbeatable, the San Francisco 49ers<\/a> have suddenly dropped three in a row.<\/p>\n

Once 1-3, looking dismal and disjointed, Joe Burrow<\/a> and the Bengals<\/a> suddenly look like \u2026 Joe Burrow and the Bengals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t use that word unbelievable anymore,\u201d Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor said after his quarterback\u2019s three-touchdown day in a convincing 31-17 win<\/a> in San Francisco.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause that\u2019s what you come to expect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Just not in September, apparently.<\/p>\n

The Green Bay Packers<\/a> still can\u2019t find a way to score in the first half \u2014 nine points combined<\/em> in their last five \u2014 and have now lost four in a row<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMyself, it\u2019s too bumpy right now,\u201d Jordan Love<\/a> said. \u201cI need to find consistency in my play.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Minnesota Vikings<\/a>, winners of three in a row after Sunday\u2019s win against Love and the Packers, fear they\u2019ve lost Kirk Cousins for the season<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And for the first time since Peyton Manning was their quarterback \u2014 way back in 2015 \u2014 the Denver Broncos<\/a> beat the Chiefs<\/a>, snapping Kansas City\u2019s 16-game streak in the series<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On a sloppy Sunday across the NFL<\/a> that featured the likes of Brett Rypien<\/a>, Tommy DeVito<\/a>, Taylor Heinicke<\/a>, Mitch Trubisky<\/a> and Tyson Bagent<\/a> stepping in at quarterback for their respective teams \u2014 spoiler: none left with a victory \u2014 Burrow\u2019s statement in the Bay Area was the most resounding.<\/p>\n

The calf injury? History.<\/p>\n

Burrow? Back in MVP form.<\/p>\n

The Bengals? Contenders once more.<\/p>\n

Burrow finished with just four incompletions against the once-vaunted 49ers defense, a unit that\u2019s allowed 852 combined yards in their last two losses, to the Vikings and Bengals. Burrow carved up San Francisco\u2019s zone most of the afternoon, then when the 49ers switched into man, found his favorite target, Ja\u2019Marr Chase<\/a>, in the end zone for a decisive third-quarter touchdown. It was vintage Burrow and vintage Bengals \u2014 brutally efficient, always armed with an answer \u2014 and it unquestionably puts them back in the conversation in the AFC.<\/p>\n

As for the 49ers, Brock Purdy<\/a> threw two second-half interceptions and has now lost three straight after winning the first 10 regular-season starts of his career. His teammates had his back afterward.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the reason why we have a chance to win games,\u201d linebacker Fred Warner<\/a> said of Purdy, saying the defense was to blame for the team\u2019s recent skid. Up next: a much-welcomed bye.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what else stood out from Week 8:<\/p>\n

Give them the ball, see what happens<\/strong><\/h2>\n

All this talk about how offenses are struggling this season, about how scoring has dipped, about how quarterbacks \u2014 with rare exception \u2014 haven\u2019t been as prolific as recent years.<\/p>\n

While plenty of that\u2019s true, so is this: The league\u2019s best wide receivers haven\u2019t slowed down.<\/p>\n

Not Sunday. Not for most of this season. In Miami, Tyreek Hill<\/a> has already eclipsed 1,000 yards just eight games in, becoming the first player in NFL history to do so. The Dolphins<\/a> completed a season sweep of the Patriots<\/a>, winning 31-17 in Miami.<\/p>\n

Hill has been unstoppable for most of his career, including his first six seasons in Kansas City. But by his own admission, he\u2019s never looked this <\/em>good.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am light years ahead of where I was then,\u201d Hill said Sunday, when asked about his Chiefs days.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll face his former team for the first time next week in Germany.<\/p>\n

\n

NFL receiving leaders<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Receiver<\/span><\/th>\nGm.<\/span><\/th>\nCatches<\/span><\/th>\nTgt.<\/span><\/th>\nYds\/Rec<\/span><\/th>\nTDs<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
\n\n

8<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

61<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

87<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1,014<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

8<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n\n

8<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

60<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

83<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

939<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

5<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n\n

8<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

61<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

89<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

795<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n\n

8<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

64<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

90<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

748<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

6<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n\n

7<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

60<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

85<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

656<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

4<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div><\/div>\n

In Washington, Philadelphia<\/a>\u2019s A.J. Brown<\/a> became the first player in league history with 125 receiving yards in six consecutive games. The Eagles (a league-best 7-1) completed a season sweep of the Commanders<\/a> with a 38-31 win.<\/p>\n

And in Dallas, CeeDee Lamb<\/a> erupted for nine catches, 122 yards and two touchdowns \u2014 all before halftime. \u201cGive me the ball and see what happens,\u201d Lamb said recently<\/a>. The Rams found out Sunday what that looks like. Lamb was lethal. The Cowboys kept feeding him. And before the Rams<\/a> could blink, the score was 33-3.<\/p>\n

The Cowboys<\/a> (5-2) finished it off 43-20, their fourth win by 20 or more points this season.<\/p>\n

On a Sunday that saw a stunning number of backup QBs take the field, the league\u2019s true cream-of-the-crop receivers reminded everyone of their worth.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, there\u2019s simply no answer for them.<\/p>\n

Did the Titans<\/a> just find their quarterback?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s always too soon, too impulsive, to make any sort of a bold proclamation after a single game.<\/p>\n

But one start into Will Levis\u2019 career in Tennessee, it\u2019s hard not to think the Titans may have found their next quarterback.<\/p>\n

For a 2-4 team floundering in a bit of a no man\u2019s land this season \u2014 new general manager Ran Carthon had to tell Derrick Henry<\/a> they weren\u2019t trading him before Tuesday\u2019s deadline, despite inquiries from other teams \u2014 the Titans needed to see something from either Levis or second-year QB Malik Willis<\/a>, who struggled mightily last season as a rookie.<\/p>\n

Put simply, with Ryan Tannehill<\/a> out, they needed either Levis or Willis to grab ahold of the starting job.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, Levis did<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The second-round pick, who famously tumbled in last spring\u2019s draft, made his NFL debut against the Falcons<\/a>, and all he did was throw for more touchdowns (four) than Tannehill, the Titans\u2019 veteran starter, had all season (two). Levis strutted his monster arm, hitting DeAndre Hopkins<\/a> for three scores, including one for 47 yards and another for 61.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe plays the game like he\u2019s been here before,\u201d Hopkins said of his rookie quarterback.<\/p>\n

Thanks to Levis and Hopkins, the Titans moved to 3-4 with a 28-23 victory against Atlanta. Levis shared snaps with Willis, but Willis never attempted a pass, used only in rushing situations. And thanks to Levis\u2019 sterling debut \u2014 he finished 19-for-29 for 238 yards, four TDs and a 130.5 passer rating \u2014 there\u2019s little question which of the two QBs the Titans will turn to moving forward.<\/p>\n

If Levis continues on this trajectory, and Anthony Richardson<\/a> returns to the form he flashed early this season in Indianapolis, the AFC South figures to be a lot of fun in the coming years. All four teams, including Jacksonville<\/a> (Trevor Lawrence<\/a>) and Houston<\/a> (C.J. Stroud<\/a>), look like they have capable franchise quarterbacks in place for years to come.<\/p>\n

Hope, in Carolina.<\/p>\n

Fleeting as it might be, it\u2019s something.<\/p>\n

And this franchise needed it.<\/p>\n

After six consecutive losses to open the year, questions about their decision at the top of last spring\u2019s draft and a sudden switch in offensive play-caller \u2014 coach Frank Reich passing duties off to his offensive coordinator, Thomas Brown \u2014 the Panthers needed something to go right. Anything, really.<\/p>\n

Enough did Sunday.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n Thanks to a winning drive led by Bryce Young on Sunday, the NFL will have no winless teams this season. (Bob Donnan \/ USA Today)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In a game featuring the top three picks from the most recent draft \u2014 the first time that\u2019s ever happened in NFL history \u2014 Bryce Young<\/a> earned his first win as an NFL starter, helping the Panthers to a 15-13 win against Stroud, Will Anderson Jr.<\/a> and the Texans. It avoided a 0-7 start for Carolina, which would have been the franchise\u2019s worst dating back to 1998.<\/p>\n

Young led a 15-play, 58-yard drive<\/a> across the game\u2019s final 6:17 to set up Eddy Pineiro<\/a>\u2019s 22-yard, game-winning field goal. And with that, every team in the NFL has at least one win this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cDown one, go out and try to take the game, what else would you hope for?\u201d Young said later.<\/p>\n

The Panthers remain thin on talent, especially at the offensive skill positions, but no team wants to enter November without a victory.<\/p>\n

Are the Jets<\/a> really in the early AFC playoff race? (Yes)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t ask you how, they ask how many,\u201d Jets coach Robert Saleh said after this one, aptly summing up the offensively challenged battle of New York his team somehow eked out in overtime<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Saleh\u2019s right. Forget the details. Toss out the box score. When your star quarterback, who also happens to be a Hall-of-Famer-in-waiting, is lost four snaps into the season, you don\u2019t apologize for the wins that follow.<\/p>\n

Four in their first seven, including three in a row?<\/p>\n

Doesn\u2019t matter how you get them. Doesn\u2019t matter what they look like. Doesn\u2019t matter if the game featured just four third-down conversions (in 34 attempts) and 24 punts.<\/p>\n

Now, the Jets remain a flawed team, Zach Wilson<\/a> a flawed quarterback, but there\u2019s something to be said for a group that keeps scraping out ugly victories despite stunningly long stretches of offensive inadequacy. (Breece Hall<\/a>\u2019s 50-yard catch-and-run score in the first quarter Sunday was the Jets\u2019 first first-quarter touchdown of the season.)<\/p>\n

After losing three in a row after Aaron Rodgers<\/a> went down, the Jets (4-3) have ripped off three in a row and are \u2014 surprise \u2014 very much in the AFC playoff hunt as the calendar flips to November.<\/p>\n

Honestly, who had the Jets above .500 at any point after Halloween?<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t even know what happened,\u201d cornerback Sauce Gardner<\/a> said after the win, admitting that he thought the game was lost. But Giants<\/a> kicker Graham Gano<\/a> missed two field goals, including a 35-yarder with 28 seconds left that would have clinched the win. Two 29-yard completions from Wilson were enough to get the Jets in field-goal range.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also pretty impressive the Giants nearly won a game throwing for a grand total of minus-9 passing yards. After Tyrod Taylor<\/a> exited the game in the first half, DeVito, a New Jersey native, took his place but ended up attempting just seven passes, finishing with minus-1 passing yard.<\/p>\n

Jaguars are heating up<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Jaguars have quietly become one of the hottest teams in football. While Jacksonville certainly entered the season with heightened expectations after last season\u2019s playoff run, it stumbled early this year, falling to 1-2 after a humiliating 37-17 Week 3 loss at home to the Texans.<\/p>\n

Then the Jags went to London for two weeks and found something.<\/p>\n

The results since: five consecutive wins, leaving them at 6-2 heading into the bye week with a juicy matchup when they return, at home versus the 49ers. On Sunday, the Jags stopped the Steelers\u2019<\/a> win streak, beating Pittsburgh 20-10 behind 292 passing yards from Lawrence and 149 all-purpose yards from Travis Etienne, whose 56-yard catch-and-run touchdown in the third quarter was the longest play of the day for either side.<\/p>\n

Dating back to last year\u2019s late-season run, the Jags have won 11 of their last 13 regular-season games.<\/p>\n

Ramsey returns, and the Dolphins keep rolling<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Ninety-four days after Jalen Ramsey<\/a> injured his meniscus \u2014 this was the second day of training camp, and initial reports suggested he might be out until December \u2014 the six-time Pro Bowl cornerback made his Dolphins debut two days shy of Halloween.<\/p>\n

He made his presence felt immediately, baiting Patriots quarterback Mac Jones<\/a> into an interception just before the half that Ramsey returned 49 yards. It led to a field goal in the Dolphins\u2019 win, their sixth in seven tries against their division rival.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe totally disappointed me,\u201d Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel joked postgame. \u201cHe told me he was going to come back and have a pick six, not a pick field goal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hype is real when it comes to someone like Jalen Ramsey,\u201d Miami QB Tua Tagovailoa<\/a> said.<\/p>\n

With the win, the Dolphins completed a season sweep of the Patriots and improved to 6-2, their best start to a season since 2001.<\/p>\n

(Top photo of A.J. Brown: Patrick Smith \/ Getty Images)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n