Week eight was a fun and wild end to October. There are some surprising teams in first place while some playoff seasoned teams are getting worse. The first two months of the season were anything but dull. It’s time to break down the week eight winners and losers before Halloween.
Winners: De’Andre Hopkins
De’Andre Hopkins was the best wide receiver in the NFL from the late 2010s to 2020. Injuries lowered his production the last two years but he still has good games once in a while. Sunday was a reminder of how great he is when healthy.
Hopkins caught four passes for 128 yards and three touchdowns in a dominant Titans home win. Tennessee traded for the former All-Pro to make deep field plays and give other receivers favorable one-on-one matchups. While there’s still a lot of time for Hopkins, the receivers and quarterbacks to be on the same page every game, things worked out Sunday in a much needed victory.
New Orleans Saints offense
One of the biggest topics this season has been genuine confusion of New Orleans amassing a large number of yards every week but struggling to score. Leading up to Sunday’s game in Indianapolis, head coach Dennis Allen said, “It’s time for the offensive growing pains to be over.” The Saints had their highest scoring game of the season Sunday.
It almost got away from New Orleans in the second quarter, but quarterbacks Taysom Hill and Derek Carr led touchdown drives to give the Saints the lead at halftime. Second half scores from Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill cemented the Saints’ second double-digit win of the year.
New Orleans is tied for first in the NFC South and back to .500 after eight weeks. They have two more games before their bye week against opponents who struggle to score. If the Saints want to remain in the playoff and divisional title races, they have to replicate Sunday’s production.
A.J. Brown
Anyone who’s watched the NFL should agree Tennessee trading away number one receiver A.J. Brown to Philadelphia last season was one of the worst moves in franchise history. It’s also one of the biggest wins for Eagles general manager Howie Roseman. Brown isn’t just an elite receiver since the trade, he’s making league history.
No receiver in the NFL’s 104 years ever recorded six straight games of 125 receiving yards or more until Brown’s performance Sunday. His eight catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns helped Philadelphia complete their sweep of division rival Washington.
Many wide receivers don’t get MVP consideration but A.J. Brown should. Whenever he’s targeted or becomes the featured player in the Eagles offense, Philadelphia dominates their opponents. He’s averaging close to 16 yards a catch and is on pace for a 2,000 yard season after eight games. The Eagles have more playmakers on offense but no one is close to Brown’s level.
Gus Edwards
Speaking of potent offenses, the Ravens had one of the best this month. Baltimore’s dominant win last week was led by quarterback Lamar Jackson. Sunday it was with Gus Edwards.
Edwards became the first Raven runningback to score three touchdowns in a game since 2019. His four yards per carry guaranteed a Baltimore win on the road. He also has over 400 rushing yards after the first half of the season.
The Ravens needed a runningback who can take some of the workload and pressure off quarterback Lamar Jackson while staying healthy. Gus Edwards is a versatile player who makes defenses second guess what will happen next. As he improves, so should Baltimore’s offense.
Losers: Kirk Cousins
Quarterback Kirk Cousins has been under scrutiny almost his entire NFL career. Regardless of the original expectations, Cousins has made the most of his opportunities. Some of his best play has been this month getting Minnesota out of a winless start (that he was part of). Unfortunately for Cousins, his year is over after getting the Vikings’ back to .500 with their fourth win in the last five games.
Minnesota’s offense dominated the Packers defense. The Vikings were without star receiver Justin Jefferson, but you wouldn’t know it the way Cousins torched Green Bay for 274 yards, two touchdowns and a 122.2 passer rating.
Cousins tore his Achilles tendon at the start of the fourth quarter, instantly ending his rollercoaster season. While 2023 isn’t duplicating last year’s run, Minnesota’s offensive captain will continue to hear how average he is at best despite a fascinating career.
The Kansas City Chiefs offense without Eric Bieniemy
Many viewers are wondering why the defending Super Bowl champions look anemic on offense. There’s a belief that a lack of talent at the receiver position is the main issue. Take a deeper look. The offense is missing the creativity of former coordinator Eric Bieniemy since he left for Washington.
Kansas City’s performance was so bad even Sunday Night Football’s color commentator Cris Collinsworth remarked, “the Chiefs had more punts than points.” Their 15 game winning streak against the Broncos was snapped when Denver scored ten points in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs had no answer outside of three Harrison Butker field goals.
It’s fair to say Kansas City’s turnovers are the main reason they lost the game but it’s more than stats. Head coach Andy Reid said the team is making mistakes they haven’t made before. The Chiefs had won eight straight games when trailing after three quarters. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes II didn’t throw a touchdown for the first time in 29 games. Kansas City had multiple drives end because of turnovers or not making the right play to get a touchdown. While funny and basic to read, that’s what made the Chiefs dangerous with Bieniemy calling the plays. Kansas City was rarely out of a game because of their former coordinator’s creativity.
It might surprise people that after eight games, the Chiefs offense ranks third in passing yards, but has scored more than 30 points twice halfway through the season. At some point, the offensive coordinator has to provide solutions.
San Francisco 49ers
What makes the NFL so fun (and also maddening) is how things can change any given week. Everyone knew on October seventh San Francisco was the best and most complete team in the league. After Sunday, the 49ers could be in panic mode.
San Francisco lost their third straight game and like last Monday night, it wasn’t close. The alarming issue is how the offense and defense has regressed in two weeks. Quarterback Brock Purdy struggles to read the field and averages three turnovers in each of the last three games. Outside of the weekly Christian McCaffrey touchdown, the running game is non-existent.
There’s controversy on defense with coordinator Steve Wilks’ play-calling. Last Monday night Wilks called terrible blitz plays and had to apologize for it. On Sunday, the secondary was shredded by Bengals receivers Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd. Then there’s top pass rusher Nick Bosa, who held out for a contract extension in September. He has three and a half sacks in his last 13 games (regular and postseason). The nosedive on defense prompted a response from head coach Kyle Shanahan regarding how long he’ll stay in the weekly meetings.
The wildest part of the downturn is San Francisco’s drop out of first place. Seattle found a way to beat Cleveland (the team that delivered the 49ers’ first loss of the season) at home with a rising defense and balanced offense. Both teams play each other in three weeks but the Seahawks look like the most complete team in the division and have their issues figured out. No one expected that when October began.
The hype on Tyson Bagent
Most backup quarterbacks aren’t the face of the franchise because, well, they’re backups. However there are many Bears fans who somehow think and believe Tyson Bagent is better than starter Justin Fields. Sunday night was a reminder why Bagent has been the backup even when Fields struggles.
The Bears were blown out by the Chargers on Sunday night. While Justin Herbert had his best game of the season, Bagent struggled on all but two possessions. His 25 of 37 for 232 yards, two interceptions and 62 quarterback rating reassured viewers he is not the answer moving forward.
Starter Justin Fields is as good a passer as he is a runner. Bagent isn’t a runner or someone who likes to get hit while staying in the pocket. He did run a few times…for minus-one yard. While Bagent had a few starts for a brief NFL career, that will be it. At least he got to play some games.
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