Tag: NFL Week 8

Twitter reacts to Chargers’ 30-13 win over the Bears

Here is a look at some of the best social media posts to emerge from the Los Angeles Chargers’ 30-13 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 8.

NFL fans were treated to a game of the week featuring the 2-5 Chicago Bears and the 2-4 Los Angeles Chargers. Imagine waiting all day for Sunday night to feature two sub-.500 squads.

The Bears were riding the feel good story of undrafted rookie Tyler Bagent, who is filling in for presumptive face of the franchise Justin Fields. Coming off a win in his first career start, Bagent went 25-of-37 for 232 yards and two interceptions.

Justin Fields pulled the Chargers out of the dark place with three touchdowns as part of his 31-of-40 for 298 yards.

Twitter was replete with remarks throughout the contest. Here are among some of the best.

Saints show resolve, overcome 10-point deficit in rare comeback under Dennis Allen

The Saints showed some resolve, overcoming a 10-point deficit in a rare comeback under Dennis Allen. They were 1-8 in this situation going into Sunday’s game:

It’s easy to lose faith in the New Orleans Saints these days. Fans have seen their team collapse under adversity far too often in recent years — and Sunday’s game with the Indianapolis Colts was primed for another letdown.

Since Dennis Allen was named head coach, the Saints have fallen behind by 10 or more points in the second quarter in 10 of his 25 games, dating back to the start of the 2022 season. And they’ve lost 8 of those matchups. Sunday’s comeback win over the Colts was just the second time the Saints have rallied in these circumstances under Allen’s management of the team.

They finally showed some backbone. Look at the sequence in the second quarter after the Colts went up 17-7. The offense drove downfield on a long scoring drive capped by an electrifying Taysom Hill touchdown run (from 20 yards out!) and the defense responded by forcing a quick three-and-out. Rashid Shaheed put the offense in favorable position with a 14-yard punt return, and then he caught the long ball on a 58-yard touchdown pass to retake the lead. How’s that for some moxie?

It’s exactly what we haven’t seen enough of out of the Saints since Allen took over from Sean Payton. When going down by multiple scores like this, too often they’ve folded. But on Sunday the offense finally took what help the defense and special teams units was giving them to control the game. After taking that lead, they never gave it back.

This was arguably the best win of Allen’s tenure. Sure, he’s won blowouts over the miserable Las Vegas Raiders last year and New England Patriots earlier this season, but neither of those squads were competitive. This was a game against an opponent with a talented roster and competent coaching staff who were throwing everything they had at New Orleans.

And the Saints were finally able to weather that storm and leave the field without any doubts. Let’s hope it’s the start of a new trend for them.

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Kirk Cousins knew his Achilles injury was bad but still cheered for his Vikings teammates from the cart

Kirk Cousins knew his season was over but still kept a positive attitude.

The Minnesota Vikings crawled back to .500 on Sunday at Lambeau Field, but it came at a tremendous cost. Kirk Cousins, clear star quarterback for the Vikings, tore his Achilles during a 24-10 win over the Green Bay Packers and will miss the rest of the season. Barring some significant additions at the upcoming Halloween trade deadline, the Vikings now face an emergency situation that will likely determine the rest of their 2023 season.

After his injury occurred, Cousins almost certainly understood the severity of his injury and what his teammates would face in his absence. But Cousins didn’t let that reality come crashing down on him when he needed help off the field. Right after Cousins sat in the injury cart on the sideline, he looked up and cheered his Vikings teammates on to finish off their crucial win.

I’m almost in awe of the strength Cousins showed in this tough moment:

Folks, this was a good lesson for all of us. Cousins showed us what it means to stay positive despite a worst-case scenario. Cousins is a pending unrestricted free agent this coming offseason. There is a distinct possibility this was his last moment as a Viking.

If that ends up being the case, he went out like a great leader.

Saints suddenly tied with the Falcons for first place in the NFC South

Don’t look now, but the New Orleans Saints are suddenly tied with the Atlanta Falcons for first place in the NFC South after Week 8’s games:

Don’t look now, but the New Orleans Saints are suddenly tied with the Atlanta Falcons for first place in the NFC South after Week 8’s games. The Saints won their matchup with the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday while the Falcons came up short to the Will Levis-led Tennessee Titans — following a loss by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier in the week.

Even the Carolina Panthers found a way to win and end their six-game losing streak. Here’s a look at the updated NFC South standings going into Week 9:

Best reactions after Bengals stun 49ers, win third straight game

Best reactions after Bengals vs. 49ers in Week 8.

The Cincinnati Bengals created a groundswell of positive reactions from fans in the opening quarter of the team’s Week 8 game against the San Francisco 49ers.

That only continued throughout the course of a 31-17 win.

In the first quarter alone, Joe Burrow and Co. erupted for 14 points, which was far and away their best showing of the season coming off a bye. It seemed to confirm the idea that the bye week would help produce the best possible offense for the team.

Of course, things are never so simple and the game was anything but easy despite the fast start.

Here’s a look at the best reactions from right after the game went final.

Instant analysis after Bengals win third straight, taking down 49ers

Instant analysis after Bengals vs. 49ers in Week 8.

The Cincinnati Bengals exploded out of the gates against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, looking offensively like the team that was promised before Joe Burrow’s injury.

And it was a sign of things to come for Burrow, leading to a 31-17 Bengals win.

The Bengals left plenty of points on the board in the process, missing a field goal and fumbling away the ball in the red zone in the first half. That was a dangerous way to live after entering the game at 3-3 after a bye week.

Here’s a look at some must-know stats, notes and details from right after the game went final.

Will Levis passionately defended teammate Malik Willis after Titans fans booed him

Will Levis is a fantastic teammate and leader.

In his first career NFL start, Will Levis dazzled.

No one knew what to expect from the rookie quarterback, and he ended up surprising everyone — including his family — with a four-touchdown performance to help the Tennessee Titans beat the Atlanta Falcons 28-23. (He even opened the door to an awesome DeAndre Hopkins quote.)

But even though Levis shined, his backup and second-year Titans quarterback Malik Willis still received occasional snaps in a competition. With Tennessee playing at home, this led to a lot of strange booing of Willis by his team’s own fans. In his postgame press conference, Levis made sure to highlight this discrepancy, crediting Willis for helping him and the offense prepare. What’s more, he asked Titans fans to “treat him [Willis] correctly” next time.

Phew. Now that’s a great teammate:

Levis was under no obligation to stump for Willis. But even after the best performance of his young pro football career, he stood up for his teammate and friend. That is him showing off some remarkable character and leadership.

Bryce Young was so hyped after the Panthers’ first win and NFL fans thought it was because of C.J. Stroud

Sunday’s win seemed extra satisfying for Bryce Young.

Bryce Young has endured a lot of adversity in his first NFL season. For large portions, his Carolina Panthers have resembled the arguably worst team in the league. (Frank Reich also hasn’t done his players many favors.) Meanwhile, the quarterback drafted right after him, C.J. Stroud, has looked like a legitimate franchise quarterback elevating the Houston Texans more than the sum of their parts every single week.

With the Panthers playing the Texans on Sunday, Young had his opportunity to show there’s still so much to decide between him and his childhood friend. I’d say he did rather well, considering the circumstances. Young showed out in a 235-yard, one-touchdown performance where he also led Carolina to a game-winning field goal in the closing moments. Not only were the formerly winless Panthers now on the board, Young did it by beating Stroud head-to-head.

In a video courtesy of the Panthers’ video team, it seemed apparent that getting his first career win at Stroud’s expense meant a lot to the young Carolina quarterback.

To be fair, who wouldn’t have the same reaction?

(Warning: NSFW language in the video below)

Young and Stroud have only just begun their careers. Even with Stroud holding early pole position, Sunday showed us that Young might make this a neck-and-neck race just yet.

Joe Burrow showed his calf was fully healthy by breaking four 49ers tackles on absurd scramble pass

A healthy Joe Burrow is SCARY!

The Cincinnati Bengals’ first six weeks of the 2023 season were unfortunately defined by one thing — the health of Joe Burrow’s calf. Frankly, with how ineffective a relatively immobile Burrow was, the Bengals were lucky to even sit at 3-3 before a well-timed bye.

Well, it seems that rest was just what the doctor ordered for Burrow and the Bengals. After two weeks without games, a clearly fully healthy Burrow was absolutely sparkling against the San Francisco 49ers’ vicious defense on Sunday. He resembled the special Burrow everyone remembered from the first three years of his NFL career, who helped lead Cincinnati to back-to-back AFC title game appearances.

If there were any remaining questions about Burrow’s formerly ailing calf, he answered them by breaking multiple 49ers tackles inside the pocket before launching a third-and-long dime to Tee Higgins.

Oh my goodness. Yeah, I’d say that calf isn’t bothering him anymore.

Burrow was so dialed in against San Francisco that he completed his first 19 passes — a career-high thus far — and seemed generally unflappable against one of the NFL’s top teams. Burrow looking like an elite quarterback again is great news for the Bengals and awful news for everyone else in the AFC.

Patriots Twitter growing restless after 31-17 loss to Dolphins

Frustrations are boiling over for Patriots fans after the team suffered its sixth regular season loss on Sunday.

The New England Patriots lost to the Miami Dolphins by a 31-17 score on Sunday.

It was a tough day for the Patriots defense, especially with Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa throwing for 324 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill also had a big day with eight catches for 112 yards and one touchdown.

There were some positives in the game.

Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne caught three passes for 36 yards and a touchdown prior to his injury, and safety Kyle Dugger had a strong showing, including snagging an interception on Tagovailoa.

On offense, the Patriots showed some fight late, but they faced many of the same issues with Mac Jones turning the ball over behind a struggling offensive line with limited offensive weapons.

Fans had varied emotions on Twitter, following the loss, as the Patriots dropped to 2-6 on the season.