Tag: Week 8

AFC East roundup: What happened in the division in Week 8

AFC East roundup: What happened in the division in Week 8

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Seattle Seahawks in Week 8 by a score of 31-10. With the win, the Bills remain atop the AFC East with a record of 6-2.

Like Buffalo, the rest of the AFC East was in action. How did each fare last week, and how does the division stack up right now?

Here is a quick recap of what went down in Week 8 with the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, and New England Patriots:

Miami Dolphins

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The good news for the Dolphins is that quarterback Tua Tagovailoa returned to action in Week 8. The bad news is that it wasn’t enough to fend off a streaky Arizona Cardinals team. The Dolphins lost a heartbreaker at home, 28-27.

Tagovailoa had been out since Week 2 when he suffered his latest concussion. He looked pretty good in his return and Miami looked like a competitive ball club again. They scored 27 points after they went the previous four games without scoring more than 15 points.

The Dolphins are now 2-5 on the year and have to travel to Buffalo in Week 9.

New York Jets

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The Jets lost to the Patriots on the road in Week 8, 25-22. It’s been a rough stretch of football for the Jets. They have now lost five in a row after starting the year 2-1.

Trading for wide receiver Davante Adams and firing head coach Robert Saleh was New York’s best attempt at turning things around. It hasn’t worked yet. With the new faces, they’ve lost their last two.

The Jets are now 2-6 and are backed up to the ledge of their 2024 season. They need to go on a historic run to not fall off the cliff. They will host the 6-2 Houston Texans in Week 9.

New England Patriots

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The Patriots had a great day at Gillette Stadium in Week 8. They beat the Jets on a rushing touchdown from Rhamondre Stevenson with just 22 seconds left.

Unfortunately, rookie quarterback Drake Maye was forced to leave the game due to a concussion. Veteran Jacoby Brissett took over early in the second quarter and led the offense to victory.

With the win, the Patriots improve to 2-6. Maye’s health will be something to monitor as he navigates through concussion protocol this week. His status is up in the air for Week 9 when the Patriots will head to Tennessee to face the 1-6 Titans.

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One more time: Big-man interception comes at crucial time for the Bills

One more time: Big-man interception comes at crucial time for the Bills

Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Austin Johnson made a heck of a play in his team’s Week 8 win against the Seattle Seahawks, and it’s worth a second look.

If you were in attendance at Lumen Field on Sunday or watching along on television, you got to see a play that is one of the better joys in football: the big-man interception.

It’s not every week you get to it. It’s right up there with the big-man touchdown and probably falls just behind the rare big-man kick return.

The interception from the 6-4, 313-pounder also came at a crucial time in the game for the Bills.

The Seahawks were driving in Bills territory early in the second half, trying to make it a one-score game. The turnover stalled the Seahawks’ momentum, but even better for the Bills, they went on a touchdown drive directly after it.

Before moving on to Week 9, take one more look at the game-changing play from Johnson in Buffalo’s 31-10 win:

For the first time since a Christmas meltdown, CBS gives Broncos their top TV crew

For the first time since their Christmas meltdown against the Rams in 2022, the Broncos will have a game called by Jim Nantz and Tony Romo.

The Baltimore Ravens (5-3) are set to host the Denver Broncos (5-3) in Week 9 of the 2024 NFL season in a game that will have big playoff implications in the AFC on Sunday. Consequently, CBS is treating the matchup as a big game.

CBS has assigned its No. 1 commentary crew of Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Tony Romo (analyst) and Tracy Wolfson (sideline reporter) to the Broncos-Ravens game in Baltimore.

The last time CBS assigned this crew to a Denver game was Christmas Day in 2022 when the Los Angeles Rams dominated the Broncos 51-14. That was one of three Christmas Day games that season — most of the NFL’s other matchups that week were played on Saturday.

As Andrew Mason of DenverSports.com pointed out on Twitter this week, the last typical Sunday game featuring the Broncos with the No. 1 crew from CBS happened five years ago in 2019.

Playing on the road, Denver is considered a big underdog this week. Broncos fans will hope the game doesn’t bring back memories of the team’s Christmas calamity two years ago.

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PFF: Highest-graded Bills players on defense vs. the Seahawks

PFF: Highest-graded Bills players on defense vs. the Seahawks

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Seattle Seahawks on the road in Week 8, 31-10.

Statistics might help determine who played well or not, and so may the eye test. But, let’s take it a step further with some help from the analytics folks at Pro Football Focus.

Using PFF grades from Week 8, here are the five highest-graded players from the Bills (6-2) defense against the Seahawks (4-4).

PFF grade: 74.6.

PFF grade: 75.7.

PFF grade: 77.4.

PFF grade: 82.2.

PFF grade: 86.3.

PFF: Lowest-graded Bills players on defense vs. the Seahawks

PFF: Lowest-graded Bills players on defense vs. the Seahawks

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Seattle Seahawks on the road in Week 8, 31-10.

Statistics might help determine who played well or not, and so may the eye test. But, let’s take it a step further with some help from the analytics folks at Pro Football Focus.

Using PFF grades from Week 8, here are the five lowest-graded players from the Bills (6-2) defense against the Seahawks (4-4).

PFF grade: 60.9.

PFF grade: 57.7.

PFF grade: 53.8.

PFF grade: 46.4.

PFF grade: 28.6.

Broncos are 2nd in division, AFC’s 5th seed after Week 8

If the season ended today, the Broncos would be one of the AFC’s Wild Card seeds in the NFL playoffs.

Eight weeks into the 2024 NFL season, the Denver Broncos are 5-3.

That’s good enough for second place in the AFC West, behind the Kansas City Chiefs (7-0) but above the Los Angeles Chargers (4-3) and Las Vegas Raiders (2-6). Denver has one game each remaining against the Chargers and Raiders and two games remaining against the Chiefs.

The Broncos might not be able to catch KC in the division, but Denver is currently on pace for a Wild Card seed in the AFC.

Each conference sends seven teams to the NFL playoffs each year — four division winners and three Wild Card teams. Right now, the Broncos are currently the fifth seed in the AFC.

AFC playoff picture after Week 8

  1. Kansas City Chiefs (7-0)
  2. Houston Texans (6-2)
  3. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
  4. Buffalo Bills (6-2)
  5. Denver Broncos (5-3)
  6. Baltimore Ravens (5-3)
  7. Los Angeles Chargers (4-3)

Denver’s road game against the Ravens this week will have huge playoff implications. One week later, the Broncos will travel to Kansas City. The next two weeks could reveal if Denver is a contender or pretender in 2024.

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PFF: Fan-favorite LB earned Chiefs’ highest grade in Week 8 win vs. Raiders

According to Pro Football Focus, veteran LB Drue Tranquill was the #Chiefs’ highest-graded player in Kansas City’s Week 8 win over the Las Vegas #Raiders.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ undefeated season remains intact after the defending Super Bowl champions defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 27-20 on Sunday.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense put together a convincing performance, totaling over 300 yards and dominating the time of possession, which kept Gardner Minshew and the Raiders’ offense off the field.

However, it was Kansas City’s defense that stole the show in the victory, and the performance of one Chiefs linebacker in particular caught the attention of the experts at Pro Football Focus.

On Monday, PFF released its list of the highest-graded players from the Chiefs’ win over Las Vegas, and veteran Drue Tranquill led Kansas City with a mark of 85.3, which barely beat out Mahomes.

https://twitter.com/PFF_Chiefs/status/1850963216697905538

The Chiefs’ addition of pass rusher Joshua Uche in a trade with the New England Patriots on Monday is sure to provide a shot in the arm for Tranquill and Kansas City’s already dominant defense.

Pittsburgh ranks fourth-best in point differential through 8 weeks

The 2024 Pittsburgh Steelers are looking like one of the best teams in the NFL, boasting the fourth-best point differential through 8 weeks.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ red-hot start continues to pick up steam. Not only does the AFC North currently run through the Steel City, but the team is also competing with the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs for the top spot in the AFC conference. 

While the 6-2 Steelers are tied with the 6-2 Bills, and just one and a half games behind Kansas City, Pittsburgh actually holds the second-best point differential in the AFC and the fourth-best among all 32 NFL teams. 

So far in 2024, through eight weeks of football, the Steelers have scored 187 points while allowing only 119 points against them. This point differential of 68 trails only the NFC’s Washington Commanders with 69, the AFC’s Buffalo Bills with 84, and the NFC’s Detroit Lions with a staggering 100-point differential. 

Pittsburgh’s differential shows the NFL world that their balanced strength on both sides of the ball is not to be underestimated. With the trade deadline approaching, the Steelers would be wise to strengthen their roster further and prepare for a potentially deep playoff run. 

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Should Pittsburgh target an offensive lineman at the trade deadline? 

Poor penalty management by Steelers’ RT Broderick Jones, and injuries to the offensive line may need to be solved via trade by the deadline.

It is truly miraculous how the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to win games given how injured their offensive line is. In Week 8, the Steelers were missing three starting offensive linemen, with two out for the entirety of the regular season. The interior depth on the o-line has been great, but the tackle position may need an upgrade before the upcoming trade deadline on November 5th. 

LT Dan Moore Jr., whose play has been outstanding this season, was banged up and had to sit out one play late in Week 8’s contest. Backup offensive lineman Spencer Anderson replaced him and immediately allowed QB Russell Wilson to get sacked. 

RT Broderick Jones continues to commit penalties that kill offensive momentum, and while it is probably time for HC Mike Tomlin to bench him, there is truly no quality starter who could take his place. 

Offensive tackle trade targets such as Cam Robinson, Andrus Peat, or Walker Little could help alleviate the injury woes. This team looks primed to make a deep playoff run, but they’ll first need to address depth issues on the offensive side of the football. 

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Did Pittsburgh find their WR2 in Week 8’s victory over the NY Giants?

Calvin Austin stepped up in a major way for the Steelers in their Week 8 victory—potentially solidifying his position as the team’s WR2.

In the past decade, most, if not all, of the Steelers’ top receivers started out as dynamic punt returners. Steelers receivers such as Antonio Brown, Juju Smith-Schuster, and Diontae Johnson all were incredibly successful as punt returners, eventually blossoming into phenomenal receivers for Pittsburgh. One receiver from Week 8 seemingly had his career breakout game and turning point, as WR Calvin Austin electrified both the New York Giants’ secondary and special teams unit. 

In the third quarter of his team’s contest, with the score tied 9-9, Austin knew he needed to make a splash play. He proceeded to step up when the team needed him most, returning a punt 73 yards for a touchdown. He further solidified his position as WR2 when he caught a 29-yard TD reception from QB Russell Wilson, his second touchdown of the night. 

Much speculation and trade rumors have been made over the Steelers necessity of an elite-caliber receiver opposite WR1 George Pickens, but scoring twice on the night and accumulating 54 receiving yards on just three receptions should prove why Austin is the WR2 Pittsburgh has been looking for. 

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