Recap of the NFL’s week 8
NFL Week 8 Spooky Sunday Recap: NFC South classic in Atlanta, Commanders win streak stays alive, Raiders devastating loss in N.O., Niners win big as CMC goes for the triple crown in LA
As we reach the end of October, the stakes only become higher in each regular season game, especially for the organizations looking to bounce back and fight for their playoff hopes. Yet, on the other hand, week eight exhibited plenty of performances from teams solidifying their identity as powerhouses amongst the best in the league. While this roller coaster of an NFL season continues, we will take a step back and examine the eye-popping results of week eight.
‘Tampa Tom’ and his Buccaneers are experiencing much adversity falling to a shocking record of three wins and five losses closing out week eight after receiving a Thursday night primetime loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Tampa’s loss gave the opportunity for Sunday’s divisional rivalry game in the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons to become in even more interesting. The winner of this bout would take first place in the NFC East and these stipulations translated into the emotional play on the field. Although it seemed Carolina was beginning a ‘rebuild’ process by trading their all-pro franchise running back in Christian Mccaffery to the San Francsico 49ers, the Panthers are still out to make a statement.
Carolina’s win over the Buccs last week led by new exciting quarterback P.J. Walker, continued his success into week eight by putting on a vertical show in Atlanta, even putting them in position to win the game with a beautiful sixty two yard ‘Hail Mary’ to wide receiver D.J. Moore which tied the game and ultimately should have won them the game yet Moore’s post touchdown celebration pushed the extra point field goal back making the kick too difficult to make sending the game to overtime. Atlanta quarterback Marcus Mariota was able to seal the victory in overtime by using his enate pocket presence and mobility to bring the Falcons to the top of the NFC East.
This back-and-forth bout was one for the ages as both teams will remember the high stakes and drama throughout this Sunday classic. We all know Brady will have something to say about the overachieving Falcons’ success but do not count out the young and gritty Carolina Panthers to make noise in the division as the season goes on.
The NFC has surprisingly been the best division in football this season. After numerous seasons of bad competition in the NFC East it has finally become a powerhouse division and one many can’t keep their eyes off. Although the second-place Giants received a tough loss to the Geno Smith led Seattle Seahawks, the hot Washington Commanders, defensive stout Dallas Cowboys, and undefeated Philadelphia Eagles all handled business Sunday keeping up with their rivals in their division.
Making the decision to start quarterback Taylor Henicke continues to work as Heinicke led his Commanders to a huge third straight victory on the road against the Indianapolis Colts. Henicke’s passion for the game intertwines with his ability to make something out of nothing when the play is dead, he continues to make something happen. Whether it’s the pocket collapsing on him or every man downfield draped with defenders, Heinicke will find a way.
It helps when you have receivers Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel catching balls for you. These two receivers are extremely good at high pointing jump balls or 50-50 balls. Heinicke knowing his teammates well allows him to make passes to these guys even when it seems they’re not open. One of these exact throws came at the end of the fourth quarter when Washington was down by just six. Heinicke and McLaurin’s relationship came in clutch as Heinicke trusted McLaurin with a jump ball pass with all pro cornerback Stephon Gillmore ready to defend it. McLaurin was able to high point the ball and rip the ball out of the hands of Gillmore landing him on the one-yard line. A play later Heinicke would sneak into the endzone and adding the extra point put the game out of reach for Indianapolis.
Winning on the road in a loud and hostile Lucas Oil Stadium was a statement win and put the rest of the division on notice that the Commanders are a force to be reckoned with. Coach Ron Rivera continues to make the right decisions to put his team in the best position to win, which is no surprise to anyone as Rivera has proved his excellency in the past with the Carolina Panthers. Washington still has plenty of work to do if they want to catch up with the top of their division but after seeing what the resiliency on Sunday it will be hard to stay peeled to the Commanders underdog season.
Going into week eight the Las Vegas Raiders looked to continue their momentum coming off a dominant win over the Houston Texans. Traveling to New Orleans to face the Saints seemed like a feasible to begin a winning streak as the Saints have had their own struggles with a record of two and five and veteran quarterback Andy Dalton at the helm who has not played his best football over the past few years. The Raiders were met with the awakening of all-pro running back, Alvin Kamara. Kamara’s slow start to the season ended Sunday as he went on to score three touchdowns and lead New Orleans to a shutout over the Raiders.
The underachieving Las Vegas offense only became worse in the Superdome as the Raiders were shutout and future hall of fame wide receiver Davante Adams only came up with one catch for three yards. This shutout was the first in fourteen seasons for the Raiders franchise and it came with much disappointment. After seeing the Raiders stomp over the Texans using not only the pass but utilizing their lethal running game with halfback Josh Jacobs, it felt like they were beginning to find themselves under the new coaching regime of Josh McDaniels. This catastrophic loss for the Raiders makes their record two wins and five losses on the season which very well puts McDaniels on the hot seat.
Many believed after McDaniels unsuccessful head coaching stint in Denver went horribly that he would correct the mistakes of his past by leading the Raiders to new heights. Now many Raiders’ faithful might be wondering when enough is enough for the newly hired coach. Time will only tell as the Raiders schedule does work in their favor but after that performance it will be very difficult to anticipate which Raiders team will come to play.
One of the biggest rivalries that has been reincarnated since the Rams rejoined the NFC West comes within the organizations of the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams. This rivalry made for a special game when these two collided in this week 8 battle. The reigning super bowl champs were favorites to win in their own house of Sofi Stadium, yet they were pleasantly surprised by a wave of red jerseys, some of them with the name McCaffery on the back.
Running back Christian Mccaffery let all 49ers fans know why he was traded for and put on a show for ages by passing for a touchdown, receiving a pass for a touchdown, and lastly rushing into the endzone completing the triple crown which has become a rare achievement in the NFL. The great Ladanian Tomilson was the last running back to do it in an NFL game back in 2005 over seventeen years ago. McCaffery’s breakout game in the red and gold propelled the niners to their eighth straight regular season victory to the Rams.
Without elite wide receiver Deebo Samuel it was imperative for receiver Brandon Aiyuk and tight end George Kittle help quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, pass the ball effectively under the pressure of the fearful dominant lineman, Aaron Donald. Aiyuk and Kittle did their jobs by each catching a touchdown and finding ways to get open against defensive back Jalen Ramsey and his elite Rams defense.
This win over Los Angeles not only gave San Francisco fans bragging rights for their West Coast rivals but also boosted their morale and showed the NFL that with the addition of Mccaffery this niners team is ready to compete for a Super Bowl.
Week nine’s stakes will only get higher as teams are in panic mode and ready to save their seasons before it is too late. Expect a week of surprising wins, emotional losses and catastrophic landslide changes to the landscape of the NFL and who us fans perceive as contenders and non-contenders. Stay posted with all NFL news and recaps here at spotlifeasia.com.
