NFL Week 8 proved to be one where the real contenders separated themselves from the pretenders. No team is as hot as the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints. See below for what happened in the Eagles’ and Saints’ games respectively. Also read about every other NFL Week 8 contest.
2017 NFL Week 8 Recap
Miami Dolphins +3.5 at Baltimore Ravens -3.5
I thought the Dolphins might beat Baltimore straight up. That’s not what happened. Instead of beating Baltimore straight up, the Fins barely moved the football. Baltimore rushed for an uncharacteristic 174 yards from 40 carries. Every fantasy football player in the world jumped on RB Alex Collins after he rushed for 113 yards on 18 carries.
Dolphins’ QB Matt Moore threw 2 interceptions. The Ravens ran 1 interception back 63 yards for a TD. They ran the other interception back 50 yards for a TD. Miami was just bad in this game. The Fins couldn’t rush the ball. Jay Ajayi rushed for 23 yards on 13 carries. They definitely couldn’t pass the ball. The defense appeared to throw in the towel after watching how bad the offense played in the first half.
Result: Ravens 40, Dolphins 0
Minnesota Vikings -8.5 at Cleveland Browns +8.5
For a moment, it sure looked like Cleveland might pull off the NFL Week 9 shocker. At halftime, the score was Browns 13, Vikings 12. What happened in the second half? What do you think happened in the second half? The Vikings pummeled Cleveland.
Minnesota outscored the Browns 21 to 3 in the second half for the easy 33 to 16 win. If Minnesota can just maintain until QB Teddy Bridgewater returns, they could be a force in the NFC. The Browns rushed for 115 yards from 22 carries against one of the better rushing defenses in the NFL. That’s good news for Cleveland.
Result: Vikings 33, Browns 16
San Francisco 49’ers +10.5 at Philadelphia Eagles -10.5
Philly was only up 3 to 0 after the first quarter in their ridiculous destruction of San Francisco. If you’re a San Francisco fan, you had to be thinking that maybe, just maybe, this was the day the Niners won a game. Not to be. Philly exploded for 14 points in the second quarter. Then, the Eagles outscored the Niners 16 to 10 in the second half.
The biggest news in this game? MVP NFL darling Philly QB Carson Wentz completed only 18 of 32. He threw for 211 yards, 2 TDs, and an interception. Not stunning stats.
Result: Eagles 33, 49’ers 10
Carolina Panthers +2.5 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers -2.5
In one of the worst games in NFL Week 8, the Carolina Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by 2 TDs. Just marvel at the stats from each teams’ QB. Panthers’ signal-caller Cam Newton completed 18 of 32 for 154 yards, a TD, and a pick. Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston completed 21 of 38 for 210 yards and 2 picks. Man, that was plain ugly, wasn’t it?
Result: Panthers 17, Buccaneers 3
Chicago Bears +7.5 at New Orleans Saints -7.5
Chicago played well in their loss to the New Orleans Saints in NFL Week 8. The Bears rushed for an excellent 157 yards from 31 carries. That’s the Saints’ defense, though. New Orleans doesn’t mind giving up yards as long as they don’t give up TDs. At the end, the Saints covered the -7.5 spread by a whisker.
The biggest news in this game was about Chicago TE Zach Miller. Miller suffered a catastrophic leg injury that required surgery just so he could keep his leg. Miller damaged an artery in the leg. Miller’s okay based on what I’ve read. That’s good news.
Result: Saints 20, Bears 12
Indianapolis Colts +10 at Cincinnati Bengals -10
I thought the Colts might have a shot against the Cincinnati Bengals. In fact, Indy +10 was one of my favorite picks in Week 9. I have no faith in the Bengals’ offensive line. The Colts sacked Cincy QB Andy Dalton 3 times for negative 25 yards. The Bengals won the game. They didn’t impress anybody by just winning, though. Cincinnati is not a good football team. They’re just a point better than the Indianapolis Colts.
Result: Bengals 24, Colts 23
Oakland Raiders +3 at Buffalo Bills -3
I have no idea why over 70% of NFL handicappers liked the Oakland Raiders at +3 going into their game versus the Buffalo Bills. The Bills proved to be the much better team all around by spanking Oakland. I don’t believe Oakland has it together yet. They’re running out of time to get it together. Buffalo beat the Raiders 34 to 14. Because the line went down to Buffalo -1.5, the Bills shattered the spread by +18.5 points. It was the second game in a row the Bills’ offense had scored 30 points or more. If Buffalo has found an offense, watch out. The defense is good.
Result: Bills 34, Raiders 14
Atlanta Falcons +7 at New York Jets -7
It was a must win game for the Atlanta Falcons. They had to keep pace with the red hot New Orleans Saints. Atlanta came through with what turned out to be a nice victory at the end. The Jets, again, had a lead at halftime that they blew. This time, J-E-T-S had a 4-point lead, 17 to 13, over the Falcons. Atlanta outscored the Jets 12 to 3 in the second half. I’m not ready to say the Falcons can beat the Saints in the NFC South.
Result: Falcons 25, Jets 20
L.A. Chargers +5.5 at New England Patriots -5.5
Man, the Bolts really bummed me out this Sunday. I thought the Chargers might take down the New England Patriots straight up. After Bolts’ RB Melvin Gordon opened up the scoring with an 87-yard TD run, I thought LAC would march to an easy win. That didn’t happen. Tom Brady threw for 333 yards and a TD. New England beat the Chargers in a defensive struggle.
Result: Patriots 21, Chargers 13
Houston Texans +5.5 at Seattle Seahawks -5.5
Here’s another game that I picked correctly. Seattle’s D had been playing against some of the worst offensive lines in the NFL. San Francisco, Indianapolis, and the New York Giants don’t have great offensive lines. Houston has a wonderful offensive line.
The Texans rushed for 142 yards from 34 carries. QB DeShaun Watson threw for over 400 yards. He also threw 4 TDs. He also threw 3 interceptions. That’s how Seattle came back to beat Houston 41 to 38. Oh, it helps that Seattle QB Russell Wilson dominated with 452 passing yards and 4 TDs.
Result: Seahawks 41, Texans 38
Dallas Cowboys pk at Washington Redskins pk
At halftime, it was 14 to 13 Dallas. After the third quarter, Dallas held a 22 to 13 lead. What happened? What happened is what always happens to Washington. Their defense plays stellar in the first half. It gets tired in the second half. If QB Kirk Cousins and Washington doesn’t put up points, Washington loses the football game.
Dallas won their second straight. Washington lost their second straight. Dallas might be the only contender to Philly’s dominance in the NFC East.
Result: Dallas 33, Washington 19
Pittsburgh Steelers -3 at Detroit Lions +3
The Lions had more total yards than Pittsburgh had in this game. Detroit rushed for 71 yards. Lions’ QB Matthew Stafford threw for 423 yards. Steelers’ QB Big Ben Roethlisberger threw for 317 yards. Ben threw a TD. He also threw a pick.
Why did the Lions lose? That’s a great question. Detroit had plenty of chances to take the lead. They even had the ball with around 2 minutes left inside the Steelers 15 yard line. Then, after failing on 4th down, Detroit had the Steelers at 3 and 6. A pass interference call on Detroit corner Darius Slay is what ended the game for the Lions.
Result: Steelers 20, Lions 15
Denver Broncos +7 at Kansas City Chiefs -7
The Denver Broncos put up a fight. At the end, the Kansas City Chiefs moved to 6 and 2. Why? The Chiefs counted on quarterback Alex Smith again. Smith is one of the most careful QBs in the NFL. The fact that he’s throwing it all over the field while not tossing interceptions makes him one of the top signal-callers in the game.
KC easily covered the spread by 10 points. Denver is now on a 3-game losing streak. Time’s running out for the Broncos if they wish to make the playoffs this season.
Result: Chiefs 29, Broncos 19